Tag: pop music

Monthly Mixtape: April ’24

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Time for another rundown of what I’ve been listening to over the past month.

Yep, I’m a little late but had a really busy weekend last week.

Short on time? My Essential 5 are featured at the top!

As always, I really appreciate every read, scan or visit and hope you find some new music you love.

The Essential 5

Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
Pop perfection abundant with jangling guitars, breathy vocals and a reggae-tinged rhythm.

Muni Long – Made For Me
Stunning mid-noughties-inspired R&B with a sublime piano arrangement and raw vocals.

Mk.Gee – Are You Looking Up
A Prince and Lenny Kravitz hybrid with skelatal production and raw vocals.

Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus – II Most Wanted
Country pop done right with the perfect juxtaposition of Miley and Beyoncé’s iconic voices.

Taylor Swift and Post Malone – Fortnight
Moody, pining late-night vibes on this 80’s inspired eerie electropop track.

The Long List

Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
The only song that needs to be here to be honest!. An instant pop smash with jangling guitars, breathy vocals and a perfect almost reggae-like rhythm (surely influenced by Carly Simon’s 1980’s hit ‘Why’) with a tight bass line and slick production. The song of the summer and my song of 2024 so far without a doubt! ‘I’m working late, ‘cos I’m a singggeeerrr’.

Muni Long – Made For Me
A STUNNING R&B ballad which throws it back to the mid noughties. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a song with such solid R&B foundations and it’s long overdue. I wasn’t surprised that R&B king Jermaine Dupri played a part in this and it turns out Muni Long is a songwriter who I followed a long time ago, working now under a new name. A gorgeous song with a stunning piano arrangement.

Mk.gee – Are You Looking Up
I came across the moody, elusive Mk.gee through John Mayer who kept sharing his music on his Instagram. I fell in love with this raw, slightly off-kilter track instantly with it’s almost Prince/Lenny Kravitz vibe. Mk.gee is a really special artist – his new album is brilliant and I’m looking forward to following his future work.

Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus – II Most Wanted
The biggest surprise this year is that I really rate Beyoncé’s new album! I don’t mind Beyoncé at all but find that she can be a little over-hyped. Her new offering ‘Cowboy Carter’ is a great country album – not perfect and a little bloated but still great. This is my favourite from it – lovely chill vibes, the juxtaposition of Beyoncé’s powerful soulful voice and Miley’s raspy vocals, gorgeous harmonies and lovely soft acoustic guitars. Really lovely.

Taylor Swift and Post Malone – Fortnight
I really, really love this. Similar to Beyoncé, I enjoy a lot of Taylor’s work but find she’s put on a pedastal. This moody, minimalistic track with it’s stabbing bass line, eerie synths and whispery, echoed vocals feels in a similar vein to one of my favourite bands – The Blue Nile (who, coincidentally, Taylor refers to on another track on The Tortured Poets Department). I love Post Malone too and he’s the perfect fit for this tortured, brooding track.

Stevan – California
It’s practically impossible to listen to this fun, breezy track without feeling like you are in the Californian sun. Chilled, uplifting and all round great vibes!

Lemonade Baby – Don’t Stop (Keep on Keepin’ on)
I really, really love this groovy nudisco blend with heavily autotuned vocals gliding effortlessly over a pulsating bass line and funky guitars. Just really great!

SOFY – socks
SOFY’s carefree vocals sore over indie guitars and fun guitar riffs on this piece of pure indiepop perfection. An irresistably catchy chorus too.

morgen and merci, mercy – Second
Pure pop fun with funky guitar riffs which feel very Luther (‘Never Too Much) over a psychedelic backing track which at times enters Tame Impala territory. Lots of soul in this.

Michael Carreon – Gem Mint
This alt-R&B track with it’s crashing beats, wailing guitars and soft murmered vocals is simply beautiful.

lau.ra – The Danger
This house/garage blend is an absolute banger and throws it back to the 90’s with it’s tinny house piano riffs and strange, heavily manipulated vocal samples. Groovy.

