May 2010 Archives

4TROOPS - S/T

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SSgt Barry Sadler - Ballad of the Green Berets

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Leonard Berstein - Gershwin, Copland, Barber

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Various Artists - Great Googly Moo and More Undisputed Truths (2010)

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A blogger who goes by the handle Jrod published an article today about how his photograph was selected by Interscope Records to be the cover of the forthcoming album Last Train to Paris by Diddy - Dirty Money. I don't know whether or not this account is true. However, I have had several photographs that I've posted to my Flickr account used for things like greeting cards and travel books by companies who found them through a Internet search. So, it is certainly believable.

When I accidentally designed Diddy's album cover

I've had to keep a secret for a little while now, but finally I can reveal all.

Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy, or Sean Combs, whatever you prefer to call him, has released a new album.

Last Train To Paris as part of the group Diddy Dirty Money.

So far everything is going along normal.

Diddy is a big recording star, he makes albums, all is good with the world.

But then something got fucked up, I got involved.

Interscope emailed me repeatedly, and then called me, they wanted one of my photos for the album cover.

Who was I to argue?

Especially as they were going to pay me.

So I gave them my picture, and then I had to wait for the Album to get made.

For some reason I never asked where on the cover the photo would go. I assumed the back cover with some writing over the top, I like my photo and all, but I never really saw it as front of an album cover material.

Apparently I was wrong.

Continue reading...

Jrod writes that on at least one website the commeters were calling the album cover "whack" and another asked visitors to rate it against the cover for Enrique Iglesias' Euphoria. He will have to come to AlbumArtExchange Blog when Last Train to Paris is released on June 22, 2010 to see how his cover fares in the Best Album Cover of the Week poll.

Personally, I like this album cover. I would have never guessed it was taken by an amateur photographer.

Tubular Bells is the 1973 debut album by British musician Mike Oldfield. The album is noteworthy for a number of reasons. It was the first album released by Virgin Records. It is one of the top-selling album in U.K. history. Also, it has one of the most interesting album covers of the 1970s.

The cover was designed by the late photographer Trevor Key, who went on to photograph notable album covers for artists such as New Order (right), Roxy Music, and Phil Collins. Keys often worked with the legendary album cover designer Peter Saville.

The design was definitely ahead of its time. Unlike many of the album covers of the era, it still looks fresh and contemporary today.

The album cover for composer Howard Shore's score for film The Twilight Sage Eclipse has been revealed (below). The album is scheduled to be released on June 29, 2010.

The cover is similar to the one being used for the soundtrack album (right). It uses the same image of the three young stars of the film, with and additional image superimposed below their heads. The result is a crowded composition. The trio looks as if they are giants whose heads have just popped out of the water.

Considering that fans of The Twilight Saga films collect just about anything that has the image of their favorite star on it, I think it would have been a better idea to use an entirely different image of the trio for the cover. That is what was done for the first two films. I am surprised that they changed the pattern.

Using different cover art for the score and soundtrack also helps prevent people from buying the wrong CD. Many people purchase a CD after seeing the cover in the collection of a friend. The covers of this score and soundtrack are so similar that some are certain to get them confused.

Rob Schneider - Registered Offender (2010)

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The second Sex and the City movie was released to theaters this week. The soundtrack was also released as both a CD and digital download. The album features 18 tracks by artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Dido, Liza Minnelli and something called the Sex and the City Men's Choir.

If I were not familiar with the HBO series, I would probably assume that the movie is about a spooky-eyed female zombie who marches out of the desert after being cursed to wear ugly, red torture bindings on her feet. Can you seriously imagine anyone wearing high heels on a sand dune?

Here is a déjà vu moment that I had last year and forgot about until today. These two album covers are 37 years apart. Yet, they have a striking similarity. One uses knuckles. The other knees.

Flash - Out of Our Hands (1973)

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Yesterday, Columbia Records revealed the cover of the forthcoming EP Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals via news release. The EP is scheduled for release on June 8, 2010.

So far, about 100 singles, three albums and an EP (not including the upcoming one) by the Glee cast have been released. This new cover art is the first time that an actual photograph of the cast has been used. It shows many of the characters on stage, with a glittery gold backdrop.

The third single from Danish pop group Alphabeat's album The Spell (right) is DJ (I Could Be Dancing). It is scheduled to be released in the U.K. on May 31, 2010 and on June 1 as an import in the U.S.

The cover art for the single coordinates with the music video that was released several weeks ago. It features the group standing on a vinyl LP and holding disco balls.

