We are celebrating the end of the decade through lists, essays, and mixes. Join us as we explore the music that helped define the decade for us. More from this series
It’s telling that the decade’s most memorable innovations in cover art have breached the confines of the record sleeve. It’s a stunt Kanye West famously pulled in 2013, when CD copies of Yeezus hit shelves sans insert. The front of its jewel case stripped bare save for the edge of an orange sticker, the disc was exposed like spilled innards — a reflective organ through which one could stare at their mirror image.
It was a novel concept made even more intriguing in historical context. Yeezus dropped in the last year that revenues from physical music sales would outweigh digital proceeds, ditching the opulent presentation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy for a leaner, more efficient look fit for the streaming era. Now, at the end of the decade, as “Blood On the Leaves” or “On Sight” takes its turn in your playlist’s queue, you’re faced with a photograph of the physical product cropped into Spotify’s 1500x1500 pixel square. The disc’s immaterial surface reflects nothing.
In the digital marketplace, the square dimensions and promotional utility of cover art remain surprisingly unchanged. Save for a few animated experiments at the turn of the decade, the majority of cover art is still static. Parental advisory labels don’t serve any real purpose when slapped on a .jpg, but a mixtape cover just doesn’t look right without one — even today. Although artists have taken to bundling digital downloads with apparel, distressed ashtrays, and sex toys to rake in extra cash while gaming the Billboard charts, I still picture the square image posted onto streaming services when I think of any particular release.
As we transition into the 2020s, it’s likely that cover art will begin to assume a variety of shapes and forms. We’ve already gotten used to bumping snippets of unreleased Playboi Carti songs via ripped Instagram live clips, and somehow the tracks just don’t hit the same when they’re fully streamable in standard definition. Tierra Whack’s 2018 debut record Whack World was released as a series of 15 one-minute Instagram videos, which is infinitely more immediate and accessible than a boilerplate “link in bio” announcement. Maybe the folks uploading .gifs as mixtape covers back in 2012 were onto something.
For now, here are our favorite variations on a square we’ve seen this decade, conveniently organized into five taxonomic groups: Appendages, Flora/Fauna, Mythos, Personae, and Simulacra. Our 50-part primer on thinking outside of the box while working squarely inside it begins below.
..•´¯`•..•. APPENDAGES .•..•´¯`•..
David Bowie - The Next Day
Artist: Jonathan Barnbrook
[ISO; 2013]
Dean Blunt - The Redeemer
Artist: Dean Blunt
[Hippos in Tanks; 2013]
Dillon Wendel - Pulse
Artist: Anne Tetzlaff
[The Trilogy Tapes; 2017]
Eric Copeland - Logo My Ego
Artist: Eric Copeland
[L.I.E.S.; 2014]
felicita - frenemies
Artist: Dannie Russo
[Gum Artefacts; 2014]
Golden Living Room - Post-Internet
Artist: Michael Green
[Phinery; 2016]
Half-Japanese - Refreshing
Artist: Jad Fair
[Joyful Noise; 2014]
Parquet Courts - Wide Awaaaaake!
Artist: A. Savage
[Rough Trade; 2018]
..•´¯`•..•. FLORA / FAUNA .•..•´¯`•..
Beneath - Schlocky
Artist: Horfee
[Berceuse Heroique; 2015]
Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
Artist: Jeremy Schmidt
[Jagjaguwar; 2010]
Candy Claws - Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time
Artist: Ryan Hover
[twosyllable; 2013]
DJ Marfox - Chapa Quente
Artist: Márcio Matos
[Príncipe; 2016]
Great Dane - Beta Cat
Artist: Emily Bayer
[Alpha Pup; 2014]
ODAE - Ataraxic
Artist: @brushykb
[#veryjazzed; 2019]
Quest For Fire - Lights from Paradise
Artist: Andre Ethier
[Tee Pee; 2010]
Somasis - Spirit Songs For Lovers
Artist: Ala Flora
[Self-Released; 2019]
..•´¯`•..•. MYTHOS .•..•´¯`•..
DIIV - Oshin
Artist: Kiakshuk
[Captured Tracks; 2012]
Father - I’m a Piece of Shit
Artist: Max Reyes
[Awful; 2016]
Giant Claw - Soft Channel
Artist: Ellen Thomas & Keith Rankin
[Orange Milk; 2017]
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Nanda Collection
Artist: Steve Nakamura
[Unborde; 2013]
Lil B - Pink Flame
Artist: Uncle Grumpy Inc. a.k.a. Young Van Gogh
[Self-Released; 2013]
of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks
Artist: David Barnes
[Polyvinyl; 2012]
oOoOO - oOoOO
Artist: Alison Scarpulla
[Tri Angle; 2010]
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Artist: Rhydian Dafydd
[Atlantic; 2011]
Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania
Artist: William Keihn
[In the Red; 2011]
..•´¯`•..•. PERSONAE .•..•´¯`•..
Aaron Dilloway - Modern Jester
Artist: Aaron Dilloway
[Hanson; 2013]
Amen Dunes - Through Donkey Jaw
Artist: Deborah Turbeville
[Sacred Bones; 2011]
Arca - Xen
Artist: Jesse Kanda
[Mute; 2014]
Autre Ne Veut - Autre Ne Veut
Artist: Robert Macmillan
[Olde English Spelling Bee; 2010]
Doon Kanda - Luna
Artist: Jesse Kanda
[Hyperdub; 2018]
Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
Artist: Thebe Kgositsile
[Tan Cressida; 2018]
emamouse - plant spiral bio bombing
Artist: emamouse
[Psalmus Diuersae; 2016]
Hannah Diamond - “Attachment”
Artist: Diamond Wright
[PC Music; 2014]
Noname - Telefone
Artist: Nikko Washington
[Self-Released; 2016]
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
Artist: Virgil Finlay
[Mexican Summer; 2011]
Peewee Longway - Spaghetti Factory
Artist: KD Designz
[Empire; 2018]
Shy Glizzy - Quiet Storm
Artist: McFlyy
[300; 2017]
Yves Tumor - Experiencing the Deposit of Faith
Artist: Unknown
[Self-Released; 2017]
..•´¯`•..•. SIMULACRA .•..•´¯`•..
Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers
Artist: Amedeo Modigliani
[Modern Love; 2014]
Babyfather - BBF Hosted by DJ Escrow
Artist: Optigram (design) / Dean Blunt (concept)
[Hyperdub; 2016]
Beach Fossils - What a Pleasure
Artist: Unknown
[Captured Tracks; 2011]
James Ferraro - Far Side Virtual
Artist: James Ferraro
[Hippos in Tanks; 2011]
Kanye West - Yeezus
Artist: Kanye West & Virgil Abloh
[Def Jam; 2013]
Macintosh Plus - Floral Shoppe
Artist: Ramona Xavier
[Beer on the Rug; 2011]
Memory Tapes - Player Piano
Artist: Kazuki Takamatsu
[Carpark; 2011]
MORO - San Benito
Artist: Chino Amobi
[NON; 2016]
Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus Seven
Artist: Robert Beatty
[Warp; 2013]
Swept - Cult Desire
Artist: Mason Lindroth
[Self-Released; 2017]
The Caretaker - Everywhere at the end of time
Artist: Ivan Seal
[History Always Favours The Winners; 2016]
Travis Scott - Astroworld
Artist: David LaChapell
[Cactus Jack; 2018]
We are celebrating the end of the decade through lists, essays, and mixes. Join us as we explore the music that helped define the decade for us. More from this series
