Every Friday, we are adding three tracks to our Feel-Good Friday Spotify playlist. The aim? To create a definitive playlist featuring the best uplifting, feel-good tracks in the world!
Check here every Friday to check any additions!
FOLLOW the Music Box to never miss an update again.
Ex member of The Wanted, Nathan Sykes returns with another brilliant single from his upcoming début album. Featuring rapper G-Eazy, ‘Give It Up‘ is a huge, catchy R&B track with funky guitar riffs and slick production.
Swedish producer Alesso returns with this huge club track. Featuring vocals from African-Norwegian duo Nico and Vinz, (best known for their number one smash ‘Am I Wrong’) it’s a low-key, chilled-out approach to club music through its avoidance of loud synths, instead utilising wailing guitars in a similar fashion to Robin Schulz’ remix of Mr Probz’ ‘Waves‘.
Brilliant psychedelic rock track, featuring baroque-pop and experimental rock influences by British super-group The Last Shadow Puppets. The chorus avoids making a big deal out of itself, yet is effortlessly catchy.
Another dramatic and massive pop track from All Saints. Taken from their new album ‘Red Flag’, luscious harmonies soar over orchestral riffs and thunderous percussion.
Irish Singer-Songwriter/YouTube blogger Bry releases this euphoric pop-rock track, the first single from his début album.
Brilliant electro-pop track from Texas musician Chelsea Lankes. Sugary, almost-whispered vocals over distorted guitar riffs evolve into an infectiously catchy chorus.
South-London singer-songwriter Raye returns with this massive R&B track comprised of electro-elements, hip-hop beats and sweeping strings. Both the track and her vocals are often reminiscent of Rihanna at her best.
Soulful and uplifting track comprised of funky guitar riffs and plenty of brass instrumentation. Brilliantly catchy.
Gentle and relaxing acoustic-based track by English singer-songwriter Ben Watt. Released ahead of his upcoming album with the same title, it is a collaboration with fellow musician Bernard Butler.
Canadian music producer Kaytranada teams up with Californian singer and rapper Anderson Paak on this alternative R&B/neo soul fusion. Utilising hip-hop and soul, it’s a chilled out track with a retro vibe.
Every Friday, we are adding three tracks to our Feel-Good Friday Spotify playlist. The aim? To create a definitive playlist featuring the best uplifting, feel-good tracks in the world!
Check here every Friday to check any additions!
FOLLOW the Music Box to never miss an update again.
If you aren’t already familiar with Raleigh Ritchie (real name Jacob Anderson) in terms of music, chances are you’ll have encountered him as an actor. He has developed a name for himself starring in various high-profile roles over the last four years including Omen in the film Adulthood, Grey Worm in Game of Thrones and Dean Thomas in Broadchurch. He is now in the process of building a whole new side-career for himself as a singer-songwriter, set off to a promising start by single ‘Stronger than Ever‘ which has become something of a staple as dramatic background music on reality television in addition to receiving much airplay on the likes of Radio 1.
‘This is no p***-take’, sings Anderson on ‘Never Been Better‘. Indeed, ‘You’re a Man Now, Boy’ is a determined and well-crafted album which avoids filler album tracks, resulting in an intriguing album from start to finish. It’s an album which explores the pertinent and stimulating themes of confusion, depression and vulnerability through the on-trend genre of alternative R&B. Threaded together by sweeping strings, brass instruments, simmering synthesisers and fierce live percussion, it’s dramatic, bold and powerful, delving into elements of R&B, Soul, electronica and hip-hop.
The likes of ‘Stronger than Ever‘, ‘Bloodsport‘ and ‘Never Been Better‘ are explosive and emotive works which showcase Anderson at his best, featuring thunderous percussion and sweeping strings not dissimilar from Massive Attack’s ‘Unfinished Symphony‘. They are bold and soulful, breaking out from the norm yet remaining contemporary.
