I've got four local albums to discuss this weekend, including two shows happening in the next few days. --- First up on the list is one that actually came out in June, which I'll explain the delay in a moment, from Summerteeth. The four-piece SLC indie-rock band have had a nice following, even though you rarely see them play. Over the past year, the band have actually cranked out two full-length albums and an EP, including their sophomore album Lurking Danger back in February. For their third album, The Future's Over, the band have taken more of a punk vibe to some of their songs, expanded some of their musical tastes with more instrumentation and a real effort to venture beyond the typical “indie” standard. The unfortunate truth about Summerteeth is that they don't promote anything. Don't take my word for it, go check out the Facebook page I linked you to -- I'll wait; the website is just as barren. How bands in this day and age expect people to find their material in a timely manner without some kind of social media is ridiculous. But I found it three months later, and now you can download it for free from their Bandcamp page. 

Getting back to more recent stuff, a few weeks ago saw the debut release from Tetris Fingers. This is the lone dubstep project from Los Angeles-transplanted DJ Thomas Tsuruda, who has slowly been putting work under this new name the past year or so. His debut album, Can't Juke This: Vol 1, has a nice blend of head-nodding background beats and ethereal jams, which may not make it your regular rave or dance album, but it's definitely got a “driving around at night” feel to it. It's at least worth checking out. You can download a copy for a “name your price” tag off his Bandcamp page.

Moving on to release shows, tonight we'll see the latest from Problem Daughter. The SLC punk-rock group are back after what felt like an extended hiatus. The band (seen above, photo by Gilbert Cisneros) started out in 2007 and quickly put out their debut album, American Heroine, in April 2008. After gaining a lot of immediate press for it, they jammed out their second album, With Open Hearts & Empty Hands in January 2009. The history gets a little blurry from there as the band took a hiatus in 2010, but no one's really sure for how long. The rest must have done them some good because now they're back with an impressive self-titled third album. What few clips have leaked onto the Net have been awesome, as the melodic punkers show they've still got the skills after nearly six years of playing together. You can snag a copy and catch the group play tonight at Muse Music, along with Despite Despair, The Salt City Sound and Still Sea; just $6, starting at 8 p.m.

And then finally moving on to Tuesday this coming week, we'll see the debut album from Marinade. The five-piece funk-rock band out of SLC have been busy as hell, being a frequent club band with a show almost every week of the year. Led by the sassy drummer Talia Keys, the band is a combination of experienced hands and passionate upstarts who have found a great balance for awesome live shows. Or, as they would put it, the meat of the band was soaked just right. The group have been working hard the past few months to crank out their debut album, Soak Your Meat In This, which, from what few tracks I've heard, does a fine job of capturing their live show. Well, maybe not Keys speeches to the crowd, but the music is mighty fine; it's at least worth checking out. The band will be releasing their album at The State Room on Sept. 12 as they play with Brian Ernst and The Pour Horse. The show is absolutely FREE, with music kicking off at 8 p.m.

Head out, love music, buy local!