Hey!
So my decision to make these mixtapes monthly has come back to bite me on the bum a bit because it turns out there’s a LOT of good music around at the moment, and I’ve already got twenty songs I love well before autumn is over.
So this season, you can have two mixtapes! This is the first and is full of lots of soulful music to warm your soul and comfort you.
As always, I really appreciate every visit and read. I really hope you find something you love.
Marc
x
Read More » Hey!
It’s been a minute (again!).
I’ve decided to roll with seasonal mixtapes from now on. Hopefully that’ll make my life a little easier. I can still share music I love but on a more manageable timescale.
Excitingly, I’ve opened a new Instagram page which is slowly developing a following. If you’re interested, you can follow me on: @themusicboxlistens.
August is always a funny month for music. I stop listening to the radio and probably consume the least amount of music compared with the rest of the year. I think that’s reflected in this playlist. A slightly strange selection of songs, but there are still some gems here.
Hope you find something you love!
Thanks for reading as always,
Marc x
Read More » 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.
Read More »Hello again!
I feel like it’s been two seconds since I last did this, but here we are again.
I’m very fond of this selection of songs and hope you enjoy them too.
Thanks for visiting, as always,
Marc
x
Read More » I’m late, again! Sorry.
Well, that’s if anyone reads this (I hope so!)
Here’s what I enjoyed listening to during the very brief, very grey February which we experienced this year.
Hope you find something you like!
Marc
x
Read More » 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
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:
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
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.
And just like that, we’ve reached the end of October!
Here’s what I’ve been loving over the past month. These blog posts take me a couple of hours, so I appreciate every click, scan, visit and read.
Hope you might find something new that you love!
Marc
x
And just like that, we’re in October!
I suppose it feels shorter than it has been because I was so late with August’s edition.
Never mind.
With no further ado, here’s the music I’ve been devouring throughout September.
As always, thank you for reading.
Marc
Read More »
