DJ Mattlock's 10 Albums of the Year of 2007

Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Nightwish continues to dominate with their own brand of power metal with the sweet vocal stylings of new singer Annette Olzen. A fresh start for a band with enough experience to really explode onto iPods everywhere. Key Track: The fist-pumping sing-along "Amaranth"
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
I overheard it at a barbeque and a Volkswagon commercial...but it's still the new band to take their songwriting to the level of Beatles albums. Key Track: Guitar-lickin' good "Walken"
Daft Punk - Alive 2007
High quality remixes...of their own songs...over their own songs...with parts of their other songs thrown in. I love it. Key Track: Around The World/Harder Better Faster Stronger
Perry Farrell's Satellite Party - Ultra Payloaded
Despite the unneccessary guest spot by Fergie, the guest spots by the likes of John Frusciante and Flea (RHCP) and Nuno Bettencourt make this disc an AWESOME party album. Key Track: "Hard Life Easy"...a Red Hot Chili Peppers song on steroids.
Paramore - Riot!
All the energy and catchiness of a pop-punk album with none of the bloating [ego]. Listen to "Misery Business" and tell that won't be stuck in your head later.
Dethklok - Dethalbum
Metal. Key Track: The ode to maritime homicide "Murmaider".
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Not even a big fan of the Boss, but this is more Americana than a baseball landing in a hot apple pie. Key Track: "Radio Nowhere"
Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow
A rockin' album that has the potential to rival classics like Boston's self-titled debut. Key Track: "Feathers"
David Gilmour - Remember That Night
David Gilmour, age 61...at the top of his game. His guitar work makes young gunslingers look stupid. Key Track: The first ten minutes (covering "Breathe/Time/Breathe Reprise" better than the original album ever could)
Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between
Surprise of the year...punk-ska + bossa nova + catchy choruses + intricate breakdowns = win. Key Track: Watch It Crash

Calling it Now: Best album of 2008

For some reason, Mark Lanegan gets left out of music thought, yet he keeps creating some amazing music. On the first B-Cuts of the year, we did our rounds and predicted the best album of 2008. I forget what I said (I think it was Opeth?), but it wasn't the Gutter Twins' Saturnalia. Why not? Because I forgot about it. This is something I am slightly ashamed of, because I recently visited The Gutter Twins' myspace and listened to the two songs they've released... only to be BLOWN AWAY.

The Gutter Twins' consist of Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, and Soulsavers (my 2nd favorite album of 07, beat out only because In Rainbows was amazing) and Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers. Both musicians are on the same label, Sub Pop, and they collaborated on a Twilight Singers EP. They gelled so well they decided to make an album together.

The two songs on their myspace "Idle Hands" and "The Stations" have a sound different from anything either musician has done. Their combined musical forces build up this dark, genre-bending entity ready to kick some ass.

Do yourself a favor and check out this music. Maybe even do a little more digging. Sub Pop has a really interesting article describing their sound and how everything came to be.

"We're just the devil's plaything"




Peace, Love and Keep Rock Alive

New Years Resolutions

It is January and 2008 (recently declared by the Chinese as the year of the overpriced concert tickets) is officially upon us. We B-Cuts thought that we all did a good job in 2007 (the year of rampant mediocrity), but realize that there is always room for improvement. As most of you know, our 2007 resolution was "World Domination." While we did not quite make it, no one can fault us for having lofty goals. Thus we have a new batch of New Years resolutions that should make our weekly radio show and this blog that much better. So without any more delay, I present the three ways the B-Cuts vow to improve Deadbeat Melodies, our Music News Blog.

1.) More Music - Already we have begun to bring local bands into the studio for intimate interviews and acoustic live performances. We hope to both continue this into the new year and bring more of these special shows into this blog. It is my hope that we have some of the bands post their thoughts here. This will create a sort of radio show/music blog synergy that (to my knowledge) has never been done before by humans.

2.) More News - It is a big world out there in the alternative music scene, and we B-Cuts realize that it is our duty as journalists to cover it. We want to bring attention to the truely creative entertainers out there that deserve all the press in the world but often do not recieve it. Readers have always looked to this blog as a shiny chariot of journalistic and humorous excellence, and this year we promise we will not disappoint.

3.) More Blog - We realize we have been a bit skimpy on the updates. This of course will change. We hereby pledge ourselves to weekly (dare I say - daily?) updates, complete with a variety of outlits for our reporting on the music entertainment world. In addition to more reporting on news, we will also have more of our famous album reviews, genre histories, and top whatever lists. We also want You (no, not You, no, no - yes! You, there!) to participate more, either by calling our show on the telephone or electronic-mailing us at thebcuts@gmail.com.

These are our promises. It is our hope that keeping up with them will bring both B-Cuts and Deadbeat Melodies to qualities of mythic propoertions. This of course will lead us to world domination, where I will be King and all will cower under me. One can only hope.


