46 Fantastic Album Covers From 2009, Part One
(Various Labels)
In our epic five-part list, we feature 46 pieces of notable album cover art from 2009. Many styles of art are represented here, so although not all of the pieces might jump out at you immediately in quite the same way, they are all solid works of visual art nonetheless. And what's more: find out, for once, the artists behind the cover art!
What are your favorite album covers from 2009? Leave a comment.
PART ONE .
PART TWO .
PART THREE . PART FOUR . PART FIVE
#46
Asobi Seksu
Hush
Polyvinyl Records
The first of their two full-length releases for the year 2009 (and their first for Polyvinyl Records),
Hush marks Asobi Seksu's shift toward a mellow, dream pop sound. The tender photography is quite certainly a well-communicated reflection of this.
about the artist
Photography by
Sean McCabe, who also has created album art for other bands such as Interpol, Spoon, and Mates Of State. (Note: All Sean McCabes in the world might be artists, as an internet search will yield numerous Sean McCabes, all of whom seem to dabble in various creative activities!)
#45
Rykarda Parasol
For Blood And Wine
Self-Released
It's certainly rewarding when musicians create their own album art and are able to bridge the gap between their music and visuals.
For Blood And Wine is a record written after Rykarda Parasol left Texas and returned to California, and the use of the poppy is symbolic of this transition. In her own words, she says, "The flower of California, the poppy (which has been used historically as a symbol of passion, sleep, and death) is surrounded by other opiate poppies with a figure facing outward and defiant. The black and white nudes have always represented the exposing of oneself, but [not] yet entirely." Like the artwork, the music is poetic -- inspired by Oscar Wilde and full of personal ties.
about the artist
Collages and design by
Rykarda Parasol herself.
Photography by
Jeanette Vonier, a fine art portrait artist.
#44
The Entrance Band
Self-Titled
Ecstatic Peace
The art direction for The Entrance Band's self-titled debut disc seems to stem from the fact that the band is comprised of three talented individuals: guitarist and vocalist Guy Blakeslee, drummer Derek W. James, and bassist Paz Lenchantin. Starting from flames and a triangle in the center, three arrows emerge, and smoke and sparkles subsequently radiate outwards. With a stratchy style reminiscent of woodblock prints or etchings, this static illustration seems to come to life the more you look at it.
about the artists
Illustrations by
Alia Penner, who is a photographer and illustrator; her photography seems an extension of her ornate illustrations.
Art direction by
Maximilla Lukacs, an award-winning filmmaker, editor, fine artist, and co-founder of the production company, The Belles Of The Black Diamond Field.
#43
Pearl Jam
Backspacer
Monkeywrench Records
These days, it seems the only people who use this style of comic art on album covers are obscure punk bands no one has heard of, and even then, those bands are generally in the "cannot-be-taken-seriously" category. So, it's actually a nice change of pace to see a piece of comic book art on an album cover, and it's especially nice to see one that has nine panels of well-composed yet off-the-wall scenes that make you scratch your head.
about the artists
Drawings by
Tom Tomorrow, who runs the independent comic,
This Modern World.
Design and layout by
Andy Fischer.
#42
Lightning Bolt
Earthly Delights
Load Records
Using MS Paint, or something just as terrible, Lightning Bolt may have crafted the scariest example of "earthly delights" imaginable for this album cover. You've gotta hand it to them, though; this horrendously fantastic digital camouflage must have taken forever to collage, and it might look like a grown man's rehashing of a Lisa Frank binder, but that's said not necessarily a bad thing. All in all, it's kind of remarkable that in all of this pixely line madness, it's a piece of cake to make out the band's name.
#41
Zombi
Spirit Animal
Relapse Records
The album art for Zombi's
Spirit Animal might be the first instance of a rampaging elephant being successfully used on an album cover in a
loooooong time. From a distance, the cover art definitely looks like a piece of shoddy Photoshop work, but it's pretty much the same when you zoom in close. From afar, though, the highly-polished thunderclouds look like illustrations pulled straight out of fantasy or romance novels, but up close, the clouds are more likely from dusty, vintage National Geographic photographs. And it's this grunginess that adds to the intensity of it all.
#40
Hockey
Mind Chaos
Capitol Records
According to Hockey's bassist, Jeremy Reynolds, "
Mind Chaos is about many different ways of seeing the same thing, so why not have many different versions of the cover for the cover?" The best part of the album cover for
Mind Chaos lies in the art, sure, but it lies just as much in the concept. Four album covers on the cover? Neat! But what's more is that the album art reads like a film -- almost like it's telling the tale of a man who starts off relatively sound of mind, but falls apart as
Mind Chaos takes over in the last frame. (There are actually two versions of this cover, and you can see the other one
here.
about the artist
Artwork by
Jeremy Reynolds, the bassist of Hockey.
#39
Nice Nice
One Hit
Warp Records
Upon first glance, the cover art for this limited edition 7" looks nice enough, but it isn't until you've listened to the chaotic experimental frenzy that is Portland, Oregon's Nice Nice that this cover art really begins to click. You'll find that the single, "One Hit," descends into frenzied, yet structured noise that sounds as though it might distort and skew letters into the glitched out text shown here. Overall, the cover art is an excellent example of how typography and textures alone can be strong enough to hold a frame.
about the artists
Artwork by
Gavin Potenza and
Liz Meyer of Portland, Oregon's
Script & Seal.
#38
Wilco
Wilco (The Album)
Nonesuch Records
It's a thin line between love and hate when it comes to the cover art for
Wilco (The Album). You'll either laugh at the unexpectedness of it, or you'll wince at the combination of corny album art with corny album name. To each his or her own.
#37
Mastodon
Crack The Skye
Warner Brothers Records
2009 was quite the year for cover art featuring reflecting images, as well as quite the year for impressive covers from metal bands. One of the most widely-circulated metal albums this year was Mastodon's
Crack The Skye, and keeping in line with their typical use of mythological art and iconography, they now have yet another album cover that's quite suitable for keeping. The attention to detail on this album cover is supreme.
about the artist
Artwork by
Paul Romano, graphic designer and artist who was in charge of Mastodon's previous album covers as well.
CONTINUE TO PART TWO
What are your favorite album covers from 2009? Leave a comment.
comment on this album's artwork
Good write-up, thank you!
First off, big fan of this article. If you be beyond the covers and look at the bands mentioned here there is no reason they should ever be associated with each other - apart from their artistic creativity.
I generally think simple is better. Present a question and not an answer - let the album answer it in whatever way you feel fits. pound45 and pound46 are great examples of that.
I subtly disagree with the writer in pound38 for Wilco. I think it's hilarious. It just needs a handful of Mexican children and a pinata. Camels are so hot right now.
I'm glad Mastodon (pound37) was snuck in. I've had several conversations on the artwork they chose as all their albums are seemingly unrelated and... well... fucking weird, in my opinion. The irony of the colors VS how dark the music is is interesting enough. There is a lot of symbolism involved in the artwork - I've heard rumors but not really seen the band's perspective yet.
pound28 and pound12, no.
Was the goal to sell the least records possible?
pound4 BEHEMOTH! I think this album cover is an awesome interpretation of the album itself. It's a classy kind of dark. If you haven't yet I strongly recommend looking up the first music video from this release. (Youtube blocked it - that means it's good.)
great post I laugh every time I see the wilco album but its great love it
Some stunning album sleeves here.. Farm by DInosaur Jr has a great cover that's been overlooked though.