One of the many things we're proud of doing here is pairing up writers with music we like and/or find interesting, music worthy of their time and words. To celebrate our first year online, we thought we'd highlight some of their reviews—and the albums they've written about—by taking visual cues. We invited Ryan Polich, who illustrated Groovemine’s fab new banner (see above), to pick his favorite illustration-driven albums covers. His favorite ten, along with his commentary, are below. See more of Ryan's work here.





1.) Drift by Nosaj Thing  [read the review]
Artwork by Yu Seung Kim, Christiane Holzheid, and Julia Tsao
The simplicity of the art is what makes this one a winner. Geometric shapes float in a void, existing as origami planes, birds, or sea life. The subdued color palette keeps it from being too stark and dramatic, and the use of shade and tone gives depth to what would otherwise just be a bunch of triangles. Probably one of the best instances where the album title and the art on the cover complement each other perfectly.




2.) Die Stadt Muzikanten by Woodpigeon  [read the review]
Artwork by Jeff Kulak
What I love about this cover is the little world that exists here. I don't know much about this place, but the people look friendly, the houses are colorful, and there's some great scenery if you travel by train. A really expansive environment is created in a small space, and it sparks the imagination.




3.) Fever Ray (self-titled)  [read the review]
Artwork by Martin Ander
Just some fantastic line work here. When you see woodcuts like this, it's usually in a children’s book, and while this piece certainly does begin to tell a story, I have the feeling it's not a friendly one. There's a really dark and ominous feel to this that makes me not want to go outside at night. Nice work.




4.) Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear  [read the review]
Artwork by William O'Brien
Abstract work has to really have some depth for me to respond to it, and the Veckatimest cover has it. Linking fractured geometry with the experience of listening to music just seems to work somehow.




5.) You Can Have What You Want by Papercuts  [read the review]
Artwork by David Enos
This reminds me of the art that was all over the place on sci-fi novels from the 60s and 70s. Are these sprawling faceless people falling from a UFO? Being born from some sort of space egg? Washed away down a cosmic drain? The vagueness of this scene gives it life and mystery.




6.) Wolfgang Amadeus by Phoenix  [read the review] 
Artwork by Jody Barton, Laurent Brancowitz, and Marc Alary
Simply iconic. What's great about this piece is how minimal it is—as an illustrator and designer, it can be extremely difficult to restrain yourself to this degree. It's a lot easier to get carried away adding elements to a piece of art that will eventually sink it. This gets kudos because they knew when to stop fiddling with it, so it retains a lot of that fresh energy.




7.) Vetiver (self-titled)  [read the review]
Artwork by ?
Well, if you haven't noticed by now, I'm partial to art that tells a story, and it doesn't get more story-tellin' than this. The image of the man stopped in his tracks by the vision of a glowing spark in the distance just revs the imagination. On top of that, this is just a well-executed illustration, with a great use of line work and shading.




8.) We Hear You by Luke Vibert  [read the review]
Artwork by ?
This one is just ridiculous, and that's why it's great. A bunch of little hastily-drawn teddy bear faces on a giant spiky cactus? Funny, unexpected, and a little demented. Just don't hug 'em.




9.) Machine Dreams by Little Dragon  [read the review]
Artwork by ?
There's a lot going on here, and the whole piece has the feel of some crazy feverish nightmare, full of spooky eyes and legs and hands. The use of color is great, and there's a ton of motion created by all these freaky creatures. It's one of those pieces you can just sit and stare at for awhile.




10.) The Music Scene by Blockhead  [read the review]
Artwork by Owen Brozman and Matt Rota
I just really love the care put into this illustration. There's an overwhelming consistency to it that makes an image of a post-apocalyptic zoo city seem peaceful and fun. And to top it all off, that turtle just has a ton of personality.




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