Brightest Young Things

John Foster has deconstructed the design of the music 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:
Caribou “Andorra” (read Ben's Actual Record Review here)

Is it worth listening to no matter what it looks like? Heeelllllll Yes. This will almost certainly top a number of “best of 07” lists. The turn from lap pop impresario to fully formed pop genius is stunning enough but in conjunction with the solid to spectacular songwriting is Dan Snaith’s layered melodies so that every listen holds a new aural pleasure.

Credit: “Photography and art direction: Jason Evans, Layout: Matt Cooper”

Any signs of creative interference in the design process by the artist? No. Although I hope Snaith specifically requested Evans work, as it is unexplainable otherwise.

Does the look fit the sound? No. This package is everything that makes me insane in music packaging. Not only is it off the mark with the content and absolutely no assistance in helping sell the music for the artist, it also commits a far greater crime – it is uninteresting of the highest order. The clumsy but plain typography does little but continue the feel of a new age compilation to be picked up at the nearest day spa. The true offender is the yellow cast collection of vegetables and flowers on a bench that adorns the cover photograph. (Do I see the plastic grocery store container that the veggies came in or is that supposed to be there like the fork and plastic tubing and do I give a shit?) I rarely say that a plain white cover would have worked better (been done already, that one) but this is criminal to wrap such pop pleasure in this innocuous imagery.
Manitoba/Caribou had been improving musically as well as visually with each release and now that Snaith has made a mini-masterpiece it seems the energy couldn’t be mustered to do it justice on the exterior.

Final score (out of 10): 1.0 (please move that pesky do over to the right to rate the music)