The Good, The Bad, And The Ice-T
We were really amused by Pitchfork's list for the year's Worst Album Covers; great picks, pithy quips! Apparently they Forkers are just as awed by Gangsta Rap as we were, but they were more observant than us. Here are a few that tickled us silly:
Ice T - Gangsta Rap
Haha, look at those shitty sidetables!
Richard Butler - Richard Butler
This album was dedicated to Butler's late father, George, who luckily died before he had to see this.
Robin Thicke: The Evolution of...
The Evolution of Robin Thicke is a terrible title because it begins, by definition, in Alan Thicke's loins.
Rod Stewart: Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our TimeYou can read the rest of the list at Pitchfork, but we were thinking that this year wasn't ALL bad for covers, was it? The force may no longer be with Beirut, but Gulag Orkestar's dusty yellow album cover manages to say New Mexico, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Balkan folk all at once, don't it?
Between Britney, Paris, Lindsay, and Rod, 2006 could go down as the greatest year for bad crotch-shots in world history. Let's never look back.
And the Tokyo-tinged shoegaze of Asobi Seksu's Citrus was a winner this year, but tell us you didn't just think of stuffing your face full of candy every time you looked at the album's delicious, Starburst-orange packaging. And how awesome is candy? We rest our case.
So what else ranks on your Best/Worst list? Post your picks in the comments. (Don't use html, but you can add InSound, eMusic, or Amazon URLs for all to see.) Unfortunately for Beck, The Information is disqualified from consideration under prevailing British Chart rules on album covers -- but we have faith you have some more up your sleeves.
Posted at 6:02 PM
Tags: Asobi Seksu | Beirut | Ice-T | Rod Stewart
Hands down the worst album cover of the year was ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead-So Divided
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Im sorry to disagree but...the WORST album cover of the year was just released last week!
here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Holidays-Special-Christmas-Album/dp/B000LMOGFW/sr=1-7/qid=1166232294/ref=sr_1_7/103-0151784-1109418?ie=UTF8&s=music
yeah. its Billy.
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http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000GPIPD8.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V60563569_.jpg
"But how do we let people know that we are on Nonesuch now...?"
***
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000GY729M.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V62239869_.jpg
"But how do we let people know that we rams, but but we also know hot girls...and Anton Corbijn?"
***
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000ETQRCM.01._SS400_SCLZZZZZZZ_V36340795_.jpg
"But how do we let people know that we are AWFUL?"
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It might not look too beatiful on your screen, but on my hands it is the best of this year:
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000FBFSVU.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V65254146_.jpg
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Beirut's album is called Gulag Orkestar, not Gular Orkestar; please fix it, you guys run a serious blog.
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i agree with eduardo. the hot chip cover is great.
gulag orkestar is pretty great too.
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Seriously, that Sam's Town cover didn't make either list? That thing is awful.
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Early contender for worst of '07?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Infinityonhigh.jpg
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Beirut has a new EP coming in a month or two so I wouldnt say they lost the force just yet. wait and see
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Scott - that FOB cover is whore-rendous. I was going to submit an image of their radio single (can't find a JPG), but we know (or can imagine) that the song outweighs the crapiness of the single's cover:
"But how do we let people know that we had a perverted desired to work with Babyface?"
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Compared to their previous album covers, The Decemberists' The Crane Wife had a pretty asstacular cover.
As for best album covers, Parenthetical Girls' Safe as Houses and The Awkward Stage's Heaven is for Easy Girls were both pretty rad.
http://www.slendermeanssociety.com/parenthetical/disco/safeashouses.gif
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000I2J7JA.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V35676472_.jpg
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I like deez:
++ Xiu Xiu - The Air Force++
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000H8SFA2.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V59757824_.jpg
++Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit++
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/9e/18/a417a2c008a0914ddd5aa010.L.jpg
++Beach House - S/T++
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000I0QKN8.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V40061110_.jpg
++Adrian Orange - Bitches Is Lord++
http://www.marriagerecs.com/images/bitches.jpg
The adrian orange one is cool because it's printed on a cardboard digipack sleeve and the text is all golden and shiny. Neeeeeaaat.
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Cheap Trick's Rockford http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2532/2939/1600/rockford.1.jpg
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"...with so many instruments in the mix, Beirut have hit on something wholly unique, never aping any band, nor any genre we could think of."
Band to Watch: Beirut on stereogum April '06.
What has Condon done since April to "lose the force"? Tour the entire time to get his untested live chops down? Anything else? stereogum should be above the rest of the hack bloggers that hyped Beirut long enough to get their hits from Hype Machine and elbo.ws.
I guess I think it's sorta disingenuous to give a near apology for mentioning a band you hyped in the same calendar year.
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Is recapping a Pitchfork article really necessary on Stereogum? It's preaching to the choir.
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I'm sorry, but the cover for Mates Of State's was godawful.
DwD
http://www.audiri.com/DwDunphy/
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http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/560626.jpg
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/531288.jpg
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/451176.jpg
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/544786.jpg
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/476781.jpg
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/533397.jpg
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*My* version of "The Information"'s cover isn't done yet, but it's gonna be sweeeeet....
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Silly Pitchfork, that Built to Spill cover's one of the best of the year.
Album cover of the year, hands down, goes to Annuals. That Mogwai cover's pretty good too.
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