AtomicPopMonkey

10/25/2026

I got to work on the layout for the new 7" EP by Wednesday Week - available now from Label 51 Recordings!

The first new Wednesday Week release of this century: four songs the L.A. paisley-adjacent band used to play live in the 1980s, recorded by the classic lineup with Don Dixon, the producer of their 1987 album What We Had. Souvenirs collects covers of Sandie Shaw, the Zeros, Dolly Mixture, and Color Me Gone—sharp, melodic pop-rock from the same world as Wednesday Week’s own set. Kristi and Kelly Callan, Heidi Rodewald, and David Nolte cut the EP in early 2020, finishing just before lockdown. A memento of those nights, and a way back into one of the great unsung L.A. bands of the era.

https://wednesdayweeklabel51.bandcamp.com/album/souvenirs-ep

10/22/2026

Just a friendly reminder to those who are able to vote for GRAMMY awards ... it would be amazing if this got nominated, and I feel like it's one of the few records I've worked on that is actually deserving of it.

10/16/2026

Happy Friday everyone! Today "Split Personalities" - featuring The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs and Screaming Bloody Marys is available on CD and digital from Label 51 Recordings. You can pre-order the red & black split vinyl as well (shipping @ Dec 4).

I got to do the packaging design on this based on artwork by Tim Gabor.

Split Personalities is a split album featuring 6 brand new recordings by The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs and Bay Area punk legends Screaming Bloody Marys. On the vinyl, The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs are on one side, and the Screaming Bloody Marys are on the other.

“We go way back with San Francisco punks Screaming Bloody Marys and have played many shows together. The punk scene is very DIY so we all help each other book shows, promote, make flyers, and so on. When they asked us to be on this split album with them we were honored. It also gave us a good excuse to hit the studio and bang out some new tunes. Everyone in the band writes, so we collected the best of our recent songs and tracked six new rippers at Kitten Robot Studios in Silver Lake, CA.” – Frank Meyer (The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs)

Mastered by Geza X at Geza X Records

Listen / buy / pre-order now at:
https://streetwalkincheetahslabel51.bandcamp.com/album/split-personalities

10/09/2026

I got to do the layout for the new CD by Ravens Moreland - Wicked Dominion. Out today from Label 51 Recordings.

https://ravens-moreland.bandcamp.com/album/wicked-dominion

Featuring artwork by KARBOKROMA

Ravens Moreland is an original post-punk, deathrock, and industrial band based in Los Angeles, California. Created in 1998 by Bruce Moreland, a former Wall of Voodoo founding member, was part of Nervous Gender, The Skulls, The Weirdos, and Concrete Blonde, and also performed live on stage with Stiv Bators and Brian James. As an MC for the original LA punk club The Masque, he entertained and introduced bands such as The Screamers, The Dickies, The Avengers, The Nuns, and The Dead Kennedys.

Bruce was always a step ahead of the game, moving from punk to post-punk before it was a genre, and then to deathrock and industrial music in its nascent stages. He was primarily a bass player and keyboardist in the early stages of his career; however, an untimely and hilarious incident in 1999 changed his trajectory forever.

Their latest release “Wicked Dominion” is set for release in June 2026 and yields three singles:

“Hell’s Rails” - Ravenous beats drive this hellbound train, created in the hours after midnight. This mostly electronic track was designed to move bodies on the dance floor.

“Destroyed By Fire” - This darkly sinful tryst of sexual exploration is set in the chaos of driving bass and drums. The song speaks of the heights and valleys of sexual experimentation with an extra partner. It’s hard driving beats and bass, along with pulsing sequencers, lay the tracks for the sexually charged song to ride into your curiosities.

“Pain Division” - This sinister dance hammer, written about the suffering of the working class at the hands of those who seek to control us, proved a driving groove. Once again Bruce and Christine blend a symphonic siren of good and evil, with Bruce's raspy, hardened vocals and Christine’s beautiful harmonic warnings. The song speaks to the disparity in have’s and have nots, the portraying of immigrants as demons, and the role of money in the shaping of politics and society.

10/09/2026

Just announced!

Postcards From The Afterlife by David J

Available for Pre-order from Label 51 Recordings. Release date Nov 27, 2027

2 LP / CD / Digital release:
https://davidjlabel51.bandcamp.com/album/postcards-from-the-afterlife

I had the honor of doing the packaging layout and worked on the design with David for this new release.

