Tag: music magazine

Liebster Award Nomination

MarcyB0y2 Comments

Wehey, we’ve been nominated for something!

I try and keep The Music Box as professional as possible and generally avoid placing the focus on me but I felt honoured enough to have got one of these, I thought I’d give it a go!

I have to be honest and say I’d never heard of a Liebster Award before receiving one but after researching it, I thought it seemed like a very cool idea!

It’s basically blog chain-mail, but a good type (well I perceive it that way anyway!) You get nominated by somebody who likes what you do and it all goes from there.

I was nominated by the lovely Tammy, who blogs at https://alittlebitalt.wordpress.com/ . It’s a blog I really love anyway and Tammy consistently interacts with this blog which I am incredibly grateful for! It’s brilliant to know people actually read my posts and enjoy what I do, so thank you!

liebster-award-rules

11 Facts About Me

  1. My name is Marc, which I spell with a ‘C’ which seems to throw some people…
  2. My music taste is far more eclectic than most are aware of – a little bit of everything, some credible and others not so much. I hope that comes across in this blog!
  3. I write my own songs and it’s my dream for them to lead me somewhere someday.
  4. I’m a huge bookworm.
  5. I love writing – songs, blogs, poems – I just really love being create with words.
  6. My favourite bands are Take That & The 1975.
  7. I have lots of favourite movies but my all time favourite movie is ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (‘Perks’, The Shawshank Redemption’, ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’, ‘The Green Mile’ & ‘Rent’ follow closely…)
  8. I have lots of favourite songs but my all time favourites are probably Chocolate by The 1975, Higher than Higher by Take That & Edge of Desire by John Mayer.
  9. I have lots of favourite books but my two all time favourites are The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky,  One Day by David Nicholls and Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.
  10. I don’t publicise it much anymore but Michael Jackson is one of my idols.
  11.  I’m a big foodie – there isn’t much I won’t eat! 🙂

And to answer Tammy’s questions:

1) What’s your Hogwarts house?   I am a Gryffindor 🙂

2) Favorite David Bowie song? ‘Where Are We Now’. I do love ‘Heroes’, ‘Under Pressure’ & ‘Let’s Dance’ too though… basically the more commercial stuff!

3) Which fictional couple do you ship?  Dexter & Emma in ‘One Day’.

4) Current favourite music artist? Lots of obsessions at the moment! The main one has been one of my favourites – John Mayer.  Also been listening a lot to some of my other favourites: The 1975, Take That & Troye Sivan.

5) Where do you see yourself in the next five years? This is tricky, I can’t really imagine it! Scary… I think I’ll be back home in Northampton, I’ll have moved out though & probably in a steady job, still single haha!

6) You hit shuffle on your laptop or iPod or phone, what are the first three songs to come up?

  1. The 1975 – What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction Cover in the Radio 1 Live Lounge)
  2. Justin Bieber – Company
  3. Gary Barlow – Jump

7) What book did you read last? I’m currently reading ‘Hector and the search for Happiness’ by Francois Lelord. The last book I finished was the brilliant ‘Let it Snow’ by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle.

8) Favourite social media platform? Twitter.

9) What is your favourite type of YouTube video? Live music performances.

10) Who inspires you? Various people in different ways! My Dad, Gary Barlow & John Mayer are probably the main ones.

11) Favourite TV show? I don’t watch a lot of TV anymore. ‘Miranda’ when it was on and I do love a bit of Strictly Come Dancing too!

My questions for my nominees are:

  1. Favourite book?
  2. Favourite movie?
  3. Favourite band/artist
  4. Biggest achievement?
  5. Best concert you have ever been to? (If not a concert, maybe a festival or something?)
  6. What’s your dream job?
  7. Do you like musicals? What’s your favourite?
  8. Favourite season?
  9. Favourite place to visit?
  10. Any hobbies/interests?
  11. Do you prefer staying in or going out?

My nominees are:

Christmas Crackers – Day 31

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Happy New Year!

This is the final entry of Christmas Crackers. We hope you’ve enjoyed following this throughout December 🙂

1) Dina Carroll – The Perfect Year

2) Sugababes – New Year

 3) Rod Stewart – Auld Lang Syne

 

Check back everyday this month for more festive hits!

Changes to The Music Box in 2016

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collage

Hello all!

I set The Music Box up in 2013 after numerous other failed attempts at blogging. This year, we became solely a music blog with all other posts exported to an additional personal blog.

