In Blue

In Blue

By the Static Jacks

     Static Jacks formed in 2007 in Westfield, NJ, when three of the original members started playing together for a high school project. They began playing and writing songs together a short time after that; and each went to separate colleges before quitting after one semester to pursue music. They found another guitarist after putting up wanted flyers in music shops. In Blue, the second album, was released on early October, 2013. Since then the band hasn't wasn't released new music and haven't been heard of. 

     The In Blue cover is a wonderful piece of artwork in general. The stemmed flowers are brightly colored, the majority of them being warm colors, and the stems are more pastel cool colors. The flowers are centered and almost touch the top and bottom edges of the frame. So it is obvious that the flowers are the emphasis of the design. The paint splattering on the left side creates an asymmetrical element. It feels as if the petals are withering away and the petals and the splatters are the only thing that are bleeding off of the framing.   

     The slate circle containing the information on the top right corner also catches the viewers attention. It feels out of place because it doesn't really match the color theme with the rest of the composition, and it doesn't feel hand done. I probably wouldn't have a problem with it if it matched a color from the flowers. The font used was a sans serif, but at first I confused it as a slab serif because of the thickness. Static Jacks is the main emphasis out of the information, because it is larger and it has a kind of framing due to the line above and under it. In Blue runs across the bottom line nicely due to the opened kerning. Even though the circle and the fonts appear digitally made, the line aren't entirely straight so it ties in with the hand made element. I also liked how the designer used the same color from the background as the font colors; it makes it appear like it is cut out. 

Heck

Heck

By Deal Casino

     Deal Casino were originally known as Something About January and formed when all four members were young adults. They all decided to move to Asbury Park, NJ where two of them would work a recording studio- where they would practice- and the other two at a restaurant. The earliest year that I could find of the band forming has been 2013, and are still continuing to make music. Their genre of music can be described as pop-rock, with a sound that resembles Young the Giant and Neon Trees. Heck is the third EP from the band- which was named after Heck Street in Asbury Park- wanted to have a "live" type of style for the music. 

     The style of art for the cover reminds me of 1950's jazz album cover. The image is centered, with the artwork boxed in. The artwork style is a simple, one colored contour drawing with dots, larger and smaller, to create shadowing. Even though the beautiful image is simple, the message from the image is straight forward. It shows the man putting his hand in the woman's underwear, possibly touching her genitala, and vice versa. Who knows why the designer choose this image, but it is eye catching and could reference towards the title of the album, Heck.

        Heck and Deal Casino both have a serif font and resemble the same style of font, yet Heck has a more decorative feel because of the reflections on the font. Heck is also smaller then Deal Casino, yet still holds on its own. I like that the designer still used the same gold for the type used in the imagery instead of switching to another color.  

Distraction

Distraction

By Bear Hands

     The Distraction cover has inspiration from the gridded setup of the early to mid- 60's rock covers and psychedelic art. Distraction (2014) is the second album from Bear Hands. Their first album, Burning Bush Supper Club, has a collaged, glitchy type of art work; so it may be possible that the band has used the same artist for both of their albums and/or wanted a unique cover. 

     As previously stated, this cover remind me of ones from the early rock setup. The image takes up more than half of the cover and has a black and white photograph of two eyeballs sort of blended together. Both of the eyes are looking in different directions; they both appear to be panic or just witnessed something shocking. The image also has a high contrast with the mostly gray/white right side and the black left side. My eye is automatically is drawn to the photography, then get pulled up to the bold text. 

     Unlike Burning Bush Supper Club, which used cut-out letters and hand lettering it appears, Distraction uses a bold, sans serif font which is left justified. There is a thin hot pink line separating the bands name and the title of the album. Which could also be reference back to early rock cover for limited color. Bear Hands is a lot smaller then Distraction, yet it still carries the same weight because of the boldness from the font. Distraction seems centered with the image, with the same amount of white space on the edges, but to me it competes with the image; since they are both strong. My eye either wants to look at the image or the title, which in turns becomes a distraction. Maybe that is why the designer decided to use both strong imagery and type to hence towards the title of the album. 

Burning Bush Supper Club:

https://theocmd.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/bhcover.jpg

Homesick

Homesick

A Day To Remember

      A Day To Remember is a Florida based pop punk band. Homesick, released in 2009, is the third studio album by A Day To Remember. While I was doing research for this band, the original cover I believe didn't have type on the cover. But, just in case, I'm going to write about the cover that includes the type and the one without.

