[Bountiful_Wasteland]

Now that I've had time to sit and think about it I realize that this style of using real photographs and adding weird digital objects reminds me of some of the artwork done for Gorillaz

[awsmsc]

yea.

[ShamanO]

Bountiful_Wasteland, on 29 April 2012 - 04:43 AM, said:

Now that I've had time to sit and think about it I realize that this style of using real photographs and adding weird digital objects reminds me of some of the artwork done for Gorillaz

:scatch:/> please give us an example.

[TwoHeadedBoy]

I dunno, I'm a bit disappointed with the album art. To me it has a "thrown together in an hour" vibe. I'll reserve any final judgements until I get a physical copy though, sometimes the right packaging adds to the artwork.

[StarsAtHome]

V_____, on 28 April 2012 - 01:32 PM, said:

I dunno. The American Gothic cover is probably their worst one in my opinion. This is way way more interesting than that.

Ha ha. Yeah, that cover art looks like a vomit? :rolleyes:/>

[whywontyoulisten]

Fernando, on 28 April 2012 - 06:32 AM, said:

More iconic because the first time you look at it, it has more impact. And that will make you remember it easily and identify it anywhere you see it again.

It doesn't mean Oceania's a bad or ugly cover, but it doesn't have the same impact as all those other pumpkins cover have.

It probably has some intensely deep meaning for Billy, and ties with the lyrical content, but to any outsider it's an incredibly dull cover; it just looks like a stock photo picked by someone else. As for the blue tint...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411mc0z9ahL.jpg

Generic middle of the road indie band sleeve is generic.

[frednirv632]

Bountiful_Wasteland, on 29 April 2012 - 04:43 AM, said:

Now that I've had time to sit and think about it I realize that this style of using real photographs and adding weird digital objects reminds me of some of the artwork done for Gorillaz

what weird digital objects? I thought it was just a photo of a tower.

[hellokittycat]

:9

This post has been edited by hellokittycat: 29 April 2012 - 04:13 PM

[DeepPurple]

The understated simplicity is the best thing about the cover. It appears to have no pretense, and isn't meant to be analyzed of its own accord. I think it speaks to the confidence that Billy has in the music. He doesn't feel he needs to sell people with a shiny, abstract, and noisy cover. Not judging a book by its cover is applicable here.

[lucciola]

Drevpile, on 28 April 2012 - 12:49 AM, said:

this is better;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Live_at_the_Lighthouse_(Elvin_Jones_album).jpg

Much. What's inside isn't bad either.

[Elphenor]

I like the cover...

[lucciola]

DeepPurple, on 29 April 2012 - 04:42 PM, said:

The understated simplicity is the best thing about the cover. It appears to have no pretense, and isn't meant to be analyzed of its own accord. I think it speaks to the confidence that Billy has in the music. He doesn't feel he needs to sell people with a shiny, abstract, and noisy cover. Not judging a book by its cover is applicable here.

I think the argument is that "understated simplicity" has been done - to death, in fact - and ironically by those same bearded indie stars Billy so loves to hate.

[frosty]

i don't really like how the trees are in the way or that they look almost as tall as the lighthouse, which is supposed to be a towering structure. and because lighthouses are so grand in appearance, sometimes it's better to be the only thing in the shot, but i guess that might lose some of the things billy is wanting to express. don't know. and yes that particular lighthouse looks kind of boring. is that really what it is? not very pretty. most that i've seen are stunning, not eye sores. :p/>

This post has been edited by frosty: 29 April 2012 - 06:50 PM

[Arachnea]

I am interested to see what the rest of the artwork looks like. I was not too impressed with the image that showed up on FaceBook. It did remind me of Solaris which piqued my interest, yet I am doubtful that was intentional.

[oryann]

lucciola, on 29 April 2012 - 04:53 PM, said:

I think the argument is that "understated simplicity" has been done - to death, in fact - and ironically by those same bearded indie stars Billy so loves to hate.

I don't think that should really matter. Every piece of art deserves to be evaluated on its own. I feel that "understated simplicity" is a pretty broad thing, and can have so many possibilities.. I guess we'll see when the full package is released, music and all, but that's just the way I look at it.

I'm not saying everyone HAS to like the cover, but I don't think it's fair to say 'it's been done before.'