“This album is essentially about the poignant persistence of connection, be it in life or in death. Schisms and transitions. Love found and love lost. Requiems, reflection and revelation.” — David J

David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) returns with ‘Postcards From The Afterlife’, a musically diverse 14-song set full of autobiographical references and featuring a revolving cast of musicians. Several songs feature string arrangements by Gregory Allison, and the album closes with ‘Walking With The Angels’, recorded in Prague with members of the Prague Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras. Elsewhere it ranges from the soulful to hazy ’60s orchestral pop, European-style chanson and the alternative rock territory for which J is best known.

The album blends deeply personal reflections on relationships, homage to late friends like Pat Fish (The Jazz Butcher) and pointed political commentary — including the first single, ‘Requiem For The Rose Garden’, out now.

Cover art: painting by Stefan Prince
Back cover photo: Marc Warren
String arrangements: Gregory Allison
‘Hurt You’ produced by Robert Margouleff; co-written with Julian Shah-Tayler
‘Quelle Tristesse’ features Max Eider, Rolo McGinty and Owen Jones
‘Her Name Was Yesterday’: spoken word by Vanessa Matic, piano by Gregg Foreman, trumpet by Dan Clucas; song sketch by Richard Ellis
‘Laid That Gold Band Down’: backing vocals by Marselle Hodges
‘Requiem For The Rose Garden’: backing band Duende (Detroit)
‘Morose’: lead guitar by Jason Roberts
‘Walking With The Angels’: recorded in Prague with members of the Prague Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras; lead violin Karel Holas; orchestrated and conducted by Jan Valta

10/03/2026

Welcome to October! This Halloween those of us at Label 51 Recordings offer you a compilation of our spookiest songs from our roster with the release of The Horror! Vol. One.

Check out the spine chilling new video and track "Black Horror" from Prairie Prince ...

BLACK HORROR, the first single from PRAIRIE PRINCE COLOURS and PASS...

09/01/2026

FlatironrecordingsOfficial whom I work for are releasing a new album from Zebra - while I didn't do any of the design work on it, I did act as a consultant / QA on the packaging.

Back in the day, my friend Brian Posehn and I were the writers of the music review section for the Sonoma Valley High School (Official) newspaper - The Dragon's Tale.

Brian wrote a glowing review of their debut album back in 1984/85 ... life can be sort of weird when we look backwards on it.

Preview and pre-order it at:
https://flatironrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/zebra-v

08/21/2026

AI on how I view Generatvie AI:

Jon Krop's Perspective on Generative AI:

Jon Krop has openly discussed the temptation and ultimate pitfalls of relying on automation in the arts, advocating strongly for preserving human intuition:

• The Loss of Self: Krop has admitted to experimenting with AI tools in his production process but came to a definitive realization: relying on it means losing your creative identity. He noted that while it might save time or make money, "the true you won't be there in the end.

• "Human Intuition vs. Algorithms: He contrasts his own design approach with AI by emphasizing that human art relies on lived experiences, intuition, and shared culture. He argues that AI simply generates solutions based on data probability, eliminating the magic of genuine human relationships and intentional design choices.

• The "Slop" Critique: Krop has publicly critiqued major industries for leaning into algorithmic creation. He pointed out that major record companies paved the way for this by demanding "dumbed-down" and repetitive creative outputs. He views the over-hyped AI ecosystem as hazardous to the environment, overly expensive, and lacking the "happy accidents" that make traditional art meaningful.Instead of letting algorithms dictate visual culture, Krop advocates for indie creators to prioritize authentic human connection and to learn technology strictly to enhance—rather than replace—their original artistic voices.

07/11/2026

One of my career highlights to date was in 2015, when one of my all time favorite rock/musican photographers reached out to me to do the graphic design work for an album he photographed and art directed.

I was already a huge fan of John Scarpati from having a collection of his work via albums like Redd Kross Neurotica, Dramarama, Rush Roll the Bones, The Bangles, New York Dolls, Jet-Boy, The Cramps, Michael Monroe, among many others.

We worked on a few projects together, including the reissues of Redd Kross' Neurotica, Teen Babes, Researching The Blues, and a couple of releases for Lee Ann Womack.

I feel so lucky to have gotten to work with him - especially on a couple of my favorite albums from favorite bands.

I keep hoping we might get to do one or two more one of these days ... though his is pretty much retired these days.

The cherry on top of this was that we won the Golden Addy Award for this project for best packaging CD/DVD in 2014.

Love Scarpati and his body of work, and he's a great wonderful human being on top of it all. I'm forever thankful for his inspiration, mentorship and friendship.

07/03/2026

Fantastic new video by Chris Stamey for his cover of The Kinks' Waterloo Sunset - available as a 7" single as well as on his new album Modernism from FlatironrecordingsOfficial now!

“Waterloo Sunset” (Ray Davies)STREAM: https://ffm.to/stameywaterlo...