((Maps)) Band Profile and Upcoming New York City Concerts - Oh My Rockness

Maps is the one-man studio project of James Hampton. The Englishman recorded all the parts to these songs alone on his 16-track, and the dynamic bedroom pop that came out of his imagination was good enough to land him a record deal with the mighty Mute Records. Live, he enlists help from four other lads to re-create his complex studio creations for the stage.

Maps' orchestral electro-rock certainly sounds a lot like My Bloody Valentine. MBV's wall-of-sound atmospherics clearly had influence on Hampton (his vocals even sound like Kevin Shields). But perhaps a more modern reference point for Maps could be the soothing programmed stuff Jimmy Tamborello has been creating with DNTEL and The Postal Service.

Call Maps' shoe-pop, or maybe electro-gaze. Their lushly layered songs swirl towards sampled enlightenment. Recommended if you like Serena Maneesh, Jesus and Mary Chain and Boards of Canada.
Published June 21, 2007
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