Marshmello, P!nk and Sting – Dreaming
I’ve meant to include this for a while but it kept being relegated to next month. Well, it’s now time! This clever, tasteful rework of Sting’s iconic ‘Fields of Gold’, produced by Marshmello and Digital Farm Animals is a huge club smash. I’m surprised that this hasn’t gone further in the charts to be honest.

Palm City – Good Vibe
A low-key tropical-house-inspired track with soft falsetto vocals and warm synths.

Justin Timberlake – F**kin Up The Disco
Justin Timerblake is at his best and utilises both of his signature sounds on this moody R&B nudisco blend which was co-written and co-produced by Calvin Harris. Really love the rich harmonies, the filthy, stabbing bass line and beat on this.

Tyla – Truth or Dare
I really love Tyla and how she has brought afrobeats music back into the mainstream. This dreamy, soft and sultry track is a highlight on her new album with it’s gentle verses and almost chant-like chorus.

Tash – I Know
I love this chill R&B track with it’s murmured vocals, gorgeously layered harmonies and funky bass line. Really lovely!

Moody Joody – Velvet Connection
I love songs with a shuffle-percussion (think Tears for Fears – ‘Everybody Wants to Rule The World’ and Michael Jackson – ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’) so it was practically impossible for me to hate this 80’s inspired alt-pop smash. Feeling like a blend of HAIM, The 1975 and Chvrches but still feeling fresh, this track is mega and deserves to blow up!

The Catalina – La Vie en Rose
Keeping it on the 80’s inspired electropop vibes, this track feels like what it would sound like if The 1975 (circa 2012) and LANY had a baby with it’s reverb-drowned percussion, warm synths and electric guitars. Really great!

Lauren Mayberry – Shame
Lauren Mayberry is better known as the lead vocalist of Chvrches and has an extremely distinctive soprano voice. This song feels very familiar but I’m unsure as to why. It’s a pop track underpinned by mechanical production and instrumentation and Lauren Mayberry’s vocals piercing through. The breakdown in the chorus with its layered harmonies is great in juxtaposition with the harsh verses.

Another Sky – Swirling Smoke
This swirling, meandering, slow-building track is eerie and almost Radiohead-esque in nature with it’s weird electronic elements and explosive climax. Really, really love this song and Another Sky are rapidly becoming a band I love!

Christian Kura – Ride
Stunning falsetto vocals flutter over dreamy, psychedlic instrumentation on this chill R&B track. Nostalgic, warm and simply lovely.

Pixey and Tayo Sound – Daisy Chain
This quirky, nostalgic ‘Steal my Sunshine’-sampling track feels very 90’s in nature in the best possible way. It’s windows-down, sunny weather indie with good vibes all round.

Jamiroquai – Little L (Dave Lee Reblend)
Jamiroquai was always insanely cool and I love Jay Kay for his perfect blend of funk and pop. ‘Little L’ remains my favourite song by them and this subtle reblend adds a little extra fizz on a classic early-noughties bop.

Kendall Robbins – pass time
A chilled, soulful slice of easy-listening pop with gorgeous chords and lovely vocals.

Extra keen and want to listen to these all back to back? Unlikely but in case you do, here’s the playlist, along with some extra tracks I haven’t discussed here:

Hotel Apache return with triumphant 80’s throwback ‘Till The End Of Time’.

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

Reading Time: 1 minute

Californian indie-pop trio Hotel Apache have returned after what turned out to be a three year unannounced hiatus with the dreamy ‘Till The End Of Time‘.

Remaining loyal to their characteristic 80’s-esque synthpop sound, ‘Till The End Of Time‘ begins with a soft, heavenly introduction comprised of delicate piano elements, warm synths and lead singer Ryan Garcia’s syrupy vocals. The song then launches into an explosion of drums, funky bass lines, irresistable melodies and meticulous production which threads through all of their discography. The explosive chorus is very much reminiscent of Prince’s ‘I Would Die 4 U’, a song the band themselves did an incredible cover of back in 2016.

