Monthly Mixtape – May-July 2026

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Hello!

It’s been a minute. The last few months have been a whirlwind and, before I knew it, I’d skipped not one mixtape but three!

I have been thinking about this, though: how sustainable it is and whether it actually reaches that many people. I get a lot of joy from making these, so I’ll definitely be continuing, but I am considering switching from monthly mixtapes to seasonal or bimonthly editions. I have a few other ideas too – watch this space.

For now, we have a bumper edition. I didn’t want to give you 60 songs to trawl through, so I’ve tried to keep this mixtape to the absolute best listens.
As always, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you find something you love.

Marc
x

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Monthly Mixtape – April ’26

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And would you look at that?! Another month, and I’m late again!

April was a good month.

I wasn’t sure on this set of songs for you all at first but, as I’ve listened to them again and written about them, I’ve realised I’ve loved them dearly and hope you’ll find some you do too.

Thanks for reading as always,

Marc.

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Victoria Beckham’s Best 10 Solo Songs

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Posh Spice has (rightfully) undergone a career resurgence courtesy of son Brooklyn releasing that Instagram story about the Beckham family feud.

It’s easy to dismiss Posh as a popstar. She was never considered the strongest voice in the Spice Girls and had very few lead vocals, which meant she was often easily ridiculed and overlooked. Yet, if you give her a chance and listen to her few Spice lead vocals and her own music, you realise that she actually has a rather pleasant voice – smooth, silky and clear with a lovely tone. It’s not going to be up there with the Whitneys of the world, but neither has she ever claimed it to be.

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Monthly Mixtape – January ’26

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Happy New Year!


Am I still allowed to say that, or is it too late? I fear it might be…


Anyhow, I hope that your 2026 so far is going well, despite this awful grey and rainy weather in the UK.

Here’s what I’ve been enjoying in January. It’s a weird mix, to be honest, but we’ll roll with it.

I appreciate every visit and read.

Hope you find something you love!

Marc
x

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Year Review in Music – 2025

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Happy New Year!

As in previous years, I’m sharing my favourite music of 2025 with you. I’m a little late this time, and whilst I know we’d all rather look forwards than backwards, I hope you’ll stay with me and take a journey through some of my favourite releases from the past year.

My verdict on music in 2025? Pretty good. Chart music, for me, was generally pretty naff – there were a lot of songs that seemed to sit at Number 1 for a lifetime, and plenty of huge hits that did nothing for me. That said, there were many independent releases I really enjoyed, alongside some absolutely brilliant album releases. In fact, I’ve surprised myself with some of my favourite singles and albums of 2025.

The blog is split into sections:

  • My favourite 15 single releases of the year
  • My favourite 20 album tracks of the year
  • My favourite albums of the year

There are also long-list versions of each section – songs I loved dearly but which just missed out on the shortlists.

If you’ve visited my blog at all during 2025, I want to say a huge thank you. Each post takes me a long time, and even the briefest visit genuinely means the world.

Wishing you a wonderful 2026,
Marc

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Take That: When the Singles Outshone the Originals

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Take That are renowned as one of the UK’s most successful and best-loved boybands. Propelled by their clean-cut image and Gary Barlow’s songwriting talent, they enjoyed huge success in the 1990s before returning, a decade later, as a four-piece — achieving even greater and more enduring success.

Back in the early 90s, the band’s songwriting was largely a solo effort from Barlow, who quickly gained a reputation as a gifted and mature writer.

What many might not realise is that several of Take That’s best-known hits were heavily reworked or remixed before their single releases. Here, we take a look at some of those transformations.

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