Best of 2013 - Top 10 Album Covers

In the old days, you would walk into a record store and look for some new music. Maybe you'd ask the hipster running the cashier for some advice, or maybe you'd just meander through the stacks before landing upon your chosen purchase. This is where good album artwork used to come in -- a compelling image or an artist's vacant stare from the front of a square, plastic mechanism could determine what you left the store with in hand. Now, we might not choose most of our music from the record store, but nevertheless album covers can say a lot about an artist, their sound, and, of course, their image. Here's Intersections' top ten picks for best album covers of 2013. If you think we've missed something, let us know in the comments!

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

The dinosaur skull acknowledges that Alice in Chains itself is an anachronism, as 90s grunge has fallen out of favor and does not belong in the current "Indie" rock age. It's a pretty funky and memorable cover, though it doesn't come close to being iconic as the band's Faceliftor Dirt. For meta-music reasons, this cover deserves some kudos. - Harrison Blackman

Darwin Deez - Songs for Imaginative People

It's amazing because he shows how simple his image is -- just a headband and a wife beater. He isn't trying hard to be someone he's not and that makes his music that much better.- Jarron McAllister

Deafheaven - Sunbather

Beautiful in its simplicity, and perfectly proportioned. Plus, that font is beautiful. -Jarred Mihalik

Ghostface Killah - 12 Reasons to Die

Minimalism is so 2012 and the first Ghostface cover that isn't entirely embarrassing deserves some recognition. The vintage movie poster is captivating and reflects the Hollywood epic level intensity of the album perfectly.- Cailin Hong

Kanye West - Yeezus

The simple, home recording studio look fits the rough sound of Yeezus. Plus, you could argue that this isn't an album cover at all, just like some might say Yeezus isn't musical at all.- Lisa Femia and Amy Garland

Laura Mvula - Sing to the Moon

I love when album covers can express genre and style at the same time. Mvula's modern grace comes across in this simple, sepia portrait. Its sophistication and her beauty mimic the magical, orchestral soul of the album.- Amy Garland

Little Daylight - Tunnel Vision

Perhaps the most interesting part of this album's artwork is its counterpart: Little Daylight took the non-remixed album cover and inverted the placement of the color for the remix. The idea of illustrating a remix visually was fantastic. Also, the clean simplicity of the design and the font choice are fantastic.- Lara Norgaard

Pusha T - My Name is My Name

The lone barcode set against a white background might confuse many listeners, but this album cover perfectly encapsulates the minimalist aesthetic of the album as a more lyrically bountiful, less adventurous companion to Yeezus. Plus, the artwork fits perfectly with Pusha's dope slanger persona. When you buy this album, an all white brick with a lone barcode in the center, it feels like you are buying a brick of coke from Pusha back in his hustling days.- Jeff Liu

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

The slightly dystopian, vintage look of this album cover depicts exactly what Vampire Weekend accomplish in Modern Vampires of the City - a critical, wistful take on our modern times. And, as always, they nail the typography.- Rachel Klebanov and Amy Garland

 

Wild Cub - Youth

For the group's debut album, the title and the image of two kids sprawled out on the grass are so fitting. The simplicity and innocence of this cover reflect the album's energy and summery feel.- Karen Jin