2011 Year-End Respect For Album Cover Art

Vivian Hua 華婷婷1 min readDecember 31, 20117 comments

This in-depth feature highlights how well-executed album artwork can go beyond genre lines to expand into territories of philosophical, thematic, and conceptual significance. Perhaps now more than ever, album cover artwork plays a vital role in music.

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This in-depth feature highlights how well-executed album artwork can go beyond genre lines to expand into territories of philosophical, thematic, and conceptual significance. The amount of time and effort that goes into planning and executing album cover artwork is rarely acknowledged — but as you’ll see from the thoughtful responses shared by musicians and artists, perhaps now more than ever, album artwork is an extension of the musical product itself.

Our third annual year-end cover art recap, this year’s is the most unconventional yet. Album covers are no longer ranked in a linear fashion, but are shown on a spectrum, just like our Albums of the Year and Top Songs.

THE BREAKDOWN

   12 Collage
+ 14 Digital Illustration, Drawing, Design
+ 19 Illustration, Painting, Drawing
+ 8 Black And White Photography
+ 22 Color Photography
+ 6 Deluxe Packaging
+ 10 Fashion, Sculpture, Installation
_____________________________
   91 Album Covers For 2011

Best Of 2011 Year End ListsBest Of 2011 Year End ListsBest Of 2011 Year End ListsBest Of 2011 Year End ListsBest Of 2011 Year End ListsBest Of 2011 Year End Lists

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Vivian Hua 華婷婷

Vivian Hua 華婷婷 is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer. As the Executive Director of Northwest Film Forum in Seattle and Editor-in-Chief of the interdisciplinary arts publication, REDEFINE, much of her work unifies her metaphysical interests with her belief that art can positively transform the self and society. She regularly shares human-centered stories through her storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE! In 2020, she will [hopefully] begin production on a comedic Asian-American series entitled Reckless Spirits.

Ask Vivian about MARSHMALLOWS, cuz she's gross... and being tips for being frugal while nomading!

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2011 Year-End Respect For Album Cover Art : Digital Illustration, Drawing, Design - music art film review - REDEFINE magazine
9 years ago

[…] 31, 2011Posted in Album Cover Reviews,Art,Music,News & Features Our third-annual album cover art feature highlights how well-executed album artwork can go beyond genre lines to expand into territories of […]

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2011 Year-End List: Album Cover Art - Collage - REDEFINE magazine
9 years ago

[…] Written by AdminDecember 31, 2011Posted in Album Cover Reviews,Art,Music Our third-annual album cover art feature uses interviews with artists and musicians to highlight the philosophical, thematic, and conceptual […]

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2011 Year-End List: Album Cover Art - Deluxe Packaging - REDEFINE
9 years ago

[…] Written by AdminDecember 31, 2011Posted in Album Cover Reviews,Art,Music Our third-annual album cover art feature uses interviews with artists and musicians to highlight the philosophical, thematic, and conceptual […]

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2011 Year-End List: Album Cover Art - Illustration Painting Drawing - REDEFINE magazine
9 years ago

[…] Written by AdminDecember 31, 2011Posted in Album Cover Reviews,Art,Music Our third-annual album cover art feature uses interviews with artists and musicians to highlight the philosophical, thematic, and conceptual […]

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2011 Year-End List: Album Cover Art - Color Photography - REDEFINE
9 years ago

[…] Written by AdminDecember 31, 2011Posted in Album Cover Reviews,Art,Music Our third-annual album cover art feature uses interviews with artists and musicians to highlight the philosophical, thematic, and conceptual […]

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2011 Year-End List: Album Cover Art - Black and White Photography
9 years ago

[…] Written by AdminDecember 31, 2011Posted in Album Cover Reviews,Art,Music Our third-annual album cover art feature uses interviews with artists and musicians to highlight the philosophical, thematic, and conceptual […]

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22. Redefine Magazine’s Year End List of 2011 | The Art of Music
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[…] Link: http://www.redefinemag.com/2011/year-end-list-best-album-cover-art/ […]

