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With the lovely Kat Bass way under the weather, Danno had to shoulder the show tonight for our weekly starter. Great tunes to explore, though along with a couple of important pieces of history with Hugh Masekela and Meatloaf to cover, RIP to both.
"The Drop with Danno" on GFN 광주영어방송 98.7FM in Gwangju & 93.7FM in Yeosu, Korea. An eclectic radio curation of all things musical spanning the spectrum every week. Broadcasting 8-10pm KST nightly.
Jan 24, 2022
I & II
Hugh Masekela feat Ojah – Afro Beat Blues
Beach House – Only You Know
KAINA – Apple
Vundabar feat Indigo de Souza – Alien Blues Redux
Nilufer Yanya – midnight sun
Sevdaliza – High Alone
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Chocolate Hills
Pedro The Lion – Making The Most of It
Yeek – Freaky (RGB)
The Head & The Heart – Every Shade of Blue
Babeheaven feat Navy Blue – Make Me Wanna
Big Thief – Simulation Swarm
Daniel Rossen – Shadow In The Frame
It is 20 hours past midnight on a how overcast does it need to get kind of January Monday to start the work week, and it is time to let the New Muses shine for our weekly new music showcase going down every week, with tonight obscured in the shadows as January 24, 2022. This is Danno ready go from studio 2, GFN HQ in downtown Gwangju, how do you do? Big props to all of you getting with the program tonight whenever you happen to do it whether live or otherwise, you are all the best around. Lots of very good tunes to check out for the full two hours tonight, and Katherin Bass has a bit of a nasty stomach bug tonight so we’re pulling our own weight for both hours, but big shouts to Katherin, let’s all hope she feels better soon, I know those things can be very bad. Big tunes out from all over the map tonight, with Nilufer Yanya, Khruangbin, Big Thief, AURORA, and many other highly worthy candidates on the docket to strut their stuff in the atmosphere. For right now though, we remember The Father of South African jazz to begin the festivities this evening, as it was in 2018 that we saw the transformation of Hugh Masekela after a legendary life lived to the fullest, but even so, we got the afro beat blues as a result. THIS is The Drop.
Hugh Masekela feat Ojah – Afro Beat Blues
The Drop has commenced things for this week as we remember one of another all-time legend of the music game here to start things this evening. How’s it going Drop Gangsters? (KOR) Danno here, hoping you got to get out there and kick it a bit with friends or whatever this weekend, but even if you didn’t and it was kind of a dud, we are thankful you’re joining us tonight.
That was the legendary Hugh Masekela to start things off and a tune called Afro Beat Blues, which also featured Ojah. The father of South African jazz passed away yesterday in 2018.
Masekela was not only one of the best musicians anywhere, he was also a fighter against the apartheid regime in exile from New York after having to leave the his home country in the 1960’s crackdown. I know a few musicians who met the man in person, and to a man they all attest he was additionally one of the nicest, most humble people you could ever meet.
Hugh’s exile from South Africa turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise, as he moved to New York and lit the scene on fire there with his distinctive horn. His big hit came in the late 1960’s when his instrumental rendition of grazin in the grass went to #1, although he never really became a pop star or anything like that.
Hugh would be making music until he passed, working with fellow African legend Tony Allen on a collab album that was released posthumously via Blue Note Records called REJOICE. And that’s precisely what people should to when remembering Hugh Masekela, a life truly lived in every sense of the word. May he rest in power supreme, one of the best.
#9870, @gfnthedrop, pod.
So, now that the shameless bit’s outta the way, we gotta get to the new tunes just out to take a taste test of the fresh cuts. Up next is the latest from Beach House to be followed by KAINA and Vundabar, all of which we’ll delineate while we enunciate but only after the audio lets us contemplate. THIS is The Drop on your New Muses Monday night.
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Back on The Drop and final mic sesh of this evening’s first fourth. Danno here, studio 2, GFN HQ in downtown Gwangju, bless up to all of you joining us tonight and any night you care to do so. For those just now getting with the program, the lovely Kat Bass is battling some stomach flu stuff through the weekend, so I’m doing the heavy lifting for the full two hours tonight, and we should see her back next week. For right now though, we just heard our first trio of freshies, so let’s count em off…
Beach House – Only You Know (…so we are officially three chapters into the release of the four chapter double album coming out in full on February 18 via Sub Pop. The dream pop veterans just released the third chapter of four songs last Thursday, and we’ll have four more coming up later, the band’s eighth studio album overall.)
KAINA – Apple (…the latest single from Chicago-based KAINA Castillo is the first single to her upcoming album, which she announced simultaneously with the drop of this gorgeous cut. It Was A Home will drop in full on March 4 via City Slang, and if this is any indication that record should be a TREAT.)
Vundabar feat Indigo de Souza – Alien Blues Redux (…interesting little development here with the release of this alternate version, the original of which was put out in 2013. For some reason, the original of the song started trending on social media late in 2021, so the band decided to make an alternate, edgier version with the help of vocals from Indigo de Souza. The band is ready to release their Devil for the Fire LP, but like their tour have pushed it back to April 15 for release while they hit the road.)
So we still got a couple more tunes to let into the air before we finish the first half, and up next is the latest from Nilufer Yanya called midnight sun. This is the latest single to drop from her upcoming 2nd album called PAINLESS, another LP that comes out in full on March 4. After that to close the first quarter we have Sevdaliza’s latest titled High Alone, which is part of the Dutch-Iranian singer-songwriter’s EP called Raving Dahlia, which drops in just over a month’s time from today on Feb 25. THIS is The Drop on your New Muses Monday night.
Nilufer Yanya – midnight sun
Sevdaliza – High Alone
II__
The Drop returns as we continue with the slower burn new muses for our Monday night here as the 2nd movement of the radiological orchestra commences for this evening’s new music showcase. Danno here, holding it down for the full two hours tonight all by my lonesome, the lovely Kat Bass doesn’t seem to have had too much of a lovely Sunday as she picked up a pretty wicked stomach bug, so wish her the best. As to what we just started quarter 2 with, that was...
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Chocolate Hills (…the latest single to drop from the upcoming Texas Moon EP right here. The Houston Trio & Bridges released a new version of B-side previously, and the Texas Moon EP will drop Feb 18 in full, so keep an eye out.)
Pedro The Lion – Making the Most of It (…just out as of last Thursday is the latest LP from the Seattle-based band called Havasu. This is the band’s sixth career LP and they’re lead mainly by singer-songwriter David Bazan. There were no teaser singles to the LP, as the band just dropped it in full out of the blue.)
Pod, socials, etc…
So keeping it moving here after the shameless socials plug, we got three tunes in the next block starting with Yeek and then we got follow-ups from The Head & The Heart along with Babeheaven to taste test, and we’ll get you all the nutritionals after it all goes down smooth, but for now THIS is The Drop on your New Muses Monday night.
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The Drop is back for the microphonings as we commence with the final blah blah blahs of tonight’s first half. Danno here, making sure things are all good on the audio and presentation front, kicking it solo for the full two hours tonight as Kat Bass is out sick this week, but we should see her next week back and ready to go. For now though we just gave a spin to…
Yeek – Freaky (RGB) (…this is the solo project of a young cat names Sebastian Carandang, who’s been signed to ASAP Rocky’s label since 2017 but just now seems to be coming into his own. Nothing larger announced with this single, but from what the artist and label are telling us, this standalone is just the beginning to a busy year coming up.)
The Head & The Heart – Every Shade of Blue (…for those not familiar this is another Seattle-based band that has kept a low profile through the pandemic, but that’s out the window now. This is the lead single and titular track to the band’s upcoming full-length album dropping April 29, and they’ll be hitting the road on tour simultaneously to that.)
Babeheaven feat Navy Blue – Make Me Wanna (…another LP just announced as of last week came with this tune, the lead track to the Sink Into Me LP. The album drops in full on March 18, so surely more to come from Babeheaven, a West London-based septet that is really turning heads nowadays.)
Okay, so that’s almost halftime but before the buzzer sounds we gotta get in a couple more shots to see what you think. Big Thief is out with their latest single to their upcoming album called Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in you, and the next tune in the docket is called Simulation Swarm, which verbally speaking I’d say that album title is, and then Daniel Rossen is out with a new cut called Shadow In The Frame. This is the lead single to the Grizzly Bear co-lead’s debut LP called You Belong There, which drops in full via Warp in April so do mark that it’s been a while since we heard from those two working together. This is The Drop on your New Muses Monday and it is halftime.
Big Thief – Simulation Swarm
Daniel Rossen – Shadow In The Frame
III & IV Popcast
Meatloaf – I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)
AURORA – A Temporary High
Conan Gray – Jigsaw*
Charlie Puth – Light Switch
Griff x Sigrid – Head On Fire
Years & Years – Night Call
Lana Del Rey – Watercolor Eyes
Holly Humberstone – London Is Lonely
Rod Wave – Cold December
iann dior ft Travis Barker & Machine Gun Kelly – thought it was
SASAMI – Take Care
Waxahatchee – Fire
HAIM – The Steps
Part III
Hot-Take
Meatloaf – I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)
- Rest in power to Marvin Lee Aday, who passed aged 74 last Thursday April 20.
- A legend especially when it came to composing musicals, he was a truly singular and unique presence in the music world. Epic, big & bold was the mold for Meatloaf during his storied career, a man who always gave voice to the dreamers out there.
- One interesting thing is that an incident between Meatloaf and the disgraced Prince Andrew is now going viral in light of his passing, when he appeared as a contestant on It’s A Royal Knockout in 1987.
- The show was a one-off charity event staged on the lakeside lawn of Alton Towers. It featured four teams of celebrities, each captained by a member of the Royal Family, battling it out in a series of games. In one round, for example, the players dressed up as giant vegetables and threw fake hams at each other.
- Meat Loaf was on the Duchess of York’s team, and it seemed that Sarah Ferguson was at the centre of tension between the singer and her ex-husband Prince Andrew.
- Apparently, the prince tried to push Meatloaf in the water, so the singer went to return the favor, telling the story that, “He tried to push me in the moat. So I turned around and I grabbed him and he goes, ‘You can’t touch me. I’m royal.’ I said, ‘Well, you try to push me in the moat, Jack, I don’t care who you are, you’re goin’ in the moat.'”
- Rest in power, Meatloaf.
Fresh Buns
AURORA – A Temporary High
- Just out as of last Friday is the third studio album from AURORA. The Gods We Can Touch is out everywhere as of right now.
- The artist says the album is stylistically ethereal and celestial but also dealing with subjects of shame, desire, and morality.
Conan Gray – Jigsaw*
- This is the fourth pre-release single of Conan Gray’s Sophomore album, CG2, and was released on January 21, 2022. The announcement was made on his Instagram with the cover art and the caption, “JIGSAW. FRIDAY."
- Originally, Conan created this song as a diary entry and had no intention of releasing it but decided to share a snippet of the song on his secret social media account on December 5, 2021, the day of his birthday.
Charlie Puth – Light Switch
- The artist clearly can do no wrong, and with the release of this single this past Friday, he is dominating for song of the week in the pop circles.
- Billboard ran a poll of listeners on Friday as to what their favorite song of a week was, and it was Light Switch by a landslide, with over 46% of the total vote in a field of quite a few songs.
- Puth is currently working on his upcoming album titled Charlie.
Griff x Sigrid – Head On Fire
- Interesting tune right here, very empowering stuff.
- The duo had been teasing the collab for a while now via their socials, and viola, this dropped just last week.
- A press release stated, "It’s about that feeling when you meet someone who just flips everything upside down and you can’t focus on anything else but that person"
Years & Years – Night Call
- Singer & actor Ollie Alexander is out with his latest LP as of Friday. For those who like to get down this one is for you, as this is 14 dancefloor bangers dipped in carnal themes throughout.
- Night Call is the title track, by the way.
Fresh Buns (cont’d)
Lana Del Rey – Watercolor Eyes
- This is the latest teaser single for the second season’s upcoming 3rd episode of HBO’s Euphoria, which airs Feb 25.
- Musician Dominic Fike has joined the cast for the teen drama’s S2, starring as Elliot in the hit show alongside castmates Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, and more.
Holly Humberstone – London Is Lonely
- This is the BRIT Awards rising star’s first release since the arrival of her EP, The Walls Are Way Too Thin. The heartbreaking song details how Holly felt disconnected and isolated when she moved to London. When speaking about “London Is Lonely”, Humberstone said:
- “London felt so intense and although there were so many people around me, I felt even more isolated and like I didn’t belong. I kind of lost myself in the city.”
- Anyone living in a big city has felt this before, no doubt.
Rod Wave – Cold December
- This one is getting incredible amounts of love, notably from Pitchfork, which not only called the video the artist’s loneliest yet, but also a masterpiece.
- A lot of fans are divided by Rod Wave, some saying his stuff is the work of a genius and others saying it’s just too depressing. What do you think? Hit us up, #9870. I personally love it
iann dior ft Travis Barker & Machine Gun Kelly – thought it was
- The rap star has gone rock, but has done it way better than either of the guys on this song have done it lately.
- On To Better Things just dropped in full on Friday, so check it out in full if you liked what you heard there.
On Tour!
SASAMI – Take Care
Waxahatchee – Fire
HAIM – The Steps
- The LA-based sister trio HAIM will be hitting the road later this spring starting in April for a N American tour, beginning in Vegas.
- Interesting rotation of some absolutely stellar guests including but not limited to Faye Webster, SASAMI Ashworth, and Waxahatchee.
- Should be a great tour. If you haven’t checked out their last album Women In Music, Vol 3, do so. Fantastic stuff.