Over the past six weeks or so, we’ve faithfully devoted this space to exposing horrid album art. Ruthlessly toiling through the Express mail bin, we’ve dug out the worst of the worst — the ugly, the cheesy, the misrepresentative — and put them on display for all to mock (or defend, as the case may be). Not once have we favorably judged a record by its cover. Today, that changes. Canadian indie rockers Shapes and Sizes don’t provide a description or artist credit for the image on the cover of their debut record, but we suspect it’s a watercolor painting. Regardless of medium, it depicts in vivid color a flying bird-cyclops casting rays of light upon a green whale. In the background, a pink mountain juts against a blood-red sky. It’s all framed by two bands of soothing brown. Fantastic cover art, if you ask us, and just druggy enough to make us want to listen to the thing. So local and low-budget bands take note: find a friend who can draw or take pictures, pay them a bit for use of an image you like (or if you’re feeling lucky, commission a piece), and slap it on the front of your next release. It’s a win-win.
.Sound by Its Cover: Shapes and Sizes’ self-titled