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“For Housepartysea, we try to represent the underground culture and present it to the masses in a digestible way to later lead them to the real rawness of it all,” says Arel Watson, Founder, Creative Director, and DJ at Housepartysea. “In that alone, I feel like the underground DIY culture is a political movement in itself due to the history of example to house, techno, and punk. It’s Black, it’s powerful, and it all arose during the most intense times in America. We try to emulate that energy by creating a space that embarks culture learnings and the changes we want to see in Seattle. Best way to describe it is by doing it, not just saying what we are doing. Actions speak louder than words.”⠀ ⠀ Photo courtesy of Arel Watson & Housepartysea⠀ ⠀ ///⠀ ⠀ In the long-form feature, "A United Cultural Front: DIY Spaces & Culture Sustain Life Through the Pandemic," DIY organizers and organizations from around the United States share their experiences during and following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and racial reckonings of the year, along with how these landmark events forced their already adaptable communities to reassess their values.⠀ ⠀ READ IT ON REDEFINE: http://bit.ly/redefine2021diy⠀ ⠀ Article by Vivian Hua @hellomynameisvee⠀ ⠀ ///⠀ ⠀ * COLLECTIVES *⠀ @babexhouse (Seattle / Detroit)⠀ @housepartysea (Seattle)⠀ PO Box Collective (Chicago)⠀ @toe___jam (Seattle)⠀ TUF (Seattle)⠀ ⠀ * ORGANIZATIONS *⠀ @veraproject (Seattle)⠀ Redfishhbowl (Pittburgh)⠀ Civic Media Center (Gainsville)⠀ ⠀ #DIY #DIYVenue #DIYSpaces #DIYShow #DIYOrganization #DIYVenues #DIYSpace #DIYShows #DIYOrganizations #DIYCollective #DIYParty #DIYParties #DIYCollectives #DIYLife #CollectiveCare #MutualAid #ArelWatson #Housepartysea #Redfishbowl #BabeHouse
"It’s a gentle attempt at a Looney Tunes / Carl Stalling type of thing, where we’re getting a 1-to-1 fraudulent representation on screen of the sounds we hear. A tiptoeing porky pig sounds like a xylophone ascending. A puppet shaking an ancient bowl sounds like this." - Dylan Pecora In Los Angeles-based musician @patrickshiroishi‘s latest music video for “To Kill a Wind-Up Bird,” excitable free jazz comes face-to-wrinkly-puppet-face with a Looney Tunes-inspired experiment, which sets skronking sounds to mismatched visuals. Sculptor and video artist Dylan Pecora and Shiroishi offer some insight and behind-the-scenes looks into the process in the following music video premiere and interview! READ IT: https://bit.ly/redefinewindup Record out soon via @AmericanDreamsRecords <3 Picture #1: Film still Picture #2: Puppet work-in-progress #AmericanDreamsRecords #PatrickShiroishi #JapaneseAmerican #Hideki #JapaneseAmericanMusician #JapaneseAmericanMusicians #AsianAmericanMusician #AsianAmericanMusicians #FreeJazz #SouthernCaliforniaMusician #SouthernCaliforniaMusicians #DylanPecora #Experimental #LooneyTunes #CarlStalling #Skronking #Puppetry #Sculpture
HEAR FOR IT: Pacific Northwest Music Videos takes place at @NWFilmForum in Seattle during Local Sightings Film Festival: bit.ly/locosight2021hear Featuring new Pacific Northwest music videos, stitched together by the human emotions of loneliness, empowerment, breakthroughs and healing. Encompassing hip-hop, R&B, electronic, folk, choral, and numerous other genres, as well as long-form music videos set to a narrative.             Available virtually: Sep. 16–26, 2021 In-person screening at NWFF: Sep. 24 at 7pm PT             * This program is co-presented with @hrvsthouse, @veraproject and @redefinemag *    Featuring works by: - Bukky Sky – "Obsession" - Golda Sargento – "Anino Rebellion" - Nicholas Ogum – "Worthless" - Dolphin Midwives – "Clearing" - Nalimu – "Love in the Time of Corona" - Livt – "SADE TO INFINITY" - Sportstar – "Boots" - Seattle Pro Musica – "My Heart Be Brave" - BOjM – "CHASSÉ CHASSÉ" - Friends of Sage – "Illegal Teenage Montage" - Cody Jordan – "Only Thing Defined" - Golden from the Get Go – "Hey I Know You" - Nic Masangkay – "STAR" - Campana – "Matter of Time"                 GET TICKETS: bit.ly/locosight2021hear *** MAIN IMAGE: Bukky Sky – "Obsession" A singer balances love and heartache in this retro space escapade. (Hajin Yoo, US, 2021, 4 min) #FilmFestivals #SeattleFilm #SeattleFilms #SeattleFilmmaker #NWFF #NWFilmForum #NWFilms #NWFilmmakers #NWFilmmaker #SeattleFilmmakers #NWFilm #PacificNWFilms #FilmEducation #FilmWorkshops #LocalSightings2021 #LocalFilmmakers
