Longtime readers know that Gossip Wolf is a big supporter of power-rock unit High Spirits, fronted by local hesher Chris Black (who also leads Superchrist and Dawnbringer). The band take inspiration from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and Reader critic Luca Cimarusti has described their music as “Halfordesque vocals over sharp, harmonized guitar shredding.” On the new LP Motivator, which German label High Roller Records releases on Friday, September 16, High Spirits stick to the playbook they’ve perfected: massively exuberant, diamond-hard jammers such as “Flying High” and “Reach for the Glory” are beers-in-the-air classics in the making. In October, Professor Black and company head out for a west-coast tour that includes four dates with Christian Mistress.
Long-running Chicago-based experimental trio TV Pow just dropped a self-titled 12-inch through Berlin label Shameless Records (founded by reedist Boris Hauf, a friend and collaborator of the band). TV Pow steers the group’s lithe minimalism through some funky turns when the core members hand a microphone to a rotating cast of vocalists: guests on the record include soul singer Tina M. Howell, R&B-influenced rapper Precise, and idiosyncratic MC Sharkula. Copies are 20 euros at shamelessrecords.rocks. v
