Buzz Blog

January has certainly had its fair share of surprises in the local releases, and we're only one month into 2014. I got a feeling this is gonna be a good year. --- We'll start in the alternative section with the latest release from The Archer's Apple, a four-piece alt-indie/folk group from Provo. These guys have been together for nearly five years, and up until now have had only one release to their name, 2010's Suburban Ocean EP. But The Archer's Apple has had a hell of a following in Utah County, which has kept the band on stages and in the public eye. So we're pretty confident when we say their first full-length, Underwater, will do pretty well with the hometown crowd. This album is actually quite good, very put-together and snappy. This is an album you should be hearing on X96 throughout the day, specifically tracks like “You Are the Sun” and “Black Crow.” You can snag a digital copy off their Bandcamp page for a mere $7.

Traveling up to Logan for a moment, we've got the latest from singer/songwriter Sarah Olsen. Olsen has pretty much been a Cache County staple for the past few years. Her debut album, Just Another Day, made a mild splash with the folk community, but she really didn't rise to prominence as some expected. It's been more three years since that album, but now she's returned with her sophomore effort titled Steal Away. She's still got the acoustic style down pat, and her vocals are quite good, but you can tell she's been growing as a musician between albums and you can hear more confidence booming in her style. You can download the album off Bandcamp for $10.

Moving on to jazz, The Hot Club Of Zion has just released an EP. The four-piece ensemble should be familiar to those of you attending outdoor concerts on a regular basis (not including the Twilight Concert Series), as it's become the go-to act to open up shows or bring a new mood at venues like Red Butte Garden and The Beehive Tea Room while it was still around. The last release we saw from these guys was in 2012 in the form of their self-titled full-length album, but they're returned with an EP by the name of Automne. We haven’t had a chance to hear it, and you can't purchase it on their website yet, so you'll need to do it the old fashioned way by bringing cash to their next gig.

Switching to hip-hop with a touch of electronic, last week we saw the latest from Tetris Fingers, one of our favorite experimental beat makers. One of the best albums to come out of 2012 was his debut full-length, Can't Juke This Vol. 1, which had a number of twisted tunes that made listeners get off their asses and groove, earning praise from local emcees like Atheist in the process. His sophomore album, 3 AM Rendezvous, has got a much smoother tone and reflects more of a minimal style, found best in tracks “When She Found Out” and “Bad Day.” This is definitely a must-listen album; you can download it for whatever you'd like to pay on his Bandcamp page. Get it and just chill at home over the weekend to it.

While we're talking hip-hop, local producers Grimblee and Hecka have collaborated on a brand-new piece of music that's getting some buzz. The unashamed album title of Help Us Pay Rent is a split full-length with each man taking five tracks and switching off. Each have their own distinct way of approaching a track, but surprisingly, they compliment each other rather than fighting for dominance, which is refreshing as a lot of these kind of tracks when played at a club feel like you're being jerked track to track. This album has a great flow, and may not be for the dance floor, but it's assured to get other producers thinking. Help Grimblee and Hecka pay rent by snagging it for just $5 on Grimblee's Bandcamp page.

Switching it up to more electronic music, last week also saw the release of the debut album from Metatag. The latest addition to the Hel Audio label, this music actually comes straight out of Norway, but we're giving it some attention for the local label love. You can grab a copy of Transmission either digitally or on cassette tape for just $5 off Hel Audio's Bandcamp.

Getting into punk for a second, we have a debut album from a band called Blackbeard. Like most punk bands, they don't have shit for social media or web presence. This self-titled hardcore punk album just popped up on Bandcamp one day as a free download. If you're into it, give the band a shot.

Next up is the latest release from ... Night Sweats? That's not a typo folks: The band that broke up in mid-2013 (seen above, courtesy of Facebook) has a brand-new album that may very well be their only full-length. Burgundy is comprised of music from their 2013 EP Red, pirated copies of songs, live performances and alternative masters of songs in the works before the group came to an end, all put together by David Payne and produced on his Rest 30 label for your listening pleasure. This is, by far, an impressive album, and yet another one that should be playing on X96 throughout the day. It shows the great new wave/rock sound Night Sweats were going for in all its glory, and what great things might have been coming down the road had they stayed together. There's rumor of a fully mastered album on the way, too, so if you love this, you might get even more. You can get it for whatever you'd like to pay on the Rest 30 Bandcamp page.

And that brings us to the only release show this week from the band Dipped In Whiskey, a Pleasant Grove metal band that has been rocking around Utah for more than two years now. And by playing, we really mean playing, everything from big gigs at The Salt Haus and Murray Theater to thrown-together gigs in people's garages. Now you can own a copy of this hard-working band's debut album, Dipped Or Die, due to come out tomorrow at their release show. You can snag a copy on Friday, Jan. 31, at The Sugar Space as the band plays with Drunk as Shit, Ossatura, Legion and Forget the Sunset.  The show starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are just $7.

Love music, head out, buy local.