"Zip Nolan, Highway Patrolman"

Favourite punk single? Far too many to list in one life-time, but anything by Swell Maps is never far from the centre of my heart and this single ("Zip Nolan, Highway Patrolman" (Named after the UK comic character) by side-project The Cult Figures) def figures somewhere in my top 20, maybe:



Comes complete w/ anarchic free-noise b-side "Zip Dub"...mentally re-evaluating the 'Maps 25+ years on, their brand of free-wheelin' experimentalism makes them a sort of second cousin (by marriage) to Krautrock and a Third Uncle to the 'rockier' end of the Finnish 'Free-Folk' 'Tinuum, particularly the Avarus/Maniacs Dream axis. Ditto: their day-glo DIY Cut und Paste graphics make them a sorta hybrid of post-Warholian Nu Pop-Art and a John Hartfield-esque Punk'd-out photocopier assault on old Stingray annuals...again, I see echoes of their visuals in Finnish 7-inch covers and all sortsa no-fi US Out-Rock fall-out...they were born between generations/genres, the poor things...Gawd Bless 'em, I say.

Pretty much everything they ever did, even demos & out-take comps, comes firmly recommended by me and if you find you don't like 'em, then...well, tuff.