X-Discos - Xecuted Ep

here is another really great record i brought back with me from japan, the X-Discos "Xecuted" ep on Episode Sound Records.  it doesn't get much more authentically punk than this, look at this cover art!  the X-Discos logo looks very similar to that of the Slash Records one from the late 70's, and the overall design of this image kinda feels like a lost Dangerhouse release.  i really like the fact that no black ink was used on the cover too, just two spot colors...

i'm pretty sure these covers were offset printed with 5 spot ink colors instead of using the more traditional 4 color process, and the covers are cut and glued on a fine uncoated paper.  the result is a record sleeve that looks and feels like an authentic 70's release.  aesthetically, the back panel evokes the the same Dangerhouse Records vibe as the front cover.  i really like the sparse use of color and all the hand written typography they used. unfortunately, there is a lot of digital anti-alias fuzz in the image, which really dates it as a modern release....

the A and B labels were kept very minimal, using a light amount of blue ink on white labels.  everything here is very clean and orderly, it's a tight layout for sure....

Black And White - We Like Noise 7"

here are shots of the 2nd ep that Tokyo's Black And White released, this time on the Hardcore Survives record label.  they got a little campy with the collage art on this one, spelling out "Black And White" with found images and objects.  some letters are more successful than others as far as their actual representation of the character goes, but regardless, it's makes for an interesting take on cover art.  i do really like that the song titles were left as a simple hand written font at the bottom of the composition, and the black bar they are sitting in helps ground the otherwise white-heavy art.  also, that "I'm a Mess" red stamp in the center of the cover is actually stamped on by the band as their way of signifying that this record was bought from them at a show...

just like on their 1st ep, these covers are offset printed on a delicate newsprint grade paper and then folded and glued with the cover tabs on the outside of the back panel.  i have to say i love how textural it is as an object when you are holding it in your hands.  really wish there was a way to achieve this effect in the states....

on the back panel, the artwork centers around a double-exposed (or, i guess triple exposed) image of their singer doing his thing at a live show and the simple statement "thanks to no one" above it.  this is pretty much the level of style and attitude i wish every punk record could achieve.  it's bold, graphic, interesting, and most importantly simplex as far as content.  i fucking love it....

the A and B labels are identical except for the song title information so i only posted the A side.  kind of reminds me of a Factory Records layout, in that it is very simply organized in a way that radiates beauty.  the drastic changes in typeface and sizing make for a dynamic composition.  well done sir....

Black And White - Mortal Sin Ep

i'm back from japan!  tour was awesome, thank you to everyone who came out in support of my band Rough Kids.  i'm going to try my best to get back to posting here once a week, so keep your eyes peeled cause i have tons of radness from japan as well as a hefty pile of submissions from before i left....

first up, the very impressive first 7" ep from my favorite band we played with on tour, Tokyo's Black And White.  this band is really great both live and recorded, so seek this out if the snotty brittish sounds of the the first wave of UK punk is your thing.  as far as the art is concerned, this may be my favorite cover art for the year!  really great classic cut and paste punk collage on the front cover with very sharp handwritten "Black And White" type knocking out the image to the white paper.  i absolutely love that they used a small "times new roman" style font to sit above the art and gesture back to the fact that many of these images within the collage were clipped from a newspaper.  it's politically charged, but in a vague "image only" sort of way, not really out to make a statement either way.  to add the "70's punk single" vibe of this record, these sleeves were offset printed on what feels like newsprint grade paper.  it literally looks and feels like you are holding a 30+ year old record in your hands....

on the back panel of these covers, there are 4 images of the band members displayed as a grid with the Episode Sounds record label logo above them.  not only do i love that these covers were folded and glued with the folded tabs on the outside of the back panel, but i love how it looks as though the covers were assembled before they were printed.  again, as far as creating an authentic 70's punk aesthetic to go along with your sound, these guys knocked it out of the park!  this thing screams KBD to me...

this A side label is perfectly dialed as well.  blank ink on an off-white paper stock with a spot neon pink ink used to pop that Episode logo that is behind all the info.  everything from the choice of type to the layout and design is spot on....

the B side label is a bit off the grid as far as the rest of the layout, but i guess the completely random quality of it isn't too uncharacteristic for this style either...

