THE NEW MUSICAL BOX

THE ART OF VINYL

Who would have thought that on the cusp of 2014, flattened lumps of black plastic vinyl would become cool once more? It's hardly cutting-edge technology and is fraught with danger when in use - and yet, here we are, with twelve-inch vinyl record sales burgeoning and becoming rather popular in the process. (See previous blog for some of the sales figures: Vinyl Sales Explode)

For me, it was always the complete package that was of interest. The album sleeve, preferably a gate-fold, a lyric sheet (sometimes) and the occasionally witty (and often relentlessly dull) sleeve notes all adding to the aural delights to be found on the LP itself. And it seems that the continued growth of sales has encouraged an increasing interest in those album sleeves and their artwork . This month sees the publication of the nominees for the Best Art Vinyl Award 2013, an award started in small circumstances back in 2005 and now sharing a rising profile in tandem with that increase in LP sales. 

Best Art Vinyl 2013 - Displays

The award - like so many - isn't completely altruistic as it was launched by the Art Vinyl Company, a business that manufactures bespoke and expensive wall-mounted frames so that you can better "display your vinyl treasures". Needless to say, they "protect" the album sleeve from dust (I use plastic LP sleeves) and once displayed, have a "quick release mechanism" so that you can easily switch albums over without "removing the frame from the wall". Starting prices are £51 (which buys me four or five new LPs) and with gift packs and all the rest, I'm sure it's a profitable business. 

Best Art Vinyl Display Frames

In reality, the frames do look quite stylish - and the Best Art Vinyl Award does seem to have struck a chord this year as several media outlets have covered it, so I shouldn't knock it.

The Temper Trap- 2012 Winners

Previous winners have included The Temper Traps, The Klaxons and The Fleet Foxes, each of which were striking and distinctive examples of the visual packaging of an album and so much better presented on the full majesty of a 12 inch LP rather than a cramped CD or worse, a thumbnail image on a download site. This year's nominees present a fascinating variety of styles and techniques and when all 50 are viewed, it does make the heart soar somewhat with the inventiveness and skill with which the artists present their work. It's almost album-cover porn, somewhat like flicking through the pages of one of those glossy Taschen album-cover retrospectives where overload sometimes detracts from the immediacy of each image. But, it's a Good Thing and yet another demonstration that vinyl will have a future and prove to be somewhat more than the musical cul-de-sac that many predicted when download sales rocketed.

Here are a few of my select choices from this year's nominees:

Atoms For Peace and "Judge, Jury Executioner"

I've always been a fan of artwork that shows strong contrasts, and there's not much stronger than the simple, stark lines of black and white as shown here. It's almost like a woodcut in its intensity and certainly makes it stand out. 

White Lies and "Big TV"

This is a very painterly approach, you can almost see the brush strokes and the combination of a modern day image (a hi-tech helmet) and such bright colours works really well. Again, it's a distinctive image and one that draws you in to explore the contents some more.

Van Dyke Parks and "Song Cycled"

A great lyricist is presented here with a punning piece of artwork: the bold use of primary colours with sun-bleaching overlays is a wonderful cover and although perhaps borrowing a little from the style of, say, Hockney's Californian period, it's a cover that stays in the memory.

The Leisure Society and "All Aboard The Ark"

This stylised image reminds me a little of the 1950s painted posters commissioned by what was then British Railways, posters showing landscapes and scenery from train destinations on their network. Here, simple colours and blocks work extremely well to make this cover stand out.

Paul McCartney and "New"

With his best album in some years, it's only fitting that Macca has a cover to match. It won't win, it is quite derivative, but the vertical and horizontal bars that imply the title of the album is a neat piece of design.

Gabrielle Aplin and "English Rain"

I remember seeing the music press adverts for this release by singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin. There was something intriguing about the washed out grey and white background and the stark contrast of the joyous colour figure running across the cover. Some fine photography.

Babyshambles and "Sequel To The Prequel"

From an indie band with its heart in the 1990s comes an album cover that suggests that era too, a cover echoing The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays and yet lively and vibrant at the same time.

You can catch the full set of nominees right here (Best Art Vinyl 2013) and judge the range of covers for yourselves. If you're so taken, you can also vote for your top three and submit them on-line and who knows, your input might just help push vinyl album sales up a little bit higher.

Ultimately, vinyl is not the future, but it is an interesting cultural sidetrack and one which is fully deserving of support. If this sort of award can play its part, then we shouldn't ignore it. And who knows, maybe the wider public will notice the vinyl revival and see something good in a medium that had almost been confined to the pages of musical history.  

Alan Dorey

17th November 2013