2015 has seen The Music Box go from strength to strength. We have received hundreds of likes and shares and our review of Markus Feehily’s ‘Fire’ album was tweeted by the man himself . We are hoping for this success to continue throughout 2016 and wanted to share some of our new developments with you for the next year.

Music Monday

To date, Music Monday has involved a selection of ten songs, both old and new that we have been enjoying immensely in the past week. They are usually accompanied by a short excerpt on why we love them here at the Music Box.

From 2016 onwards, this will be changed to ten new or current songs which we consider to be the hottest records in the world.

*NEW!* Feel Good Friday

Every Friday, we will be adding five tracks to our Feel Good Friday Spotify Playlist. There will be opportunities for suggestions too.

*NEW!* Artist Feature

Artist Features will be pieces dedicated to an artist. Generally to promote little-known or up and coming acts, these are to raise the profile of genuinely talented artists.

Themed Playlists

These will continue as usual.

Album Reviews and Live Gig Reviews

These will continue as usual.

Thank you so much for all of the follows, likes and shares of our posts and for the support this year. Please continue to share our posts and blog to help us out!

We don’t earn any money from this and do it purely for our love of music.

Thanks for every read, like, follow & share.

Love.

Music Monday – Volume Eighty

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1) Shura – Touch

Slick and smooth, this is an effortlessly cool R&B jam by Shura.

2) Tame Impala – Yes I’m Changing

Melancholic and moody but a brilliant track which mirrors lots of ’80’s pop.

3) The 1975 – Ugh!

The 1975 dropped another incredible track this week. This is reminiscent of some of Prince’s funkiest material and it’s bloody awesome.

4) Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind

Completely forgot about this track until it appeared as a suggested video on YouTube the other day. Written by The Pet Shop Boys, this is one of their best.

5) Donny Hathaway – This Christmas

Smooth and soulful, this is old-school Christmas music at its best. Absolutely brilliant track.

6) Snakehips ft Tinashe & Chance the rapper – All my friends

Love the chilled out nature of this and the chorus is very anthemic.

7) Roxette – It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)

Before this track came to prominence, it was actually a Christmas song. Not a lot had to be removed to turn it into a generic track and both versions are lovely. One of the best and most emotive power ballads from the ’80’s.

8) James Bay – Hold Back The River

This is still an incredible, rousing and uplifting track. James performing it on the BBC Music Awards reinforced that for me.

9) Cliff Richard – Young Love

Anything by Cliff is a guilty pleasure. I have no idea how I came across this but it’s a nice little song.

10) The Pretenders – 2000 Miles

An often forgotten about Christmas song. It’s not the most cheery of festive songs but it’s a brilliant song and Chrissie Hynde’s vocals are still some of the best out there.

Music Monday – Volume Seventy Nine

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1) A$ap Rocky –Fashion Killa

Built around a mesh of jittery synth clips, this is just so damn good.

2) Burial – Shell of Light

UK garage music at its best.

3) The 1975 – Me

It was only when I saw The 1975 live a couple of weeks ago that I finally paid full attention to this song. Prior to that, it was the one song by them I didn’t care much for. On closer inspection of the lyrics, I found it beautifully haunting and very relatable in some areas.

4) Shura – Kids N’ Stuff

I’ve been even more obsessed with Shura since seeing her live last week. This was a new track from her forthcoming album and I fell head over heels in love with it. Bittersweet, gentle & so eighties it hurts! It transported me into another world whilst there and I cannot stop listening to this even when the quality isn’t brilliant. Studio version soon please!

5) Coldplay – Kaleidoscope

Beautifully haunting instrumental which features on Coldplay’s latest album.

[Songs are not available on YouTube or Spotify – all is available is these snippets]

6) Coldplay – Amazing Day

Lovely waltz-like ballad from the latest album ‘A Head Full of Dreams’.

[Songs are not available on YouTube or Spotify – all is available is these snippets]

7) Coldplay – Up & Up

For any Coldplay fans disappointed with the very Pop-inspired direction of the new album, this song is likely to be the album’s redemption. Powerful and uplifting track with Noel Gallagher contributing his guitar playing.

[Songs are not available on YouTube or Spotify – all is available is these snippets]

8) Troye Sivan & Betty Who – Heaven

Troye Sivan’s début album is probably one of the best of 2015. This is a gorgeous song and one of many which documents his experience of coming out as gay.

9) Troye Sivan – Youth

Bouncy pop track with an awesome hook.

10) Troye Sivan – for him.

A slightly lighter and more breezy track from Troye Sivan’s début album.