Big Eyes - Almost Famous Lp

Grave Mistake Records put together a very respectable record for Big Eyes' second Lp.  i love all these staged photographs that make up the majority of this layout!  my favorite image is definitely the cover image, which was beautifully composed and printed in full color with lots of warm tones.  there is great sense of balance and symmetry in this image, you can tell that the photographer took a lot of care in setting up this scene for the shoot.  really glad that they chose to brand the poly record bags with a sticker instead of trying to force the typography into the shot somehow....

these jackets were professionally full-color offset printed and glued.  on the back cover they chose to use a different shot from the same Seattle Union Train Station location as the cover image, this time in black and white with the contrast blown out.  as much as i would have personally liked to have seen this shot in color as well, i suppose this style of photography lends itself better with having to work with typography in a composition...

inside, you will find printed dust sleeves with your vinyl.  on the main image side, there is another black and white image from the same shoot which is very high contrast but not quite as blown out as the back panel.  this is a bit of a pet peeve for me... pick a style and stick with it!

on the backside of the printed dust sleeve is a nice and clean dust sleeve.  the half tone logo on the diagonal was a nice touch, something about this feels very legit 80's record layout to me, and that's always a good thing...

really nice job on the A and B label art as well!  the A side has an interesting pattern along the right side of the label and the information running down the left side.  it creates a subtle tie-back to the front cover shot and the mosaic train station tiles.  the only thing that would have made it even better would would be if they used warmer tones like the front color image instead of blue on silver....

on the B side there is another image from the photo shoot...

there is also a HUGE poster insert included in this package as well!  black and white band shot printed on the one side, great use of type on the guitar cases.  that "BIG" type reminds me of the Big Boys logo, which is most likely a happy accident...

on the back side, a full color and super abstract band shot, which reminds me of something that Tenement would have done in one of their layouts.  i love how shadowed all of their features are by all the tiny lights that are within the frame...

Neighborhood Brats - No Sun No Tan Lp

here is the second of the 2 new records i designed for LA punks Neighborhood Brats.  this is a LP collection of all their previous singles re-recorded with the addition of two new tracks and artwork by yours truly.  these are full color offset printed and glued pocket sleeves, no insert per the bands request.  the idea behind these releases was to keep them aesthetically aligned with each other. i designed the "no sun no tan" artwork first and let that title set the tone for both releases....

A side label holds all the tracking info, B side label is bit more wild...

the band also gave me a copy of the test press, so i drew some A and B label art on my copy....

pick this up from Deranged!  to see more of my artwork for bands, click here...

Neighborhood Brats - Birth Right Ep

i was recently asked by the band Neighborhood Brats to design an all-new aesthetic for them now that they relocated from the bay area to LA.  they had 2 records that were just recorded and in need of some art, so that was the first order of business.  the first one that was released was the "Birth Right" Ep for Deranged Records... full color offset printed and glued pocket sleeve, no insert per the bands request...

i kept the A and B labels classy and "classic 45" looking...

the band also gave me a test press of this release, so i drew up some quick lettering on my A and B labels...

to see more of my art that i have done for other bands, click here...

Barge - No Gain ep

the new BARGE ep that came out on Vinyl Conflict is a total ripper, and the layout does a good job of matching the intensity of the music.  when i think about what a "hardcore punk" record should look like, my mental picture comes pretty close to this ep cover. this record looks like it could have been released on Partners In Crime 10 years ago with the blown out photocopy aesthetic being pushed to the limit.  really nice mash-up imagery going on in this photo collage, and i love the tall and bold type they chose for their name.  the "no gain" title kept small in the corner helps draw your eye into the composition to really absorb the detail...

the back panel is a bit more conventional than the front cover, but still a great looking design.  a blown out live shot is always a good method of matching intensity visually.  the type at the bottom could have used a little more care...

these are black and white professionally offset printed covers that are folded, not glued.  the inside 2 panels unfold to be a lyric sheet and band photo.  the lyrics are clear and easy to read and the band photo is definitely an interesting image...

silver and black A and B labels are a nice touch to this package as they bring a little more interest into the package.  i would love this A label so much if that semi-diagonal line where the black and silver meet was straight and not wavy....

nice little piece of art on the B side, that thing is rad....

please support the hardworking DIY community and pick up a copy of this record, you will not be sorry.  don't think Vinyl Conflict has a webstore but i know Grave Mistake has them in stock....

