A Few of Our Favorite Things: AJ’s 2018 Album Covers

I’ve always loved the artwork that accompanies an album. I remember checking out a dozen CDs from the library to listen to on my dad’s Walkman and pore over the lyric booklets.

Even though most of my day-to-day listening is streamed now, I still enjoy collecting CDs and records to experience the physical copies.

A lot of great music has come out recently with visual artwork to go with it!

I’ve put together three of my favorite album covers of 2018 that pair well with their musical counterparts.

Lake Effect Kid by Fall Out Boy

Lake Effect Kid’s album art stood out the first time I saw it.

The bright pink tears look surreal against the monochromatic photography, and the mixed media style gives the piece authenticity.

“Lake effect” is a term for how lakes influence the weather of surrounding locales (we experience this here plenty in Wisconsin!).

The title track is Fall Out Boy’s ode to their hometown on Lake Michigan, or as they put it, their “love song to Chicago.”

“keeping up” by Microwave

“keeping up” is a single from the Georgia-native band Microwave that also features a heartfelt cover of the state’s song, “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles.

The artwork features the famous Georgia peach in a stained-glass inspired style, mixing organic and geometric shapes.

The artistic effects mute the peach’s vibrant colors, reflecting the bittersweet themes of Microwave’s music.

Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe

Dirty Computer is my favorite album cover of 2018 because of how glamorous and dreamy the imagery is.

Colored lighting in the photography adds interest to Janelle’s already dramatic headpiece, while the planetary background gives the work an otherworldly feel.

The title is almost hidden on the left side of the album, letting Janelle’s portrait take center stage.

This is a sci-fi concept album, so the ethereal aesthetics fittingly portray a future world.

Abby Jensen