“As I started developing my collection, it became visually obvious that there is a trend for this genre,” says Brooklyn designer Josh Smith of his digital library of indie music. “I actually began to get confused and clicked on the wrong album, thinking it was a different band.”
Keeping some of those trends in mind, Smith created “Album Cover Rules,” a site that charts some of the most popular design elements in music today: all circles, equilateral triangles, and Instagram-style washed-out photos. It’s a bit like Paul Lamere’s Boil the Frog, but with visuals instead of audio.
“The ‘hipster’ scene now associated with indie music has an emerging aesthetic that blends ’80s, vintage themes and colors with a DIY vibe and adds in quirky abstractions,” Smith told Co.Design. “This would explain the vibrant colors, dreamy abstract visuals, and a less-polished, non-corporate finish on the covers.”
Kids songs suck... But not when they're covered by your favorite musical acts like sort of Grimes, Vampire Weekend and Danny Brown! That’s why ANIMAL made you this… “Indie Kidz Songs” — the best music compilation for kids OF ALL TIME [recently] featuring timeless children's classics covered by very cool indie…
Now for some groovy geometric digital art from Andy Gilmore of Rochester, NY. Staring into his explosive, kaleidoscopic designs kind of makes you feel dizzy, but in a good way, like you just ate some mushrooms and are frolicking through a sunny field. The illustrations are supposedly Gilmore's visual interpretations of…
It's been years in the making, but Modest Mouse has finally confirmed its new album, Strangers to Ourselves, it's first since 2007. Fans have likely heard some of the indie rock band's new music at concerts, but the group just dropped the lead single, "Lampshades on Fire," on The Current.…