Album Cover Art Extravaganza

You know what they say... "never judge a book by its cover" or in this case, "never judge an album by it's cover art." I say screw that, it's all about first impressions. While going to a record store to discover some new stuff for your baby ears, of course you'll pick up what catches your baby eyes the most. Here are some of my favorites...

Artist: Architecture in Helsinki
Album: Place Like This (2007)
Genre: Indie, Electronic, Lo-Fi
Recommended Songs: Red Turned White, Heart It Races

This Australian band previously labeled as "twee pop" should now be a possible nominee of the mtvU Woodie Awards for a Left Field Woodie Award... "no idea what section of the record store to look for them in." This new album is quite very different from their previous albums, more electro-rocky than twee-folkish-funky-poppy. Still very incredibly awesome, just like its cover art.

Artist: Venetian Snares
Album: Hospitality (2006)
Genre: Drum & Bass
Songs Recommended: Frictional Nevada, Duffy

This EP is basically my favorite VSnares cover art, next to Horse and Goat (2004) and Cavalcade Of Glee And Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms (2006). Frictional Nevada is five minutes of beatoragasm and Duffy is six minutes of earsex. That's total of about eleven minutes of wonderful D&B action and it's only one third of the album.

Artist: Neutral Milk Hotel
Album: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)
Genre: Indie, Alternative
Songs Recommended: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, The King Of Carrot Flowers Part 1

Not only do I judge this artist by it's album cover art, I also judge it by its name. It's pretty much fantastic, my day-dream music where I doze off in the aeroplane over the sea to the land of the kind of carrot flowers. Or it could be my Coney Island Carnival soundtrack. Yet, I still don't really know if that's a zucchini or cucumber for the woman's head.

Artist: The Unicorns
Album: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (2004)
Genre: Indie Pop
Songs Recommended: Let's Get Known, I Was Born (A Unicorn)

Anything related to unicorns + rainbows is a given. Other than that, it's one of the good products of Canada, joining the top five with maple syrup, Leslie Feist, beavers, and... Mike Myers.