The album was released in the U.K. under the title The Beat Is... with the same cover art. The covers for the previous singles, The Spell and Hole in My Heart were rather unremarkable.

Below are six album covers that have been preselected from among this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy designs. Please vote for the album cover that you believe is the best of the bunch.

Hank Williams III - Rebel Within		Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden - Jasmine
Smashing Pumpkins - Teargarden by Kaleidyscope 1: Songs for a Sailor		Various Artists - True Blood: Music from the HBO Original Series Volume 2
Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots		Widespread Panic - Dirty Side Down

Rapper Eminem revealed two covers for his forthcoming album Recovery online yesterday. An announcement appeared on the artist's Twitter page directing visitor's to his website. I do not know if both album covers will be used for the same release or if one is for a deluxe version. The album is scheduled for release on June 22, 2010.

Both covers use the same typographical treatment for the title of the album. The name of the artist has not been included on either. One features a man who is assumed to be Eminem walking down a lonely road. That is a concept that has been used countless of time, especially on country albums. All he needs is dog and a guitar.

The other album cover has a much better concept. It features Eminem in a clear box made up to look like a living room and sitting out in a public space. I know that I have seen this done before. I can't remember who did it. So, I have to write that I am somewhat disappointed with the lack of originality of both of these album covers.

According to our AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of May 18, 2010 is Brothers by The Black Keys. The vote was very close this week. Only one vote separated each of the top three. Janelle Monáe's The ArachAndroid came in second and Band of Horses' Infinite Arms was third.

This week's winner came as a surprise. It shows that a little bit of humor and creativity can often trump a more elaborate design.

Check back this evening to vote on the best album cover from this week's new releases.

A few days ago, I posted a cover that I assumed to be the final version for R&B artist Ne-Yo's forthcoming single Beautiful Monster (right). Unfortunately, that cover appears not to have been the final version.

The first cover featured what appears to be a female zombie emerging from misty woods. The cover that was distributed via news release today by Island Def Jam Music Group shows the zombie walking down an urban street instead.

The illustration in the most recent version is much more elaborate, with very stylized cars and buildings. The zombie character can also be seen in full form, with eerie glowing eyes. I like both versions of the cover, but the new one is better. It almost has a "Roger Rabbit" look to it.

Last week, American blues-rock duo The Black Keys released the official music video for Tighten Up, the first single from their new album Brothers (right). I have already written about the "generic" cover art for the album. It is a clever use of simple typography, without any illustration or photography. It is a concept that has been seen several times in the past.

The cover art for Tighten Up is similar to the that of the album. A 12" single (below) was released on vinyl for Record Store Day. It lists the songs on both sides of the record.

The cover for the single and the album use the same font, Cooper Black. Cooper Black was created in 1921 by American typographer Oswald Bruce Cooper. It is a font that has been popular with graphic designers during several eras, but has more recently been considered too common and even dated.

One of the questions that may never be answered as the TV series Lost comes to an end tonight is whether or not the band Geronimo Jackson is real. The album cover has been featured on the show several times over the years that it has been on the air.

The producers of Lost once stated that the band was an obscure 1970s rock band. Since then, it has been reported that the band was the fictional creation of writer Eddy Kitsis. It is rumored that Geronimo Jackson will be featured in tonight's series finale.

They Might Be Giants - Best of the Early Years (2000)

One subject that many people mistakenly assume to be used frequently on album covers is kissing. If you actually browse through the over 90,000 covers in the AlbumArtExchange.com gallery, you will discover that is not the case. There are actually very few album covers that feature clear, tight images of people engaging in a passionate kiss.

The most notable album cover featuring a kissing couple is Double Fantasy by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The album was released in 1980, shortly before Lennon's death. The album won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and is Lennon's best-selling studio album. The photograph on the cover was taken by Japanese photographer Kishin Shinoyama.

Even as late as 1980, a great deal of racial prejudice existed in the United States. The image of an interracial couple kissing was still unusual. Just last year, two album covers featuring interracial couples kissing were released.

    

Of course, there have been many album covers featuring couples kissing released over the last several decades. However, covers using images of graphic close up shots of lips pressed together have been few in number.

Probably one of the most interesting developments has been theuse of same-sex couples kissing on album covers. While a couple of the cover posted above are sexually ambiguous, there have been a few album covers featuring both male and female couples kissing.

