Future Sound of London - Dead Cities
https://i.discogs.com/FQHgALMFgyfvPc6LCSs4nnplRGSqtRwBzuvJOaLp7zY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4MzEz/Mzk5LTE2MjI2MjI2/OTMtMzIyMi5qcGVn.jpeg
What a terrible, dated, cover. Wasn't a fan of it even in the late 90's early 00's when I bought the CD. But it's a stone cold classic record.
― octobeard, Saturday, 6 August 2022 01:05 (one year ago) link
Agree with both statements.
― beard papa, Saturday, 6 August 2022 01:09 (one year ago) link
lol at first glance i thought the hype sticker at bottom left was yet another dubious 90s graphic design decision
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 6 August 2022 01:47 (one year ago) link
The Stevie covers are great. Superunknown is fine, a bit generic and of its time, but not grievously bad by any means.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Saturday, 6 August 2022 01:52 (one year ago) link
That FSOL cover is ghastly.
― Disarm u with a SMiLE (morrisp), Saturday, 6 August 2022 01:58 (one year ago) link
the lifeforms cover is amazing so i guess they had to immediately counter it
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Saturday, 6 August 2022 03:41 (one year ago) link
Tbf Stevie couldn’t actually see his cover art so at least he has an excuse.I’d like to nominate Frank Ocean - Channel Orange, deserves a better cover than orange with some text.
― Agnes, Agatha, Germaine and Jack (Willl), Saturday, 6 August 2022 06:53 (one year ago) link
i love that FSOL cover.
― mark e, Saturday, 6 August 2022 13:27 (one year ago) link
I dunno even the shitty art made pre-personal computers was better than a lot of the generic shit that’s popped up since. Feel like there was a period where everybody’s album cover looked like a handbill for a shitty tropical house club or something. Nb: I’m probably full of shit
― brimstead, Saturday, 6 August 2022 15:09 (one year ago) link
agree, mark e… see even the early crude digital art was better
it's the intense over saturated colours that i love.yeah, it is dated, but i care not (see the shamens covers from this period for some seriously dated coverart !).i just think that the whole cd booklet suited the album brilliantly.
― mark e, Saturday, 6 August 2022 15:47 (one year ago) link
My recollection is that in the late 1990s there was an abrupt leap in the sophistication of CGI / early PhotoShop album art. There was the "we can do CGI" pre-modern era, with grey aliens holding a spliff / robots dancing / bees flying over a fractal landscape etc:https://i.discogs.com/kCk40WSmGccEVa_znPsW8HonMZVq33q7OXz2lzRKYQ4/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:590/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTExNzA4/NS0xNTc1NjIyNTUw/LTg1MjIuanBlZw.jpeg
Then there was the modernist Buggy G Riphead stuff, which was better-executed but conceptually still in love with novelty. And then there was the post-modern Tomato / Designer's Republic stuff, which felt a lot more sophisticated:https://i.discogs.com/thHFxphlLVWsiKEjsFGh-Y6VlCJUZ7ixCu-m49hiEoE/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:595/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIzMjE0/LTExNzkzMTMyNjIu/anBlZw.jpeg
I picked those two examples because that compilation series spanned the three eras. FSOL's graphic language circa Dead Cities is odd - the visuals for "We Have Explosive" came from Run Wrake's Jukebox, which was edited into the video for the single:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwPys3JQZ74
As a consequence it doesn't look like the rest of the album. In my opinion it has aged better.
― Ashley Pomeroy, Saturday, 6 August 2022 20:03 (one year ago) link