Just got our new album artwork - what do you think?

[Dave Muscato]

We just got it today. What do you think?



The rest of the artwork (tray card, the actual disc, etc) is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davemus...7600012851248/

Do you guys get the "Treasure Junkie" symbolism? Do you like it? Would you pull the album out of a bin to see what it was if you saw the cover?

Any advice appreciated - we just ordered our first run of 120 units, but we expect to go through those for promo copies and at our first CD-release show on the 30th, so it's definitely not too late to make changes.

Thanks guys!

Dave

[Rattman]

Hmmm... no, it does not speak to me. What is the symbolism mean please? Shooting $$ into the veins, is that it?

[Rakie]

Could use a little detail on the actual money..


Not to sound too mean, but i dont listen to any music that would have something like this as the cover... if i saw it in a bin, id probably chuck it aside with all the other crap i don't like.

What kind of music is this ?

[bongomania]

I agree, more detail on the money. Also I don't really know what you mean by "treasure junkie"- is it supposed to be like the phrase "pleasure junkie" (I think coined by Ginsberg?), but focused on money? Treasure is a weird word, not colloquially used to mean money all that often. Why is he in a pool of blood, and where did the blood come from? Why is his head missing, and why is his suit clean? Also the elastic around the arm of the suit may symbolize "junkie", but it doesn't make graphical sense- where's his "works", and why/how does he shoot through the suit? Also, it's hard to tell which wording is your band name and which is the album title.

It's a decent graphic for a free promo, but if I saw it in a shop I'd assume it was a self-printed promo disc for a local teenage metal band.

[Rakie]

See, i would think it was some anti government punk band full of 14 yr. olds.

[Rune Bivrin]

I'd at least get rid of the blood, and instead add a whisp of smoke from where the head should have been. If I interpret the gist of what you're trying to communicate correctly, it's more of a spiritual death than a physical one.

The blood just makes me think of Ozzy Osbourne and biting the head off of bats.

[Zappstorius]

I totally get it, and dig the symbolism. I also agree about a little more detail on the money, but keep the blood. How about some graffiti on the bricks behind with "treasure junkie" on the wall instead of the print over it?

[bassist15]

I really dont get it to much. This man's worring to much about making money rather than whats really important in life? I would probably chuck this aside in a cd store cause it looks like either some metal or punk by the cover. I really dont get the blood or the head missing.

[Dave Muscato]

Thank you for the feedback, guys. I had to Google "pleasure junkie," as I'd never heard the phrase before, but I'll read up on Ginsberg.

We had considered a grafitti approach for the lettering - I'll talk to the artist about it.

I'll also talk to him about adding more detail for the money.

I like the whisp of smoke instead of the blood. I'll pass that along, too. The blood does give the wrong impression, I think.

FYI, we're a power trio, and we're all over the map. I'd say it's alt-rock with a funk/blues influence, but we can get pretty heavy sometimes, and we have a lot of acoustic stuff, too. Our singer/guitarist is clasically trained (on guitar & voice), and our drummer has a serious jazz background, so it's hard to say where we're coming from specifically. We have a song that's about as heavy as "Zero" by Smashing Pumpkins on this album, but just today, someone said another song sounded like Enya!

In the studio, we do a lot of layered vocal harmonies, acoustic & classical guitars, fretless bass, djembe, shakers, tambourines, you name it... live, we stick more to your basic power-trio lineup and our arrangements get compared most often to John Mayer Trio, Incubus, or Smashing Pumpkins. We hear a lot of "U2," also.

Dave

[Eric Moesle]

Definitely not a cover you'll see at Wal-Mart.

....not that that's a BAD thing.....

[Ibanezzer]

looks too punkish for what your describing the band to be "say it's alt-rock with a funk/blues influence", to me a more mellow cover would work better, plus the cover's kinda scary looking like if some kid's mom got a hold of it (ie. not too parent friendly).

[bongomania]

You might also want to be aware of a somewhat popular atmospheric-metal band called "Anathema". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anathema_(band)

[Dave Muscato]

Thanks for the heads-up, Bongomania. I don't think an English metal band will be suing an indie alt-rock band in Columbia, Missouri (with a grand total of negative $4000 in assets) anytime soon! I've never heard of that band, but I have to say... they have a cool name

Dave

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Thanks for the heads-up, Bongomania. I don't think an English metal band will be suing an indie alt-rock band in Columbia, Missouri (with a grand total of negative $4000 in assets) anytime soon! I've never heard of that band, but I have to say... they have a cool name

Dave

Then you do not know Metallica.


Even though i think the cover looks pretty good i agree that it strikes me like a bunch of 14 year olds. I think you can get away with that kind of cover once you are established band but if no one knows who/what it is then first impression is definitely one of "14 year old kids who are mad at their parents for not getting them the PS3 before all their friends got one..."


I really like the idea of people in the background walking by and not caring btw... Maybe if you remove the blood it will give it a feel of more professional CD. I think the amount of blood is what not doing it for me. You know kind of a "shock effect" rather then art. Detail on money wouldn't hurt, not sure about not having a face...

Anyway, try to removing most of the blood, maybe just leave a small trace of blood down the arm. Then IMO it would look more like art. Maybe even removing the case of money and just placing a wallet with more crumbled dollars and credit cards around it and the man. And leave the briefcase in the back cover and cd, like you have now.


Just my opinion of what can make this look less like an angry teenager making a cd.

Good luck.

[Rakie]

if you were to keep some blood, id have it splattered behind him (But at an angle going this way <---- from the people) over the spray painted "Treasure Junkies" on the wall, that would look good if you wanted to keep the blood.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Rakie

if you were to keep some blood, id have it splattered behind him (But at an angle going this way <---- from the people) over the spray painted "Treasure Junkies" on the wall, that would look good if you wanted to keep the blood.

Thats a good one... Yeah the title also kinda stand out from the pic. Doesn't blend in, maybe if it was more in the picture then on the picture...

Like Rakie said, "treasure junkie" like graphite on the wall and the name of the band maybe in form of cracked/deformed concrete. So it stands out but also part of the picture, not just writing on the picture...

Good note Rakie...

[jasonbraatz]

The font is what bugs me more than anything.

[saxnbass]

+1 on the detailing the money, other than that, I think it's good.

[Rattman]

.. Please post the revised CD cover once you have it.

It would be great if some of the TBer's ideas got intergrated in the new design. (e.g.) smoke drifting up from corpse, differant font, more detailed bank notes, soiled suit... blood (if you are going to keep it) sprayed back behind the corpse perhaps forming the actual lettering, while dripping down a bit. Maybe a curious bird or two..?

I know it will come together for your band and CD.

[ALiP BoB]

Not digging the font.

Makes the cover look cheap.