     

Today, millions of people across the United States will be celebrating Harvey Milk Day. The day marks what would have been the politician and gay rights activist's 80th birthday.

Events are taking place in many U.S. cities and even in Sydney, Australia. Having been a fallen hero to the world's LGBT communities for decades, many were introduced to Harvey Milk for the first time though the motion picture Milk in 2008.

The soundtrack for the film includes a brilliant score by Danny Elfman and addtional tracks by David Bowie, Sly & The Family Stone, Sylvester and others. The cover art features actor Sean Penn, who won an Oscar for his performance.

I have one heck of a WTF?! album cover this time. V8 Wankers is a German metal band with a strange vision of American hot rod culture. Their album Foxtail Testimonial is being released as an import in the U.S. on June 22, 2010.

The album cover is perhaps one of the most tasteless I have come across in ages. According to the promo video, the model featured on the cover is named Bambi Lovedoll. Yeah, right. The photographer is Dirk Behlau.

I don't know whether or it was Behlau who came up with the idea of placing a foxtail over the model's genitals. However, I think someone needs to take the blame for this bizarre concept. What kind of drugs do they take in Germany?

music, originally uploaded by rondostar.

Check out the album cover display on this duel monitor computer set up.

The music video for the first "official" single from Swedish pop singer and songwriter Robyn's forthcoming album Body Talk Pt. 1 was posted on YouTube today. This project appears to have different cover art for the U.S. and U.K. versions of the album and related singles. The art direction is quite different for both versions. 

The cover art that I have uploaded to the gallery for Dancing on My Own (right) is the U.K. version. Three U.S. singles, Fembot, None of Dem, and Dancehall Queen, were released last month. I'm not quite sure what is going on with this album release. It is very confusing.

The cover for Dancing on My Own features Robyn wearing a see-through top that has cut-outs of hands covering her breasts. What looks like a sideways shark's mouth frames her form, which is posed in some kind of dancing salute move.

So far, there are three different covers for the album. The first one posted below is the U.S. version. One of the other two is the U.K. version and I'm not sure about the third one. It could be an international version of the album.

The U.S. version of the cover features a collage of curious objects that spells out the artist's name and the album title. The other versions feature a photograph of Robyn with strange pinwheels attached to her face and bare shoulders.

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The cover art for pop and R&B singer and songwriter Ne-Yo's forthcoming single Beautiful Monster was revealed today. The single is scheduled to be released on June 1, 2010 on the Def Jam label. The single precedes an as-of-yet untitled album.

The cover features a black and white image of Ne-Yo with a creepy female zombie emerging from woods in the background. I do not know anything about the song. However, the cover art makes me hope that it will be influenced by Michael Jackson's Thriller. The artwork has been executed quite nicely for this cover.

In 2009 and early 2010, Erasure's Andy Bell released two singles under the pseudonym MiMó. Bell was reported to have slected the name as a tribute to his friend Tomeau Mimó.

Unfortunately, the name was already being used by another artist and Bell was forced to use his own name for the singles and a forthcoming album, Non-Stop.

The cover art for the singles Running Out and Will You Be There? were redone, with the name MiMó replaced with Andy Bell in much the same style. The album is Scheduled for release on June 8, 2010.

Posted by: zeefritz		Posted by: zeefritz
Posted by: zeefritz		Posted by: zeefritz

British electronic music duo Goldfrapp released the music video for the second single from their latest album Head First on YouTube today.

Alive is schedule to be released on May 24, 2010. The cover art for Alive was revealed via Twitter a few weeks ago. I wrote at that time that it is similar to that of the album, featuring a photograph of Alison Goldfrapp and a surreal violet and pink sky.

Rocket, the first single from the album, was released in January. Goldfrapp was shown on the cover in a pink jumpsuit and shooting a beam of light from her finger. The music video for Rocket was released on March 5.

The video for Alive maintians the retro disco theme of the previous video. So far, the creative direction for this entire project has been consistent and topnotch. 

A new artist has caused an Internet buzz with his appearance on American Idol tonight, perhaps stealing a bit of Justin Bieber's thunder. Travis Garland performed his single Believe on the results show that also featured Bieber.

Garland was introduced by gossip blogger Perez Hilton who claims to have discovered the young artist through an online video. He has been signed by Geffen Records.

Acid Bath - Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1996)

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On May 25, 2010, the second volume of the series soundtrack will be released. Artists appearing on the album include Jace Everett and CC Adcock, Beck, Lucinda Williams, Eels, Stone Temple Pilots and several others. The album is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com and iTunes.

