A Parkhead Cross Of The Mind

グラスゴーのインディポップ / パワーポップ・デュオが3RDアルバムをリリース!!

長年の友人、CALVIN HALLIDAY、 JAMES HINDLEによるグラスゴーを拠点とするインディポップ / パワーポップ・デュオ、U.S. HIGHBALLが3RDスタジオ・アルバムをリリース! ジャングリーなカレッジロックのギターに70年代のパワーポップのような中毒性、そして初期THEY MIGHT BE GIANTSを彷彿とさせるドラム・マシンが融合したポップ・アルバムに仕上がっています。

When Glasgow indie pop foursome the Pooches petered out following a final song in early 2017, the bands main songwriter James Hindle and drummer Calvin Halliday were soon reinvigorated by their chemistry as a duo. This included a shared affection for the mid-60s jangle and bittersweet harmonies of bands like the Byrds and Peter & Gordon as well as descendants in 80s college rock and the Sarah Records roster. The resulting project, U.S. Highball, issued a pair of full-length D.I.Y. charmers in 2019 and 2020 before upgrading their equipment for the (again) home-recorded A Parkhead Cross of the Mind, their third straight album for the Pooches label, Lame-O Records. The sets slightly punchier character is reflected in tributes to power pop and Hi-NRG, namely a cover of Jimmy Silva’s "Grease the Wheel" and closer "Lets Save Bobby Orlandos House," respectively. The latter song opens with strummed guitars over a brisk four-on-the-floor before settling into their typically bouncy, nostalgia-tinged indie pop. But before arriving at track 12, they deliver a reliable series of around-two-minute harmonic ditties that, even at their slowest tempos ("Grease the Wheel") uplift with ringing melodic guitar, head-bobbing rhythms, and affectionate vocal melodies that offer up lyrics about everyday life in titular Glasgow, from local neighborhood stops to playing music with friends. "Almost Cut My Hair" (not the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song), for instance, includes thoughts like, "In time youll get to know/The words to Kokomo/Played on your friends guitar" before bearing in mind a neighbor ("Who is watching/Who is there/When youre creeping up the stairs?"). Elsewhere, standout "Double Dare" incorporates drum machine beats and call-and-response vocals into its catchy slice of life. Scampering by in less than 30 minutes, A Parkhead Cross of the Mind invites first-time visitors as well as repeat listens. ~ Marcy Donelson