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"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.
SAMPLED
03/23/2023
Part 1
Tony Allen & Damon Albarn – Go Back
DeRobert & The Half-Truths – Judgement (GED Soul Version)
Dragonfruit – Honeymoon Phase
Tinariwen feat Fats Kaplin – Tenere Den
Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers – What Will Leave You Behind
Brooklyn Funk Essentials feat Alison Limerick – Rollin (Love Will Be Here)
Facts
Tony Allen feat Damon Albarn – Go Back
- Happy birthday to one of the most influential musicians of the modern era, as Damon Albarn turns 55 today.
- A man with fingerprints on more albums than you can keep track of, Albarn started as the front man for Blur back in the 1990’s, which on it’s own is massive. Of course, he’d go on to found Gorillaz, who just put out their latest album Cracker Island.
- Our opener tonight is from the 2014 Film of Life, with Albarn teaming up with the dearly departed afrobeat king Tony Allen for one of the best tunes on that very good album.
- With all of these things going on in the foreground, there’s always a lot going on in the background, making the discography an incredible deep dive, and may there be many more birthdays to come for a true talent, Damon Albarn.
DeRobert & The Half-Truths – Judgement (GED Soul Version)
- Always good to see DeRobert Adams and his Nashville-based band out with something new.
- This is a new live version of a tune off their last album from 2021 called 100 Yard Dash, which was one of our slept on favorites of two years ago. Just a concise slapper of funk if you haven’t give it a whirl.
Dragonfruit – Honeymoon Phase
- Speaking of 2021, one of our favorite guests of 2021 was this quartet out of The Netherlands, Rotterdam specifically.
- This is the title track to the band’s upcoming EP, but it seems no announcement on the date, so we’ll have to wait & see on that, at least for the time being.
Tinariwen feat Fats Kaplin – Tenere Den
- From northern Europe to North Africa we finished with a Tuareg twist.
- This band out of the sands of the mighty Sahara released this tune and announced their their ninth studio album, Amatssou (Tamashek for “Beyond The Fear”), which is out in May. The 12-track album was recorded in “a makeshift studio tent” in Djanet, “an oasis in the desert of southern Algeria located in “a National Park.”
Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers – What Will You Leave Behind
- This is a nice new discovery for me, a band out of Chicago now based in LA.
- This tune released digitally just this week, and is part of a 7” single dropping on May 26 via LRK Records, with an as-yet unreleased joint on the B side called Bang Bang Bang.
Brooklyn Funk Essentials feat Alison Limerick – Rollin (Love Will Be Here)
- This roller dream is from the veteran outfit’s 4th studio album out May 5 called Intuition, here working with the vocal talents of Alison Limerick.
- The album as of last week is available to pre-save, so get on it if you dig this final cut coming right up.
Part 2
Les Imprimes – If I
Lady Wray feat Ghostface Killah – Piece of Me
Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – Hotline Bling
Flavien Berger – Jericho
Orions Belte – Lucid Dreaming
Elis Regina – O Trem Azul
Elis Regina – Maria Maria
Facts
Les Imprimes – If I
- This band has been knocking me right out since their recent debut on Big Crown Records, and this is part of their debut 7” record on the label.
- Despite the French moniker, this the project of Morten Martens, who hails from Norway and is a veteran musician, playing, producing, arranging, and generally doing it all with every work.
- Martens will release a long-delayed album later this year.
Lady Wray feat Ghostface Killah – Piece of Me
- Seriously, Big Crown is killing it right now.
- Lady Wray dropped this original a while ago, which ended up being the title track to her 2022 album.
- Now we have a pair of remixes from hip-hop royalty on a new 7”, with this being the A side then a Pete Rock remix of Joy & Pain on the flip. The physical copy of the 45 drops April 12, don’t miss it. Fire.
Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – Hotline Bling
- And in our final measurement of how hot is Big Crown Records right now, we have the upcoming 7” from this band of geniuses.
