Tag: music

Music Monday – Volume Eighty Seven

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1) Jahmene – Down for Love

Brilliant hip-hop/Gospel fusion from 2012 UK X Factor runner up Jahmene Douglas. This is his first original composition (début album was an amalgamation of cover versions) and is from his forthcoming second album, on which he has reportedly collaborated with a range of established names.

2) Babyface and El Debarge– Walking on Air

Fizzy and uplifting R&B track from hit songwriter Babyface and El Debarge (of Debarge fame). It’s a cheery and catchy with lovely lyrics.

3) Babyface – Our Love

Gorgeous R&B ballad which closes Babyface’s latest album, the brilliant ‘Return of the Tender Lover’ (hence why it’s our album of the week!). Gentle piano arpeggios and Babyface’s silky smooth vocals layered into luscious harmonies remind us of his forte to write brilliant songs, particularly ballads.

4) Rihanna – Kiss It Better

Brilliant down-tempo progressive R&B track abundant with squeaky synths and wailing guitars. Rihanna at her best.

5) Ronan Keating – Breathe

Lovely pop-rock ballad comprised of Keating’s powerful vocals, sweeping strings and acoustic guitars with a gorgeous chorus.

6) Tundran – Still Afraid

Catchy electropop track built of various sounds and instrumentation.

7) Timbaland and Mila J – Don’t Get no Betta

Brilliant and catchy R&B track emphasising what Timbaland does best. Fun and mechanical production elements and punchy percussion compensates for its repetitiveness and simplistic nature.

8) Nothing But Thieves – If I Get High

Stunning and haunting acoustic-based ballad which evolves into an electrifying climax.

9) Jarbird – Iona

Ethereal and dreamy Pop ballad from London-based band Jarbird.

10) BASECAMP – Comfort Zone

Laid-back and minimalistic electropop influenced track. Catchy, funky and an enthralling listen.

Music Monday – Volume Eighty Five

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1) Nate Ruess – Brightside

Quirky yet utterly beautiful pop song which makes full use of Ruess’ idiosyncratic vocals over a backdrop of jazzy piano chords, squeaky string sections and eerie music box sounds. Dreamy and magical.

2) One Direction – History

Bittersweet Pop track which serves as a perfect ‘goodbye’ (at least for now) to fans. Considered by many as an update of Toy Story classic ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’, acoustic guitar strums and a sing-along Chorus make this a perfect Pop anthem.

3) Rihanna & Drake- Work

Rihanna returns with this laid-back reggae-pop track, aided by Drake. It’s rhythmic and catchy with Rihanna’s heavily auto-tuned vocals sliding effortlessly over clever production.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/clips#p03grqg5

4) Ellie Goulding – Army

Stunning synthpop track in the same vein as material on Goulding’s debut ‘Lights’. Over jittery guitar samples, crashing percussion and simmering synths, Goulding sings of her best friend.

5) Zayn – PILLOWTALK

Sexy and sultry alternative R&B track comprised of thunderous beats, eerie electro elements, broken vocal samples, wailing guitars and soaring melodies.  It’s a far-cry from Zayn’s One Direction days and conveys a far greater depth of maturity, mostly through its sexual themes.

6) Lion Babe – Where Do We Go

Funky disco-themed neo soul track from New York City duo Lion Babe.

7) Taylor Swift – Out of the Woods

Dramatic synthpop track comprised of broken vocal samples, gated percussion and Swift’s almost whispered vocals. One of the highlights of Swift’s ‘1989’ album, it’s perhaps the best representation of the album, utilising scatty samples and ’80’s electro sounds.

8) Lawson – Money

Lawson return after a period of instability in terms of musical output. The release of the band’s second album has been repeatedly delayed but they are now preparing or its release in March. ‘Money’ is its lead single (excluding last year’s single ‘Roads’), a catchy pop-rock track in a similar vein to ‘When She Was Mine’ and ‘Brokenhearted’.

9) Dawin – Dessert

Catchy, jittery and squeaky pop track by American singer and producer Dawin featuring a rap from Silento.

10) Tom Parker – Lost In Your Love

Ex member of The Wanted Tom Parker impresses on this catchy house track which he has also produced.

FEATURE: Zayn – PILLOWTALK

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Zayn_Malik_-_Pillowtalk_(Official_Single_Cover)

Ex One Direction member Zayn Malik has set the world alight with excitement with the première of début solo single ‘PILLOWTALK’.

