GFN Radio: Top of the Drop

Top of The Drop

By Daniel J. Springer

Each month, Daniel Springer of the Gwangju Foreign Language Network (GFN) picks his favorite newly released tunes that you may not have heard yet, along with some upcoming albums and EPs that you might want to keep on your radar. — Ed.

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE – “KING”

In a twist of gender on the lead singer to Florence Welch’s upcoming Dance Fever LP, the acclaimed shapeshifting singer-songwriter is once again contorting into new form and royalty, which admittedly is well deserved. Here Welch is grappling with the meaning of femininity itself in a tune that unquestionably portends a very strong album, which would be her fifth. Keep a keen eye out for this LP, which drops May 13 via Republic Records.

JACOB BANKS – “JUST WHEN I THOUGHT IT”

This single portends a new project for the highly lauded Nigerian-born, London-based singer-songwriter that still has yet to be officially announced. A mesmerizing bit of heavily electronicized R&B heft and darkness, the song finishes with a massive choral crescendo that shows why this independent artist is getting hundreds of millions of streams and huge kudos from hard-toplease outlets.

ROBERT GLASPER – “WHY WE SPEAK” (FEAT. Q-TIP & ESPERANZA SPALDING)

Black Radio III is finally out, and it’s certain to gain nominations for album of the year in several categories. For those unfamiliar, this album series is the Houstonbased maestro getting away from his first love in jazz and giving a showcase in his other love, hip-hop, with defiant messages of positive change. A huge project that as usual features collabs with the biggest luminaries of the game, this one’s an instant classic.

CHARLI XCX – “BEG FOR YOU” (FEAT. RINA SAWAYAMA)

For those of the more seriously taken monotheistic bent, this video might not be your favorite, as the artist and hard rock singersongwriter and model Rina Sawayama get together with a group of friends who are about to make a ritual sacrifice to Satan himself. The third single to the acclaimed pop star’s upcoming Crash LP, check out the full album which dropped March 10.

REGINA SPEKTOR – “BECOMING ALL ALONE”

This is the lead single to the artist’s first album since 2016’s Remember Us to Life. The New York native will drop her latest, Home, Before and After, on June 24 but interestingly will be doing a group of select live dates in the lead-up to the fulllength drop, kicking off with a show at Carnegie Hall. Interestingly, the artist will also be releasing a deluxe box set of her debut album 11:11 later this year as well, but this new LP feels big, so don’t sleep.

DREAMER ISIOMA – “SUNSET DRIVE”

The Chicago-based singersongwriter just released Goodnight Dreamer, which is the artist’s debut LP and an existential utopian journey centered around the album’s protagonist named Dreamer. Coming on the heels of two EPs released in 2020, this album to the artist is just a start, stating, “Music is just like the foundation right now. In time, I

wanna go bigger and better. I wanna make movies; do fashion shows; create video games, houses, interior design – anything, like everything. This is just a start.” With the superlative quality of this album and the praise from high places garnered, don’t bet against any or even all of this becoming reality.

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF – “SAGA”

Alynda Segarra’s project celebrating the misfits and weirdos of the world is out with their eighth album Life on Earth. The main question on this magnificent record is pretty simple: How will you spend yours? While past records have been centered on conceptual frameworks and character narratives, this one feels more general, with the input of Waxahatchee and Bon Iver producer Brad Cook being obvious.

PERSONAL TRAINER – “POPSTARB!TCH”

This is a new project, with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kayla Mickelsen and producer George Seay teaming up to make a vintage lead single to their upcoming debut EP. Reflex drops on April 27, and with this vintage tune that feels like Olivia Rodrigo and 2019-era Caroline Polachek getting together on a production, this should be an interesting release.

WILLIS – “IN BETWEEN”

The fourth edition of the unpretentious, Nashville-based band’s Locals EP series is out as of February, and the group is definitely honing their craft on this one while building up a very solid following. Ready to hit the road for a headlining tour ending in NYC later this spring, this band is on the rise in a solid way.

FOREST RAY – “CLOSE YOUR EYES”

This veteran band led by Peter Sumić has added local drummer and Raised on Rhythm podcast maestro Nate Louis to their percussion. Born out of the Forest Ray Recording Studios in Seattle, the band has a distinctive live analog aesthetic to their recordings, with the songs being a psychedelic garage rock trip. “Close Your Eyes” is the second single to the upcoming Always LP, out later this spring.

MARCH RELEASES

Nilufer Yanya – Painless (3/4) Stereophonics – Oochya! (3/4) The Weather Station – How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars (3/4) Rex Orange County – Who Cares? (3/11) The Districts – Great American Painting (3/11) Widowspeak – The Jacket (3/11) Babeheaven – Sink into Me (3/18) Charli XCX – Crash (3/18) Yumi Zouma – Present Tense (3/18) Aldous Harding – Warm Chris (3/25) Barrie – Barbara (3/25) Placebo – Never Let Me Go (3/25)

APRIL RELEASES

PUP – The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND (4/1) Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love (4/1) Calexico – El Mirador (4/8) Jack White – Fear of the Dawn (4/8) Omar Apollo – Ivory (4/8) Wet Leg – Wet Leg (4/8) Lucius – Second Nature (4/8) Kurt Vile – (Watch My Moves) (4/15) Fontaines DC – Skinty Fia (4/22) Hatchie – Giving the World Away (4/22) Toro y Moi – Mahal (4/29) Bloc Party – Alpha Games (4/29) Miranda Lambert – Palomino (4/29) The Head and The Heart – Every Shade of Blue (4/29)

The Author

Daniel J. Springer (aka “Danno”) is the creator, host, writer, editor, and producer of “The Drop with Danno,” broadcasting nightly on GFN 98.7 FM in Gwangju and 93.7 FM in Yeosu from 8 to10 p.m. Prior to this, he was a contributor to several shows on TBS eFM in Seoul, along with being the creator and co-host of “Spacious” and “White Label Radio” on WNUR in Chicago. You can find “The Damyang Drop,” his monthly collaborative playlist with The Damyang House, on YouTube and Spotify. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @ gfnthedrop