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Hands - The Everlasting EP

Hands - The Everlasting EP
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Artist: Hands
Release: The Everlasting EP
Label: Lobster/Oort
Designer: Nathaniel Navratil
Release Date: 2008

I like the thick borders and strong purple and beige palette. Makes for a solid illustration. Flame on!

Navratil explains the layout a bit:

For such a heavy band they have some of the most beautiful melodic parts in their songs, which are the most memorable to me. That is the mood I wanted to capture in the album design. Darker, but visually beautiful. With the album title hinting at spirituality I also wanted to show it with the art (hence the girl holding the flame). Says faith but still can be interpreted in many ways.

[hat tip: Len from Indie Vision Music]

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 29 May 2008 at 8:00 am
Filed under EPs, Print, Designs, CDs
Comments (6)

Baizley Doesn’t Mind Making Mistakes

John Baizley of Baroness likes imperfections in his artwork. And so should you.

Yeah, and you also– if you look through enough of my work you can see that consistently there are technical errors. I tend to favor those errors over something that’s a little sleeker looking, so, you know, when a paper grain will show through or when a slight smudge or mistake will happen that’s just part of the piece for me. And I welcome– I embrace that sort of thing that can happen randomly. And I think it lends something different to my work than a lot of other people’s.

[hat tip: Crustcake via Buzzgrinder]

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 28 May 2008 at 12:00 pm
Filed under Interviews, Vinyl
Comments (3)

Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
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Artist: Sigur Rós
Release: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Label: EMI/XL
Designer: ???
Release Date: June 23, 2008

Good thing they have shoes on.

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 28 May 2008 at 9:00 am
Filed under Print, Designs, CDs
Comments (0)

Fireflight - iamunbreakable.com

Fireflight - iamunbreakable.com

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Artist: Fireflight
Album Site: iamunbreakable.com
Album: Unbreakable
Label: Flicker
Designer: ???
Release Date: March 4, 2008

After a passable intro we’re brought to an interesting interactive page where the user clicks on various clearly-labeled links and a photo of a certain aspect of the artwork theme pops up (I’m guessing the photos are part of the physical layout). It was interesting enough for me to click on each link and see all the photos, but if you’re not into this sort of thing you can click the center graphic to get to the main site, which is mostly a souped up e-card.

The content is kind of the stock promo material but exciting if you’re a fan of the band. I definitely do like the photo theme interaction after the intro. It might a small peek into the future where physical CDs will be phased out almost completely (it’s bound to happen) and the internet will be the primary content delivery tool.

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 27 May 2008 at 9:00 am
Filed under Album Sites, Designs, Internet
Comments (3)

Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun

Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun
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Artist: Porcupine Tree
Release: Lightbulb Sun
Label: Snapper UK
Designer: John Foxx
Release Date: May 27, 2008

I like the idea of putting the band name and title over the kid’s face, because the eye is naturally drawn towards eyes and facial features in general. And the fact that most of his face is hidden and holding a smoldering light bulb adds a bit of a story to the whole thing.

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 22 May 2008 at 8:00 am
Filed under DVDs, Print, Designs, CDs
Comments (0)

The Manchester Orchestra - themanchesterorchestra.com

The Manchester Orchestra - themanchesterorchestra.com

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Artist: The Manchester Orchestra
Designer: Ginger Group Designs

I like this…the disorganized look hasn’t been too big in site design the past few years, and for some good usability reasons. I’m on the fence in this case. This can get a little too busy/distracting for some people, but maybe some of us have been so desensitized after a good decade’s worth of internet usage that it doesn’t really matter anymore.

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 21 May 2008 at 8:00 am
Filed under Designs, Websites, Internet
Comments (0)

Stand Your Ground - Open Eyes and Beating Hearts

Stand Your Ground - Open Eyes and Beating Hearts
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Artist: Stand Your Ground
Release: Open Eyes and Beating Hearts
Label: Harvest Earth
Designer: ???
Release Date: May 20, 2008

The imagery of the soldiers departing a pontoon boat is compelling, and while I applaud the use of the Courier-esque font, I don’t think it was used well here. Hi, text on the bottom? Art thou orphaned? Where is thy mother?

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 19 May 2008 at 9:00 am
Filed under Print, Designs, CDs
Comments (4)

N.E.R.D. - Seeing Sounds

N.E.R.D. - Seeing Sounds
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Artist: N.E.R.D.
Release: Seeing Sounds
Label: Interscope
Designer: ???
Release Date: June 10, 2008

Weird lighting on their backs, an indecipherable background, a red CGI-looking red gorilla, and it’s rising up out of some water? This is just awkward.

[hat tip: Always Hustle]

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 16 May 2008 at 9:00 am
Filed under Print, Designs, CDs
Comments (2)

Take It Back! - Can’t Fight Robots

Take It Back! - Can't Fight Robots
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Artist: Take It Back!
Release: Can’t Fight Robots
Label: Facedown
Designer: Dave Quiggle
Release Date: June 24, 2008

I’m starting to like Quiggle’s cartoonier stuff more than his portrayal of sobering topics. This one is almost a combination of both; it’s marginally violent but in a fun sort of way, if one can combine almost mutually exclusive concepts as “fun” and “violence” realistically. The notable thing about this one is that the robot seems to be the focus, not even the band name or album title. The dude is symbolic…of something. Note the ATM chest and the clock on the leg.

Interpret!

[hat tip: Indie Vision Music]

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 15 May 2008 at 9:00 am
Filed under Print, Designs, CDs
Comments (7)

Islands - Arm’s Way

Islands - Arm's Way
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Artist: Islands
Release: Arm’s Way
Label: Anti-
Designer: ???
Release Date: May 20, 2008

If you really look at this, it’s a pretty gruesome cover. It’s rather subtle because the colors and textures don’t immediately communicate the fact that there’s a burning car, two naked chicks, and four arms (among other things) bursting out of this person’s ribcage. Hey, as long as the blood is Kool-Aid colored, it’s fine with me.

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Written by † Jay
Posted on 14 May 2008 at 9:00 am
Filed under Print, Designs, CDs
Comments (6)