     The covers artwork is by Dan Mumford, an illustrator based out of London.The first thing that the would catch the viewers attention is the style of art that is used. It uses thick, black contour lines with saturated cool colors and occasional gradient. The cover without the type has an obvious emphasis where the figure is looking at the light at the end of the tunnel; the light at the end of the tunnel could also be the emphasis because it is the lightest color on the image. Whenever you look closely at the image, you can see hidden monsters like werewolves and giant spiders. Even though it is a horrific thought to be in those woods, it is a beautiful piece of artwork. It is also represents what kind of music the band plays.
     The bands name on the top image is a blocky, all cap, sans serif with a gradient on the edge; possible to match the image better. It also has cracks and burn marks throughout the letters.The vines from the image also interacts with the type. It is broad and because of it it almost touches the edges of the frame; it is also way too close to the top of the framing. Homesick is centered directly below the bands name. I feel like since it is completely white, compared with the gradient, it sticks out. It almost competes with the band name, because I don't know which one to look at first. I don't know how they would have fixed the problem. Probably the designer could have moved it to the bottom next to the person because the viewers eyes are going to move around the image anyways. Also, because of the such enlarged type, we lose detail of the image. Like the werewolves are cut off and the spiders almost hidden. To me, the designer could have done a much better job.


Dan Mumford Portfolio:
http://www.dan-mumford.com/

Is This It by The Strokes

Is This It (Original)

The Strokes

     In 2000, The Strokes members had part-time jobs and practiced new material weekly at a recording space. They released a demo in the fall of that year and Ryan Gentles attention. Ryan was a talent booker at New York City's Mercury Lounge. From the support of their personal mentor and producer, The Strokes recorded three tracks ("Modern Age", "Last Nite", "Barely Legal") which were on their first album Is This It, released July 2001. 

     The above image was the cover used internationally. Colin Lane, the photographer and cover artist, took some spontaneous photographs of his then girlfriend after she got out of the shower. It is a black and white photo of her her hip downward with a leather gloved hand resting on her buttocks. Lane did not have any inspiration for taking the photograph and quoted, "I just wanted to take a sexy picture." The composition of the photograph is mostly asymmetrical, it's heavy on the right side of the frame, yet balanced. The glossy, black glove defiantly (which seems slightly above centered) catches the attention of the viewer; against the highlight of the woman's hip.  

     The left side of the frame has a nice, asymmetrical curve to it because of her body. The all caps, sans serif text is on a continued line tucked in the upper left. The red is the only color on the album and makes emphasis on the title, not the bands name. The band consciously left out the question mark, claiming that "it did not look right." To me, the text seems separated from the image. I either look at one of the other and have to intentionally tell myself to read the text.  
     Even though the above cover was used in other countries, the cover design was changed for the U.S. market for being too sexually explicit. Side note: some of the tracks names were also change after the 9/11 attacks. The American cover use a psychedelic photograph and was designed by CERN. Even though it is a photograph, I view more as a watercolor painting. The colors go very great together and there is a lot of movement, yet it doesn't seem like a psychedelic piece. Also, the text against the yellow wasn't the greatest decision because it just gets lost and seems they didn't put thought on where to place it well. The frontman made the discovery of the "psychedelic" cover and in the band biography "mentions the fear of objections from America's conservative retail industry and right-wing lobby as reasons for the artwork's alteration." What I do like about the American cover, is how it does look like hand done watercolor. It sort of looks like a starry space scene with the blue parts. As previously stated, I do not think it's a psychedelic cover, just a really nice piece of art work the band decided to use as a cover.

American Cover:

 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91SyZlC7NDL._SL1500_.jpg

Citing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is_This_It

Pool

Pool

By Porches

     Pool , 2016, is the third album that artist has released. I couldn't get good information on the members of the band or a specific genre of music; all I could gather is there is an official member Frankie Cosmos. Pool is put together and designed graphically well compared to the bands other two albums, Ronald Paris and Slow Dance In The Cosmos. 

     The reason I said that this album is clearly gridded and clean. There is a squared off water colored painting in the center of the frame. The rest of the cover is a broad, thick white boarder. Pool is a light pink, which they might of pulled out from the image, small serif type centered above the image. Since it is so light against the white frame, it gets lost and is barely noticeable.
     The most eye catching thing about this cover is the pinkish/orange basketball. It is a great contrast against the pink and blue watercolored background. It also keeps my attention because it's deflating and doesn't have as much detail as the hand does. The hand bleeds off, the only object that is bleeding off, the right framing of the image. Even though it uses tones from the pink background, it has great detail and shading in it. The watercolored background of this image is sort of interesting. At first, I thought it was the sky with the basketball and the hand referencing The Creation Of Adam. I guess anybody can view the image that why and come up with a reason on why the artist/designer did it. Depending on the viewers perspective, the ball seems to be floating and a random, young hand is reaching to possibly retrieve it. As previously stated, it depends on the individuals perspective when they first see it. It could be referencing toward a religious statement or just a common accident.    