- The group is out of Hamburg, with this tune on the near and a cut called Murkit Gem on the far side of the 7”, which drops in vinyl format May 23.
Flavien Berger – Jericho
- This is part of a new album from the veteran producer and multi-instrumentalist out of Paris which just dropped on Friday in full.
- The album is titled Dans Cent Ans, or in a hundred years. Always a deep, lush listen from M. Berger.
Orions Belte – Lucid Dreaming
- Back to Norway like we started and with a French twist previous to make it wrap up real tight.
- This is the latest from the Norwegian outfit, and just dropped one week ago today. A walk through the blooming deserts of your own mind right there.
Elis Regina – O Trem Azul
Elis Regina – Maria Maria
- And tonight we finish still Latin but in Brasil, and we go back to 1981 for a live performance from the legendary and gone far too soon Elis Regina performing at the very heights of her magnificent powers in Sao Paulo.
- The live album called Trem Azul just got a remaster and re-release as of last Friday, so we’ll finish with a cover of Milton Nascimento’s O Trem Azul and Maria Maria to call it quits on the first half tonight but not before we feel the heart-rendering pain that was the one they called “Little Pepper.”
Part 3 & 4 AMPED
Fall Out Boy – Heartbreak Feels So Good
Black Country, New Road – Across the Pond Friend
Lemon Twigs – In My Head
Geese – 3D Country
Kate Davis – Long Long Long
Bouncing Souls – Ten Stories High
Malarkey – Loose Ends
Trophy Eyes – Blue Eyed Boy
The White Stripes – Icky Thump
Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on Me
The Cure – Friday I’m in Love
Fall Out Boy – Heartbreak Feels So Good
New album So Much (For) Stardust is out this week. This single came out a few weeks ago.
“Heartbreak Feels So Good” opens with dark synths and high, muted guitars. “We could cry a little, cry a lot,” vocalist Patrick Stump sings, “Don’t stop dancing, don’t dare stop/ We’ll cry later, or cry now/ You know it’s heartbreak.”
In the video, directed by Whitey McConnaughy, the heartbreak is of a prank that never quite materializes. The (obviously scripted) setup finds Fall Out Boy on a phone call with their “Hella Mega Tour” mate, Cuomo, prepping a staged kidnapping. Cuomo’s phone rings (his ringtone is the guitar riff to “Undone – The Sweater Song”), and the Weezer frontman asks, “You’re gonna jump out of a van and grab me or something?” He adds, “I am not really sure about this.”
“Dude, you wrote ‘Africa,’ you’re going to be great,” bassist Pete Wentz replies. But the plot falls apart when Cuomo refuses to get into the van (“Fuck those guys,” he says), and after Weezer fans foil the kidnapping, Fall Out Boy are on the run.
Black Country, New Road – Across the Pond Friend
Black Country, New Road shared their concert film Live at Bush Hall last month, and the band has now announced the album counterpart of the same name, arriving digitally March 24th.
The compilation captures the British six-piece during a three-night stint in London last December and features the official debut recordings of all-new material written after the group’s 2022 sophomore album, Ants From Up There, and the sudden departure of frontman Isaac Wood. With several members now sharing lead vocal duties, the new setlist offers a full view at the band’s future-in-progress.
“It’s about capturing the moment,” singer-saxophonist Lewis Evans shared in a statement. “A little time capsule of these eight months that we’ve had playing these songs on the road.” Meanwhile, pianist May Kershaw added that the band “didn’t want to do a studio album” and “wrote the new tracks specifically to perform live.”
Drummer Charlie Wayne explains: “We want the focal point to be this film. We’ve put a lot of effort into making it feel like you’re watching a live gig. It’s not an album in our eyes, it’s a live performance.”
