31 Mar 09 Nicholas Markos: Holiday Pop - The Christmas album
A tour-de-force of original Christmas music! Holiday Pop delivers the goods with rocking pop songs for the holidays. Includes the James Brown-style hit “Santa Don’t Take No Mess,” the U2-ish “Gimme Some Christmas,” and the old-school soul of “Come On Home for Christmas.”
Tags: albums, Christmas music, Nicholas Markos, Recordings
31 Mar 09 Nicholas Markos: The Usual Tactics album
Terrific pop songwriting sets this record apart from other indie pop music–the hooks are deep and giant. Grooves like “Cool Water” and “Computerman” combine rock with modern beats and production.
Tags: albums, Nicholas Markos, Recordings, The Usual Tactics
31 Mar 09 Nicholas Markos: Piñata Mondatta album
The second studio recording from Nicholas Markos, Piñata Mondatta is wild melange of pop songs–catchy hooks in seemingly diverse styles, but all full of pop sensibility.
Tags: albums, Nicholas Markos, Pinata Mondatta, Recordings
31 Mar 09 Nicholas Markos: Whatever album
Whatever, the first full-length studio album from Nicholas Markos, is an eclectic mix of pop-rock songs in the vein of Paul Weller, or the Beatles’ Revolver. Contains the popular tracks “I Get the Feeling,” “Building Up,” and “4th of July.”
Tags: albums, Nicholas Markos, Recordings, Whatever
31 Mar 09 Nicholas Markos: Live at the Vic album
The debut album from Nicholas Markos is a 100% live recording of his solo-acoustic set at the Vic Theatre in Chicago, opening for Concrete Blonde back in their heyday. He’s got the crowd from the get-go.
Tags: album, Nicholas Markos, Recordings
30 Mar 09 BA: My Gay Estranged Father
BA is a rhinestone cowboy with monster hooks and a supremely entertaining Weblog.
We’ve reissued his debut album, a postmodern masterpiece called My Gay Estranged Father. Though not for little kids or the faint of heart, it’s highly recommended. “You and Whose Army” is a modern classic:
- buy MP3s from Amazon
- buy MP3s from CD Baby
Tags: BA, Recordings
26 Mar 09 Jordan: Epiphany
Jordan, a transcontinental duo, creates popular music that is, prima facie, multicultural. Spanish national Marcos Sueiro, from a small town in the hills outside Barcelona, met American Nicholas Markos as each of them worked on album projects in Chicago.
Jordan’s debut album. Epiphany, was meticulously constructed over the course of three years on a vintage 4-track cassette machine, due to budgetary and technological constraints. You’d never suspect the low-tech approach, though, after hearing the epic soundscapes and thunderous tones of this album. Sounds that you think are keyboards are actually guitars, and vice versa. “Marcos is a wizard; it’s simply unreal what he can do with a 1984 Ensoniq keyboard and a 4-track cassette machine,” marvels Nicholas. “He can make so much magic out of those old devices. You would never guess that this record was made the way it was. Marcos knows how to get the machines to bend to his will.”
Comparisons are frequently made to The Blue Nile, Ultravox, and other evocative, innovative groups. All of these are valid and flattering, though Jordan also draws on the compositional inspiration of The Who’s Quadrophenia and Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.
It is masterful, epic synth-pop, but not retro. This is definitely not shtick–it is heartfelt, forward-thinking music, with sophisticated composition. Melodies appear and reappear, weaving through different songs to create a unified whole. Instrumental pieces provide context and transition for a distinctly coherent album.
You can check out a great review of the Epiphany record on Leonard’s Lair, a wonderful UK music-review site. And buy the music here:
- CD Baby (CD and MP3)
- Amazon MP3
- iTunes
26 Mar 09 Nicholas Markos releases soundtrack to Trashed
Nicholas Markos composed and produced the soundtrack for the documentary film Trashed, by director Bill Kirkos. The film is a compelling look at how America deals with the massive amount of garbage it produces, investigating landfills, recycling programs, composting, etc.
The soundtrack music is now available on CD or MP3. Pick up the Trashed soundtrack now:
- CD Baby (on CD or MP3)
- Amazon MP3
- iTunes
Check out more information about the film on the Trashed movie website. You can also get the DVD now from Amazon.
The track listing for the album appears below.
- Elbow in the Belfry
- Bubble Journey
- Cool Water (instrumental)
- Sweet Wine (The Hitmaker)
- Sea of Doubt
- Out of the Miry Clay
- For a Young Man (instrumental)
- Deus Ex Machina
- Wrangler
- Computerman (instrumental)
- Little Dark Horses
- Gimme All You Got (instrumental)
- Hello Sun (feat. Jordan) (instrumental edit)
- Ecce Homo (feat. Jordan)
- Exhaling Sorrow
“Sea of Doubt” is also being used on the cool new website Breathe, Relax, Repeat.
Tags: music, Nicholas Markos, Trashed
26 Mar 09 The Hitmaker: Don’t Stop Believin’ featuring Deen Castronovo of Journey
Don’t Stop Believin’ (featuring Deen Castronovo) is available now! It features Journey drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo on four dope remixes of the Journey megahit Don’t Stop Believin’, plus one soulful acoustic mix available only in digital download form.
The Illinois Entertainer calls Deen Castronovo’s vocals “inspired”; we call them f*ckin’ awesome. The song spent months on the DJ charts, cracking the Top 30 of the Illinois Record Pool Chart. Get the tracks now, and feel good about the fact that the profits go to Chicago White Sox Charities.
It is so worth it.
Pick up Don’t Stop Believin’ (featuring Deen Castronovo) now:
- CD Baby (on CD or MP3)
- Amazon MP3
- iTunes
Tags: Don't Stop Believin, Journey, remix, The Hitmaker
26 Mar 09 Bolo releases new CD: In Motion
Bolo is Marcos Suiero. He’s been nominated for a Grammy, he’s the King of New York, and he’s released the long-awaited new album, In Motion. It features catchy and experimental pop somewhere between David Bowie and The Chemical Brothers, like the hooky “Curse of the Andes” or the beautifully atmospheric “Helsinki.” Be forewarned that you will not be able to “A Symphony of Petticoats” or “Catch the Boomerang” out of your head for months, possibly years. Seriously. You’ve been warned. Really.
Check out his solo pop masterpiece today:
Tags: Bolo, Marcos Sueiro