Screws Get Loose

Screws Get Loose

By Those Darlins

     Those Darlins formed in Murfreesboro, TN in 2006 after members Jessi Zazu, Nikki Kvarnes, and Kelley Anderson met at Southern Rock & Roll Camp. They first began doing cover songs and used traditional southern instruments, like the washboard, and nontraditional ones. In 2008, the band released "Wild One" from their self titled alum Those Darlins. The band was asked to open for The Black Keys, which furthered Those Darlins profile. 

     In 2011, the band with now fourth member Linwood Regensburg, an official member and songwriter, went to the studio to record their second album, Screws Get Loose. This time the album was engineered by Ed Rawls, which led the album to sound more Garage Punk. 

     The cover is a simple black and white photo of a woman. This time though it's not just a photograph of a beautiful woman for the cover, and I'm pretty sure it's not one of the members also. Her face is facing away from the camera as she seems to be digging one of her fingers into her nose. There is a high contrast; the majority of the top of the cover is black as the bottom is a light gray and white. She seems like a classy sort of woman because she is wearing a fur coat and has well done makeup. Maybe the stress of a job and/or her personal life got to her and she did something that a "normal" person wouldn't be doing. She is doing something strange considering she is an adult woman, and the photo just happens be taken in this moment of her life. Even though this photo has movement in it, it seems really well adjusted and focused. 

     Those Darlins and Screws Get Loose are horizontally tilted near the upper right corner. The gold retro looking font of the bands name is a great contrast of the dark background; also the white spot in the upper right corner also leads us to the text. The name of the album is smaller then the bands name and tucked under it centered. Even though it has a great emphasis on the bands name and a great contrast of the light on dark, I feel liked they sort of smacked it on the cover. Maybe if the designer moved the image to the left and the text close to her finger, it would have been a better led on. The pointing finger could have led the viewer to the text. 

Woodland

By The Paper Kites

     Woodland was the first EP of the indie band The Paper Kites, released in 2011. With singles like "Featherstone" and "Bloom", the band became popular and soon played at small clubs around Australia.

     The cover for Woodland is a very nice digital collage of a serene place somewhere in the woods. The green plants around the white text is a nice frame for it; it sort of lead the viewer straight to the text. Even though the text is centered and white against a dark background for the emphasis, it is also asymmetrical. The sans serif font seems to be hand written on the cover and it seems to fit in with the other elements of the composition. The only problem that I do have with it is that the I in kites blends in with the thin tree trunk and the E gets sort of lost because of the orange color.   

     The rule of thirds is easily detectable on this cover. As previously stated the title and the bands name is the emphasis of the cover, even though it is the middle ground. The front ground has a nice texture from the details of the flowers, leaves, and bushes both at the top and the bottom of the cover. After I read the text, my eye then goes down to the plant life because of all of the complimentary colors. Even though the plant life is asymmetrical at the bottom of the page, it is also mirroring each other. The reason I say that it goes from tall, to short in the middle, then goes back to tall. The background are the thin dark brown trees with some pink and green textures behind them. Maybe it's possible that we're outside the woods and we see some mysterious beauty behind the trees, who knows? But the more I look at the artwork, it looks more hand painted instead of digitally collaged. 

     The cover all together is beautifully unified and a piece of art by itself. The cover represents the style of music which the band does, which is relaxing. Even though it has some flaws with the text getting lost in the background, it is still a wonderful cover.

Anti

By Rihanna

     Many people know who Rihanna is in todays generation. After her hit song "Umbrella" she became a well known name. Anti is the eighth studio album released early this year by the Barbadian singer with "Work" and "Woo".  The albums front cover does not have the title of the album or the name of the artist on it. So fans who had really anticipated it would have known what the cover would already look like.

     The cover has a kind of modern psychedelic feel to it because of its blurriness. The eye bounces around the composition without really focusing on anything, unless the viewer really tries. It is mainly a black and white photo of a child with a red overlay in the top left. The gold crown is covering the childs eyes and seems to be the only thing that is in focus; which it's not and blurred like the rest. The crown also doesn't have a colored overlay on it and is bright against the red and the black, so that is probably the emphasis to catch the viewers eye.  

     Whenever I saw this album in person, I noticed the tactile squares scattered across the composition. It has a brail feel to it because of it and gives the white space a blurriness to it also. The triple multiples makes the eye bounce to left and right of the child. The red space seems like torn paper in a way. The rule of thirds could also be used for this album cover; with the brailed squares and/or the gold crown for the front ground, the child as the middle ground, and the red tear as the back ground.      

