After adapting Music Monday to make it strictly about current and new music, we realised that there was no way to draw focus to older music on this blog. So we have decided to publish a mixtape (or Spotify Playlist) of 20 songs on the first day of every month.
This makes January’s rather late but with no further ado, here’s the Music Box’s January Mixtape:
Busted perform a beautiful rendition of fan-favourite ‘Meet You There’, a track originally from their ‘A Present for Everyone’ album. Strong vocals and perfect harmonies blend perfectly with minimal instrumentation provided solely by an acoustic guitar and piano.
Dramatic and emotive alternative R&B track from up-and-coming artist Raleigh Ritchie. Ritchie’s deep vocals soar over sweeping strings as he contemplates the many trials of love.
Blues and Soul music are both at the core of this catchy indie rock track by James Bay. Rich harmonies, funky piano riffs and Bay’s powerful vocals all result in a perfect love song.
Drawing upon 80’s pop & smooth 90’s R&B, ‘Back To Sleep’ is the third single from Brown’s latest album ‘Royalty’. Sleek and sexy.
One of Brown’s biggest successes in his music has always been his ability to mimic 90’s R&B slow jams. This is no exception; a gentle and chilled-out love song and a long-awaited return to R&B by Chris Brown.
Made all the more poignant by the unexpected and hugely saddening news of David Bowie’s passing, it’s likely this gentle jazz-influenced track will become Bowie’s epitaph.
Gorgeous piano-led ballad from Coldplay’s latest album ‘A Head Full of Dreams’. Wailing guitars and pretty piano arpeggios form the songs primary instrumentation is a similar vein to previous song ‘Us Against The World’ but also sounding bizarrely similar to Grease’s ‘Beauty School Drop-Out’ in places. It’s Coldplay at their best, however, full of power and emotion.
Aided by Noel Gallagher on guitar, this epic feel-good rock anthem is the perfect conclusion to the band’s ‘A Head Full of Dreams’ album.
Troye Sivan encapsulates both the naivety and fun of teen love in this jittery R&B track. Broken pitch-moderated vocal samples are the basis of one of the catchiest hooks in Pop music ever.
Perfect dark R&B-inspired track from Troye’s incredible début album ‘Blue Neighbourhood’. Squeaky synths, trap-influenced beats and clinking keys provide the instrumentation whilst Sivan declares “I don’t keep love around”. It’s the perfect anti-love song.
Check back everyday this month for more festive hits!
1) The 1975 – Settle Down
I love every single song from The 1975’s debut album but some tracks do get more listens than others! I neglected this song for quite a while but was recently reminded of how awesome it is. The slamming beats and funky guitar riffs contribute to its catchiness.
2) Gabrielle – I Wish
90’s R&B at its best with an awesome new jack swing vibe. Smooth, soulful with a message we can all relate to, this is an underrated beauty! Gabrielle has one of my favourite voices in Pop music and is worthy of far more credit than she receives. Many only know her for ‘Dreams’, ‘Out of Reach’ and ‘Rise’ but a listen to her Greatest Hits album proves her diversity and her level of talent. Love this.
3) Broken Social Scene – Major Label Debut
I watched ‘It’s Kind of a funny story’ for the first time last week and completely fell in love with it. Funny and moving, it tells the story of a teen boy who checks himself into a mental-health clinic. These guys did the score all the way through and this song played during the credits. It’s just a great feel-good song.
4) Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure
One of Queen’s best songs and certainly one of my favourites. Gives me plenty of fond memories from performing in my school production of ‘We Will Rock You’ and from seeing the musical live in the West End twice. Bowie is a legend too of course. Irresistibly good.
5) Janet Jackson – That’s The Way Love Goes
Smooth and sultry, this song captures everything Janet Jackson is as an artist. Awesome production, clever sampling of James Brown’s ‘Papa don’t take no mess’ and a timeless song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUOkg4jFNus
6) Michael Jackson – Beautiful Girl
Stunning demo which appeared on Michael’s 2004 Ultimate Collection box set. The finished version (if it was ever fully completed) has never come to light but fans value this version greatly. Michael’s falsetto is gorgeous. Even his unreleased material was in a different league. Beautiful song.
7) S Club 7 – Sunshine
Track from the album with the same name, I’ve always adored this song. It’s so optimistic, so catchy and has an irresistible feel-good vibe. It’s a little bit more mature than some of their best known singles and Jon Lee’s voice is absolutely incredible on it. Some beautiful memories always return to me with this song.
8) S Club 7 – Have You Ever
Upon its release, I was never that fond of this track. Since their split, however, this song has found a place in my heart and it’s now one of my all time favourite S Club 7 songs. Written by one of my favourite songwriters Chris Braide along with Cathy Dennis (responsible for many of S Club 7’s material in addition to some of the best loved pop music over the past twenty years), this was released as Children in Need’s Official Single back in 2001. Beautiful, relatable lyrics, amazing vocals from Jo O’Meara and simply pop music at its best. Gorgeous.