The album cover features a black and white photograph of stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, with red blood added to Paquin's neck and Moyer's vampire fangs. I like this image better than the one used for the first True Blood soundtrack (right), which did not feature a photo of the cast.

The premiere of the third season of the HBO series True Blood is scheduled for June 13. Several trailers and promotional videos have been posted on HBO's YouTube channel.

BWO - Pandemonium: The Singles Collection (2008)

Below are six album covers that were preselected from this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you feel is the best of the bunch.

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms		The Black Keys - Brothers
Janelle Monáe - The ArachAndroid		LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives		Tracey Thorn - Love and Its Opposite

The cover for the forthcoming debut album by Manhatten rock quartet The Postelles was revealed today. The self-titled album is scheduled to be released by Astralwerks/Capitol Records on July 27, 2010.

The band lists The Beatles and the Rolling Stones among their influences. That clearly shows in the image selected for the cover of their debut album. The four young bandmates are shown sitting together in a bed. It definitely has a retro Beatles look to it. However, I am old enough to know how this kind of thing worked out for bands like The Knack.

The only thing that really bothers me about this cute album cover is the gradient used on the edges. It adds nothing to the cover other than make it look like a 3D button. This kind of thing usually happens when a graphic designer discovers a new Photoshop filter and can't resist mucking up a design. I would like to see the cover without the ugly embossing.

According to our AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of May 11, 2010 is Meat Loaf's Hang Cool Teddy Bear. The votes were very close this time. The Meat Loaf cover won by 33% of the vote. That is the smallest percentage we have seen in weeks.

Oooh La La! by Crash Test Dummies came in second with 17% of the vote. Li(f)e by Sage Francis and Where Did the Night Fall by UNKLE tied for third.

Check back later this evening to vote for the best album cover from this week's new releases. I am sure that there will be a couple of surprises. 

A couple of days ago, I wrote about the forthcoming album and new single from Faithless. The project has a cohesive concept, with a music video and cover art for a single and the album that is obviously the work of an art director. The same cannot be written about LCD Soundsystem.

The cover for Drunk Girls (right), the first single from the album This is Happening, is very bare bones. It is simply black and white typography.

The music video for Drunk Girls was posted on YouTube last month and prior to the release of the single. The video features people wearing strange animal costumes. I'm not sure what they are supposed to be (pandas or cats or something). This could have provided some interesting images for the cover of the single. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

The album cover is rather uninspired as well. It is one of those images that has been turned sideways. It looks like the cover of a New Wave album from the late 1970s. I suppose the lack of creative art direction for this project could be forgiven if the single was any good. Sadly, that isn't the case. Drunk Girls is a trainwreck.

The cover for two new albums in the U.S. version of the popular That's What I Call Music! series were revealed via news release today. Both That's What I Call Music! 34 and That's What I Call the USA are scheduled to be released on June 15, 2010.

That's What I Call the USA is a collection of patriotic country music songs. A portion of the proceeds for the sale of the album will be donated to help support U.S. troops and military families. The cover art for the series has been using the same template for many years. There is nothing new or particularly special about these two covers. I suppose they are designed to catch the attention of shoppers in stores like Target and Walmart.

I just uploaded the 90,000th album cover to the AAX gallery! It seems like just yesterday when the gallery held 9,000 covers. We all thought that was impressive. The gallery hit the 80,000 mark two months ago. That means it is likely that the major 100,000 milestone will be reached next month.

The 90,000th cover is for the forthcoming album Believe (II) by guitarist Orianthi. The album is scheduled to be released on June 8, 2010. It will be Orianthi's third studio album.

Thank you to all of the AAX users who have added their high quality scanned and edited album covers to the gallery. We couldn't have done it without you.

Sleeveface 83_Miles Davis 'Tutu', originally uploaded by TheRealWineGuy.

Technically, this one isn't a sleeveface. However, it was featured at sleeveface.com. Visit the website for more.

The first single from the forthcoming album The Dance by British electronic group Faithless is Not Going Home (right). I do not know who the art director is for the cover art and the music video, but the projects include some impressive graphics. I have not yet been able to find any credits for the artist who created the images.

There are two versions of the music video posted on the group's YouTube channel, the official video and an "erotic" version. The images used on the album cover are derived from the animation ued in the video. An animated version of the group's lead singer Maxi Jazz pursues what appears to be a sexy pixie in a strange, surreal dreamworld.

