Behind the Covers

abstract

11 cover stories in our archive

Behind the Covers' archive includes 11 album covers documented under the "abstract" design theme, spanning the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s. These covers sit within the hip-hop, rock, electronic, pop, indie, alternative, funk, soul, jazz tradition and feature work by Kanye West, Tame Impala, Panda Bear, Radiohead and others. Each entry below includes the cover artwork, the designers and photographers behind it, and a short story about the visual choices that defined the release.

The Life of Pablo by Kanye West — album cover art

The Life of Pablo by Kanye West (2016)

Kanye West commissioned neo-geo artist Peter Halley to create an abstract geometric painting, then had it photographed on a cheap disposable camera for maximum rawness. The cover changed multiple times during the album's chaotic rollout.

Label
GOOD Music
Designer
Peter Halley
Genre
Hip-Hop
Decade
2010s
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Currents by Tame Impala — album cover art

Currents by Tame Impala (2015)

Robert Beatty's abstract image of swirling liquid in vivid colors visualizes the album's theme of overwhelming change — something solid becoming liquid, a form dissolving and reforming as something new. Not chaos, but metamorphosis.

Label
Modular / Interscope
Designer
Robert Beatty
Genre
Rock, Electronic, Pop
Decade
2010s
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Person Pitch by Panda Bear — album cover art

Person Pitch by Panda Bear (2007)

Panda Bear's psychedelic masterpiece features a self-designed cover inspired by his move to Lisbon, with swirling patterns and vibrant colors that perfectly capture the album's hypnotic sound collages.

Label
Paw Tracks
Designer
Noah Lennox
Genre
Electronic, Indie, Pop
Decade
2000s
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In Rainbows by Radiohead — album cover art

In Rainbows by Radiohead (2007)

Stanley Donwood created this ethereal landscape using a revolutionary digital painting technique, layering translucent colors to mirror Radiohead's groundbreaking pay-what-you-want release strategy with equally innovative visual art that abandoned traditional album cover conventions.

Label
Self-released
Designer
Stanley Donwood
Genre
Alternative, Rock
Decade
2000s
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Silent Alarm by Bloc Party — album cover art

Silent Alarm by Bloc Party (2005)

Peter Saville transformed a simple mathematical formula into one of the most striking album covers of the 2000s, using pure geometry and bold color to capture Bloc Party's angular post-punk sound in visual form.

Label
Wichita Recordings
Designer
Peter Saville
Genre
Alternative, Rock, Indie
Decade
2000s
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Kid A by Radiohead — album cover art

Kid A by Radiohead (2000)

Created during sleepless nights fueled by anxiety about Y2K and climate change, Stanley Donwood's ghostly landscape for Kid A was painted using a light box technique that mimics the ethereal, digitally processed sound of Radiohead's most experimental album.

Label
Parlophone
Designer
Stanley Donwood
Genre
Alternative, Electronic
Decade
2000s
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Crash by Dave Matthews Band — album cover art

Crash by Dave Matthews Band (1996)

Thane Kerner's abstract illustration for Dave Matthews Band's breakthrough sophomore album has become synonymous with the band's visual identity. The enigmatic cover features flowing organic forms in muted earth tones, complemented by C. Taylor Crothers' band photography.

Label
RCA Records
Designer
Thane Kerner
Photographer
C. Taylor Crothers
Genre
Alternative
Decade
1990s
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Ten by Pearl Jam — album cover art

Ten by Pearl Jam (1991)

Pearl Jam's debut album cover features a mysterious abstract image that's actually an extreme close-up photograph of pool balls. The band wanted something that didn't scream 'grunge' and found their answer in photographer Lance Mercer's experimental macro work.

Label
Epic Records
Photographer
Lance Mercer
Genre
Alternative, Rock
Decade
1990s
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Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth — album cover art

Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth (1988)

Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation features a detail from Gerhard Richter's 1983 painting "Kerze" (Candle), cropped so tightly that most viewers don't realize they're looking at a candle flame. The band discovered the German artist's photorealistic painting in a book and used it without permission, creating one of alternative rock's most enigmatic covers.

Label
Enigma Records
Genre
Alternative, Rock
Decade
1980s
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Stand! by Sly and the Family Stone — album cover art

Stand! by Sly and the Family Stone (1969)

The explosive red-orange burst radiating from the center creates one of funk's most dynamic covers, perfectly matching the revolutionary energy of Sly Stone's music. The simple yet powerful design became a template for psychedelic soul artwork.

Label
Epic Records
Genre
Funk, Soul, Rock
Decade
1960s
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Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet — album cover art

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)

S. Neil Fujita's abstract painting for Time Out broke jazz album cover conventions, replacing typical band photos with bold modernist art that visually mirrored the experimental odd-time signatures within.

Label
Columbia Records
Designer
S. Neil Fujita
Genre
Jazz
Decade
1950s
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