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Once again Prince Paolo joins us for his indie freshies to showcase on the air, and we remember a fraught episode at Muscle Shoals with Aretha's man.
"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.
UTR 01.25.2022
PART 1 SONGS
Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man
Basement Revolver – Circles
slenderbodies – chamomile
Scarlet Rae – Seems Like Forever
SPARKLING – Not The Right Place
Magic City Hippies – High Above The Sun
PART 1 FACTS
Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man
- Yesterday in 1967, Aretha Franklin records her first Top 10 pop hit, "(I Never Loved A Man) The Way That I Love You," at a tumultuous session at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama where her husband gets into an altercation with one of the musicians.
- The sleepy Alabama town has a way of keeping artists on point and bringing out their best, and the musicians are top-tier. This session is far from sleepy though, and Aretha's husband/manager Ted White exchanges words with trumpet player Ken Laxton and ends up getting in an altercation with the studio owner.
- After the session Aretha and her husband leave, and she never returns to Muscle Shoals. The sound she got during this fateful session is exactly what Wexler is looking for, and the key to making Aretha the superstar she is destined to be. Since Franklin won't go to Muscle Shoals, he instead brings the musicians to her, flying them up to New York City to finish the album.
Basement Revolver – Circles
- This is a veteran quartet out of Hamilton, ON that have been making and releasing tunes the past 5+ years since debut in 2016.
- This just debuted over the weekend with the announcement of their sophomore album Embody, which drops Feb 18.
- The band said on social media, “We all spin in circles in our head, trying to resolve the things that could not possibly be fixed. Trying to make it all make sense. Healing from trauma comes in circles, each time reaching a little bit deeper.”
slenderbodies – chamomile
- This is another band that made their debut in 2016, and since the duo of Max & Benji have been making some of the most subtle dream pop out there, with rnb-inspired vocals that are almost equally soft to the touch.
- Nothing larger announced with this, so we’ll see what’s up moving forward.
Scarlet Rae – Seems Like Forever
- This is only the 3rd single to be released by the artist, her 2nd just this year.
- She’s still only 19 years old, so it seems like a big year to make some moves, as her tunes have been garnering a good amount of attention.
SPARKLING – Not The Right Place
- This trio is kind of a high-profile pop phenomenon out of Germany, but they’ve mainly been a local phenomenon thus far.
- Their last single Cest Ma Vie was recorded in London and was picked up by BBC 1, and this one is just such an ear worm, so we’ll see what happens, but they seem ready to break out.
Magic City Hippies – High Above The Sun
- The veteran indie dance pop outfit from Miami is out with their latest LP as of Friday called Water Your Garden.
- Always a fun listen with these guys, Water Your Garden will definitely not surprise fans of the band, but who doesn’t wanna have a good time? I mean, aside from me…haha.
PART 2 SONGS
Rheinzand - Elefantasi
The Undercover Dream Lovers - Come A Little Closer
Stay Lunar - Keeping Me Up All Night
My Life as a Moth - Electro Junction
Simen Mitlid - DNA
Kindsight - Sun Is Always In My Eyes
PART 2 FACTS
Rheinzand – Elefantasi
- This song has been on repeat for me ever since I heard. I just feel like it is a magical tune that I cannot get enough of.
- Rheinzand is a collaborative project from Ghent, Belgium. Their new, infectious tune is about fair-weather friends and how they seem to leave when the party is over.
- We heard the English version to start off part 2 of the show, but there are French, Spanish, Italian, and of course, their native Dutch versions of this song available. Very cool tune for sure.
The Undercover Dream Lovers - Come A Little Closer
- The Undercover Dream Lovers is the psych pop project of Matt Koenig. He is one of those artists that I always pay attention to because he just keeps putting on great music, and his new song continues that streak.
- He says that his new song is about the magnetic pull that two people can have, even though they are miles apart. He says that when he first started writing this song, he envisioned himself performing it on a big stage.
- I’d love to see it performed live, or any live performance for that matter...
