I actually listen to this crap?: Best of 2013: Best/Worst Album Covers

It's the year 2013. Kids these days listen to their music on their flam-flams and jib-jabs and no one cares about album art anymore. Well I care, dammit. When listening on my preferred flim-flam, I always ensure I can see the album art on the screen because I really think a lot of thought should go into designing album art. It can add to the album's "umph" or mystique, and it can even convince me one way or the other whether I should check an album out.

So, here is my tribute to the best album covers in 2013. Well, that comes later. First, let's all ridicule these awful ones first.

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Not only does this look awful, it ruins a string of studio albums released by Daft Punk that all centered on the same visual theme. Why they decided to take the same approach 3rd graders might take when designing their first album art ("It's an album by me and my best friend so we put both our faces on it!") is beyond me.

My Bloody Valentine - mbv

Loveless: A lush, sensual, dense record that reflects it's album art perfectly.

mbv: A boring, disappointing mess that reflects it's album art perfectly.

Laurel Halo - Chance of Rain

The Knife - Shaking the Habitual

So deep, bro.

Now, the good stuff. In no particular order:

Rhye - Woman

When I say "no particular order", I meant other than Woman by Rhye. This is a gorgeous album cover that embodies the music within like no other album this year.