Lemon Twigs – In My Head
In May, retro-pop brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario (aka the Lemon Twigs) will release a new album, Everything Harmony via their new label home, Captured Tracks. They’ve already shared January’s “Corner Of My Eye” as well as “Any Time Of Day.” Today, the Lemon Twigs are releasing another song from the album. This one’s called “In My Head,” and it’s a cheery, Beach Boys-meets-Beatles-meets-Real Estate jangle-pop ballad with some aching lyrical undertones. “In My Head” also has a really cute, cinematic music video that places the D’Addario brothers performing on sand dunes and by the ocean.
“The song’s about the disconnect between your inner and perceived self,” the band shared. “The music video was shot mostly at Fort Tilden Beach and juxtaposes the fun in the sun energy of the track with inclement weather and neuroscience.”
Geese – 3D Country
Geese have readied their second studio album, 3D Country. The LP is out June 23rd via Partisan Records/Play It Again Sam, and as a preview, the Brooklyn post punks have shared its title track. Alongside the announcement, they have shared a headlining run of UK and European dates (grab tickets here).
Our former Artist of the Month co-produced 3D Country with James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Shame). The album came together while the band was in the process of redefining themselves after the buzz they earned right out of the gate. Drummer Max Bassin summed up the album in a statement, saying, “It feels like going to the circus and instead of having a good time, everyone is trying to kill you.”
“3D Country” is a sprawling tale about an old cowboy who starts tripping on psychedelics in the desert. As such, singer Cameron Winter assumes his best throaty drawl, and as the song builds, his low-pitched croon is joined by almost gospel call-and-response backing vocals. The seven-minute single comes with an equally chaotic music video, and by its end, the cowboy in question explodes into a cloud of confetti.
Kate Davis – Long Long Long
Kate Davis has released the final pre-release single from her upcoming album Fish Bowl (out this week) and it’s a poignant track called “Long Long Long”. Co-written with Oli Deakin of Lowpines, the song showcases Kate’s transition from being a conservatory-trained jazz musician to an experimental art-rock singer.
The indie-rock-meets-sci-fi track features driving guitars that lay the foundation for an otherworldly sound that takes the meticulousness from her years in the jazz world and applies it here. Kate’s vocal range flows in a stream of consciousness way over the spacious landscape.
Bouncing Souls – Ten Stories High
New Jersey punk legends The Bouncing Souls have announced their upcoming new full-length, Ten Stories High, due out March 24 via Pure Noise Records. For over three decades The Bouncing Souls have been one of the most reliably joyful bands in punk rock, fostering an incredibly close kinship with their loyal listeners. Now on Ten Stories High, the band have taken this connection even further, creating an album of songs directly inspired by the stories of their fans.
To mark the announcement, The Bouncing Souls have shared two new songs, Ten Stories High and Higher Ground. Both tracks highlight the band in their anthemic element, with sharp production courtesy of Will Yip (The Menzingers, Title Fight, Tigers Jaw). The new songs bookend the record with massive choruses that are sure to inspire singalongs at upcoming shows.
Malarkey – Loose Ends
Propaganda Dogs, the debut full length from Gwangju’s own Malarkey, is out now on all good streaming platforms. Album release show is this Friday at Gwangju’s favourite bar named after a grunge band.
Trophy Eyes – Blue Eyed Boy
Ahead of their upcoming appearances at Slam Dunk in May, Trophy Eyes are back with a new single, Blue Eyed Boy.
Says vocalist John Floreani of the song, which was written about a trip back to his hometown in Newcastle, Australia: “One friend in particular, maybe my best friend, had recently moved back and regressed into their old ways. I’d mourned the death of this friend long ago, as did the rest of us in our small social circle. To see him again brought me great childhood joy yet simultaneously an overwhelming sense of dread.
“I was reminded of something my mother told me as a young boy when my grandmother died: ‘If you see her now, like this, it’s the only way you’ll remember her. Best hold on to the good times, you’ll always have those.’”
