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The first part of our two part series going over our indie favorites of 2021 with Prince Paolo commences things this evening, with two full hours of our favorite guests and choice joints!
"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 12.14.2021 REVIEW PT 1
PART 1 SONGS
Broken Baby – Cloud Coverage
Young Winona – LA Waste
The Clockworks – Enough Is Never Enough
Miesha & The Spanks – I Want Fire
Monster Rally – Chin-don-ya
Runrummer – Guten Abend
Runrummer – Cosmic Love
PART 1 FACTS
Broken Baby – Cloud Coverage
- Our favorite tune from the band’s Late Stage Optimism LP, which dropped in September.
- The duo of Amber Bollinger & Alex Dezen have been making some amazing post-punk & dance tunes for several years now, and they also run a great little label called Poor Man Records as well which has a KILLER roster. Which brings us to…
Young Winona – LA Waste
- This is the band project of Cassie Gaffney, and they are also based in LA signed to Poor Man.
- Interestingly, the band are originally from New Zealand but have called Los Angeles home for years now. And it seems with this song, the truth of LA has hit home fully with Young Winona, as there are few tunes that express the hopeless underbelly of America’s 2nd largest city.
The Clockworks – Enough Is Never Enough
- One band that has made huge moves this year is this Irish band out of County Galway originally, now based in London.
- They went on their debut North American tour recently, playing Chicago’s riot fest in the process, and it was great to talk to the lads back in late January, even if they were holed up with nowhere to go because of another wave of COVID in the UK.
Miesha & The Spanks – I Want Fire
- A tune we premiered on this show, also back in January before it released.
- They also just recently finished a summer tour in Europe, but Miesha had to quarantine just prior to heading back home to Calgary for an extra couple of weeks in London as she also caught COVID during the trip.
Monster Rally – Chin-don-ya
- What can I say, man? The guy didn’t come out with an album this year, but he did appear on the show back in April.
- Of all the artists we had on this year, this program back on April 23 was definitely one of if not the most fun programs I’ve done to date.
- The artist true name Ted Feighan just dropped the first single to his as yet unnamed album, due out in April, and that will herald another trip to Mystery Island here on the show. YESSSSSS.
Runrummer – Guten Abend
- Another return appearance on the show was Livy Morris, aka Runrummer.
- She dropped a new EP this fall called Outer Space, and big up to Livy, she’s the best. But I cannot help but correct myself because Rumrunner is so automatic.
PART 2 SONGS
Girl Ray - Give Me Your Love (Edit)
Luna Li - Cherry Pit
Hana Vu – Everybody's Birthday
Joy Crookes - Feet Don’t Fail Me Now
Tems - Crazy Tings
Men I Trust – Serenade of Water
PART 2 FACTS
Girl Ray - Give Me Your Love (Edit)
- Girl Ray is a band from North London. The original version of this song is about 7 minutes long, but we played the radio edit version for you. Actually, there’s a French language version of the song which is pretty cool, as well as a few popular remixes as well.
- Notably, Al Doyle and Joe Goddard from Hot Chip helped out with the creation of this song in their studio off Brick Lane in London.
- The idea behind the song was to create a track that would be optimistic and hopeful, a song for the future summers where people can dance and enjoy music together again. Hopefully, that means next summer... fingers crossed for that for sure.
Luna Li - Cherry Pit
- Luna Li is a Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist and producer on the rise. She released her EP and a handful of singles this year and she also joined Japanese Breakfast on tour. Pretty impressive stuff for 2021.
- Very cool story behind this song ‘Cherry Pit”. Her family rented the same cottage in Muskoka every summer and one year they learned that the cottage was going to be sold.
- She had so many good memories at the place so she asked her family members to write a bunch of haikus and those haikus ended up being the lyrics for the song. Pretty cool stuff for sure.
Hana Vu – Everybody’s Birthday
- Hana Vu is a musician based in LA. Last month she released a very solid 12-track album called Public Storage, which came via Ghostly International.
- Kind of an interesting take on birthdays on this track. The lyrics of the chorus go, “everybody’s crying in the hallway, I guess it must be everybody’s birthday, all the time”.
- Hana says it’s a comment on how many of us actually get really introspective and kind of depressed and miserable on birthdays. I am 100% with you on this Hana, totally relateable.
Joy Crookes - Feet Don’t Fail Me Now
- Joy Crookes had a huge year in 2021. Joy Crookes is a 22-year old British-Irish-Bangladeshi artist. Her music is very reminiscent of another famous Londoner, of course I’m talking about the late, great Amy Winehouse.
- Joy says that she wrote this song in light of the political events of last year. It is written from the perspective of someone who finds it easier to remain complicit out of fear of speaking up. She hopes that the song encourages us be a bit braver, even though it is often very hard to do.
Tems - Crazy Tings
- Tems is a very talented vocalist from Nigeria. She released her debut album, “For Broken Ears”, last year and “Crazy Tings” was her follow-up single.
- 2021 was a breakout year for her, as she appeared on WizKid’s hit song “Essence” and later in the year she was featured on a Drake track.
- She also became Spotify’s most popular African artist, earning over 11 million monthly listeners. Big tings, crazy tings from Tems this year.
Men I Trust – Serenade of Water
- We have a smooth and soulful ending to part 2 of the show. Men I Trust is a trio from Quebec. In August, they released their fifth studio album, “Untourable Album”. Interestingly, the band released the album via online livestream. Thousands of fans were able comment and interact with other each other as they listened to the songs on the album for the first time, all together. By the way, the album is fire, go and have a listen if you haven’t already.
