Bug Kann & The Plastic Jam - 'Made in Two Minutes'

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - We're New Here

Limited box set released earlier this year. Original album comes on pink heavyweight vinyl wrapped in fold-out green sheet housed in die-cut sleeve. Instrumental version comes in green heavyweight vinyl housed in pink sleeve. Original album also included on a pink compact disc housed in a pink card sleeve with the instrumental on green compact disc housed in green card sleeve. Also includes 2 black and white photographic prints.

Design by, XL Recordings creative director, Phil Lee [seemingly referencing his artwork for The xx's self-titled long-player] and manufactured by Think Tank Media.

The Alexandria Quartet - Light Drawings by Grandpeople

Link: September Industry
Link: Grandpeople

"Identity and album artwork for Norwegian pop/rock ensemble The Alexandria Quartet. After touring all over Europe with their debut material for two years, The Alexandria Quartet went back to Bergen, Norway, to work on new material. Coloured by the dark, rainy clouds and the harshness of Norwegian winter, the songs seemed to take on a darker, more psychedelic cloak. With their new sound, and the album title Light Drawings ready, the band contacted us for a visual make-over.

We wanted a look that reflected this new musical direction, which led us to shoot the band in a dark studio setting, and ultimately to combine photography with illustrations and handmade textures.

For the vinyl edition of the album we created a pattern that was engraved into the b-side of the second disc."

The Stepkids - 'Shadows On Behalf' vinyl by Jeff Jank

Link: Stones Throw

Another great package from art director Jeff Jank for the Stones Throw label. The Stepkids' 'Shadows On Behalf' 12" is limited to 1,000 copies and comes with a print-free embossed sleeve and marbled translucent vinyl. The music's great too.

The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck by Marc Bessant

Link: Marc Bessant
Link: Merge Records

Josef Albers for Command Records

Bauhaus-associated artist, educator, typographer, poet and writer Josef Albers also created a number of album sleeves for Command Records between 1959 and 1961. They include these beautiful examples:

Releases by Jamie Woon

Coming through Polydor, the artwork from Burial-produced Brit School alumni Jamie Woon has taken influence from the title of, his album, Mirrorwriting. The latest in this type-oriented set comes as part of Record Store Day when Woon's 'Lady Luck' is made available as a limited edition picture disc.

It's out April 16th - alongside a whole raft of exclusives that include a remastered blue vinyl issue of the Art of Noise's influential 'Into Battle With...EP', a Bibio and Clark split single that prompts the first use of the classic purple Warp sleeve in four years, a new Mark Farrow-designed Deconstruction offering and a delicious Toddla T feat. Roisin Murphy 'Cherry Picking' 12".

Work by Andy Gilmore

Having already created imaged for Gold Panda and Africa Hitech, Andy Gilmore is perhaps the go-to guy for lovingly-crafted tessellated artwork. He additionally produces complex Spirograph-like images, but it's these more angular works and their tasty colour palettes that have grabbed my attention most. More can be seen at his site: http://crowquills.com/

[By the way, a copy of the Africa Hitech album - which is due out in May - actually arrived the day after I posted this.]

Revolutions: The Album Cover Art of Shepard Fairey

EXHIBITION DATES:
3/12 - 4/23/11

ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY C2
2525 MICHIGAN AVE
SANTA MONICA, CA 90404


OBEY GIANT ART X SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS X ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY ARE PROUD TO PRESENT REVOLUTIONS, A PROJECT FEATURING THE ALBUM COVER ART OF SHEPARD FAIREY. ON EXHIBITION FROM MARCH 12TH THRU APRIL 23RD AT ROBERT BERMAN'S C2 GALLERY, WILL BE OVER 80 PIECES OF PUNK, ROCK, NEW WAVE, JAZZ, AND HIP-HOP INSPIRED ARTWORK BASED ON THE 12" RECORD COVER FORMAT. TO MARK THIS OCCASION, TWO SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION ALBUM COVER PRINT BOX SETS WILL BE RELEASED FOR THE EXHIBITION.

