Thursday, July 07, 2011
I refuse to believe it's been a year since I last did this. To recap:
Folk1/5
Mudfork - Spare Time In Bodega Bay
Mudfork's re-release of their 1997 début album, a desperate attempt by a nearly-bankrupt record label, is something only the most dedicated fans of bad music will listen to. The original release garnered harsh criticism for a plethora of excellent reasons. With their self-proclaimed lyrical genius front man even deriding this move by their estranged ex-label, it would do you no harm to simply pass along the opportunity to ruin your musical taste. The time spared by not listening to this album will prolong your life and boost your libido.
Craftnote: Some asshat decided that taking a photograph of a spiral staircase would be the coolest thing ever. That is entirely fine. The part where it was decided that sharing it would be a good idea is entirely criminal.
Electronic3/5
Traverse des Sioux - Happiness Will Not Be Happy
French upstarts Traverse des Sioux has had me surrender my mind to the tunes they have presented. Happiness Will Not Be Happy has made my eardrums very happy indeed.
Craftnote: How do these photographs enter the recent interesting photos stream on flickr? Sumi-e plus ink outlines, along with a layer blend for the album title. A pixel font emenates a digital vibe, and is simply an apt choice for an album with abstract cover art.
Spoken Word
3/5
Tore Hagebakken - Of Classical Greek Culture
Hagebakken narrates from classical Greek literature over orchestral Jazz (ala Cinematic Orchestra). Exactly the kind of music to listen to while travelling at night, and that's a compliment.
Craftnote: Bird bird bird, the bird is the word.
J-Rock
2/5
Charcot Plate - Year Shalt End?
2011's start sees the industrious band Charcot Plate with another offering, much to the appreciation of their fans. Be sure to give the track "Brick Wall" a listen, as it is the first single from the album.
Craftnote: The quality of photographs on flickr is simply appalling. Appalling. The photograph was a bad group photo, so I had to extract the least offensive portion of it for the cover.
Experimental Jazz
5/5
Sergey Smirnov - Five In The Phonebook
Five In The Phonebook is the latest masterpiece by Sergey Smirnov. The album intersperses an ambient backing with periods of energetic yet smooth jazz, with touches of funk livening up some tracks. Smirnov has managed to craft a very delicate, yet enjoyable recording spanning an entire hour.
Craftnote: The orange-blue contrast is strong in this photograph. Futura and Gotham are both favourites of mine and work pretty well together. You can't go wrong with them, short of mixing them in with the Unholy Trinity: Wingdings, Papyrus and Comic Sans.
Orchestral Hip-Hop
4/5
Scenic Rim Region - Combination Of Beauty And Sublimity
Goatse Recordings' first release brings to the scene a unique aural experience. Expect a lush soundscape layered on with tight rapping. Notable tracks include "Lemon Party", "Gnaa" and "A Cup For Two Girls".
Craftnote: Yet another boring photo on flickr. Watch as I transform it into a semi-intriguing album cover! Cuba, the most delicious font ever, makes a return!
So I, inanely bored out of my insane mind, chanced upon something interesting to accomplish on the Internet. The task was simple: craft an album cover given the album's artist, title and image... randomly.
Folk1/5
Mudfork - Spare Time In Bodega Bay
Mudfork's re-release of their 1997 début album, a desperate attempt by a nearly-bankrupt record label, is something only the most dedicated fans of bad music will listen to. The original release garnered harsh criticism for a plethora of excellent reasons. With their self-proclaimed lyrical genius front man even deriding this move by their estranged ex-label, it would do you no harm to simply pass along the opportunity to ruin your musical taste. The time spared by not listening to this album will prolong your life and boost your libido.
Craftnote: Some asshat decided that taking a photograph of a spiral staircase would be the coolest thing ever. That is entirely fine. The part where it was decided that sharing it would be a good idea is entirely criminal.
(Mudfork, Virginia; The Birds; Cover)
Electronic3/5
Traverse des Sioux - Happiness Will Not Be Happy
French upstarts Traverse des Sioux has had me surrender my mind to the tunes they have presented. Happiness Will Not Be Happy has made my eardrums very happy indeed.
Craftnote: How do these photographs enter the recent interesting photos stream on flickr? Sumi-e plus ink outlines, along with a layer blend for the album title. A pixel font emenates a digital vibe, and is simply an apt choice for an album with abstract cover art.
(Traverse des Sioux; Yevgeny Yevtushenko; Cover)
Spoken Word
3/5
Tore Hagebakken - Of Classical Greek Culture
Hagebakken narrates from classical Greek literature over orchestral Jazz (ala Cinematic Orchestra). Exactly the kind of music to listen to while travelling at night, and that's a compliment.
Craftnote: Bird bird bird, the bird is the word.
(Traverse des Sioux; Robert Fox; Cover)
J-Rock
2/5
Charcot Plate - Year Shalt End?
2011's start sees the industrious band Charcot Plate with another offering, much to the appreciation of their fans. Be sure to give the track "Brick Wall" a listen, as it is the first single from the album.
Craftnote: The quality of photographs on flickr is simply appalling. Appalling. The photograph was a bad group photo, so I had to extract the least offensive portion of it for the cover.
(Charcot Plate; George Sewell; Cover)
Experimental Jazz
5/5
Sergey Smirnov - Five In The Phonebook
Five In The Phonebook is the latest masterpiece by Sergey Smirnov. The album intersperses an ambient backing with periods of energetic yet smooth jazz, with touches of funk livening up some tracks. Smirnov has managed to craft a very delicate, yet enjoyable recording spanning an entire hour.
Craftnote: The orange-blue contrast is strong in this photograph. Futura and Gotham are both favourites of mine and work pretty well together. You can't go wrong with them, short of mixing them in with the Unholy Trinity: Wingdings, Papyrus and Comic Sans.
(Sergey Sergeyevich Smirnov (geologist); Chance; Cover)
Orchestral Hip-Hop
4/5
Scenic Rim Region - Combination Of Beauty And Sublimity
Goatse Recordings' first release brings to the scene a unique aural experience. Expect a lush soundscape layered on with tight rapping. Notable tracks include "Lemon Party", "Gnaa" and "A Cup For Two Girls".
Craftnote: Yet another boring photo on flickr. Watch as I transform it into a semi-intriguing album cover! Cuba, the most delicious font ever, makes a return!
(Scenic Rim Region; James Francis Stephens; Cover)