The White Stripes – Icky Thump
Jack White has responded to journalist Lachlan Markay calling White Stripes drummer Meg White “terrible” in a now-deleted tweet that sparked a major backlash and discourse this week. Posting to Instagram, Jack White shared a picture of Meg mid-performance and a poem appearing to liken Markay (and any other Meg White naysayer) to “demons, cowards and vampires out for blood.”
Here is White’s full statement:
To be born in another time,
any era but our own would’ve been fine.
100 years from now,
1000 years from now,
some other distant, different, time.
one without demons, cowards and vampires out for blood,
one with the positive inspiration to foster what is good.
an empty field where no tall red poppies are cut down,
where we could lay all day, every day, on the warm and subtle ground,
and know just what to say and what to play to conjure our own sounds.
and be one with the others all around us,
and even still the ones who came before,
and help ourselves to all their love,
and pass it on again once more.
to have bliss upon bliss upon bliss,
to be without fear, negativity or pain,
and to get up every morning, and be happy to do it all again.
III
This whole thing started when Markay tweeted (and deleted) “The tragedy of The White Stripes is how great they would have been with a half decent drummer” followed by “Yeah, yeah I’ve heard all the ‘but it’s a carefully crafted sound mannnn!’ takes. I’m sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having shitty percussion.”
Since then, many high-profile figures have jumped to White’s defense. Questlove said: “I try to leave ‘troll views’ alone but this right here is out of line af. Actually what is wrong w music is people choking the life out of music like an Instagram filter—trying to reach a high of music perfection that doesn’t even serve the song (or music).”
Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on Me
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has issued a statement after being violently assaulted last week outside of a hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The assailant, 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley, was arrested shortly after the incident and has been charged with four counts of criminal mischief; one count of misdemeanor battery; and one count of aggravated battery (per a Fort Lauderdale police incident report).
Hartley allegedly charged at Allen, who hit his head after being knocked to the ground. The assailant also apparently attacked a woman who tried to interfere in the incident, hitting her repeatedly and dragging her by the hair.
In his statement to ABC News on Sunday (March 19th), Allen took a tone of empathy rather than one of accusation:
“Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Your love and prayers are truly helping. My wife Lauren [Monroe] was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident. We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space [and focused on] healing for everyone involved.
“We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy. We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people. To all of the fans, veterans and first responders in our global community, we are thinking of you all. Together with love, we can all get through these difficult times.”
Allen joined Def Leppard in 1978. He famously lost his left arm in a serious automobile accident in 1984, but has remained the band’s drummer ever since.
The Cure – Friday I’m in Love
Robert Smith of The Cure was already a hero to five decades of disaffected youth, including the creators of “South Park,” but now everyone has a reason to love the “Close to Me” singer. He got Ticketmaster to admit it was gouging customers and got them a refund.
The Cure went out of its way to ensure that ticket prices to its upcoming North American tour were affordable to the average fan by selling them as low as $20. The band also used Ticketmaster’s “verified fan” process to cut down on scalpers and prevent fans from having to pay inflated prices on resale sites.
But the band had no power over the egregious fees that Ticketmaster tacks on to every sale. The band wouldn't agree to dynamic pricing—where ticket prices fluctuate based on demand—so it appears as though Ticketmaster simply raised its fees per ticket.
Smith called out Ticketmaster on Twitter.
“I am as sickened as you all are by today’s Ticketmaster ‘fees’ debacle,” Smith wrote in an all-caps Twitter thread. “To be very clear, the artist has no way to limit them. I have been asking how they are justified. If I get anything coherent by way of an answer I will let you all know…There are tickets available, it is just a very slow process. I will be back if I get anything serious on the TM fees.”
The Cure and their fans' collective outrage over Ticketmaster's exorbitant fees must have struck a nerve with the company, and it responded by doing the unthinkable: giving fans refunds.
“After further conversation, Ticketmaster have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high, and as a gesture of goodwill have offered a $10 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for the lowest ticket price transaction,” Smith wrote. “And a $5 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for other ticket price transactions for all Cure shows at all venues.”