If you aren’t familiar with Hotel Apache, their sound is best summarised as 80’s Pop with a contemporary edge. In many ways, they are a hybrid of the likes of The 1975, The Band Camino and LANY, yet they hold their own, creating music which is warm, nostalgic and accompanied by poetic lyrics. They are very much an independent outfit: writing and producing their own music which is self-released.

Let’s hope we won’t have to wait three years again before the next track!

‘Til The End Of Time‘ is out now. You can listen below:

Monthly Mixtape: Jan ’24

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

It’s been a while! Some of you may know this as ‘Current Faves‘, which I posted regularly on the Instagram Stories on my music acount for 4 years. I’ve rebranded back to what I used to do here on the blog and call them my Monthly Mixtapes.

The idea? I love music (if you hadn’t already figured), especially discovering and sharing new finds. So on the last weekend of each month (late this time due to ill health), I’ll be posting a selection of songs I’ve been devouring that month. A selection of old and new. Some stuff will be commercial and some won’t. There are no rules, just songs which speak to me.

I hope you enjoy reading my selections and possibly finding something you like here. If not, that’s cool too. I just really appreciate every read and visit here!

Let’s dive in…

Guy Sebastian – Angels Brought Me Here, Again
Guy Sebastian has reworked his 2003 winners ballad into a vibey house remix. Fan response has been mixed but I am HERE for it! The key change transitions between verse and chorus works exquisitely in this exquisitely produced, nostalgic house version.

Billy Porter and Luke Evans – Always Be My Man
This dramatic musical theatre-esque ballad is lifted from the soundtrack of ‘Our Son’, in which both Billy Porter and Luke Evans star. Their voices gel beautifully together over gospel inspired piano chords & huge sweeping strings. Beautiful.

Kenya Grace – Paris
Moody drum and bass/Garage vibes with mumbled vocals and modern society-slamming lyrics which highlight the perils of modern dating.

Madison Beer – Sweet Relief
I love this moody, brooding slice of mellow indie-pop. Distant, gentle guitar strums & mumbled lyrics are paired beautifully over driving drum beats which then give way to a Fleetwood Mac-inspired chorus.

Diana Ross – Not Over You Yet
I’m obsessed with this late nineties mellow R&B song with very of-its-time weird electro percussion over R&B beats & late night vibes. This is one of Diana’s best and has become my favourite of hers since discovering it a few months back. Irresistable.

Ryan Beatty – Bright Red
This is simply gorgeous, mellow & hazy with its distant piano melodies over a shuffling beat. Sublime songwriting with lyrics which document the sweetness of love & uncertainty of life without ever becoming morbid or melancholic. Cannot get enough of this!

Amy Winehouse – Best Friends, Right?
I am in such an Amy phase right now! This sweet, jazzy & frank track was originally from the ‘Frank’ sessions and would often open her live sets around this time but ultimately, the studio version remained unreleased until after her death. Amy always had a magic which shone through on all her records but there’s something about this honest, laidback song which feels even more special. Sublime.

Paul Russell – Lil Boo Thing
Irrestiably fun from start to finish! Sampling the 70’s disco classic ‘Best of My Love’, this cheeky, fresh & funky hip hop remake tastefully nods towards the original with a fresh take.

Coco Jones and Justin Timberlake – ICU (Remix)
There’s just not enough top tier R&B around anymore and this has filled the void beautifully for me. I haven’t heard something as smooth and sensual as this in a long time. The D’Angelo-inspired wonky beat & hazy reverbed harmonies are the perfect backdrop to the brilliant vocal performances by Coco & Justin. Sublime.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Murder on the Dancefloor


I am absolutely here for the revival of his Pop smash! Evidently a brilliant, iconic piece of Pop in its own right, the ‘Saltburn’ effect has introduced this to new legions of fans (& let’s face it, that scene is something else!) Utilising disco elements with an insane bass line and Chic-like guitar riffs & Sophie’s iconic British accent vocals, it’s simply pop perfection.

Ariana Grande – Yes, and?
Ari has SLAYED on this comeback record! Utilising Ballroom & House music influences not dissimilar to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ & Mabel’s ‘Let them know’ which screams self-assurance and flamboyance, Ari feeds us another self-love dance anthem which encourages us to be our own best friend. A SMASH!