‘PILLOWTALK’ is a sexy and sultry alternative R&B track comprised of thunderous beats, eerie electro elements, broken vocal samples, wailing guitars and soaring melodies. It’s a far-cry from Zayn’s One Direction days and conveys a far greater depth of maturity, mostly through its sexual themes.

The fizzy downtempo track is co-written by Zayn with Anthony Hannides and Michael Hannides of MYKL [who’s track ‘Red’, Zayn tweeted support of back in March 2015] in addition to Levi Lennox. The latter three also produced the track.

Zayn always exhibited one of the more powerful voices within One Direction and his buttery vocals suit this progressive R&B far more than the anthemic Pop of his boyband days. It’s a carefree transition into R&B in a similar fashion to Justin Timberlake following his NSYNC days.

A bold and triumphant launch as a solo artist.

Check the track and its racy video out below:

FEATURE: Ko JazZ – Jazz Daniels EP

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Ko Jazz delivers his latest project Jazz Daniels EP, an EP comprised of a rich jazz/hip-hop fusion. It’s a polished, bold and substantial piece of work from the chilled-out jazz-influenced ‘Honey On The Rocks‘ to the heavier hip-hop ‘The Brewery‘.

You can read the overview of the EP supplied to us below:

The unsung hero of iLLustrious, KoJazz finally delivers his newest project, Jazz Daniels EP, which is entirely produced by in-house beatmaker, Solidified. The most ambitious element of KoJazz’s sprawling Jazz Daniels EP was its attempt to trace the pervasive ills of his drinking habits and cleverly providing drunken tales throughout hypnotic production. The conceptual idea was spawned by Token Photo and Jazz’ liquor of choice. KoJazz raps about the highs and lows of alcohol consumption. The project features Bishop, MeRCY, Rell Burgundy, YoAmanduh and others which all came through with stellar guest appearances. Producer Solidified, provided sonically the perfect backdrop on every record that you often find yourself drunken with amazement. Whether you find yourself texting your EX because of “Drunk EXting” or confessing your sins due to “I Swear To Drunk, I Ain’t God”; KoJazz gotta song for everyone. There’s a message in the bottle. Make sure to listen responsibly.

Standout Track: Gentleman Jazz

KoJazz – Jazz Daniels EP // Entirely Produced by Solidified
https://soundcloud.com/kojazz/sets/jazz-daniels-ep

@KoJazz
@Solidified_

Listen to the EP below:

Music Monday – Volume Eighty Four

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1) Rationale – Something for Nothing

Soulful R&B track featuring fluttering synthesisers, jittering guitars, broken samples and funky bass lines.

2) Beachbaby – Sleeperhead

Energetic guitar-driven indie track from four-pieced band Beachbaby. It’s a moody but powerful track, integrating other genres such as shoegazing, Pop and post-punk.

3) Field Music – Disappointed

Low-key indie rock track from Sunderland band Field Music.

4) Walk The Moon – Avalanche

Energetic, catchy Pop-py track from US pop-rock band Walk The Moon. Indie-guitar riffs, synthpop synths and a driving beat makes it particularly reminiscent of the ’80’s and it works beautifully.

5) Travis Mills – Don’t Need Much

Dirty house track featuring little more than club beats, a funky bass lines and Mills’ rap. Incessantly catchy.

6) Craig David & Big Nastie – When The BassLine Drops

Craig David returns to his roots with this huge Garage track, aided by grime artist Big Nastie. It’s reminiscent of his 1999 début ‘Re-Rewind’ and is a welcome return for David after six years away from the music industry.

7) Selena Gomez – Hands to Myself

Saucy, steamy and sultry dance-pop track, reportedly inspired by Prince’s signature sound. Gomez whispers over minimalistic instrumentation comprised of little more than bouncy percussion, hand clips and tribal-pop elements.

8) Reba McEntire – Just Like Them Horses

Sweet piano-led Country ballad by American country music singer Reba McEntire from her twenty seventh album ‘Love Somebody’.

9) Nate Reuss – Take It Back

Gentle waltz-like ballad by Fun. frontman Nate Reuss. Dreamy, reserved with a delicate sprinkle of Reuss’ quirky, idiosyncratic vocals.

10) Walk off The Earth – Hold On (The Break)

Uplifting, inspiring and catchy Pop track from Canadian rock band Walk off the Earth. Ascending bass lines, clinking percussion and gorgeous layered harmonies result in an epic arena anthem.

January Mixtape

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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: