There's something about this kind of Banksy-esque album cover that looks so prematurely dated and crap now. I can think of at least three examples, but there must be more:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HGVKKPNML._SL500_AA300_.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c8/Green_Day_-_21st_Century_Breakdown_cover.jpg/220px-Green_Day_-_21st_Century_Breakdown_cover.jpghttp://www.dance-lyrics.com/ama/three_cheers_for_sweet_revenge_b00025etiw.jpg
― Quickly, take hold of my hand, asshole! (dog latin), Thursday, 9 August 2012 08:48 (twelve years ago) link
must be a suede one somewhere
― Jamie_ATP, Thursday, 9 August 2012 12:18 (twelve years ago) link
i think they looked prematurely dated and crap to begin with! there are others too i guess. i don't know if the MCR one fits, i see that as 'indie comic art'
― thomp, Thursday, 9 August 2012 12:27 (twelve years ago) link
graffiti+typeface+cd cover proportions has never been a winner
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/51/RAtM-BattleofLosAngeles.jpeg/220px-RAtM-BattleofLosAngeles.jpeg
― thomp, Thursday, 9 August 2012 12:28 (twelve years ago) link
― Jamie_ATP, Thursday, August 9, 2012 1:18 PM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
This one's probably closest:http://d.yimg.com/ec/image/v1/release/141940;encoding=jpg;size=300;fallback=defaultImage
― emil.y, Thursday, 9 August 2012 22:14 (twelve years ago) link
This is the kind of thing. They just scream Poundland resell bin the second you look at them. The Suede one also has that 'ten minutes in photoshop' thing for added shittiness.
This too:
http://img.noiset.com/images/album/manic-street-preachers-lifeblood-cd-album-art-2051.jpeg
Okay, it's not quite in keeping with the thread's original premise, but can you imagine what must have been going on in their heads when they chose that? 'Okay lads, we've fallen from popularity - let's have an album cover that really reflects that and will look even more bloody dreadful in a cracked CD jewelcase lying at the bottom of a dusty old cardboard box in somebody's attic'.
― Quickly, take hold of my hand, asshole! (dog latin), Thursday, 9 August 2012 22:41 (twelve years ago) link
Was reminded of this thread recently...
Not two people embracing, but I'm fascinated by the early 00s CD cover aesthetic - the one where bands (especially UK pop-rock acts on their 4th or 5th album) decided to go for a minimal style, usually with lots of white space and bold neo-grotesque typefaces. I guess they were going for something stark and clean, but if anything's aged badly it's gotta be this.
This cover for a start, the Manics' 'Lifeblood' already looks like the jewel case has been damaged and chucked in a cut-out bin:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Manicstreetpreachers_lifeblood.png
I was reminded of this aesthetic while Spotifying the Charlatans' back catalogue (don't ask why), when I came across their 2001 offering 'Wonderland'
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Wonderlandcharlatanscover.jpg/220px-Wonderlandcharlatanscover.jpg
Not as stark or as minimalist but definitely of its era. Mentioned upthread is Suede's 'Head Music' from 1999, but also 'A New Morning' from 2002 which features a CD on the cover, right at the time iPods were about to blow up
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/67/Head_music.jpg/220px-Head_music.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/af/A_new_morning.jpg/220px-A_new_morning.jpg
Maybe these guys were excited about design packages of the time. Or maybe they thought they were making a new White Album or Rumours or whatever but instead it just looks cheap, as though they couldn't afford proper album art and thought 'this will do'.
Of course it wasn't limited to ageing indie bands. Christina Aguilera's 'Stripped' goes for a more ornate font but keeps the plain white cover:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/Christina_Aguilera_-_Stripped.jpg
Any more?
― Shat Parp (dog latin), Wednesday, 19 July 2017 13:39 (seven years ago) link
I'm not doing this right, but am reminded of things like:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Zec1uPOIL._SY355_.jpg
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31NPHV01G2L.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Moby_play.JPG
http://diffuser.fm/files/2014/11/Mutations-Inside.jpg
― how's life, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 14:55 (seven years ago) link
this made me think of Revelations by Gene, iirc the CD booklet for this was printed on super-shiny paper, which I think may have been the case for a few of these?
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/415YpqezHnL._SY355_.jpg
― soref, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 16:14 (seven years ago) link
That Charlatans one makes me think of The Essential series of greatest hits comps
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/MJ-Essential.jpg
― how's life, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 16:56 (seven years ago) link
This seems like it fits:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41WT7WGXN6L.jpg
― Gavin, Leeds, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 17:18 (seven years ago) link
the springsteen and waits covers always struck me as more of a my-cousin-knows-photoshop aesthetic
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 17:19 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, I knew they didn't quite fit. That's a good assessment though.
That Placebo is spot-on for this.
― how's life, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 17:39 (seven years ago) link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antics_(album)#/media/File:Interpol-Antics.jpg
― how's life, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 17:40 (seven years ago) link