"LONG BEFORE I KNEW ABOUT ART GALLERIES OR EVEN STREET ART, I WAS EXCITED ABOUT ALBUM COVER ART, IF ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS THE VISUAL COUNTERPART TO THE MUSIC ON THE RECORDS I LOVED. ALBUM COVERS CONJURED A EUPHORIC ASSOCIATION WITH THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE. MOST OF MY EARLIEST HOME-MADE TEE SHIRTS WERE STENCILS BASED ON PUNK ALBUM COVERS. I'VE HAD SOME VERY MOVING ENCOUNTERS WITH ART IN MY LIFE, ESPECIALLY IN THE STREET, BUT ALMOST NOTHING CAN COMPARE WITH THE FIRST TIME I HEARD THE BOOTS MARCHING AND FIRST CHORD OF THE SEX PISTOLS' HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN, OR THE AIR RAID SIRENS LEADING INTO "TOO BLACK, TOO STRONG" ON THE INTRO TO PUBLIC ENEMY'S IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK, OR THE OPENING GUITAR SCREAM OF BLACK FLAG'SRISE ABOVE. THOSE SONGS DID, AND STILL DO, MAKE MY ARM HAIRS STAND UP. MUSIC IS VISCERAL AND ACCESSIBLE, BUT ALSO HAS THE ADDITIONAL POWERFUL LAYERS OF THE LYRICS, WITH THEIR CONTENT AND POLITICS, AND THE STYLE, POLITICS, AND PERSONALITIES OF THE MUSICIANS THEMSELVES. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I LOVE ART, OR TRY TO CONVINCE MYSELF OF ITS RELEVANCE IN SOCIETY, THE FACT REMAINS THAT MUSIC IS A LOT COOLER AND WAY MORE ABLE TO REACH PEOPLE'S HEARTS AND MINDS' BUT I'M A POPULIST AND I LOOK AT THIS WAY: I MAY NOT PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, BUT I'M GONNA ROCK IT HARD AS NAILS ANYWAY. WITH MY ART I TRY TO CAPTURE THE SAME ENERGY AND SPIRIT THAT MAKES MUSIC SO POWERFUL AND DEMOCRATIC. REVOLUTIONS IS A CELEBRATION OF ALL THE GREAT MUSIC AND ACCOMPANYING ART THAT HAS INSPIRED ME OVER THE YEARS."

- SHEPARD

Touchable Sound: A Collection of 7-inch Records from the USA

Soundscreen’s recent book, Touchable Sound: A Collection of 7-inch Records from the USA, is a celebration of nearly 25 years of labor intensive 7-inch record packaging and design. Curated by Brian Roettinger, Mike Treff, and Diego Hadis, it features over 300 records and 600 bands, with an introduction from the always insightful Henry H. Owings, and essay contributions from Simple Machine’s founder Kristin Thomson, Amphetamine Reptile founder Tom Hazelmyer, Three One G founder Justin Pearson, and many more.

Amazon link: Touchable Sound

Autechre - EPS 1991 - 2002

Autechre
EPS 1991 - 2002
(Warp)

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This 47 track collection brings together material from Autechre's EP releases (now mostly out of print) from between 1991 - 2002 years. Including:

Cavity Job (1991 - First Autechre release from before they signed to Warp and not available on CD before)
Basscad EP (1994)
Anti EP (1995)
Garbage (1995)
Anvil Vapre (1995)
Peel Session (Transmitted 1995, released 1999)
Envane (1997)
Cichlisuite (1997)
EP7 (1999)
Peel Session 2 (Transmitted 1999, released 2001)
Gantz_Graf (2002)

All versions come with 3 High Quality Videos:
Second Bad Vilbel (Chris Cunningham)
Gantz_Graf (Alexander Rutterford)
Basscadet (Jess Scott Hunter)
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AVAILABLE NOW

320 MP3 and Video

WAV and Video
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PRE-ORDER NOW -
5x Deluxe CD Boxset
Designed by The Designers Republic

CD version comes with WAV and 320 MP3 Downloads and Video


CD SHIPPED & RELEASED 11TH APRIL 2011


Amazon Link: EPs 1991 - 2002