Stay Lunar - Keeping Me Up All Night
- Stay Lunar is another act that just keeps on putting out great new tunes. Stay Lunar is a band from Bristol and we’ve played their music numerous times on the show before.
- The song is a bit of a sad one. It is about the guilt of not being there for someone in their time of need. It is inspired by lead vocalist, Harry Leigh’s partner who suffers chronic pain from an illness.
- There is a hopeful ending to the song though. Although you may have missed the chance to help someone in need, there is always the opportunity to do better next time.
My Life as a Moth - Electro Junction
- The interestingly named My Life as a Moth is a Swedish artist who is currently based in London.
- The artist says that this song was inspired by a time when she had to build herself back up again after going through some rough times. She calls it a song about destruction that leads to reconstruction and points out that often times it is necessary to shed old aspects of yourself to make way for newer and better things.
- “Electric Junction” is taken from her upcoming debut EP. The EP is entitled “Chest Of Dress Up” and it will drop on March 8th.
Simen Mitlid – DNA
- Simen Mitlid is an artist from Norway and he is currently getting ready to release a new EP in the coming months.
- “DNA” is his latest offering and the track is sort of like a musical daydream. About the creation of the tune, I thought it was interesting that he actually got the lyrics while watching TV.
- He says that he was experiencing some writer’s block and had the TV on in the background. He started to just write down random things that he heard from the TV. He was left with a sort of random puzzle that he eventually pieced together into a story. Pretty unique approach and the result was a very cool song.
Kindsight - Sun Is Always In My Eyes
- I’m very happy to have Kindsight back on the playlist with a new track. I’m definitely a fan of their brand of laid-back indie folk/pop. Kindsight is a band from Demark, “Sun is Always in My Eyes” is their latest single and it comes via Rama Lama Records.
- Their debut album will be out soon. The album is called “Swedish Punk” and it will be released on March 25th.
- Despite the title, it will most certainly not be a punk album, but I am very much looking forward to it, I really do like their songs a lot.
PART 3 SONGS
Underground Witch Rock - Ghostwriter
Wicked Games – Toska
Far West - It Feels New
Josh Long - Last June
Beck Pete - Softie
Pinc Wafer - 0 %
PART 3 FACTS
Underground Witch Rock – Ghostwriter
- Underground Witch Rock is a band from Helsinki. They released their debut EP, “Water Talk”, back in 2017.
- They have promised that they will release their long-awaited, full-length debut album sometime this year.
- Their new song, “Ghostwriter” is a bit of a long player by today’s standards but I like it a lot. I think the length of the track actually allows you to really get into the song, you know, fully immersed it the track’s warmth and dreamy vibes.
Wicked Games – Toska
- Wicked Games is a British duo based in London.
- They say that their new track “Toska” is about trying to move on from someone who you love but who you know is bad for you. The song is about that experience and all the conflicting emotions that come along with it.
Far West - It Feels New
- Far West is a synth-pop project from Santa Cruz, California. Their new track, “It Feels New” is an uplifting and high-spirited offering.
- It definitely has that 80s vibe in it, and as per usual, I do enjoy the saxophone part in the final third of the tune.
- If I may, I would say that the song has a kind of endearing cheesiness to it. It just sounds like one of those songs that would be on the soundtrack for a cheesy 80s movie. That is exactly what I like about actually.
Josh Long - Last June
- Josh Long is a singer-songwriter based in San Francisco. His new song is all about wanting to go “back to, last June, when this, was new” as he sings in the chorus. As you might have guessed, it is about longing for the romantic relationships and good times of a bygone era.
- This is a pretty cool song. Very laid-back and I think it has hints of MGMT and Daft Punk all mixed together.
- “Last June” is his follow up single to his six-song EP, “Shooting Star” which was released around last, last June, in the summer of 2020.
Beck Pete – Softie
- Beck Pete is from LA, California and “Softie” is their latest single.
