The art of album covers
About the visual practice of record collecting
One month ago, I went to the Gerhard Richter exhibition in Paris. The now 94-year-old German painter is considered to be one of the most influential contemporary artists, and created a wide variety of works. His art ranges from the beautiful, ominous Seascapes to quite some abstract paintings, to overpainted photographs. I became familiar with the work of Richter through - what else - music. One of my favourite bands, Sonic Youth, chose Richter’s 1983 painting Candle for the cover of their iconic album Daydream Nation (1988). At first glance it looks like a blurred photograph, but in reality it‘s a painting that perfectly manages to imitate an image that’s slightly out of focus. One of my favourite Richter paintings - Ema (nude on a staircase) - causes the same confusion. Although it originally began with a photograph of Richter’s first wife, the work is a painting based on this photograph.
I’m certainly not unique when I tell you that I frequently find my favourite records based on the beauty of the cover art. Collecting records is as much a visual as an auditory practice. I’m amazed though, how often the cover art matches the music. I discover so many albums of which I find the music and the cover equally beautiful. Below you’ll find just a few of those records that have been on my mind lately. Records whose artwork, in my opinion, are - just like the music - a piece of art in themselves.
MARCH 2026
Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys - Pale Bloom
Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys is the Berlin-based band around South-African born musician Lucy Kruger. The characteristic sound of this band is built on the poetic lyrics and theatrical, often whisperlike vocals of Kruger. This is most exciting when it contrasts with the noisy aspect of the music, mainly thanks to Dutch guitarist Liú Mottes. The tracks build up slowly until they meet a sonic, often distorted eruption. On this seventh album, the band takes their time to develop a story, both lyrically and musically. From beginning to end, Pale Bloom is such a strong and haunting album revealing this mysterious story wrapped in beautiful string melodies and catchy guitar riffs.
art pop | noise | distortion | gothic pop
Victor De Roo, Alex Deforce - Nachtdichter
For Nachtdichter we go to Brussels where DJ/producer Victor De Roo and poet Alex Deforce meet for an interesting collaboration. This EP, released early 2019, represents nightlife, where people from different backgrounds meet. They are separated by cultural differences, but find each other in a dimly lit pub. A pub full of murmur and the smell of beer. It’s a place where musicians, writers and other artists find their escape to leave everyday life. The music on Nachtdichter is dark, minimalist and mysterious. Shreds of conversations from the café form the foundation of Deforce’s melancholic poems. It results in beautiful Dutch puns like: Breng de nacht dichter, breng de Nachtdichter. A celebration of nocturnal romanticism.
minimal synth | synth pop | melancholic | poetry
Bardo Pond - Peace on Venus
The American Bardo Pond was already an experienced band when they released Peace on Venus in 2013. This quite short album - consisting of just five tracks and lasting to almost 39 minutes - is the ninth album by this psychedelic band, who formed in 1991. The name of the band stems from the Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thödol) and refers to a conscious intermediate phase. According to Tibetan Buddhism, life - and afterlife - is not one continuous line, but consists of multiple bardos. Peace on Venus feels like such an intermediate state where there seems to be a lot of room for improvisation and where the music evolves into this long hypnotic or meditative state. The music is all about doom-like drums and heavily distorted guitar riffs. What makes this such a great record is this density of sounds combined with the dazzling vocals of Isobel Sollenberger and the warm sounds of the transverse flute. Sollenberger brings this soothing effect in the midst of all the heaviness.
psychedelic rock | space rock | doom | noise
Pavel Milyakov & Yana Pavlova - Blue
Blue (2021) is the collaborative album between the Russian producer Pavel Milyakov and Ukrainian experimental artist and vocalist Yana Pavlova († 2025). This intimate album consists of eight serene minimalistic tracks combining minimal bass and guitar loops with striking electronic sounds. The saxophone, played by Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches), has a prominent place on the first two tracks and mic noises, tics and other ambient sounds are audible throughout the entire album, as they’re part of the improvisational process. The musical arrangements are sometimes quite experimental and create a somewhat ominous feeling; this beautifully contrasts with Pavlova’s calm voice. The collaboration between the two artists feels like a particular one, musically and politically of course. Blue appears to be an album of hope; with the final track, Strong-Willed, being the album’s anthem.
post-punk | experimental | new wave | minimal | electronic
There is no “old” music - only music you have already heard and music you haven’t.
I had no idea about the painting behind the Daydream Nation cover, always assumed it was a photograph.. great write up 💕💕