Elsewhere, the album possesses a lighter tone which punctuates the album nicely. Quirky and de-tuned synthesisers skip playfully on ‘The Greatest‘ and ‘A Moor‘ whilst Anderson’s love of hip-hop is evident on ‘Cowards‘, a buoyant track abundant with frolicking samples, programmed percussion and a gorgeous neo-soul middle-eight. Likewise ‘Young & Stupid‘ addresses the naivety and recklessness of youth through lyrics such as “I’ll be a star, I’ll be the boy who lived, Taking my car and driving it off the bridge” over hip-hop piano riffs. Then there’s the catchy dance-R&B of ‘Keep It Simple‘, a breezy collaboration with grime act Stormzy which provides some much-needed light relief.
The album is closed perfectly with the tender ‘The Last Romance‘, a mellow R&B ballad which documents an ‘us against the world’ relationship over driving, barely audible percussion, soulful layered vocals and gliding keyboards.
Anderson’s vocals aren’t necessarily the most powerful, yet they are a perfect match for the rich and luscious soundscapes featured here and at times are blissfully soulful.
As the album comes to a close, it is evident that the album is worth far more than its #32 position in the UK album chart. It may not be perfect, but it’s sturdy, compelling and fantastically-written, addressing powerful themes through contemporary alternative-R&B. Most importantly, it is an album with soul and a personality – a rare feat in today’s music.
Rating: 4/5.
Highlights: Stronger than Ever, Bloodsport, Keep it Simple, Never Been Better, Cowards, The Last Romance.
‘You’re a Man Now, Boy’ is available now on Columbia Records.
They Called Him Zone (aka Mik Davis) has released a free single ‘Miami‘ as a taster of his forthcoming EP. Here’s the press release submitted to us:
Furthering the metamorphosis period of Zone’s previous releases – comes the dark wave electro-pop fusion that is ‘Miami’.
Released as part of a fresh EP due 2nd May 2016 – the single and title track ‘Miami’ propels along with an hypnotic pulse, seductively slithering from verse to chorus – expanding itself into an atmospheric darkness that is both evocative and consuming. Created in a psychedelic basement studio in Bradford (UK), They Called Him Zone is an artist/producer (aka Mik Davis) who mashes up multiple genres and strives relentlessly to evolve and explore his creativity. Having caught the attention of BBC Introducing and underground radio around the globe, Zone’s latest EP effort ‘Miami’ shall hit listeners with a melting pot of melodic sensibility, drum machines, guitars, synth hooks and laid back vocal tones.
Download ‘Miami’ Single For Free www.soundcloud.com/they-called-him-zone/Miami
Disco-influenced Pop track by DNCE – the project of Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle, and JinJoo Lee. Abundant with driving bass lines, funky guitar riffs and fierce percussion, it’s a huge Pop smash with tight production by in-demand Swedish producers Mattman and Robin.
Fiery and powerful R&B track which marks the return of one of the UK’s best girlbands. Written by member Shaznay Lewis with Pete Hutchings (who also produced the track), it’s inspired by the breakdown of group member Nicole Appleton’s marriage to Liam Gallagher. It’s success is its minimalistic production, featuring various rattling percussion, steering synths and infectious chant-like melodies.
Birdy strips back her sound again after the up-tempo indie pop of ‘Keeping Your Head Up’. Written with Snow Patrol’s John McDaid, it’s a powerful ballad with thunderous percussion, gospel piano chords and Birdy’s exquisite vocals.
Zayn delivers a lazy summer neo-soul track with soulful retro guitar chords, giggling synthesisers, low-key brass instruments and Malik’s soaring falsetto vocals. Lyrically, it seemingly addresses Zayn’s dissatisfaction of his time in One Direction and exemplifies Zayn’s evolving maturity. It’s one of the best tracks from Zayn’s début album ‘Mind of Mine’ and a compelling listen.
Haunting interlude from Zayn’s debut album. Singing in Urdu in reference to his cultural heritage, Zayn shows a side to him never seen before, warbling over gentle guitar strums and eerie synthesisers.
Moody, brooding and sultry alternative R&B track and another of the best tracks from Zayn’s début album. Crooning over precarious percussion and wailing guitars, it mirrors Chris Brown circa the ‘Graffiti’ album as he boasts of being ‘drunk all summer’.
