Electronica and Shoegaze are genres that have a lot in common – in a few words: the inclination to toy around with equipment to forge new and interesting soundscapes. Brooklyn based (via Puerto Rico) Kordan bring these two genres together beautifully in the few songs we are hearing from the band’s upcoming debut album, entitled "The Longing" and scheduled for an early October release. If the fuzz-drenched guitars and the droney melodies are reminiscent of late 80s/early 90s shoegazer, the various electronic elements take the genre to a new dimension. "Mirror" is definitely the strongest track here, with a pulsating Roland 808-style drum machine, a synth arpeggiator melody that carries throughout the tune (sometimes floating, sometime drowning) and the occasionally use of the vocoder on the vocals. See them at The Lit Lounge on 09.23.

Curtis Eller has proclaimed he is "New York City’s angriest yodeling banjo player,” but if you saw the fella you might agree his black, converse high tops and Chaplin moustache are doing nothing for his surly reputation. He plucks his banjo like an old bluesman but sings with the voice of a good-ol-boy. Eller is angry like a gentleman who knows that a well sung song is the best solution for a difficult situation. He mirrors Woody Guthrie’s union ballads with a side show slant: spins tales about a man on death row and a pack of drunken nerdowells. His politics shine on songs like “Sweathop Fire” which gracefully weaves a dirge for the sweatshop workers, comparing the fire to Ulysess S. Grant and the 1929 stock market crash. Eller’s banjo drives his one-man outfit like a freight train and if this doesn’t win your heart, his Mic Jagger dance moves sure will. See him live at the Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island on 09.04. – Jenny Luczak

The Gay Blades’ October 5 release, “Savages,” is as eccentric and memorable as their aliases, “Clark Westfield” (vocals/guitar) and “Puppy Mills” (drums). A cross-pollination of genres, this sophomore record begins with aggressive, distorted “Rock N’ Roll (Part I).” The mood lightens up with “Try to Understand,” available to download for free in exchange for a tweet, and bounces with quivering vocals and peppy horns. “Puppy Mills Presents’” cabaret cadence is intensified by crunching guitars and transitions into the sultry and infectious track, “Mick Jagger,” to which the man himself would surely strut along. The melancholy of “Why Winter in Detroit?” and folksy “November Fight Song” culminates in the yearning and heartfelt “Too Cool to Quit.” “Shadow’s Like A Ghost” and “Wasted on the Youth’s” howling leads and unusual melodic progressions create haunting tracks, contrasting with the frantic pace of the punky pop “Burns and Shakes.” Last but not least, “Every Night Is Like a Revival’s” lilt converts to a ballad with string embellishments, fading into a unexpectedly tranquil close. For maximum appreciation, these guys’ music must be experienced live, so don’t miss their show when you have the opportunity (they have no upcoming dates in NYC at this moment). -Meijin Bruttomesso