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Tonight we begin the rollout to the end of the year with vol. 1 of our Best Singles of 2021 for the full two hours with Katherin Bass joining us for her favorite popular hits of this year to finish off the show.
"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.
Dec 13, 2021
I & II
Jungle – Dry Your Tears
Jungle – Keep Moving
Alfie Templeman – Wait, I Lied
Japanese Breakfast – Be Sweet
Magdalena Bay – Dawning of the Season
Tyler, The Creator – MASSA
Yves Tumor – Jackie
Gabriels – Blame
Taylor Swift feat Phoebe Bridgers – Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) (FROM THE VAULT)
Genesis Owusu – A Song About Fighting
Cleo Sol – Promises
Madlib – Road of the Lonely Ones
Little Simz feat Obongjayar – Point & Kill
Leon Bridges – Steam
It is 20 hours past midnight on another paradoxical sunny & wintry one here in our fair city of light as we begin the end for 2021 on The Drop, so it’s time to begin compiling our favorites as this year closes down. And tonight’s beginning of the end is four horsemen free, blotted onto the great spacetime parchment as December 13, 2021. This is Danno as always ready to go from studio 2, GFN HQ in downtown Gwangju, how do you do? With this calendar year winding down, tonight begins the end in the lead-up to Christmas, and this evening both Katherin Bass and myself will be going through the first volume of our favorite singles for this year in the so-called indie & pop realms for both hours, and part 2 will follow next week as well. Katherin Bass of course is our new popcast weekly contributor, but out of the frying pan and into the fire she goes for the close of this year, but she can take the heat, no doubt about it. So, let’s get to some of our favorites of this year, and we must note these are in no particular order or ranking, unlike our best albums compilations coming up in a couple of weeks, and we’ll start with one of our favorite bangers of the year in Jungle, which we’ll discuss later but we gotta keep moving. THIS is The Drop.
Jungle – Dry Your Tears
Jungle – Keep Moving
The Drop has turned on the love light as we begin the end of this calendar year 2021. How’s it going Drop Gangsters? (KOR) Danno here, starting our countdown to the end for 2021, so let’s break down how that’s gonna work.
This week & next week for both Monday & Tuesday nights with Katherin Bass & Prince Paolo, we’ll be going through our favorite singles for this year in no particular order. As usual, we just wanna make a good playlist.
However, after Christmas my co-hosts have the week off, so for Monday & Tuesday that week I’ll be going through my favorite albums of 2021 ranked for the full four hours that night, which I’m kinda taking my time to compile right now for The Gwangju News.
Thus, we opened with what I thought was one of the most banging, elegant, and prescient singles of 2021, which was actually two songs released as a single by UK-based funk astronauts Jungle. That was Dry Your Tears, and then Keep Moving, all as one continuous piece, of course.
Hard to find two songs that express the sadness and determination of the past couple years during this ceaseless, very tiring pandemic which we’re still in the grips of almost two years later. Everybody has lost somebody dear during this time or in some way been touched by COVID, so there have definitely been a lot of tears falling.
However, it is a massive blessing to still be here, whatever the circumstances, and humanity remains as undaunted as ever. Gotta keep moving, people…you gotta keep on keepin on.
So, let’s get into a few more of our favorite joints from this year for part 1, and we’ll switch gears into more of a rock motif, although we’ll stay a good bit funky for the first firing. Up next is Alfie Templeman to be followed by Japanese Breakfast & Magdalena Bay, all of which we’ll discuss further after they fly & return. THIS is The Drop on your fave Muses Monday night.
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Back on The Drop as we get back to the verbosity after our first triad of favorite tunes here in 2021. Danno here, going through our favorite singles of the year in no particular order, and by no means in any kind of comprehensive fashion. Katherin Bass will also join us after 9pm tonight for her own favorite joints of 2021, and we’ll be doing the same next week as well to finish off the year of regular Monday programming. As to that last block, let’s get to that troika of toppers...
Alfie Templeman – Wait, I Lied (…just a remarkable and still very young artist right here, the still in his teens UK-based Templeman released his debut LP this year called Forever Isn’t Long Enough. Personally, we were very surprised by this album and how funky it was, as the year prior most of what we’d heard had been more poppy. Do check in full if you liked that number, Alfie Templeman Forever Isn’t Long Enough.)
