It was one of those brisk, heart-of-autumn nights in Brooklyn when the sifting wind off the East River reminds us of the imminent approach of winter. This was good cover for the sparkling denizens of New York’s music scene to show off their best tight fitting motorcycle leathers – svelt and black seemed to be the watchword for the night’s fashion choices. Congregating in the high profile converted warehouse space of Williamsburg’s Public Assembly, NY tastemakers were drinking $6 a bottle Brooklyn IPAs as they prepared for their exclusive sneak peak at Neon Gold and Chess Club record’s best offerings for next year’s buzz feed.

I was lucky enough to get a discounted ticket, and swung by the festivities to scout the new talent.  What struck me immediately was the abundance of highly photogenic male-centric bands, eye-candy for the ladies in the audience.  Fortunately for the fellas, the music was just as cosmetically brilliant as the fawnish hunks knocking it out.

Vintage rocker Devin Therriault seemed to especially rev up the female contingent.  Dressed in pressed on black denim with a sort of low slung black holster belt, red and white stripe button up, and meticulously slicked and curled hair, Therriault gave off a vibe that bridged the gap between the 50’s slickster and the first wave punker. At one point, as he gyrated his hips and leaned dramatically into his guitar digs, the girl behind me physically tried to move me aside so that she might have an unobstructed view of this mainline rock Casanova.

Other stand-outs included New York’s Brahms, a trio of tall, androgenous, and from what I can gather from their MySpace photos and performance, perpetually black clad musicians.  They claim as a particularly influence the seminal dance-post-punk hybrid group New Order, and I can certainly see the reference coming through in their sleekly nocturnal dancehall jams.

Perhaps my favorite act of the night, however, was Fenech Soler, the ebullient British electro-synth quartet.  Over the past two years Fenech Soler have been rapidly ascending the ladder to international stardom, already having collaborated with such leading lights of the dance world as Groove Armada and Alan Brax, not to mention releasing a single, “Lies,” which included a vicious house remix by none other than Alex Metric.

Singer Ben Duffy ignites the group’s live performance with his frenetic energy and tack-sharp falsettos.  A track like “Battlefields”, employing skronked bass fuzz, a stacatto synth armature, and glitchy vocal processing, gives an excellent cross-section of Fenech Soler’s digital arsenal.  This is definitely a band to keep your eye on.

To my great disappointment I was drawn away from the Neon Gold Showcase before I got a chance to see Penguin Prison, who, word on the street has it, is also poised for a major break.

Par for the evening, Penguin Prison creator and front man Chris Glover demonstrated top-notch showmanship, grinding against the mic-stand and belting out soulful pop vibes in his ubiquitous crew-neck and blazer ensemble. The song “Don’t Fuck With My Money,” went over especially well with the crowd, and it wasn’t long until the floor was flush with dancing bodies – pretty good work considering I hadn’t seen more than some committed head-bobbing in response to the other acts.