Inspired by the U.K.'s shoegaze movement, Arizona's
Half String
put out a number of EPs starting in 1991 before calling it quits shortly after the 1996 release of their underrated swan song
A Fascination of Heights
.
Maps for Sleep 1991-1994
doesn't extend to that period, but it gathers everything else released by
Kruse
,
Capps
Lanning
, and
Patterson
. Essentially, this compilation is an extended version of
Eclipse Oval Hue
, adding the three EPs from that comp (
Eclipse
Oval
and
Hue
), with the five songs from
's fourth EP,
Tripped Up Breathing
, two four-track demos, and a live festival performance of "Saturnine" from 1993. The group's dry style of dream pop didn't evolve a lot over the years, and because the music can be a little samey (purposely), some of the bonus tracks are inconsequential. But "Hue" and "Oval" are necessary delights, making it a no-brainer to pick up the rest of
's back catalog on one disc, as the ultimate supplement to
. ~ Jason Lymangrover