Uplifting and euphoric alternative rock track from London-based band Eliza and the Bear. Despite its slightly repetitive nature, its elevating tone compensates for it.
French producer DJ Snake (best known for 2015 smash dance hit ‘Lean On’) teams up with English singer Bipolar Sunshine on this Trap and EDM fusion. It’s a great track with an infectious hook.
Gentle acoustic based track with subtle electro elements.
Euphoric electro-track from up and coming singer-songwriter Sam Sure. The London-based singer signed to a record label last year and has since received airplay on Radio 1, being championed by Annie Mac various times.
Here’s the mixtape for April! 20 songs old and new that we’re loving at The Music Box.
There was an electric atmosphere in the O2 Forum, Kentish Town yesterday evening as over 2000 fans packed into the venue to catch a glimpse of one of the UK’s current best alternative-rock bands. Since their formation in 2012, Nothing But Thieves have quickly grown in popularity, largely propelled by frequent radio airplay. The Southend-on-Sea band went on to score a UK top 10 album in October 2015* and have since been touring both in their own right and as a support act to various established bands.
Last night, the band were supported by the energetic if somewhat clamorous Black Foxxes and the great Sundara Karma. Both were fitting for the event and warmed up the audience effectively before Nothing But Thieves’ arrival at 9:30pm. ‘Itch‘ was the perfect opener with its urgent guitar riffs and its tension-building verses. ‘Painkiller‘ followed suit, the frantic percussion and driving bass lines pulsating throughout the venue and raising energy levels from the audience.
The setlist was spot on (aside from the absence of stunning ballad ‘Lover, Please Stay’) with a perfect balance of powerful rock anthems and the band’s more haunting ballads. The likes of ‘Hostage’, ‘Excuse Me’ and ‘Honey Whiskey’ translated brilliantly live and conveyed an infectious energy whilst the ballads formed magical moments of the show. The gorgeous ‘Graveyard Whistling‘, haunting ‘Tempt You‘ and eerie ‘If I Get High‘ all rippled emotively throughout the venue and were worthy of goosebumps as frontman Conor Mason captivated the audience with his intoxicating vocals.
The band performed as a unit; tight and in-sync whilst Mason’s vocals were other-worldly and at times eerily reminiscent of Jeff Buckley. His vocals are sturdy and perfectly executed, whether through the murmured lower register or his ethereal, soaring falsettos. He is in possession of one of the most remarkable and powerful male vocals in the world and it is truly phenomenal to experience them live.
The evening was solely about the music, emphasised by the lack of theatrics in the show; the band were aided only by a backdrop of their eponymous début album and atmospheric lighting. Still, this was enough for the audience who were on-side throughout the entire evening. The atmosphere in the venue was electric, prompting Mason to comment on the energy in the present multiple times throughout the show. He appeared rather overwhelmed by the vast sea of faces in the venue but channelled this into a buoyant energy and was an instantly likeable front-man. At one point he responded to a emerging chant for him to remove his t-shirt with “No I’m not taking my top off, my Nan’s on the balcony!” prior to instructing the crowd to cheer for her.
The evening concluded in an enthralling encore comprised of three of the band’s best tracks; ‘If I Get High‘, ‘Trip Switch‘ and ‘Ban All The Music’. It was a brilliant finale to a fantastic evening and proved that Nothing But Thieves are the alt-rock band of now.
All photos taken from the band’s official Twitter account.
*Read our review of Nothing But Thieves’ début album here
Setlist:
Catch Nothing But Thieves on tour now:
Every Friday, we are adding three tracks to our Feel-Good Friday Spotify playlist. The aim? To create a definitive playlist featuring the best uplifting, feel-good tracks in the world!
Check here every Friday to check any additions!
FOLLOW the Music Box to never miss an update again.
We’ve finally changed our URL to reflect the name of our blog. This means from now on, we are available at:
Unfortunately this means old links to our site from Twitter will now be invalid but we are all about reinvention and improvement!
(PS we’re themusicbx not themusicbox because somebody already owns that name!)
Thank you for the continued support and we look forward to continuing to bring you the best new music!
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