In Los Angeles-based musician @patrickshiroishi‘s latest music video for “To Kill a Wind-Up Bird,” excitable free jazz comes face-to-wrinkly-puppet-face with a Looney Tunes-inspired experiment, which sets skronking sounds to mismatched visuals. Sculptor and video artist Dylan Pecora and Shiroishi offer some insight and behind-the-scenes looks into the process in the following music video premiere and interview: https://bit.ly/redefinewindup "It’s a gentle attempt at a Looney Tunes / Carl Stalling type of thing, where we’re getting a 1-to-1 fraudulent representation on screen of the sounds we hear. A tiptoeing porky pig sounds like a xylophone ascending. A puppet shaking an ancient bowl sounds like this." - Dylan Pecora Record out soon via @AmericanDreamsRecords <3 Picture #1: Film still Picture #2: Puppet work-in-progress #AmericanDreamsRecords #PatrickShiroishi #JapaneseAmerican #Hideki #JapaneseAmericanMusician #JapaneseAmericanMusicians #AsianAmericanMusician #AsianAmericanMusicians #FreeJazz #SouthernCaliforniaMusician #SouthernCaliforniaMusicians #DylanPecora #Experimental #LooneyTunes #CarlStalling #Skronking #Puppetry #Sculpture
A United Cultural Front: DIY Spaces & Culture Sustain Life Through the Pandemic ~ READ: bit.ly/redefine2021diy /// Located in major cities, rural areas, and all types of geographies in-between, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) organizers, collectives, and cultural spaces can encompass everything from music venues in dilapidated basements to warehouse art studios or co-op coffee shops. At its best, DIY culture embodies values and actions which prioritize the well-being of the communities that they serve, which often consists of artists on the margins. Among these might be principles of radical care, sharing economics, distributed leadership, anti-capitalist ideals, accessibility, and equity — and when properly enacted, can breed new talent, encourage innovation, and create acceptance for non-dominant populations or artistic practices. DIY can mold and hold generations of artists; yet, despite this, finds itself constantly struggling to survive in a capitalist society. In the following piece, DIY organizers and organizations from around the United States share their experiences during and following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and racial reckonings of the year, along with how these landmark events forced their already adaptable communities to reassess their values. JoJo Sacks of @civicmediacenter_ (pictured) in Gainesville, Florida, sums it up nicely, saying, “We exist as countercultural spaces, safer spaces, artistic spaces, and where people seeking community can get together socially. It is with this basis that people can organize together to create a future that builds up community in order to tear down the oppressive structures that make up the current world." Photo by @jordanemazurek /// * COLLECTIVES * @babexhouse (Seattle / Detroit) @housepartysea (Seattle) @poboxcollective (Chicago) @toe___jam (Seattle) TUF (Seattle) * ORGANIZATIONS * @veraproject (Seattle) @redfishbowl (Pittburgh) #DIY #DIYVenue #DIYSpaces #DIYShow #DIYOrganization #DIYVenues #DIYSpace #DIYShows #DIYOrganizations #DIYCollective #DIYParty #DIYParties #DIYCollectives #DIYLife #CollectiveCare #MutualAid
Early on in @WhatWeLeftUnfinished, a new documentary from filmmaker and visual artist Mariam Ghani @mostlywindows -- a man in jeans and aviators strides towards a burning tank in the desert and throws a ruthless punch at the man who set off the explosion. It’s the sort of scene one might expect from a Tom Cruise movie — but in fact, this sequence is from Agent, a 1991 Afghan propaganda film. What We Left Unfinished resurrects five unfinished films, Agent included, to tell the gripping tale of Afghanistan’s turbulent political history from 1979-98. Amidst the tumult of that period’s successive coups, revolutions, and invasions, a cadre of filmmakers and actors forged strong relationships and lasting bodies of work. Ghani’s film thrums with genuine affection for these artists, who characterize their films as documentaries, love stories, or tales of redemption, but never mere agitprop. Yet despite an obvious love for its subjects, What We Left Unfinished is ripe with contradiction and paradox, often blurring the lines between fiction, fact, and memory.