Sabrina Carpenter – Feather
Pop perfection with funky bass lines, dreamy vocal effects, bubblegum melodies and an irresistable chorus. SO good!

Great Good Fine Ok – Midnight Rain
American Pop duo Great Good Fine Ok reimagine Taylor Swift’s 2022 electropop
track into a late 70’s yacht rock track with live percussion and funky guitars. It works perfectly & I arguably like it more than the original!

Sko/Torp – Celebrate
This is an irresistable, uplifting and sunny track from Danish duo Sko/Torp with tight guitar-work, a funky bass line & perfect melodies. Absolute perfection!

Erykah Badu – Hello
A perfect, mellow, sunny morning slice of neo-soul with perfect jazzy piano chords, Andre 3000’s classic trademark vocals and Erykah Badu’s sublime vocals. Sublime.

Like what you hear? Or want to devour them properly? Here’s all of the songs in one playlist:

The lasting legacy and timelessness of ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

Reading Time: 5 minutes

It’s official. Disco-Pop is COOL again.

When Sophie Ellis-Bextor released iconic pop gem ‘Murder on the Dancefloor‘ in the early noughties, would she have thought it would be a smash again 22 years later? Probably not. Yet, whilst always being a Pop staple in the midst of many Spotify playlists and still being played on radio from time to time, the song naturally faded somewhat from the public’s conciousness. That was until the release of black comedy psychological thriller ‘Saltburn’ at the tail end of 2023.

Written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor along with Gregg Alexander and co-produced by Alexander alongside Matt Rowe, ‘Murder...’ was released on 3rd December 2001 as the second single from Ellis-Bextor’s debut album ‘Read My Lips‘. Ellis-Bextor was already on the way to becoming a Pop Princess, having experienced success with the infectious ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)‘ with Italian DJ Spiller in 2000 and a slightly modified version of Cher’s ‘Take Me Home‘, which peaked at Number 2 in August 2001.

An immaculate personnel of musicians, songwriters and producers were involved with the making of ‘Murder…’ Co-writer and co-producer, the elusive Gregg Alexander was previously frontman of Alternative-Rock band ‘The New Radicals’ who had had a smash hit with ‘You Get What You Give‘ in 1998 before Alexander turned his back on fame and turned to songwriting and production instead. He is responsible for some of the most memorable Pop triumphs from the early noughties – think ‘Life Is a Rollercoaster‘ and ‘Lovin’ Each Day‘ by Ronan Keating, ‘Inner Smile‘ by Texas and ‘The Game of Love‘ by Santana and Michelle Branch’. Alexander initially wrote ‘Murder on the Dancefloor‘ alone, intending it to be the first single of The New Radicals, before ‘You Get What You Give‘ took precendence. Ellis-Bextor then tweaked and re-wrote some of the lyrics and the rest is history.

“I wrote the music in my old Mustang in the ’90s, pissed my car broke down. It was gonna be New Radicals’ bawdy first single until I came up with ‘You Get What You Give.’ I dug both equally but spent so much producing this ‘music in you’ idea I worried I’d go broke finishing ‘Murder,’ too. Once Sophie got on mic, her magic owned it. I’m an artist at heart, but moonlighting, I’ve produced Tina Turner to the Strokes and trust me — Sophie’s that uniquely talented.”

Gregg Alexander in an email to Variety – 2024

Matt Rowe on the other hand, made a name for himself crafting much of the early discography of The Spice Girls, co-writing the likes of ‘Wannabe‘, ‘2 Become 1‘ and ‘Spice Up Your Life‘, along with Richard Stannard. Add to that the genius of Guy Pratt on bass duties (having worked with the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Tears for Fears and All Saints), Yoad Nevo on guitars, percussion and programming and the wonderful John Themis on guitars, ‘Murder…‘ really was created and perfected by a dream team of musicians.

