{"product_id":"u-s-highball-god-save-the-kelvin-wheelies","title":"U.S. Highball - God Save the Kelvin Wheelies","description":"\u003cdiv id=\"name-section\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"trackInfo\" class=\"leftColumn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"trackInfoInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003ePale-pink blossoms are bursting into life on the trees that hang over the back-court bins, the nights are growing a little longer and more enticing, and the sun is peeking gingerly from behind clouds that seem a shade less grey than usual. All this must surely mean that spring has sprung. What better time for Scottish indie upstarts U.S. Highball to set another record loose on the world? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnter God Save the Kelvin Wheelies, the fifth Lame-O Records album from lifelong pals Calvin Halliday and James Hindle, and their first in three years - practically a lifetime for the ever-prolific pair. For album number five, they found themselves - partly by design, partly by circumstance - easing into a slower rhythm of production, drawing from more than 40 songs written over a two-year period and mindfully distilling the best of the bunch into a burnished 14-track collection that fizzes with a precision and intent their earlier breakneck output never quite allowed. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album is named after a long-buried skatepark that was once the pride of the duo’s local stomping ground, Kelvingrove Park, and those familiar with U.S. Highball’s prior output will be delighted to hear that the inescapable influence of Glasgow - musical and otherwise - is keenly felt throughout Wheelies. Could it ever be any\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e other way? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReaching further afield geographically, “What We Did on Our Holidays” speaks to touring misadventures and features glorious harmonies from Matt Scottoline of road companions Hurry. Scottoline also contributes bass to “Vistagraph”, a curiously oblique ode to pre-Code Hollywood that boasts criss-crossing backing vocals from London-based indie lifers Sassyhiya. Of course, it just wouldn’t be a U.S. Highball album without a contribution from Modern Baseball’s Ian Farmer, who lends his distinctive vocal stylings to the ruminative and playful album opener “A Parkhead Cross of the Mind”. The pastel-hued “Caja Mágica” - bolstered vocally by Kristin Jones alongside The Ladybug Transistor’s Gary Olson - might be the most melancholy thing Halliday and Hindle have ever committed to vinyl. But for those worried the boys are in danger of maturing, “The Magic Swing” and “This Must Be the Place” prove that their knack for caustic observational humour hasn’t softened one iota. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTrue to form, the record’s instrumental palette is rooted in time-honoured jangle-pop sensibilities, with shimmering 12-string guitar chords doing melodic battle with fuzzed-out Farfisa refrains and bubbling synth patterns. And, as with each new U.S. Highball outing, \u003cbr\u003ethere are subtle but satisfying sonic shifts. The 14 songs on Wheelies draw from the pair’s most expansive sonic toolbox to date, frequently eschewing notions of good taste - just peep the darting, Vince Clarke-inspired synth solo on “Peter’s Parade” or the deliberately obnoxious record-scratch sound effect on “Empire Burlesque Wife.” “Falling Out of Favour - inspired by acts like New Order and They Go Boom - marks the pair’s first overt dalliance with electro-pop, while “Copenhagen Chemistry” employs enchanting dream-pop textures over a propulsive, galloping beat. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs per tradition, Wheelies is a true labour of friendship and collaboration, recorded and mixed at James’ home studio, Aggi Road, in Glasgow, and mastered by Snowy in Melbourne, Australia. Guest vocals were tracked across London, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom its first infectious chorus to its last, this is a record that feels alive with the cautiously optimistic promise of Glasgow in full bloom.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Lame-O Records","offers":[{"title":"Ice Blue Vinyl","offer_id":48670664327419,"sku":"USHB-GSTKW-LP","price":34.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/4087\/9867\/files\/God_Save_the_Kelvin_Wheeles_-_Front_Cover_smaller.jpg?v=1775707083","url":"https:\/\/lameorecords.com\/en-ca\/products\/u-s-highball-god-save-the-kelvin-wheelies","provider":"Lame-O Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}