9) S Club 7 – Two In A Million
Beautiful, mellow ballad from S Club 7’s début album and one of their more underrated singles. Jo O’Meara’s voice is absolutely incredible.
10) S Club 7 – S Club Party
This remains an absolute classic in the history of pop! Was very lucky to be able to experience this live once again when I saw a newly reformed S Club 7 perform live at the 02 Arena – the atmosphere was incredible during this song. Still much loved today.
NEW:
Album of the week:
Revolutionary Road: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Thomas Newman
Stunning score by my favourite composer, Thomas Newman. He’s been responsible for the scores of some of my favourite films e.g. American Beauty, The Green Mile & The Shawshank Redemption. His scores are always haunting and accompany any scene perfectly.
1) John Mayer – Dreaming with a broken heart
Beautiful ballad from John’s 2005 ‘Continuum’ album. Great lyrics and I love the fact it’s piano based which makes it stand out from John’s usual guitar sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1dOE-oeLG0
2) Cage The Elephant – Lotus
Heard this when out the other day and really enjoyed it! Reminds me a bit of the Red Hot Chillipeppers.
3) London Grammar – Metal & Dust
I love London Grammar but only got round to checking out their album in its entirety this week. This is one of the stand-outs for me. Love that drum rhythm.
4) London Grammar – Interlude (Live)
Another beautiful song from London Grammar’s début album.
5) One Direction – Stockholm Syndrome
Yes, I know this was in one of the playlists a couple of weeks back and I tend to avoid including songs more than once but I had to include it again. I cannot get enough of this intense, incredibly catchy song. The lyrics are well-written, the drum rhythm is catchy as hell and I love that melody. One of the stand-outs from ‘Four’.
6) Robbie Williams – Deceptacon
A stunning song from ‘Reality Killed The Video Star’. Soft, dreamy and pretty spaced out, I just love the feel of this song. One of Robbie’s most underrated songs.
7) Taylor Swift- Blank Space
Taylor Swift is dominating the charts at the moment and rightly so. She’s delivered an incredible album full of killer songs. Great song.
8) Labrinth – Jealous
Dismissed by many as ‘boring’, I just think this is really quite beautiful. It may not be the best song I’ve heard but credit where it’s due. There’s some gorgeous chords in this, the lyrics are beautiful and Labrinth’s voice is fantastic.
9) Bing Crosby & David Bowie – Little Drummer Boy
When considering my favourite Christmas songs, I always manage to forget about this classic. Their voices just melt together and it’s a beautiful version of a gorgeous song. Perhaps one of the greatest duets in history.
10) Lawson – Driving Home For Christmas
‘Driving Home For Christmas’ is one of my top 3 favourite Christmas songs of all time. Lawson are one of my favourite bands. Put them both together and you get this level of perfection! Such an awesome version.
1) The Jacksons – 2300 Jackson Street
A little-known single released by The Jacksons in 1989 when Michael had left the band. This album was pretty underrated in my opinion. It’s a shame it didn’t fare better in the charts. This is a gorgeous song that Michael contributed vocals to and it’s so soulful & smooth.
2) Samantha Ronson – Built this way
Yes, I watched Mean Girls & this played pretty much all the way through so I kinda found myself liking it!
3) Fat Larry’s Band – Zoom
So summery. Love this.
4) Fleetwood Mac – Sara
God, I love Fleetwood Mac! Stevie Nicks’ voice is divine and this is an amazing song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHJb87nNsGY
5) Fleetwood Mac – Family Man
Catchy as hell, this is an awesome song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeIwuyCGhQc
6) Robbie Williams – Monsoon
A shamefully honest song that could be written and performed by no-one else other than Mr Robbie Williams. Such a powerful, awesome song.
7) Robbie Williams – Feel
Hauntingly beautiful – that piano introduction and the lyrics are just beautiful. “Come and hold my hand, I wanna contact the living” – what a line. One of the best lyrics ever written.
8) The Vamps – Somebody to you
The more I hear by The Vamps, the more I love them. Love this song.
9) Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure
I watched the 1998 movie ‘Stepmom’ with Julia Roberts the other day and this song was played in the opening segment. One of my favourite Queen tracks, with that irresistible bass line (years before it was nicked by Vanilla Ice) and a fantastic duet between two amazing singers – Freddie Mercury & David Bowie.
10) Thomas Newman – Any other name
‘American Beauty’ is one of my favourite films of all time and part of what makes it so appealing for me is Thomas Newman’s hauntingly beautiful score. ‘Any other name’ is a piece of music commonly played in media and it’s just stunning. One of my favourite pieces of music ever produced.
Wednesday saw the 34th Brit Award Ceremony take place at the 02 arena and broadcast live across the world for the first time. Here’s my take on the events of the evening.
The Brits 2014 saw a massive drop in ratings – 2 million less people than last year. Yet, in my opinion, the 2014 Brits were a million times better than last year’s rather dull affair. Bizarre acceptance speeches, electric performances, dodgy jokes and self promotion riddled this years ceremony but in a way that made fantastic entertainment. The Brits has a reputation for generating and attracting controversy but that’s part of what makes it so endearing.
James Corden did a wonderful job of presenting once again, moving the show along nicely aided by a few funny gags and some spontaneous quips (a selfie with Prince and a pinch of a member of the Arctic Monkeys’ bum were particular highlights). Whilst not everyone was equally pleased with some of his remarks, I think James was awesome once again and I will greatly miss him hosting The Brits. He’s not overly controversial, a great guy, loves his music and funny with it. I hope whoever is lined up to present next year’s Brits will be able to bring something original to the table.
Performance-wise, whilst this year’s list of performers perhaps looked a little dull on paper, there were some great performances. Katy Perry delivered a theatrical Egyptian-themed performance of new track ‘Dark Horse’, which, despite the song not being her strongest release, managed to entertain. Bruno Mars took to the stage to sing the fantastically catchy ‘Treasure’ in which, whilst being an amazing performance, one must question whether this was a performance by Bruno or by The Bruno Mars band. There was very little solo by Mr Mars himself, instead, he was joined by an assemble of men to the point it rather looked and sounded like a Boyz II Men super-group on-stage. Beyonce appeared in a stunning, sparkly green gown to perform powerful new single ‘XO’. Disclosure managed to significantly improve incredibly scary Lorde’s ‘Royals’ by transforming it into a house track and Pharrell Williams gave a great rendition of ‘Happy’ with a little help from funk royalty Nile Rodgers.
As for the awards themselves, there were no major surprises. Daft Punk inevitably collected ‘International Group’ award after an amazingly successful year. Rudimental took home a gong for club-crazy ‘Waiting all night’ for Best British Single. One Direction won an award for a seemingly tailored-just-for-them ‘Brits Global Success Award’ in addition to ‘Best British Video’. Whilst many ridicule them, the lads certainly deserved these awards, particularly the latter, although there wasn’t any strong competition as the other Video nominations were incredibly weak and unoriginal. At least ‘Best Song Ever’ was unique, comedic and well-written/directed. Arctic Monkeys also took home two awards for Best British Group and Best British Album whilst Best British Breakthrough Act went to Bastille. Lorde appeared rather creepily onstage again to collect International Female Solo Artist whilst Bruno Mars received the male equivalent. Best British Female artist was won by Ellie Goulding whilst Best British Male was deservedly won by David Bowie.
What was perhaps most interesting this year were the presenters of the awards and the acceptance speeches. Pop royalty Prince appeared with new band 3RDEYEGIRL which was really awesome, Katy Perry returned onstage to present an award, Tinie Tempah was rather oddly paired with Fearne Cotton, Emeli Sande couldn’t keep away from The Brits, Pharell and Kylie, Jimmy Carr, glamour model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lily Allen, Cesc Fabregas and Nicole Scherzinger, Grimmy (who passionately snogged James Corden on live telly) and Noel Gallagher. We were subjected to excessive plugs of new releases and dresses and suits for the ceremony. A confused Lily Allen struggled to comprehend her role whilst Jimmy Carr attempted three feeble jokes after which the silence was deafening. Katy Perry asked the audience if they would be attending her tour later this year to which she received a wall of silence. Kate Moss accepted David Bowie’s award on behalf of the man himself, reading a witty speech he had written in which he managed to somewhat randomly incorporate his political views (‘Stay with us Scotland.’) A rather drunk and/or stoned Alex Taylor slurred through an egocentric rant on ‘Rock n roll’, looking as if he wished to be anywhere but there.
The issue is, whilst this was all great in the name of entertainment, it just reinforced the view of many. That The Brits is less about the music and more about self-promotion and entertainment. Few of the acceptance speeches were genuinely thankful, many highly successful artists were overlooked in nominations and quite frankly, some of the song nominations were bizarre.
There is no denying that it was an entertaining show, however and a drastic improvement on last year’s bore. So, another year, another Brits over. I already look forward to next year’s!
Day 30 David Bowie and Bing Crosby – Peace On Earth/Little drummer boy
This is a last minute addition into my playlist, replacing another track. It was difficult to make this decision but after much thought, I realised I much preferred this song and couldn’t possibly exclude it! The song ‘Little drummer boy’ on its own does nothing for me. It’s a nice song but with nothing much to it. This, however, is another story. This is a combination of the 1941 song ‘Little drummer boy’, with a counter point (‘Peace on earth’) added to it.
Bing Crosby and David Bowie are both legends in their own right but this combination is just fantastic. Their voices blend so well to each other and it’s a beautiful performance. I think the two songs work fantastically together and it’s just perfect.
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