Everything about the execution of (pun possibly intended…) ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ is perfect, from its warm, shimmering, swirling synths in its opening to its fade out over three minutes later. It utilises all the elements from classic 70’s disco, with a Studio 54 glamour but gives it a camp, contemporary touch which still sounds fresh over twenty years later. A gorgeous mesh of funk guitars, an infectiously-good bass line provided by Guy Pratt and timeless strings paired with perfect melodies and Ellis-Bextor’s distinctive vocals, ‘Murder...’ captured the hearts of the public and was a Top 10 hit in 17 countries, peaking at Number 2 in the UK charts.

So what’s made ‘Murder on the Dancefloor‘ have a second lease of life over two decades later? Well of course, the biggest factor is that it’s been hugely propelled by that scene in ‘Saltburn’. It was a stellar choice from director Emerald Fennell, with ‘Murder…‘ not only perfectly capturing the dark nature and euphoria of the film but also concluding the film with, depending on your music knowledge, either a reminder of a timeless pop classic or introducing a new anthem to a new generation. Such was the power of the film and the popularity of the track, the song received 1.5 million streams on New Years Eve 2023 alone on Spotify.

Ellis-Bextor and her musician husband during their Kitchen Disco live streams.

Ellis-Bextor, having become something of the nation’s sweetheart in recent years thanks in part to her uplifting, hilariously chaotic and real Kitchen Disco live streams during the Covid pandemic and her grounded, unassuming nature, experienced yet another surge in popularity. She has popped up everywhere since zooming back into the charts, performing on talent shows with contestants and providing interviews for many media outlets. New versions of ‘Murder…‘ were promptly added to streaming services and the song was pressed again on vinyl, capitalising on success (well done, SEB management!) Ellis-Bextor’s geninely flattered and humble response to her resurgence reflects this. She told Radio 1’s Newsbeat:

“It actually feels really magical. And if I’m honest, I don’t think I’ve completely processed it really.
“It’s extraordinary. It’s a song I’ve been singing for over 20 years, I still love singing it.
“I love the way people react when I do it live.
“But for new people to be discovering it, for it to be making new memories with people is kind of beautiful.”

Sophie Ellis Bextor speaking to Newsbeat

There’s also the unavoidable fact that disco is currently experiencing a renaissance (think of the success of Kylie, Beyonce and Dua Lipa in the last five years). Disco is IN.

But above all, we cannot overlook the fact that ‘Murder...’ is a timeless and genius piece of pop perfection in the first place. It sparkles with the optimism of early ’00’s Pop but maintains a timelessness of 70’s disco and still holds its own in 2024. Quite some feat.

You can watch the gloriously camp and tongue-in-cheek music video for ‘Murder on the Dancefloor‘ below:

Sources:

Leave a comment

2015 in Music

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

As 2015 comes to a close, we wanted to (as always) look back at the year in music. So with no further ado, here’s The Music Box’s official guide to the best music of 2015.

SONG OF THE YEAR:

Little Mix – Black Magic

Whilst eventually played to death, this song is easily one of the catchiest pop tracks of 2015. A 21st century of ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, it’s fierce, fun and memorable. The perfect pop hit.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion

One of the most underrated pop albums from 2015. ‘Emotion’ draws upon 80’s synthpop in a similar way to Taylor Swift on ‘1989’ but with superior production. Every beat is meticulously placed and the focus is more on the songs rather than vocal performance. The entire album contains a naivety lacking from most pop albums and it’s a whole lot of fun from start to finish.

RADIO 1 LIVE LOUNGE OF THE YEAR:

Rixton – Where are U Now (Justin Bieber Cover)

Boyband Rixton transform this jittery EDM hit into a gentle 90’s R&B track with gorgeous chords, lush harmonies and an element of Soul lacking in the original.

BAND OF THE YEAR:

Circa Waves

British Indie-rock band Circa Waves launched onto the scene this year with brilliant single ‘Fossils’. Their début album ‘Young Chasers’ was released in March to positive response and the band have subsequently been touring the world.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

Carly Rae Jepsen

One of the most underrated female pop stars, Carly Rae Jepsen avoids controversy and instead keeps her track record solely focussed on music. Whilst many may be put off by undeniably catchy but somewhat irritating hits ‘Call Me Maybe’ and ‘I Really Like You’, 2015 album ‘Emotion’ demonstrated a new side to Jepsen which resulted in the album’s critical acclaim.

