Drop Nineteens - Mayfield demo (199?)

Beantown's co-ed Drop Nineteens blissfully worshiped at the tremelo-flanged alter of Kevin Shields and Robin Guthrie, and in 1992 were awarded a deal with Caroline Records, rumor has it, on the strength of no more than two gigs (feel free to correct me on this). Delaware may have been their official debut wax, but preceding it was an album's worth of presumably unreleased demos that were collectively known as Mayfield. None of the twelve numbers here were reworked in any shape or form for Delaware, making this an especially rewarding trove for Drop Nineteen devotees hankering for a belated appetizer to their two commercially released albums.

On Mayfield, the effect is heavy handed (and lo-fi) as can be, with more than just a passing wink and a nod to their overseas contemporaries, namely My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Slowdive, etc. Being the blatant by-product that they were, the Drop Nineteens were hailed by the British press, but were largely invisible on their home turf. Listening to these twelve tracks (including a lovingly mangled take of George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun"), you're likely to gain the impression that this quintet didn't merely gaze at their collective Doc Martens, they were downright blinded by them.

As for their Caroline Records debut, Delaware, much of Mayfield's odd feathers were plucked, and the overall swampiness was curtailed to more economical effect. If helps to have an appreciation of Delaware before delving into this cassette-derived set, so partake in some archived Drop Nineteens here, particularly the sublime, bittersweet "Winona," a must have for anyone's desert island mix disc.

01. Mayfield

02. Shannon Waves

03. Astral

04. Kissing the Sea

05. Slylight

06. Snowbird

07. Pentatonic/Another Summer

08. Here Comes the Sun

09. Damon

10. Song for JJ

11. Back in Our Old Bed

12. Soapland
 

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