PART 3 SONGS
Sam Evian - Never Know
Ada Lea - can't stop me from dying
Lala Lala - DIVER
Le Pain - Troisieme Groupe
Liam Kazar - Nothing to You
Nation of Language - Across That Fine Line
PART 3 FACTS
Sam Evian - Never Know
- Sam Evian is an artist from New York and about a month ago he released a really cool album. That album is called “Time to Melt”, it came via Fat Possum, and it is really very good. Do go and check that one out for sure.
- Sam says that this track is about escapism, dystopian realities, and aliens. Not sure about all that but I do really enjoy the song a lot. I have to ask Danno, aliens, yay or nay?
Ada Lea - can't stop me from dying
- Ada Lea is an artist from Montreal and “Can’t Stop Me From Dying” is a track taken from her most recent album, “One Hand on the Steering Wheel the Other Sewing a Garden”, which came out a couple of months ago via Saddle Creek.
- There is a cool music for this track. It’s like the computer game The Sims. There’s a Sims version of Ada and she just keeps dying and coming back to life, only to die again. It’s supposed to be a metaphor of how even though we fail in life, we have to get up and try better next time.
Lala Lala – DIVER
- Lala Lala is the moniker of Chicago-based artist Lillie West. Back in October, she released a warmly received new album entitled “I Want The Door to Open” that came via Hardly Art.
- About the song, she says that in life, sometimes we feel like we keep making the same mistakes over and over again.
- She says that one way to approach this is to just fall in love with the process of getting better and improving. She puts it in a pretty inspiring way... she says instead of fighting against the mountain, learn to fall in love with the labor of walking up the mountain, fall in love with the rock itself.
Le Pain - Troisieme Groupe
- We played this song on our most recent review show a few months ago and I still can’t enough of it.
- Le Pain is a band based in LA. The group is comprised of members from Yucky Duster and Public Practice and they were supposed to have released a debut album this year but the release date got pushed back.
- They do have a new track out though, it’s called “Obvious to You” and I think it’s another great offering, so go and check that out.
Liam Kazar - Nothing to You
- Liam Kazar is an artist originally from Chicago, but who is now based in Kansas City.
- This past summer he released his debut album, “Due North” via Woodist imprint Mare Records.
- As you know Danno, I’ve developed a bit of a soft spot for country music and I think “Due North” was a great album in that genre this year.
- Aside from music, Liam Kazar is also a chef. He runs an Armenian restaurant called Isfahan, which I think is really cool.
Nation of Language - Across That Fine Line
- Nation of Language is a trio from Brooklyn. “Across that Fine Line” is taken from their most recent album, “A Way Forward”, which was released last month.
- The song is a reflection on that moment when a non-romantic relationship flips into something different. There is a sense of joyous panic in that kind of situation and I think that feeling is portrayed really well in the instrumentation of this one.
- The track has a sort of “end of the movie” kind of sound to it so that’s what we will end part 3 of tonight’s show with.
PART 4 SONGS
Helado Negro- gemini and leo
Nu Genea - Marechià (with Célia Kameni)
Head Ballet – Eraser
Roller Derby – Something True
Tallies – No Dreams of Fayres
Georgia Harmer - Headrush
PART 4 FACTS
Helado Negro- gemini and leo
- Helado Negro is the project of Roberto Carlos Lange. “Gemini and Leo” is taken from his album, “Fall In”, which was released in October via 4AD.
- I like this one because it’s got a disco flavor to it, it’s very catchy and danceable, and it’s above love and astrology.
- I have to admit that my opinion of this song is heavily biased because I’m a Leo and my wife is Gemini so in a way, I feel like this song was made especially for me... which is the kind of self-centered thing a Leo would say.
Nu Genea - Marechià (with Célia Kameni)
- Nu Genea is an Italian disco funk duo. This track features the vocals of French singer Celia Kameni. The song is an ode to the seaside village of Marechiaro, which is located in Napoli.
- Musically, I think the song is fantastic. It just makes you feel good and I love the summery and international vibes coming from this tune. Infectious tune, no doubt.
Roller Derby – Something True
- Roller Derby is a Hamburg-based indie dreampop trio. “Something True” is a single that will appear on the band’s forthcoming debut album, which is scheduled to drop sometime in the new year.
- The song is about being hopelessly head over heels in love with someone. I love how there are English and French language vocals on the track. I think it gives the tune some added interest.
- Musically, the track is warm and inviting, great stuff for these cold weather months.
Head Ballet - Eraser
- Head Ballet is a duo consisting of Keira Court and Danny Casio. This new Manchester-based duo formed while living together during the lockdown.
- Eraser is their second single and they say that the song originally was supposed to be a Nine Inch Nails inspired tune. They added acoustic guitars and feathery vocals, and then the tune started to turn more towards the indie dance direction.
- I think it was a good move. Head Ballet says that this song is about looking to escape yourself and find comfort in the things that allow you to do that.
Tallies – No Dreams of Fayres
- Tallies is a Toronto dream pop trio. They released an album in 2019 and “No Dreams of Fayres” is their long-awaited follow-up single.
- Lead singer Sarah Cogan says that this is a highly personal song that documents her experiences with depression.
- When she was depressed, she just lay still in bed for hours on end just because it was her way of totally disconnecting from the outside world. She says that she knows it is very cliché, but the truth is that music was the only thing that actually got her out of bed and on the road to recovery.
Georgia Harmer - Headrush
- Georgia Harmer is a singer-songwriter from Toronto. “Headrush” was her debut single and it came via Arts & Crafts.
- I like this one a lot. It’s a kind of a slow-burner with some poetic lyrics, and I think Georgia has a great voice as well.
- Georgia points out that when you reminisce on those perfect days of the past, you didn’t realize they were perfect as they were happening and you don’t really fully appreciate them until some time has passed. "Headrush” is about wanting to go back to a perfect moment and being completely present.