As 2010 draws to a close, time to take a look at some of my favourite album covers of the year. Pickings seemed slim again once more, though this wasn’t necessarily limited to the local output , with very little exciting  amongst the international offerings as well, maybe album cover design really is dead? Anyway, there are always standouts, and as usual, these are pretty much found amongst independent releases rather than the mainstream charts (with a few exceptions).

Sally Seltmann: Heart That’s Pounding
I’m not usually a big fan of the artist portrait used on the album cover, or the cop-out of not placing the title and artists name on the front – in this case, it shows a great photograph can go a long way in expressing the feel and tone of an album, even sans typography.

Jamie Oehlers & Paul Gabrowsky: On a Clear Day
Jazz label Jazzhead seldom disappoint with the design of their covers, this abstract collage is a perfect example.

PVT: Church With No Magic
A challenging album with an equally challenging and ephemeral cover.

Angus & Julia Stone: Down The Way
Challenging the theory that chart success equals average album cover design, this beautiful evocative cover was I believe, designed by the artists themselves, and also took out this years ARIA Award for best cover art.

Basement Birds
Avian motifs seemed a common theme on album covers this year, Basement Birds have carried it off the best.

Robyn Loau: Only Human
Fulfills the requirement of having the attractive artist on the cover in an interesting mesh of image and incorporated typography.

Gareth Liddiard: Strange Tourist
Great photograph, understated typography. As friend Heath Killen said: ‘The cover art perfectly illustrates what the album sounds like. One man strumming and singing in front of a fire in a dilapidated rural mansion’. What more could you ask for?

The Vasco Era: Lucille
The Vasco Era always have great album covers, this bold black and white example is no exception.

Puta Madre Brothers: Queso Y Cojones
This cover is just a perfect complement to the music, my personal favourite of the year.

Verses: Seasons
Just beautiful in every aspect.

The Transatlantics
Nice to see an Adelaide band make the list, that type just merges perfectly with a fantastic photo, I wonder who designed this?

So there you have it, I’m sure there are plenty of great covers I have missed, please feel free to add any of your own personal favourites into the comments section, maybe I’ll do another post on the suggestions if I receive enough 🙂