The song is certainly not as catchy as the groups 1995 hit, Insomnia. However, the music video is fun to watch through to the end (if only for the animation). I have posted the "erotic" version below.

Here is yet another addition to the WTF?! category that needs no explanation. I was browsing through upcoming new releases on Amazon.com today and came across this monstrosity from a Belgian heavy metal band called Kingdom.

I just hope that the dead body hanging in the photograph isn't real. However, it sure looks like it is. What is next? Autopsy photos? Uck! This album is scheduled to be released on June 22, 2010.

The fourth and final installment in the Shrek movie series is scheduled to be released  in theaters on May 21, 2010 in the U.S. and on July 2nd in the U.K. Two albums are being released in conjunction with the movie, Shrek Forever After: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Shrek Forever After: Original Movie Score.

The cover art for the albums is different enough that is should prevent the usual confusion between movie soundtracks and scores. The Shrek series has always been good about using album covers that can be recognized as being different.

The soundtrack is scheduled for release in the U.S. on CD exclusively through Walmart on May 18 and in the U.K. on June 29. The soundtrack will ba available as a digital download via iTunes. The score will be released in the U.S. on May 25. The soundtrack will include songs by artists such as Weezer, Beastie Boys, and Scissor Sisters. I do not have a U.S. release date for the soundtrack.

Various Artists - Shrek Forever After Music from the Motion Picture

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Harry Gregson-Williams - Shrek Forever After Original Movie Score

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Big Science (1982)

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Homeland (2010)

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The music video for Justin Bieber's single Baby was posted on YouTube today. I have written before that the photographs being used for Bieber's covers do not make the young artist look his best.

The photograph for this single has a shadow that looks very unprofessional. One would think that one of the biggest teen pop stars in the world would have some great art directors working on his projects. That is obviously not the case.

Twinn Connexion - Twinn Connexion (1968)

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The second single from Australian pop singer Sia's forthcoming album We Are Born is Clap Your Hands (right). It will be released in the U.S. on May 25, 2010 and the music video was posted on YouTube on April 26.

The cover art for both the single and the album both feature photographs of the artist with buttons, clay and various other items from the local crafts store glued to her face. It is an interesting look and one that we've seen done a couple of times before. Luckily for Sia, she has done it better than most.

The music videos for both singles are made to look like amateur puppet theater productions. So, the crafts store items used for the cover art is consistent with the art direction of the videos. We Are Born is scheduled to be released worldwide on June 7.

Meat Loaf released his 11th studio album this week. The cover for Hang Cool Teddy Bear (right) features an interesting post apocalyptic illustration of Los Angeles with a couple of sexy women. I don't really get the imagery. Maybe it means something to Meat Loaf fans. I don't really know and I'm not inclined to find out.

However, the cover for the album's first single Los Angeloser is worth writing about. The single was released digitally in March. One of the unfortunate aspects of a digital release is that the art director and artist go uncredited. Therefore, I do not know who is responsible for the cover.

The cover art for Los Angeloser is an illustration of the classic nerd putting on a pair of X-ray specs and getting an eyeful of naked ladies. It is an excellent and skillfully rendered image. It also conveys a kind of humor that I would expect more from Devo or a similar artist. This is one of my favorite single covers of the year so far.

Necro - Brutality Part 1 (2003)

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Below are six album covers that have been chosen from among this week’s new music releases. They were preselected based on their Amazon.com sales rank and noteworthy designs. Please vote for the album cover that you feel is the best of the bunch. You can see a larger image by clicking on the thumbnail versions.

Crash Test Dummies - Oooh La La!		Meat Loaf - Hang Cool Teddy Bear
The National - High Violet		Sage Francis - Li(f)e
UNKLE - Where Did the Night Fall		We Are the Fallen - Tear the World Down

British pop artist Lolene has revealed the cover of her debut album The Electrick Hotel. As a promotion, a free download of Rich (Fake It Til You Make It) (right), the the first single from the album, is being offered online. The album is schedule for release on August 24, 2010.

You can download the single using the widget below. It is not necessary to share your email address.

The cover art for both the single and the album use bright neon colors (and neon lights for the matter). I think I like the cover for the single a little more than that of the album. The effect achieved by having the artist hold the pink neon star is very cool.

According to our AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of May 4, 2010 is Diamond Eyes by the Deftones. The cover was selected with 43% of the vote.Godsmack's Oracle and Toni Braxton's Pulse tied for a distant third and the remaining three album covers tied for third place.