NEW BAND OF THE YEAR:

Nothing But Thieves

Nothing But Thieves have seemingly sprung from no-where this year with singles ‘Itch’, ‘Trip-Switch’ and ‘Wake Up Call’ all receiving extensive airplay on radio. Their self-titled début album is haunting, eerie and bold, resembling some of Jeff Buckley’s best work.

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

Shura

Shura has risen to prominence in the last year with huge hit, the Janet Jackson circa 1986 influenced ‘2Shy’ in addition to catchy dance hit ‘White Light’ and the gentle analog driven ‘Touch’. With her highly anticipated début album due in 2016, we are expecting big things from Shura.

UP & COMING ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

The Japanese House

Amber Bain, better known as The Japanese House has won the admiration of many this year with her spaced-out and hazy material. Aided by The 1975’s Matt Healy & George Daniel in production, The Japanese House’s two EPs have been cinematic, bold and impressive.

ONE TO WATCH:

Troye Sivan

YouTuber Troye Sivan already had a huge profile before entering the music industry this year. Debut album ‘Blue Neighbourhood’ has been critically acclaimed for its bold and unique sound and sincere lyrical themes.

LIVE ACT OF THE YEAR:

Take That

Take That proved they’ve still got it in a series of triumphant sold-out shoes in various arenas over the UK this year. Featuring a large ensemble of dancers, an abundance of multi-coloured confetti, walls of flame and a flying bike, 2015’s tour proved to be their best yet.

TOP 10 SINGLE RELEASES OF 2015

THE LONG LIST: RADIO 1 LIVE LOUNGE COVERS OF THE YEAR

  • Ella Henderson – Hold Back The River [James Bay Cover]

  • Frances – What Do You Mean [Justin Bieber Cover]

  • George Ezra – I Try [Macy Gray Cover]

  • Imagine Dragons – Blank Space [Taylor Swift Cover]

  • James Bay – FourFiveSeconds [Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney Cover]

  • James Bay – Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher & Higher [Jackie Wilson Cover]

  • Little Mix – Dance With Somebody [Jason Derulo & Whitney Houston Cover]

  • Mark Ronson – The Giver [Duke Dumont Cover]

  • Nothing But Thieves – Wings [Birdy Cover]

  • Rixton – Where are U Now [Justin Bieber, Skrillex & Diplo Cover]

  • Sam Smith & Disclosure – Hotline Bling [Drake Cover]

THE LONG LIST: ALBUMS OF THE YEAR:

THE LONG LIST: ALBUM TRACKS OF THE YEAR:

  • Adele: When We Were Young, Water Under the Bridge, Love in the Dark, Million Years Ago
  • Ben Haenow: Testify
  • Carly Rae Jepsen: All That, Emotion, Let’s Get Lost, Boy Problems
  • Circa Waves: Deserve This, Good For Me, Stuck in My Teeth,
  • Coldplay: Up & Up, Kaleidoscope
  • Ellie Goulding: Codes, Something in the Way You Move.
  • James Bay: If You Ever Want to be in Love, Scars, Need The Sun To Break
  • James Morrison: Stay Like This
  • Janet Jackson: Broken Hearts Heal, Great Forever, Take Me Away, Shoulda Known Better
  • Justin Bieber: I’ll Show You, Company, No Pressure
  • Markus Feehily: Back To Yours, Love Me Or Leave Me, Only You
  • Matthew Morrison & Laura Michelle Kelly: What You Mean to Me
  • Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds: The Right Stuff
  • Nothing But Thieves: Graveyard Whistling, Honey Whiskey, If I Get High, Lover Please Stay.
  • One Direction: Hey Angel, Love You Goodbye, Long Way Down, Olivia, What A Feeling, I Want to Write…
  • Seal: Love, Padded Cell
  • Tame Impala: Yes I’m Changing
  • Take That: Bird in Your Hand, Will You Be There For Me
  • The 1975: Ugh!, Somebody Else (Live)
  • The Weeknd: Tell Your Friends, Shameless, As You Are
  • Troye Sivan: Youth, Heaven, Fools, Ease
  • Wolf Alice: Your Loves Whore, Swallowtail
  • Years and Years: Memo, Eyes Shut, Ties