Japanese Breakfast – Be Sweet (…what can you say about US-based but half Korean Michelle Zauner that hasn’t already been said? This year’s Jubilee LP was a smashing critical and commercial success, and what can she not do is the only question left, really as she’s also a bestselling author to boot. Jubilee is definitely high on our list for best albums of 2021.)
Magdalena Bay – Dawning of the Season (…another incredible album from this year was Mercurial World, the band’s proper debut LP. Filled with rococo synth pop, it’s an album that’s so new yet feels like something you grew up with, whenever that may have happened. Very good stuff Magdalena Bay Mercurial World once again if you wanna check in full.)
Now, let’s get to some of that Tyler, The Creator LP Call Me If You Get Lost. Not my hip-hop album of the year, but very high up there, we’re gonna rock a song called MASSA next, and we’ll finish with something from Yves Tumor called Jackie, which is off The Asymetrical World EP that dropped in July, and THAT is gonna be it for part 1 tonight. THIS is The Drop on your 2021 fave Muses Monday vol 1.
Tyler, The Creator – MASSA
Yves Tumor – Jackie
II
The Drop gets back with the words and such here as part 2 kicks off. What’s snapping and or tapping this evening, Drop Gangsters (KOR)? Danno here going over the first volume of our favorite singles for the year, and Katherin Bass will be around in hour 2 to do the same in parts 3 & 4. We will be rocking part 2 next Monday as well to wrap the year’s regular programming. So, let’s get to the recap of those first couple of top joints, that was...
Gabriels – Blame (…for those unfamiliar, this is a truly brilliant trio out of LA who have garnered big time attention from the likes of Elton John amongst others. This tune appeared on the Bloodline EP, and was the opening track. Really lovely project which I expect is going to be blowing minds again in the coming new year. )
Taylor Swift feat Phoebe Bridgers – Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) (…of course, Taylor Swift recently released a remake of her seminal breakthrough album Red. The original came out back in 2012 to as usual rave reviews, and this remake released late this year features some amazing reimaginings. However, nothing else on the record made everybody go absolutely gaga like this collab with Phoebe Bridgers, deservedly so.)
Now just a real quick reminder to follow us on social media we are @gfnthedrop, which is also a great way to keep in contact with me & the staff here at Drop Central free & easy & world-wide. Via SMS just contact us if you’re local meaning here in the Republic of Korea, which can be done via #9870 (it’s 50 won for a regular message, 100 won for a longer one). Weeknight broadcasts are available for free download & subscription via our podcast as well once we go off the air, just search The Drop with Danno or The Drop on GFN and you should be able to find us on any service you use or via simple internet search.
Moving on, we have another trio of favorites up next with Genesis Owusu to be followed by Cleo Sol & Madlib, all of which we’ll discuss further side opposite the sonics. THIS is The Drop on your fave Muses Monday.
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Back on The Drop as we continue to bump some of our favorite singles for tonight’s show. For those just joining us this is part one of our favorite joints of 2021, which are in no particular order. Katherin, who’s coming up after the jump and myself will be doing this for the full two hours this week & next week to close off regular programming of The Drop’s Monday night for this calendar year. But anyway, how’s it going, Drop Gangsters (KOR)? Danno here as always, so let’s get to what we just launched into the ether…
Genesis Owusu – A Song About Fighting (…this cut was part of the brilliant Smiling With No Teeth LP, which was the ARIA winner for album of the year in Australia and was given just after receiving a Grammy nomination as well. That’s Genesis Owusu once again, Smiling With No Teeth if you wanna dig further.)
Cleo Sol – Promises (…this is off a more introspective sophomore album from the SAULT singer. The album, Mother, is a reflection on being exactly that and is a spacious, dreamy album that is quite different from her debut. Do check in full if you liked that. Cleo Sol, Mother.)
Madlib – Road of the Lonely Ones (…another album from the Beat Konducta this time with Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden. The brilliance of Madlib is just that he can present what he hears in old records or beats into something that opens the ears & mind like nobody else. That record is called Sound Ancestors, by the way, if you wanna dig deeper.)