I am not surprised that this album cover came in first. However, I did not expect that it would win by such a large margin. It is refreshing to see an album cover with the image of such a beautiful animal. This almost makes up for ast year's trend of using photos of dead wildlife on album covers. Perhaps groups like Spiral Stairs can learn a lesson from this impressive cover.

According to the New York Times, fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta died on today in Fort Myers, Florida. He was 82. The artist's business managers confirmed that death was due to a stroke that occurred yesterday.

In addition to illustrations for book covers, comic books, and magazines, Frazetta illustrated numerous album covers for heavy metal bands such as Molly Hatchet and Nazareth. His contemporaries include Boris Vallejo and George Grie.

Frazetta's painting Death Dealer was used as the cover art for Molly Hatchet's 1978 self-titled album. It is often included in lists of best album covers.

The cover for Liza Minnelli's forthcoming album Confessions has been revealed. The album is scheduled to be released on the Decca label on September 21, 2010.

The cover features a black and white profile portrait of Liza and her name in bold, red letters. This is a simple, yet dramatic and effective album cover. Liza's face hasn't been airbrushed to make her unrecognizable.

I was able to find a video clip on YouTube of Liza performing the title track at Perez Hilton's birthday party in March. I apologize for the poor quality. However, it is a good clip of Liza and an indiction of what we may hear on the album later this year.

Legendary singer and actress Lena Horne died tonight at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She was 92.

In the 1940s, Horne became the first African-American performer to be signed to a major contract by a Hollywood movie studio. She went on to achieve international fame as a singer, recording dozens of albums and blazing the trail for black performers in the United States. Horne is best remembered for Stormy Weather, the title song of the 20th Century Fox musical she performed in 1943.

Goodbye Thrill - Keepsakes (2010)

The cover art for the forthcoming single California Gurls was revealed online yesterday. The single is from an as of yet untitled album that is scheduled to be released in August. A preview of the single featuring Snoop Dogg was also released on YouTube yesterday.

The cover art is very colorful, featuring Perry in a beaded bikini top and blue hair. It has a very retro, vintage postcard look. The photograph was taken by fashion photographer Emma Summerton. I can't wait to see the album cover!

The cover art for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack album was revealed today. The album is scheduled for release on June 8, 2010.

The cover features the three young stars of the motion picture. It is similar to the art being used for the movie poster and other promotional items. For those of you who are looking, there are high resolution versions in the AAX Gallery.

Didn't we already go though this with Britney Spears (right)? Teen pop star Miley Cyrus revealed not only her album cover today, but her bare stomach as well. I guess we can be grateful that the cover for Can't Be Tamed doesn't include a pierced navel.

There is really nothing original about Cyrus' album cover. I wish it would have been more inspired by artists like Lily Allen rather than Spears. We all know how well the pop tart route worked for her.

The stringy hair and the pouty lips are exactly what we saw on Britney Spears' album covers for years. The only thing that is missing are the breast implants. I guess that gives us something to look forward to from the next album.

The photography is decent. However, the styling is about a decade behind the times. The leather looks cheap and so does this young artist. But, I was upset when Annette wore a bikini in Beach Blanket Bingo.

The soundtrack for director Ridley Scott's Robin Hood is scheduled to be released on May 11, 2010. The score is by composer Marc Streitenfeld, who did the scores for American Gangster and Body of Lies. 

The cover art for the album is a square version of the movie poster (right). I think this a good example of a movie poster not really making a great album cover. The blurry hand in the foreground dominates the smaller format. In this case, a different image would have probably been a better choice. One with a more balanced focus would be a big improvement.

You can hear some of the score in the trailer posted below. It has a modern rock sound that I don't think works with the film. I found it distracting. I almost aniticapted hearing Aerosmith start to sing.

Robin Hood is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 14.

I don't know whehter or not this déjà vu moment is too much of a stretch. However, the first thing I thought of when I saw the cover The Foundling, for the forthcoming album by American folk singer and songwriter Mary Gauthier, was Moby's Wait for Me.

Wait for Me features Moby's "Little Idiot" cartoon character and a crescent moon. The cover of Gauthier's album is very similar. The Foundling is scheduled for release on May 18, 2010.

Moby - Wait for Me Deluxe Edition (2009)

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Mary Gauthier - The Foundling (2010)

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Mouse Rat is the fictional rock band featured on NBC's sitcom Parks and Recreation. After last night's episode, it was announced that the network is holding an album cover contest. The winning cover will be featured on an upcoming episode of the show.