- The song is about love and believing that the right lover will come to you but first, you have to learn to love yourself. It’s still January, so I think the release of this song coincides pretty well with the “new year, new me” attitude that most people take to kick off the year.
- Although there aren’t any official details yet, Beck Pete says that a new project will be released this year, so keep on the lookout for that.
Pinc Wafer - 0 %
- We have a smooth landing to this quarter of the show courtesy of Pinc Wafer. Pinc Wafer is the alias of David Waters, an artist from Glasgow.
- I’m really feeling his new funk-infused single, “0%”. Regarding his process, he says that he tends to just write words that come to mind and work out what they all mean later.
- In this way, he finds that his music becomes a journey of self-discovery, only realizing what he was truly feeling after some time has passed. I think that’s a pretty cool approach to writing.
PART 4 SONGS
No Suits in Miami - The Robins Sang
DON’T WORRY - Heads Chocka
Lola Kirke - Better Than Any Drug
Ellen Ive Ove - LA Summer
Chris Jobe – Nostalgia
Folly Tree - On & On (feat iogi)
PART 4 FACTS
No Suits in Miami - The Robins Sang
- No Suits in Miani is a jangly indie band from Lund, Sweden. No official dates set yet, but the band has mentioned that a new album called “Nothing Ever Happens” is scheduled for release later this year.
- About the song, the band says that it is about the feeling you get when you meet someone new and you are in awe of how cool they are and it makes you feel a bit self-conscious and “uncool”.
- The band also adds that the song is the perfect soundtrack for flower shopping, coffee drinking, or reminiscing in a foggy, dew-covered park. Strangely, I totally agree, especially the flower shopping part.
DON’T WORRY - Heads Chocka
- Don’t Worry is a duo from the UK and “Head’s Chocka” is their brand-new single. The single is taken from their upcoming new album.
- The album is entitled “Remorseless Swing” and it will drop on March 25th via Specialist Subject.
- When the band started in 2014, that whole emo scene was popular in the UK. For this new album, the band has a new sound and I like what I am hearing so far.
Lola Kirke - Better Than Any Drug
- Lola Kirke is an English-born and currently Nashville-based singer, songwriter and actress. She appeared on-screen in Mistress America, Gone Girl, and Mozart in the Jungle.
- “Better Than Any Drug” is her new single and it is 80s to the max! This song will appear on her sophomore album, “Lady for Sale”, which will arrive on April 29th via Third Man Records.
- Aside from the 80s vibes, there are also some very cool country music influences as well. This song kind of feels like a guilty pleasure for me. I’m not sure that I should like it, but I can’t deny that I most certainly do like it.
Ellen Ive Ove - LA Summer
- Ellen Ive Ove is a producer based in LA.
- About the song, he says that it was heavily influenced by the 80s and 90s worship music that his parents played a lot when he was kid.
- As he was making the track, he says that he had a little giggle over how retro the song really was. He says that he felt like he was translating his mom’s turtle shell hairclip and sharp-shouldered suit jacket directly into music. Those padded shoulder jackets were all the rage back then eh Danno?
Chris Jobe – Nostalgia
- Chris Jobe is a singer-songwriter from LA and “Nostalgia” is his latest single. It’s a sunny acoustic indie pop kind of tune that has a lot of hip hop influence in it.
- He sings throughout the track but there are parts that sound much closer to rapping than singing. Overall, the song is really catchy and has been stuck in my head since I heard it.
- The song is about nostalgia of course, more specifically, it is about lost love and the dangers of living too much in the past.
Folly Tree - On & On (feat iogi)
- As per usual, we have a soft and smooth landing to close out the playlist. This week it comes courtesy of Folly Tree featuring Iogi. Both artists are from Tel Aviv, Israel. Their collaborative track is about overcoming your fears.
- I love the mellow vibe and how the artists blend their vocals throughout the track.
- “On & On” is the second single from Folly Tree’s forthcoming album, “Remedies”, which is slated for released on March 30th.