⠀ ⠀ Ghani expresses the hope that her subjects’ harrowing stories would inspire both empathy and self-reflection. “What I wanted to make was something that’s not just for people interested in Afghanistan but for everyone who’s interested in these questions at the heart of filmmaking and at the heart of art-making,” she explains. “Questions like, ‘What would you do if you found yourself in this situation that these filmmakers found themselves in? What kind of bargains would you make, what kind of compromises would you make, what risks would you take?’ I think those are the questions really at the heart of the film.”⠀ ⠀ ///⠀ ⠀ READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH MARIAM GHANI - What We Left Unfinished Traces the Turbulent History of Afghanistan Through Media" by Alison Smith: https://bit.ly/redefineafghani⠀ ⠀ This film is now screening through @nwfilmforum in Seattle - http://nwfilmforum.org ~⠀ ⠀ #NWFilm #PacificNWFilms #AfghanFilm #AfghanFilms #FilmReview #FilmReviews #AfghanHistory #AfghanPolitics #MariamGhani #WhatWeLeftUnfinished #Afghanistan #Afghan
Early on in @WhatWeLeftUnfinished, a new documentary from filmmaker and visual artist Mariam Ghani @mostlywindows -- a man in jeans and aviators strides towards a burning tank in the desert and throws a ruthless punch at the man who set off the explosion. It’s the sort of scene one might expect from a Tom Cruise movie — but in fact, this sequence is from Agent, a 1991 Afghan propaganda film. What We Left Unfinished resurrects five unfinished films, Agent included, to tell the gripping tale of Afghanistan’s turbulent political history from 1979-98. Amidst the tumult of that period’s successive coups, revolutions, and invasions, a cadre of filmmakers and actors forged strong relationships and lasting bodies of work. Ghani’s film thrums with genuine affection for these artists, who characterize their films as documentaries, love stories, or tales of redemption, but never mere agitprop. Yet despite an obvious love for its subjects, What We Left Unfinished is ripe with contradiction and paradox, often blurring the lines between fiction, fact, and memory.⠀ ⠀ Ghani expresses the hope that her subjects’ harrowing stories would inspire both empathy and self-reflection. “What I wanted to make was something that’s not just for people interested in Afghanistan but for everyone who’s interested in these questions at the heart of filmmaking and at the heart of art-making,” she explains. “Questions like, ‘What would you do if you found yourself in this situation that these filmmakers found themselves in? What kind of bargains would you make, what kind of compromises would you make, what risks would you take?’ I think those are the questions really at the heart of the film.”⠀ ⠀ ///⠀ ⠀ READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH MARIAM GHANI - What We Left Unfinished Traces the Turbulent History of Afghanistan Through Media" by Alison Smith: https://bit.ly/redefineafghani⠀ ⠀ This film will be screening soon through @nwfilmforum ~⠀ ⠀ #NWFilm #PacificNWFilms #AfghanFilm #AfghanFilms #FilmReview #FilmReviews #AfghanHistory #AfghanPolitics #MariamGhani #WhatWeLeftUnfinished #Afghanistan #Afghan
Early on in @WhatWeLeftUnfinished, a new documentary from filmmaker and visual artist Mariam Ghani mostlywindows -- a man in jeans and aviators strides towards a burning tank in the desert and throws a ruthless punch at the man who set off the explosion. It’s the sort of scene one might expect from a Tom Cruise movie — but in fact, this sequence is from Agent, a 1991 Afghan propaganda film. What We Left Unfinished resurrects five unfinished films, Agent included, to tell the gripping tale of Afghanistan’s turbulent political history from 1979-98. Amidst the tumult of that period’s successive coups, revolutions, and invasions, a cadre of filmmakers and actors forged strong relationships and lasting bodies of work. Ghani’s film thrums with genuine affection for these artists, who characterize their films as documentaries, love stories, or tales of redemption, but never mere agitprop. Yet despite an obvious love for its subjects, What We Left Unfinished is ripe with contradiction and paradox, often blurring the lines between fiction, fact, and memory.⠀ ⠀ Ghani expresses the hope that her subjects’ harrowing stories would inspire both empathy and self-reflection. “What I wanted to make was something that’s not just for people interested in Afghanistan but for everyone who’s interested in these questions at the heart of filmmaking and at the heart of art-making,” she explains. “Questions like, ‘What would you do if you found yourself in this situation that these filmmakers found themselves in? What kind of bargains would you make, what kind of compromises would you make, what risks would you take?’ I think those are the questions really at the heart of the film.”⠀ ⠀ ///⠀ ⠀ READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH MARIAM GHANI - What We Left Unfinished Traces the Turbulent History of Afghanistan Through Media" by Alison Smith: https://bit.ly/redefineafghani⠀ ⠀ This film will be screening soon through @nwfilmforum ~⠀ ⠀ #NWFilm #PacificNWFilms #AfghanFilm #AfghanFilms #FilmReview #FilmReviews #AfghanHistory #AfghanPolitics #MariamGhani #WhatWeLeftUnfinished #Afghanistan #Afghan