Now we’re getting close to the end of the first half and we have to get in some Little Simz before we bounce to part 3 & 4. The London-based rapper was out with sometimes I might be introvert earlier this year, and this tune called Point & Kill features Obongjayar on the backing vox, which is an interesting departure from the otherwise hip-hop centered LP. After that we’ll finish with something from Leon Bridges called Steam, which appeared on his Gold Digger Sound LP, once again, if you wanna do a front to back on that, which we definitely recommend. THIS is The Drop on your New Muses Monday and we are at halftime..
Little Simz feat Obongjayar – Point & Kill
Leon Bridges – Steam
III & IV Popcast
Olivia Rodrigo - drivers license
Willow & The Anxiety - Meet Me at our Spot
Lil Nas X - Montero
Doja Cat ft SZA - Kiss me more
Giveon - Heartbreak anniversary
Neiked- Better Days
LIZZO – Rumors
TaeYeon - Weekend
Dua lipa ft Dababy - levitating
BTS - Butter
Doja Cat - Need to Know
Sub Urban & Bella Poarch - inferno
Justin Bieber - peaches
TWICE - The Feels
This Year's Playback
*Olivia Rodrigo - drivers license
- 18
- Is known as an actress from a show in Disney Channel
- This is her debut as an independent singer with her first ever album since she left Disney
*Willow & The Anxiety - Meet Me at our Spot
- Now, With Willow I've felt a lot of Experimental vibes with her albums
- This one really shouted punk pop to people, and everyone has mixed feelings about it
*Lil Nas X - Montero
- Everyone already knew this man was….different.
- This song really screamed his thoughts on LGBTQ+ and religion in one way or another.
- I'm here for it.
*Doja Cat ft SZA - Kiss me more
- Doja starting off with SZA from her later many collaborations, kicked off well with the 2021 new year
- Her music isn't a stranger to TikTok, and sure enough the media ate it up.
Giveon - Heartbreak anniversary
- Giveon isn't an old artist, he debuted last year in 2020.
- The song itself is sad, but how he sings it, as people describe, is sexy.
- I hope one day I could feel these lyrics by heart 💔
Neiked- Better Days
- Neiked is a swedish artists collective of singers, writers, and producers.
- This song has charted top 50 all over the world except Sweden. It's apparently charted 78.
*LIZZO - Rumors
- LIZZO addresses her rumors and controversies in her lyrics
- Representing as a part of big girls and the African American Community in Music, she's accused of showing a bad image to "some".
- It's hilarious. I love her confidence that she shares with all of us.
TaeYeon - Weekend
- TaeYeon, now independent from her old kpop group Girls Generation, gave us a summer song that fit the bill this year.
- Nothing about love, problems, or anything. The lyrics are all about relaxing. Love it!
Dua lipa ft Dababy - levitating
- With its electro-disco sound, Levitating really ties up her recent olden pop styled album Future Nostalgia.
- The lyrics describe the idea of "levitating" when falling in love, with several outer space references.
BTS - Butter
- BTS, at it again with another hit all English single.
- Aimed as a summer song, the song turned out to be so catchy that it was a commercial success all around
- The song reached top 10 in over 30 other countries worldwide.
*Doja Cat - Need to Know
- Need to know is a promotional single for Doja Cat's third studio album, Planet Her.
- The song can only be described as NSFW. "Not safe for work"
- the lyrics find Doja Cat fantasizing about her sexual desires. even with how explicit it is, it took off with great success.
Sub Urban & Bella Poarch - inferno
- Genred as Dark Pop, the song inches away from the normal sexy or sweet pop beats, but uses tracks of creepy sounds and heavy beats.
- Apparently the lyrics are about Bella Poarch's troubled past. The music video as well.
- For those who don't know, Inferno is Hell. The title itself is most popularized as Dante's inferno. (A part of the series from Divine Comedy)
*Justin Bieber - peaches
- Peaches debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, giving Bieber his seventh number-one hit on the chart, while it became Caesar and Giveon's first number-one.
- It received four nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards; Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance and Best Music Video
TWICE - The Feels
- The Feels is the kpop group's 3rd all English single.
- The Music Video peaked at number one on YouTube's weekly ranking of the most-viewed music videos in the world.
- The song is about… love. The title itself is about the feeling of catching feelings for someone.