Saturday, July 3, 2021

Album Covers

In case you've ever wondered what the cover images are on each of my albums, here you go, coming to you directly from an inside source:



Petrichor (2021) - the inside of Jamie's pocket. This was an accidental photo that I digitally manipulated in an attempt to make it look like an abstract oil painting. Personally, I rather like it, plus it seemed to fit the vibe of the album. That's more or less my criteria when designing cover art. 


Embers (2021) - the image was taken by NASA, as I do not own a high-powered orbital telescope. I cropped it and adjusted the colors, thereby offering my artistic interpretation of the image. It's a nebula, which is kind of like embers in space. It denotes both a tumultuous ending and a beautiful beginning. 

You may have noticed that this is my only album that does not have my name or the title on the cover. This is because I am not so full of myself as to project these words upon a starlit sky. Not once have I ever looked up at the vast depths of space and said, "You know what this needs? My name in letters that extend for light years."


Better Days (2019) - the back of my son's head at the Chicago Art Institute. Jamie took this photo (on purpose). For a while, we both took credit, but I eventually conceded, as I think it just looked like a picture that I wished I had taken, and we shared a camera at the time. 

I've always thought that it looked like an album cover, even well before I was producing my own music. I love the composition and color balance. It's like if U2's Boy was made by the Beastie Boys.


Good Night, Fahrenheit (2017) - a sunrise in Micronesia, as seen from the top of a very steep hill. I know, based on the album title, you probably expected it to be a sunset. You can still pretend. That's what I do. 


Mechanical Bull (2017) - a ferris wheel at a fully operational amusement park in the Republic of Moldova. I did not ride it, but I found it to be aesthetically interesting, like stepping back in time to whenever this thing was most recently inspected by the proper authorities. I'm guessing 1982-ish.


Weather Patterns (2017) - the view from the ground looking up, witnessing a garden hose spray water over me and beneath a couple of trees. Now that I say that, it's probably obvious, but I'd be curious how many people would have guessed it.

...............................................................................

Part of the fun in being 100% responsible for an album is getting to design the cover art. Of course, I also play every instrument and wrote every track, each of which I also recorded and produced myself in the open room of our house that doubles as an office space and triples as a media room. As far as I'm concerned, that's about as indie and underground as a musician can get. Frankly, it's kind of amazing that you've even heard of me. Good for you. You probably didn't even know that you were that hip.

Please keep in mind that as a one-man-band, I am also a one-man publicity and marketing team (who rarely uses social media, choosing instead to communicate with listeners by way of this blog). I very much need your help in reaching a broader audience. To that end, please share my songs with anyone you know who is roughly as cool as you are and ask them to do the same. This is how it spreads, and I cannot do it without you.

No comments:

Post a Comment