Worn live and in his marketing, his masks are “inspired by many native and ancient societies from a global viewpoint,” according to A Hidden Place, the masks’ designer, who-like Jerome-chooses to create under a veil of anonymity. Accusations aside, SBTRKT’s signature identity is unmistakably his own. SBTRKT’s Aaron Jerome would likely not take kindly to Disclosure’s Settle coming in ahead of his self-titled debut LP on this list, what with the noted observations that the Lawrence brothers’ artistic direction has resembled his own on more than one occasion (it’s been said that this funky spider is biting his style as well). It’s a fingerprint documenting an era via future art. The blurry mess of half robot noise and half punk spritz resonates on the swirly face of The Looks. The cover art, created by design/art duo Seripop, won the Juno Award for Best CD/DVD Cover Design of the Year in 2007. It makes sense, as MSTRKRFT bridged the early electro days with the dance punk revivalism of the aughts. I look at the cover now and still, to this day, have trouble distinguishing it from the used electronica bins and an of Montreal album cover reject. It’s ironic, though, how much the looks of The Looks played into the initial MSTRKRFT aesthetic. “It’s about what we can make the dancefloor look like, which is full.” “This music isn’t about what we look like or a deep statement on how the music industry looks or anything,” he told The Stranger. Keeler and his partner Al-P found it comical, as the concept of “the looks” means nothing, especially in terms of dance music. Keeler, the mustached half of MSTRKRFT, the title for The Looks-the electro duo’s debut album-was inspired by an American Idol episode in which judge Randy Jackson critiqued a female contestant on having “the looks” to make it big but lacking the actual talent.

Tortoise – It’s All Around You (2004)Īccording to Jesse F. With that in mind, and after much deliberation, we give you our 100 favorites.

Even in a time when album art has been reduced from the expansive real estate of a vinyl sleeve to the 150-pixel icon on your Spotify stream, that cover still serves as a signifier-from an enticing vehicle for music discovery to the familiar ID in your saved favorites. This isn’t about the music or the act behind it-at least, that’s what we kept having to tell ourselves during this selection process. Is the image unique? Does it undeniably grab one’s attention? Does it shock and stir, or does it simply please the eye? Does it succeed as a complete graphic, as opposed to simply slapping some text over an image? Was it groundbreaking or relevant at the time, and has it wedged itself into our cultural memory to this day? What makes an album cover great-or important? Obviously, a pleasing visual aesthetic is paramount, but of course, that’s subjective.

Pink houses album cover