What better time to look at 2011’s most striking album covers than in our photography issue? The time, thought and effort that goes into creating an iconic and memorable face to a record is considerable, and the art that results should be taken extremely seriously.
 
Here are some the best (and worst, just for fun) in no particular order.
 




Adele – 21
Simple, subdued, perfect.
 













Ssion – Bent
Wonderfully kitschy.
 














Justice – Audio, Video, Disco
Epic imagery for an epic electronic record.













Four Tet – Fabriclive 59
When squids attack.
 













M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Nightmarish and dreamlike all at once.
 













Bjork – Biophilia
Miss Guomundsdottir never fails to look futuristic, slick and somehow 3D on all her album covers.
 












Feist – Metals
Feist hanging from a giant F-shaped tree overlooking mountains. A future classic.
 












St Vincent – Strange Mercy
Fun with milk and/or latex.
 










Crackpuppy – Jesus Mafia
Cujo on steroids. Offensive, sacrilegious and sexy.
 













Jennifer Hudson – I Remember Me
JHud’s “after” photo, used as album cover.


















Britney Spears – Femme Fatale
I truly don’t understand Britney’s bad weave and why it had to make an appearance on her album cover.
 








 
Battles – Gloss Drop
Pink brain goop poop? This is some nasty stuff.
 










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