John Foster takes music packaging very seriously. He has deconstructed the design of the recording industry through his personal work and his books, Maximum Page Design (HOW), New Masters of Poster Design (Rockport) and the upcoming For Sale: Innovative Solutions in Packaging Design (HOW) as well as a monograph of Sub Pop’s Art Director, Jeff Kleinsmith, slated for publication by the label in 2008.
He will be poking and prodding various albums on a weekly basis so please be sure to keep an eye out!
This week’s victims:
Flight of the Conchords “s/t”
Is it worth listening to no matter what it looks like? Whether a fan of the HBO program about the bumbling adventures of New Zealand folkies and their incredibly slow climb towards rock stardom, there is a good chance that a comedy fan will find something funny here and a music fan will be surprised by the strong songwriting. The duo of Bret (sensitive and naïve guitarist) and Jermaine (faux sultry bassist) do far more than write novelty tunes for our enjoyment. It turns out that they have some solid tunesmith skills at hand. The record’s premise requires that they genre hop a little more than one might like on an album (but perhaps not enough for comedic value on the TV.) Even when taking on hip hop personas in live favorite “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros (feat. Rhymenoceros and the Hiphopopotamus)” they fully embrace the possibilities. Well… as much as a couple of ultra white cats from kiwiville can.
For those that picked up the Grammy nominated quickie EP that Sub Pop put out when the series debuted; the strongest track remains the same with the just plain funny as shit (and ass shaking) “Business Time.” Also included is the standout (and crushing in it’s sly humor) “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)”but missing is the heartbreaking “I’m Not Crying.” What we do get is a lot more design (see below) as well as some choice additions. Pet Shop Boys wink wink (as if the Boys aren’t “wink wink” enough) cousin “Inner City Pressure” is pretty retro catchy and funnier with each white-guilt laden listen. “Ladies of the World” reminds you how close to the line of absurdity most r+b crooners today place their little tootsies. When they sing about hermaphrodites (with utmost sincerity) and declare love for your “lady bits and your man bits too” and admit, “even you must be in to you” the humor hits on too many levels to comprehend. As “Boom” adds the smoker “she’s so hot she’s making me sexist” the lines get further blurred and I start to realize a major part of the charm to reggaeton, smooth r+b, and so many slow jams is based on the ridiculous nature of the come-ons. FotC tap into that vibe all too well. To the point that this album has just as good a chance of getting you laid as the latest R. Kelly. Well, assuming your girlie is a grad school loving skinny white girl with a chronic case of the lets get naked giggles…
Credit: “Illustrations by Tyler Stout, Art direction by Jeff Kleinsmith and Dusty Summers, Design by Jeff Kleinsmith”
Any signs of creative interference in the design process by the artist? Not that one can see.
Does the look fit the sound? I can easily be accused of being biased towards the work of Kleinsmith based on my being in the middle of a project for the label, but all you need to do is simply pick up a Sub Pop release to see that they are leading the charge in providing more for the fan that purchases the hard copy of the release rather than a handful of downloads. Jeff’s work here is stellar, but it is really his inspired choice of illustrator Tyler Stout that makes it happen. Stout’s interpretation of the band via caricature (both front and back and diecut!!!! Now we’re talking value-added!) on the inside and his use of unexpected color say all that is needed. However, he piles it on with loads of 70’s and 80’s inspired imagery, and no shortage of New Zealand references. The boys stand atop the “T” in an awkward pose with hands behind the back or in their pockets as they take it all in. The cute reversal of the type on the interior adds to the fun nature.
As you reach for the disc you get two bonuses – one easily recognizable and the other much more subtle, but no less important. The record comes with a poster folded up and it features two sides (totally unnecessary and totally cool) with variations on the cover as well as the awkward (I mean dynamic) duo and the cityscape behind them. The part you may not notice is what separates out a good and a great package. The disc is a five-color silkscreen where most any label and designer would have cut corners and gone with the four-color process version. These never look good and completely disregard the power that a nice thick screen-printed disc can hold. In order to do this you have to add budget and painstakingly set up a mechanical for five screens when you could have saved time and money (but compromised quality) by taking the shorter route. It’s touches like this that aren’t funny at all in this age of digital compromises and need to be applauded.
Final score (out of 10): 9.0 design 7.0 for the comedy/music