THE LONG LIST: SONGS OF THE YEAR:

  • Aqualung ft Lianna La Havas: Eggshells
  • Babyface: We’ve Got Love
  • Birdy & Rhodes: Let It All Go
  • Blonde ft Alex Newell: All Cried Out
  • Carly Rae Jepson: I really like you, Run Away With Me
  • Circa Waves: Fossils, My Love, T-Shirt Weather
  • Coldplay: Adventure of a Lifetime
  • Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike & NeYo: Higher Place
  • Drake: Hotline Bling
  • Ellie Goulding: Army, Love Me Like You Do
  • Fleur East: Sax
  • Flo Rida & Robin Thicke: I Don’t Like It, I Love it
  • Frances: Grow, When It Comes to Us (with Ritual)
  • Galantis:  Peanut Butter Jelly
  • George Ezra: Barcelona
  • Grimes & Bleaches: Entropy
  • James Morrison: Demons
  • Jess Glynne: Hold My Hand
  • Justin Bieber: What Do You Mean?, Where are U Now? (ft Skrillex & Diplo)
  • Iggy Azalea & Jennifer Hudson: Trouble
  • Joe Stone & Montell Jordan: The Party (This is how we do)
  • Lianne La Havas: Unstoppable
  • Little Mix: Black Magic
  • Major Lazer, DJ Snake and MO: Lean on
  • Markus Feehily: Love is a Drug
  • Maroon 5: Sugar
  • Miguel: Coffee
  • Nathan Sykes: Kiss Me Quick
  • Nick Jonas: Jealous, Levels.
  • Nicki Minaj: The Night is Still Young
  • Nothing But Thieves: Trip Switch, Wake Up Call
  • Olly Murs: Beautiful to Me, Kiss Me
  • OMI: Cheerleader
  • Philip George: Wish You Were Mine
  • Rita Ora and Chris Brown: Body On Me
  • Rixton: We All Want The Same Thing
  • Ryan O’Shaughnessy: Fingertips
  • Sam Smith: Lay Me Down
  • Seal: Every Time I’m With You
  • Selena Gomez & A$AP Rocky: Good For You
  • Shura: 2Shy, Love for That (with Mura Masa) White Light.
  • Sigala: Easy Love
  • Snakehips, Tinashe & Chance The Rapper: All My Friends
  • Tame Impala: Cause I’m a Man
  • Take That: Higher than Higher, Let in the Sun
  • Taylor Swift: Style, Wildest Dreams
  • The 1975: Love Me
  • The Japanese House: Cool Blue, Still
  • The Weeknd: I Can’t Feel My Face
  • Tinie Tempah & Jess Glynne:  No Letting Go
  • Tori Kelly: Should’ve Been Us
  • Tove Lo: Moments, Talking Body
  • Troye Sivan: Wild
  • Usher: I Don’t Mind
  • Walk The Moon: Shut up & Dance
  • Wretch 32 ft Anne Marie and PRGRSHN: Alright With Me
  • WSTRN: In2
  • Wolf Alice: Bros, Freazy
  • Years & Years: King
  • Zayn Malik/One Direction: I won’t Mind

Changes to The Music Box in 2016

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

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.

Kylie Minogue – Kylie Christmas Album Review

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

KylieMinogue1

Every year, the arrival of November brings an influx of Christmas albums from a range of current artists, washed up stars and television personalities. Often cynically perceived as an attempt to cash in on the Christmas season, each year they appear to grow exponentially with anybody who fancies a pop doing so. Over the past five years, Michael Buble, CeeLo Green, Rod Stewart and hell, even John Travolta and Olivia Newton John have all given it a crack to mixed response. This year, it’s the turn of the Princess of Pop – Miss Kylie Minogue.

