By: Eli Grimes
New music is released almost daily by thousands of different artists, both acclaimed and unnoticed. The music they produce is obviously the focal point of their pursuits, but it's often the artistry of an album cover that gathers much of the attention from fans and critics alike. The last decade has provided many memorable albums, so as we push further into the 20's let's look back at ten of my favorite album covers.
10. Brothers -The Black Keys
This cover isn't exactly the most thought-provoking selection you can find, but it's the simplicity and straight forward approach by Michael Carney; visual artist and brother of lead drummer of The Black Keys, Patrick Carney.
Check out this album and The Black Keys on Spotify!
9. 2 -Mac Demarco
The album as a whole is absolutely one of my favorites, but the cover really conveys what it means at face value. Demarco is excellent at delivering emotion through his lyrics and ultimately has a deeper message. The cover does that as well as his lyrics.
Check out this album and Mac Demarco on Spotify!
8. Never Trust A Happy Song -Grouplove
Aside from the fact this album contains one of the greatest songs to belt along to in "Tongue Tied", the cover throws me back to a time when Snapchat was brand new, the Harry Potter movies came to an end, and Wikipedia was 10 years old. Points for nostalgia, Grouplove.
7. American Teen -Khalid
Maybe this is a stretch, but this cover is so simple that it works. The entire album conveys what it means to feel like a teenager transitioning into adulthood, which can be a struggle. Khalid illustrates that sometimes taking a deep breath can help put things into perspective.
Checkout Khalid and his music on Spotify!
6. Kids -Mac Miller
Mac Miller not only left a legacy of incredible hits and collaborations with other great artists, but his album covers never seemed to miss. This cover describes perfectly what the album entails in a clever acronym. Gone too soon, Mac Miller deserves this mention.
Checkout the KIDS album and Mac Miller's other content on Spotify!
5. Graduation -Kanye West
Take your pick of Ye's best album cover, but the man dominated the 2010's in terms of impact. Graduation employed Ye's "Dropout Bear" from his previous albums Late Registration and The College Dropout, providing some continuity for the legendary artist. This, along with vibrant colors on the cover, make for a Top 5 Album Cover in my humble opinion.
Checkout Ye and all his music on Spotify!
4. Night Visions -Imagine Dragons
Dan Reynolds and Imagine Dragons broke into the scene in 2012 and have continued to create chart-topping hits ever since. Imagine Dragons has been a personal favorite of mine since junior high and they've created their own standalone sound. This album cover can be interpreted in many ways, but that's how I receive it.
3. Stoney -Post Malone
Post Malone has created some timeless music over the last decade and this album was no exception. Once again, the cover portrays exactly how the album sounds and feels. It peaked at #4 on The Billboard 200.
Checkout Post Malone and his Stoney album on Spotify!
2. Currents -Tame Impala
The Currents album from Tame Impala is so abstract, yet aesthetically pleasing that it deserves a Top 2 spot on this list. Not only does this album feature "The Less I Know The Better" an all-time classic, but the artist himself Kevin Parker has close to 15 million monthly listeners. Not an easy feat.
Checkout Tame Impala and their album Currents on Spotify!
Flower Boy -Tyler The Creator
Flower Boy in simplest terms is beautiful. Whether it be the album cover or the content of the album, all around the artistry is gorgeous. Tyler The Creator delivers his message of a carefree attitude and enjoying life as best as you can in the best way possible. The album is more than deserving of a number one spot.
Thanks for the read, let me know how wrong or right I am Bash Nation!
We can at least all agree that the 2010s decade was a phenomenal era for music and left us an abundance of hits to choose from.