The Shirks - LP

here's to saying a lot with a little, the brand new The Shirks lp came in as a submission from Grave Mistake Records this past month, and it's a nice example of a simple yet bold record design.  for cover art, we have a crudely cut out and heavily distorted image accompanied with a simple hand-written typeface.  it may not be groundbreaking but it reads clean and very "classic punk" to me, and for that i like it....

these covers are factory printed and glued on standard issue jackets.  although these jackets were printed black and white, creating inverted color compositions with the back and front covers was a great way to raise the sophistication level of the overall package.  the back panel follows the same graphic theme of the front cover by relying on a central over sized and highly distorted image to fill the space and leaving the type as an accent. song titles and liner notes are typed out with an actual typewriter and kept to their confined spaces...

the A and B label art is the same bizarre image on both sides, and i am guessing there is a really great inside joke about it ...

anyway, really cool release!  be sure to check it out...

Catholic Spit - 12" Test Press Covers...

local dark-punks Catholic Spit hit me up to design and screen print these limited edition covers for the test press version of their debut Lp.  these are 3 color screen print covers on 120lb charcoal duplex linen paper...

there is a half back panel with the essential information as well.  hit up Bad Touch Records for buying info...

to see more of my screen printed work for bands, click here...

Neon Piss Lp...

man, i'm on a roll right now with hammering out all these records that have been sitting next to my computer waiting to be posted!  i just picked up a bunch of new records this past month as well but need to get rid of the existing que first...

i was really stoked on the artwork for this debut Neon Piss Lp that Deranged put out last year.  it's always refreshing to see hand made art make its way to a layout when everything around us looks increasingly digital.  the front and back panels on this layout look as though they were created using real flowers collaged together with paper elements and photographed instead of being digitally manipulated.  the combination of vivid colors and textures is striking... 

both the front and back compositions have a strong geographic element that drive the design while playing with positive and negative space within the main triangular aspect of the art.  i like everything happening on this panel except for the way they chose to handle the song titles. while i'm not crazy about the font itself, the song titles feel a bit large and crowded in their designated space...

there is also a 2 sided black and white printed 11"x11" insert included with this record.  on the one side there is a great use of photo collage and hand written typography to create a more conventional punk design.  i am always a fan of having type run around the image in the center of the composition, and they were also able to tie in some triangular floral elements from the cover art as well.  this looks great...

on the back side of this insert you have a lyric sheet that looks like something you would see on an X record, and i mean that in the best possible way!  4 triangular elements each containing a portion of the lyrics all handwritten out in varying penmanship and detailed with the imperfections of a brush pen.  very cool...

the A and B labels are more floral elements from the cover... their simplicity is definitely working in their favor...

be sure to pick this record up if you haven't already, it's a solid release both musically and visually...

Cops 7"

got this COPS 7" ep a while ago through a distro somewhere and was pumped on posting it.  much like the VIDEO lp i just posted the other day, the cover art on this release is pretty simple but makes a huge statement with its' execution.  these are beautifully printed full color covers on a nice 100lb matte paper stock with the black part of the crudely cut COPS type embossed to create texture.  the embossing plate has some pot marks in in as well to mimic the flesh texture of the image behind.  pop the logo with some fleshy magenta and call it a day....

these covers are cut and folded, not glued.  on the back panel, you have a pretty classic looking punk lock up...  blow out the details of the photograph on the xerox and run the type along the sides, very reminiscent of a Discharge or Crucifix layout.  this aesthetic will always have a soft spot with me,  especially when it's done with a strong sense of confidence and style.  in this case, that old punk formula was layered on that same flesh background and accented with just enough pink to make it interesting...

no print on the inside of the cover since it was embossed, and no lyric sheet.  the A and B labels are a snooze, but here they are anyway....

there you have it, pretty cool looking record!  hit up Rob's House Records to see if they still have any copies left, cause this thing is great....