‘Kylie Christmas’ was always going to be an album subject to taste. It was never going to be the most credible of albums, yet somehow its camp, cheesy demeanour still surpasses expectations. An amalgamation of classic standards, big pop hits and the odd original track, it is well balanced but delivers mixed results.

Unsurprisingly, pizazz is present from the outset; it fizzes through the big band instrumentation of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and continues during note for note covers of “Winter Wonderland” and “Let It Snow.” The predictable inclusion of the flirty “Santa Baby” is perfectly matched to Minogue as is “I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter”. Whilst they avoid straying far from the original tracks in term of style, they are faithful covers and work nicely.

Elsewhere, the album begins to buckle in places. Original tracks “Christmas Isn’t Christmas ‘Til You Get Here” and “White December” utilise the Motown ’60’s sound Mariah Carey captured so perfectly on “All I Want For Christmas Is You” but not quite to the same effect. They are both enjoyable, catchy tracks but are unlikely to become the next big Christmas standards. “2000 Miles” and “Only You” (a duet with James Corden) are both soaked in reverberation and sentimentality and fail to regain the original versions essence. Corden’s vocals are a revelation, however and are surprisingly sturdy. It is ‘Christmas Wrapping’, a cover of The Waitresses’ 1981 track, which is the worst offender, however and strays dangerously close to the Stock-Aitken-Waterman days. Featuring bizarre spoken contributions from Iggy Pop, what was presumably recorded as a ‘bit of fun’ has the adverse effect and is actually somewhat creepy, particularly when Iggy Pop begins growling “Merry Christmas” in the final minute. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is also a mediocre interpretation which fails to capture the magic of the original.

Whilst “Everyday’s Like Christmas”, penned by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, is more or less ‘Liva La Vida’ recycled with additional shimmering instruments and modified lyrics, it is an enchanting, jittery synthpop track and is certainly a stand-out moment on the album.

Despite it being sugar-coated in over-production and cheesy-pop, ‘Kylie Christmas’ is a fun affair which successfully captures the spirit of Christmas.

An album which is the epitome of Christmas – extravagant, intolerable in places but a whole lot of fun.

  • Rating: 3/5.
  • Check Out:  Santa Claus is Coming to Town (with Frank Sinatra), Everyday’s Like Christmas, Let it Snow, Santa Baby.

Kylie Christmas is available now on Parlophone/Warner Bros records.

Music Monday – Volume Seventy Seven

MarcyB0yLeave a comment

1) Troye Sivan – Wild

Incredibly catchy synthpop track featuring eerie electro elements and crashing percussion.

2) Troye Sivan ft. Broods – Ease

Another brilliant and sincere track from Troye Sivan.

3) Lucy Rose – Till The End

Strong 90’s vibes on this incessantly catchy track. Mirroring All Saints’ ‘Pure Shores’ with distorted trip-hop styled percussion, pretty piano riffs and funky guitars, it’s an awesome & uplifting track.

4) Jason Reeves – Back With Me

Gorgeous acoustic ballad.

5) Crissi Cochrane – Pretty Words

Gorgeous acoustic ballad with lovely Sara Bareillies/Christina Perri-like vocals.

6) Amelia Lily – You Bring Me Joy

Was reminded how awesome this track is at the gym the other day. Awesome and underrated pop-rock track.

7) Adele – When We Were Young

Gorgeous emotive ballad which completely blows ‘Hello’ out of the water.

8) Take That – Will You Be There For Me?

Gorgeous and vulnerable ballad from Take That’s re-packaged ‘III’ album. It carries an R&B-like vibe and is beautiful from start to finish.

9) Take That – Bird In Your Hand

Stunning synthpop ballad with lush layered harmonies and a gorgeous vocal performance from Mark Owen.

10) Troye Sivan – Fools

Brilliant pop track which opens tentatively with gorgeous piano chords before evolving into a jittery R&B track.