People generally don’t buy wax anymore because digital music is easier to procure, but it’s still nice when a band expresses itself with creative cover art. In this vein, ArtVinyl has come up with their 50 nominees for best Art Vinyl in 2009. Their experts this year include Mark Sinclair of the Creative Review, Spencer Hicks from Rough Trade, and John Doran with The Quietus. After the jump, we select our top ten out of their picks. Who’d we both miss?
(1) Bat for Lashes: Two Suns, EMI. Art direction, concept: Natasha Khan. Design: Andrew Murabito. Cover photography: David Benjamin Sherry. Set design: Tony Hornecker.
(2) Skunk Anansie: Smashes & Trashes, One Little Indian. Design & Illustration: Shotopop. Photography: Derrick Santini.
(3) The Mars Volta: Octahedron, RLPE. Design: Sonny Kay. Original artwork: Jeff Jordan.
(4) Massive Attack: Splitting the Atom, Virgin. Design: Tom Hingston. Artwork: Robert del Naja, aka 3D.
(5) Jarvis Cocker: Further Complications, Rough Trade
(6) Smith Westerns: S/T, HoZac (Chicago)
(7) The Hours: See the Light, Is Good. Artwork: Damien Hirst.
(8) Baroness: Blue Record, Relapse. Artwork: John Dyer Baizley.
(9) Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca, Domino. Design: Rob Carmichael at Seen. Photography: Jason Frank
(10) Teeth of the Sea: Orphaned by the Ocean, Rocket