Snowmine

Dialects

By the Snowmine

     I had just recently discovered this band and feel in love with their Dialects album cover. It has a surrealist feel to it. The cover shows a man standing on a cliff with surrounding mountains around him for the environment; I sort of think that it's an environment in a Central America country. The man is facing in the direction of the floating woman, but isn't looking directly at her. Does this mean that he sees more floating people in the horizon that we cannot see, or that the woman is a spirit of the environment. Who knows? But for the two figures, they are mostly centered with some distance between the two. 

     The image is obviously in black and white with some scratch marks and other marks across the image. This suggest that the photo was taken at a early time period then in todays generation. Also, by looking at how the figures are dressed also suggest a different time period. The man is wearing a button down shirt, baggy pants, and possible boots. So this outfit suggest that he traveled. He could have traveled alone or drifted off from the group he was traveling with, because you get this moment of isolation with him. The woman either appears to be naked or some sort of tribal clothing on. As previously stated, she could be a spirit from this environment. 

     Even though it is a black and white composition, the viewers eye is automatically drawn to the figures. They are the center of the image and are a little bit darker then their surroundings, so they are the emphasis. The composition is also based on the rule of thirds. I'm glad that the band and album name are lined up with the edge of the bottom right. If it was larger it would have defiantly ruined the image. The font is an off white sans serif, possibly Futura or Helvetica Light, with a simple line separating the band name from the album title. 

     Overall, I think this a great design. If the viewer pays close enough attention to the detail, like the clothing of the figures and the marks, he or she can make up their own story. The cover also ties into the bands music as well which is ambient rock.   

     

Brothers

By The Black Keys

     Even though this is a simple text cover, it is still a great design. Michael Carney, the art director, wanted to take a risk with the packaging for this album (Kennedy). Because of this album cover, Michael had won a Grammy for Best Recording Package  in 2011. He has been the art director for the band ever since the beginning and has design all of their covers. Michael is also a sculptor and photographer who graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design; and is the brother to Patrick ("Michael Carney"). 

     The cover reminds me of a plakate, an object poster, in a way. It is simply telling the viewer of what it is. This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers. The type is mostly centered on the cover, except for the colored emphasis on the bands name. There is a secondary emphasis on Brothers because it is the same size as The Black Keys, but is not colored. The font used for the cover sort of gives it a retro feel; since the band is considered indie rock and blues rock. 

     The cover also has a white boarder around the edges. But if the viewer looks closer, the edges aren't straight. That gives it a textured feel like it had been screen printed on or almost hand done. 

The cover also shows that it is following a grid system that is evident through the structured type and bordered edges.   

Links To Other Black Keys Covers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Camino_(The_Black_Keys_album)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_Blue_(album)

Citing

Kennedy, Gerrick. "Grammy Awards: Black Keys' 'Brothers' album designer Michael Carney talks          recording packaging win." La Times Blog. Los Angeles Time, 13 February 2011. Web. 13                  February 2016. 

"Michael Carney." Wikipedia. 27 March 2015. Web. 13 February 2016. 

Hypnotic Eye

 

Hypnotic Eye

By Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

     Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has been making music ever since the mid-70's. With the release of their self titled album in 1976 with hits like "Breakdown" and "American Girl".
     Hypnotic Eye is one of the albums with a very strong psychedelic cover, as many of his other cover had photography of Tom Petty and/or the members of the band on the cover. When I first saw the Hypnotic Eye cover, I didn't really practically like it and I still don't. The graphic taking most of the cover is a giant eye sore with the use of primary colors and the use of positive and negative space; which helps create the movement.
     The title of the album is larger then the bands name. Which possibly means that only fans of the band would have known what the album looks like and bought it. The song titles are also smaller, but they are also on the cover instead of the back. But no matter how hard I try to read the song titles, my eye is always drawn back to the graphic. I can never truly focus on something else without my eye being drug back down to the graphic. The image make complete sense whenever I look at the back cover with the graphic repeated on the television screen; being the only source of color in the image besides the primary colored side.
     The back cover is a possible remark on how children are being raised in this generation. With mindless watching of technology and without really thinking truly on one's own.
     Even though it is an eye sore to me and I can live happily without ever seeing this cover again, I am glad that the designer of this cover took a different approach to the cover. It is conceptual, with a possible story of today's generation. As previously stated, it's not an album with Tom Petty's gorgeous face on the cover. So the effort of the design is nice.


http://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2014/08/tompettyandtheheartbreakers.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Tom_Petty_Wildflowers.jpg