Mouse Rat Album Cover Contest

Parks and Recreation fans, it's your turn to design Mouse Rat's next album cover and have a chance for your work to be shown in an upcoming episode! We're asking you to choose the name of the album, and design the cover art. You may either upload your finished design directly using our form below, or use our Simple Design Tool to create your cover art if you don't have an image editing program like Photoshop.

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The album cover for Crunk Rock, the much-delayed solo debut album by Atlanta-based rapper Lil Jon was revealed today. The album is scheduled to be released on June 8, 2010.

The album has been featured with an amusing temporary image (right) on Amazon.com for several weeks. What appears to be the final cover does not include a photograph of the artist. It is a wild pop art image that uses typography and illustrations in red, white and blue.

A like this cover for having an original look for a rap album. The music is supposes to combine elements of house music, pop and R&B. This album cover definitely leans more toward a electronic and pop look. I must admit, however, that I like the temporary image (Lil Jon seems to be frustrated that his album is taking so long to be released).

AlbumArtExchange.com owner Scott recenty completed uploading the first 15 albums by the progressive rock group Yes. This Scott's fifth artist series from Japanese mini-LPs (paper sleeve CDs) and his eighth artist series. I have created a slideshow using these scans, including a few of Scott's earlier Yes albums. Enjoy the art of Yes!

Image via Wikipedia

The cover art appears to depict the rapper as slain civil rights activist Malcolm X (right) and some people are concerned that the references to illegal drug use on the mixtape are disrespectful to Malcolm X's memory.

There are just some things that aren't appropriate for use as cover art without care being taken to keep it in good taste. I think that Malcolm X could be one them. If the mixtape had some kind of connection to Malcolm X or history, it would be different.

Come and Get It!, the forthcoming album by soul singer and songwriter Eli "Paperboy" Reed has two different covers. The U.K release on Parlophone (right) features a photograph of Reed using a microphone. The cover has been artificially aged and looks like an old LP from the 1960s. The U.K. release date is May 10, 2010.

The U.S. version of the album (below) shows the artist is a grocery store. The color scheme is similar, using bright red and gold as the primaries. Reed is holding a sign that bears the album title.

The U.S. cover definitely employs a kind of humor that is missing from the U.K. version. I am not sure which one I prefer. Both are eye-catching and nicely done. I suppose it all depends on the type of image Reed wants to project. The U.S. release is scheduled for August 10, 2010.

When I saw the cover for Thank Me Later, the debut album by Canadian rapper Drake, I really didn't think that it was noteworthy. It is a very simple graphic that looks like one of those 3D color separations with the blue removed. It has a blurry effect that almost looks like a offset printing error.

However, my inbox has been flooded with news alerts regarding this album cover. Drake is getting as much attention as Rihanna and just shy of what I saw for Adam Lambert. He must have a very good publicist.

In my opinion, this cover is more appropriate for a single. It simply doesn't have enough going on artistically to be a notable design. Frankly, it looks like someone was playing around with Photoshop filters. It is missing what it takes to be an Andy Warhol or Shepard Fairey pop art image. Meh.

I just found this video that demostrates the unboxing of electronic muscian BT's latest CD. The 2 CD album comes in a super jewel case, with special black CDs and a 12 panel foldout booklet created from original art by Aaron Jasinkski.

The album cover (below) was recently voted the Best Album Cover for the Week in our AlbumArtExchange poll.

Peace Corpse - Terror of Quincy (2010)

Posted by: zeefritz

Below are six album covers that were preselected from this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy designs. Please vote for the album cover that you believe is the best of the bunch.

Deftones - Diamond Eyes		Free Energy - Stuck on Nothing
Godsmack - Oracle		The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
The New Pornographers - Together		Toni Braxton - Pulse

The cover for Sarah McLachlan's forthcoming album Laws of Illusion was revealed online today. The album is scheduled for release on June 15, 2010. It was preceded by the single Loving You is Easy (right), which was released on April 23.

I am relieved that the album cover is not similar in style to the that of the single. The sepia toned and antique, splotchy look of of the single was a disappointment.

The album cover features and photograph of McLachlan sitting in a cresent moon-shaped swing. It has the look of a 1920s burlesque show in which a starlet is lowered on stage. My only complaint about this cover is that is seems a bit too dark. I would also comapre it to the cover of the new Macy Gray album that also features an stage and costume from a bygone era.