Kevin Clang


Sidenote: One thing we will have less of - Britney Spears. Barring some unforeseen circumstance where she cures Cancer or something, this should be the last time Ms. Spears is mentioned in this blog. Never has someone been so famous for so long without releasing an actual album (and no, the horrendous Blackout doesn't count - curse all of you who bought it.)

Local Music Update

Over the past few months I have really tried to jump into the local scene. It took me a while to realize how many GREAT bands are coming out of Chapel Hill and Durham these days. Next year, on B-Cuts, we are going to try to focus on bringing the local scene to WSOE. This year was great with Luego and Bombadil coming into the studio, two amazing bands that I just found out about this year. I'll start with those two, and reveal some other bands that you all might hear on B-Cuts next year.

Luego is an alt-country-ish band featuring acoustic guitar, cello, viola, drums and a vocals that fit seamlessly. Luego is made up of some very nice people who really just love making and playing music. You can find the interview and in-studio podcast on iTunes if you search for WSOE.

Bombadil is a hard band to describe. One of the members, Bryan, actually asked me at a show how I could best describe them and I couldn't. Now that I look back on it, if you combine Beulah with Bob Dylan fronting the Decemberists... that's Bombadil. Even that's a stretch. Bombadil is a fun band to see live because almost everyone plays almost everything. I've never seen some instruments played in a live show before and in certain ways. Daniel played his bass with a drum stick at one point, and it made some cool sounds. They keep it fun and switch it up and they are just one of North Carolina's greatest neo-folk bands.

Bands to look for on future B-Cuts (these will be shorter because we haven't interviewed them yet-sans Old Ceremony and Roman Candle because I saw them live):

Early Morning Swimm is what I can best describe as Joseph Arthur meets Iron & Wine. They are a dark and beautiful folk group. They will be in the studio in early Feb, so listen up!!

American Aquarium takes their name from a Wilco lyric. It fits. American Aquarium is more of a folk version of Wilco, and they do a good job of not being Wilco, which is key in this kind of situation. American Aquarium makes some beautiful music that will bring out your emotions.

Erie Choir is what you get when Elvis Costello makes a pop-indie band or if the Super Furry Animals played folk music. Either way, check them out because they'll grow on you... fast.

The Future Kings of Nowhere is a band that I fell in love with the first time I heard them. They are an anti-folk/acoustic-punk band and their sound is so catchy. Perhaps if you just gave Ted Leo an acoustic guitar and a bit of early Against Me! energy, you'd have Future Kings. The music is very upbeat and fun.

Red Collar or... The Clash of North Carolina. These guys are an interesting punk band in the classic punk sense. They make rock music, and it's great.

The Old Ceremony puts on one hell of a live show. My best way to describe them... is if the Who made Americana music and formed up with Fastball. Again, that's a stretch. If these guys made music in the 60's or 70's, they'd be freaking huge right now.

Roman Candle is what you get if you take Wilco's current "we're just a rock band" mentality and have them re-make A.M. or a more rockin Bob Dylan and the Band. Just like Old Ceremony, if these guys were making music in the 60's or 70's, they'd be huge. Roman Candle is proof that rock is in fact... still alive. For the sake of your life, check out the song "Why Modern Radio is AOK" because it's one of the best songs I've heard all year.


Keep on listening to the B-Cuts next semester to hear these great bands in the studio. Do yourself a favor, go out and support local music at your local venues and you might be surprised at the bands putting on some amazing shows.

Peace, Love and Keep Rock Alive

I'm Very Confused Right Now...

To see my latest rant of confusion about how good bands are finally being supported yet some things never change, go to Before the Culture Dies

Peace, Love and Keep Rock Alive

DJ KRA's Best of the Year

1. Radiohead - In Rainbows
This album flows beautifully and there isn't a bad song on it. The concept behind everything In Rainbows is brilliant, but it doesn't outshine the amazing sounds they make.

2. Soulsavers - It's now how far you fall, it's how you land
Very depressing, very very beautiful album that just makes you break down in emotion. I don't think I've ever felt this way because of an album before. It's so dark and beautiful. Lanegan's voice shines.

3. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
This record is just plain solid. The songs are clever and catchy and the delivery is perfect.

4. The National - Boxer
I'm new to The National. I had no idea who they were until this album. They blew me away. The vocals work perfectly with the lush instrumentation.

5. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
It's Porcupine Tree, 'nuff said. The album is solid. I feel that it lacks in certain areas, but it's a great album as far as production, instrumentation and lyrically. Breathtaking album competing in a year full of great releases.

Honorable Mentions:

Andrew Bird
Dinosaur Jr.
Winterpills
Three
Autumn Defenses
Devin Townsend
Wilco
Blackfield


Peace, Love and Keep Rock Alive!!!

Wow it's been a while. Now to expose the RIAA!!

Hey all you wonderful people. I recently started a new blog called "Before The Culture Dies." It's dedicated to showing how apathy is growing and our rich American culture is slowly being destroyed.

Anyways, on my recent post I looked at the RIAA and their spinning ways of basically saying they just want to control what we listen to.

Check it out, it's long... but I think it's fairly eyeopening.

Before the Culture Dies