Thrilled today to share with you an interview with filmmakers and visual artist @kolbyrowland -- whose new debut feature film CITY BY THE SOUND is what he describes as “the end result of years of daydreaming about making a movie about Seattle that isn’t such a normative film." READ THE FULL INTERVIEW: bit.ly/redefinecitysound /// Fascinating in its unconventional narrative structure and deeply personal to Rowland, City by the Sound loosely connects vignettes in a way that renders the film itself a daydream, largely driven more by emotions and visuals than clear directives. Edited by Rowland himself and with sound design that gives the visuals ample room to unfold expansively, City by the Sound speaks through “approachable abstraction,” a term the filmmaker began using years ago, while he was getting his BFA in New Genres at the San Francisco Art Institute. Without being told exactly how or what to think, viewers are guided along through the power of suggestion, as the film mixes stories about mythology with lush naturalistic visuals and characters who feel as much fiction as they are real. “Ironically, [Seattle] is a very photographed city, but I think it is still a very misunderstood city, just visually and also culturally…” Rowland shares. “Some things in the movie were just dreams coming true — finally making these images that have been with me for so long that I thought would really represent the more underlying energies and spirits of this city, better than I’ve seen in the past. Other images just come from being present in any given moment, and being present enough to notice, ‘Whoa, this is aesthetically or conceptually a really loaded situation.'” /// Watch City by the Sound at @nwfilmforum during Local Sightings between September 16-26 virtually with in-person on the 25th @ 8pm: localsightings.org for details. /// #SeattleFilm #SeattleFilms #SeattleFilmmaker #SeattleFilmmakers #NWFilm #PacificNWFilms #PortlandFilm #PortlandFilms #PortlandFilmmaker #PortlandFilmmakers #PacificNWFilmmaker #PacificNWFilmmakers
FUGETSU-DO by Kaia Rose, United States, 2021, Documentary ~ Seamlessly blending the multigenerational tale of a family-run confectionary store with the cruel history of Japanese internment within the United States, Fugetsu-Do celebrates the art of making mochi, with equal parts respect for the past and hope for the future. Read all short film recommendations from ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: https://bit.ly/redefine2021aaiff ⠀⠀ ///⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This short film is one of our TOP PICKS from the 44th Annual Asian American International Film Festival hosted by @AsianCinevision in NYC ~ See them all: https://bit.ly/redefine2021aaiff⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Proudly known as “The First Home to Asian American Cinema, the New York-based Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) entered its 44th year in 2021. Running from August 11 to 22, the festival was presented with a hybrid in-person and virtual model, which allowed for the many colors of Asian American and Pacific Islander voices to be elevated and seen across the country. Below is a quicklist of the best shorts of the festival, spanning a variety of identities, themes, and artistic styles.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #NWFF #NWFilmForum #NWFilms #NWFilmmakers #NWFilmmaker #NWFilm #PacificNWFilms #FilmEducation #FilmWorkshop #PacificNWFilmmaker #PacificNWFilmmakers #APIFilm #AAPIFilm #AAPIFilms #APIFilms #AAIFF #AsianAmericanFilm #AsianAmericanFilms #TransFilm #TransFilms #LGBTQFilm #LGBTQFilms #QueerCinema #QueerFilm #QueerFilm#LittleTokyo #LittleTokyoLA @_kaia.rose_ @fugetsudo @golittletokyo
Written by Vivian Hua 華婷婷
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2011 Year-End Respect For Album Cover Art: Deluxe Packaging
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