Overall, this is a nicely designed album cover. The artist looks beautiful and the composition is balanced. One thing we can all be thankful for is that McLachlan isn't wearing bondage gear or dressed up like a robot.

Season eight American Idol finalist Nick Mitchell (a.k.a. Norman Gentle) released a single called Brit Slap! today. The single can best be described as a novelty song. The cover art is a parody of the cover for the self-titled debut album by Daughtry (right), the band formed by former Idol consestant Chris Daughtry. 

Mitchell has named his band Gentle and the cover art for Brit Slap! recreates most of the graphic elements of the Daughtry album cover, including the font, decorative border and faux tears and wear patterns.

The Daughtry album was released four years ago, which makes the parody a little difficult to understand for those who may not have a long pop culture memory. The song isn't anything  I would want to listen to more than once either. Perhaps there will be a music video that will give it more of a comedic punch.

Personally, if I were to choose an album cover to parody, it would be something more current. Adam Lambert's recent album cover is a prime candidate.

According to our weekly poll, the best album cover for the week of April 27, 2010 is Nobody's Daughter by Hole. It was a close vote. Just one vote behind in second place is Mary Chapin Carpenter's The Age of Miracles. Peter Frampton's Thank You Mr. Churchill and Bullet for My Valentine by Fever tied for third.

The cover for Nobody's Daughter is a detail of Marie Antoinette with the Rose by Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. It is one of several similar portraits painted in the 1780s of the queen who famously lost her head during the French Revolution. I guess good art is always in style.

Check back this evening to see which covers have been selected for this week's poll. We've got an owl, a shoe, a glowing orb and a few other surprises. I think we're going to have another close vote.

Revolting Cocks - Got Cock? (2010)

Posted by: zeefritz

Woman in the Moon (1994)

Lifted Off the Ground (2010)

Posted by: zeefritz

The number one single in the U.K. right now is Good Times by urban music collective Roll Deep. The single was released on April 25, 2010 as a CD single and a digital download. The iTunes version is an iTunes LP with five tracks and the music video at a discounted price.

The cover art for the single is fairly barebones. It is sinple the title and band name on a background that looks like outer space. Even though the single features the vocals of Jodie Connor, she is not credited on the cover.

Last week, the cover for Ozzy Osbourne's forthcoming album Scream debuted online. The album is scheduled to be released on June 15, 2010.

The cover features Ozzy standing on a hill, holding a black flag with angel wings appearing behind him in a dramatic sky. I'm not going to speculate about the meaning of the imagery. It is a pretty cool rock album cover.

What is reported to be the cover for Eminem's forthcoming album Recovery popped up all over the Internet today. It looks to be the authentic cover. Recovery is scheduled to be released on June 22, 2010.

The cover features the rapper stretched out on a cot in what appears to be some kind of cell. It is a very nice image. I like everything about this album cover. Compared to his last album, it is a much more simple concept.

UPDATE: This cover has been revealed to be a clever fake.

I am kicking off the restart of the AAX blog with one doozie of a WTF?! cover. I don't think I have to explain why this is one of the most demented things I have ever seen.

Ariel Pink's online biography describes him as an "avant garde" musician whose genre is freak folk. I think the artist has taken the "freak" part a little too seriously.

I apologize for this poll being so late. The six album covers below were released on April 27, 2010. They were selected based on Amazon.com sales rank and for noteworthy design. Please select the cover that you feel is the best of the bunch.

B.o.B. - B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray		Mary Chapin Carpenter - The Age of Miracles
Peter Frampton - Thank You Mr. Churchill		Melissa Etheridge - Fearless Love
Hole - Nobody’s Daughter		Bullet for My Valentine - Fever

Jockers Pub, originally uploaded by Camila M. G..

I love this sleeveface photo. I don't think I've ever seen one quite like it before. I believe it is titled Jokers' Pub (even though it says "jockers" on Flickr). You can find more like this at Sleeveface.com.

According to our weekly poll, the best album cover for the week of April 20, 2010 is Circa Survive's Blue Sky Noise. The cover received 45% of the vote. It was followed by Swim by Caribou in second place and All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu by Rufus Wainwright in third.

I am not at all surprised that this album cover came in first. Surrealism seems to be making a comeback lately. This may end up being one of the top album covers of the year.

Due to the site move over the past few days, I am behind on posting content to the blog. I will try to get the poll for April 27 posted later today. It depends on whether or not I can upload the new covers to the gallery.