Self-described “cyberdelic pop,” Albuquerque’s latest synthbeat group The Gatherers has rapidly—and deservedly—become a local favorite. Dreamy female/male vocals are tidily mixed with the sublime instrumentation of live (yes!) bass and drums, keys, loops and lots of knob twisting on little black boxes. A few tracks off this debut CD (especially “Dark Triangle”) have a great Ladytron feel, and that’s as high a compliment as can be given to any synthpop band. As good as Kurt Russell is, it barely hints at the brilliant live shows of The Gatherers. There’s more recordings to come soon. Expect major things.

Long before the BP oil spill disaster, and even before Hurricane Katrina and that skank Rita ripped through the Gulf Coast five years ago, the Louisiana shores were already suffering. “Since 1900,” says the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, “Louisiana has lost more than 1 million acres of wetlands and barrier shoreline as a result of natural processes and human activity.” Louisiana’s land loss not only compromises habitat for fish and wildlife, but it removes a natural buffer against storms. With oil smeared all over the problem, the situation is truly horrifying.