I agree with DeepPurple, I feel Billy is confident enough with the music to USE something simplistic, maybe it means more than a fancier, more vibrant cover would offer with the music.

Just my two cents :)/>

[LostSoul]

frosty, on 29 April 2012 - 06:50 PM, said:

i don't really like how the trees are in the way or that they look almost as tall as the lighthouse, which is supposed to be a towering structure. and because lighthouses are so grand in appearance, sometimes it's better to be the only thing in the shot, but i guess that might lose some of the things billy is wanting to express. don't know. and yes that particular lighthouse looks kind of boring. is that really what it is? not very pretty. most that i've seen are stunning, not eye sores. :p/>

Pretty sure if he made the light house taller than the trees, the sense of isolation he so wishes to convey would be lost. Whoops.

[frosty]

that's true.

[lucciola]

oryann, on 29 April 2012 - 07:02 PM, said:

Every piece of art deserves to be evaluated on its own.

yes and no, I think. Art should be appreciated as a singular entity, yes. You like it or you don't. It resonates with you or it doesn't, and that's that. No explanation required. Art is better evaluated within an understood framework - the artist's own body of work, that of his peers, etc. To keep with Billy's theme, no artist is an island unto himself. That said, I'm hardly convinced an SP album cover deserves an indepth evaluation. We're all reading far too much into this nondescript image because we've grown impatient waiting for new music.

Quote

I feel that "understated simplicity" is a pretty broad thing, and can have so many possibilities.. I guess we'll see when the full package is released, music and all, but that's just the way I look at it.

Agreed, it's pretty broad. Still, I think when we opened Drevpile's "generic indie rock cover" link, we all knew what he meant.

fwiw I haven't said I dislike the cover. On the contrary, it's strangely difficult to dislike. It is entirely inoffensive. (whether that is a positive quality, I'll leave to your discretion) What I tried to do was point out that DeepPurple's observation in favor of the cover is essentially no different than that of the opposing view. In other words, "understated simplicity", while generally considered favorable, is now so common a style tactic it often elicits not much more than "meh"

[oryann]

lucciola, on 29 April 2012 - 09:20 PM, said:

yes and no, I think. Art should be appreciated as a singular entity, yes. You like it or you don't. It resonates with you or it doesn't, and that's that. No explanation required. Art is better evaluated within an understood framework - the artist's own body of work, that of his peers, etc. To keep with Billy's theme, no artist is an island unto himself. That said, I'm hardly convinced an SP album cover deserves an indepth evaluation. We're all reading far too much into this nondescript image because we've grown impatient waiting for new music.



Agreed, it's pretty broad. Still, I think when we opened Drevpile's "generic indie rock cover" link, we all knew what he meant.

fwiw I haven't said I dislike the cover. On the contrary, it's strangely difficult to dislike. It is entirely inoffensive. (whether that is a positive quality, I'll leave to your discretion) What I tried to do was point out that DeepPurple's observation in favor of the cover is essentially no different than that of the opposing view. In other words, "understated simplicity", while generally considered favorable, is now so common a style tactic it often elicits not much more than "meh"

All good points, I agree with you pretty much as a whole.

Now when I said all art deserves evaluation, I meant just separate from other work (from other artists). I didn't mean you had to sit down and deeply evaluate it haha. I just think people are comparing it and ridiculing it unjustly, while certain comparisons aren't really necessary.

And yeah I understand that the simplicity is a common tactic that, I also agree, generally elicits a 'meh,' I don't think it's fair to judge it BECAUSE of its simplicity. Simplicity can be either used ingeniously and emphasize a message or just as a cheap tactic. IMHO, from what I gather about the thematic content of the album it fits quite well, but I could be mistaken. :happy:/>

Having said all this, I think we can all agree that it's at least a step up from the Teargarden artwork.. good god. :rofl:/>

[lucciola]

oryann, on 29 April 2012 - 09:32 PM, said:

All good points, I agree with you pretty much as a whole.

Now when I said all art deserves evaluation, I meant just separate from other work (from other artists). I didn't mean you had to sit down and deeply evaluate it haha. I just think people are comparing it and ridiculing it unjustly, while certain comparisons aren't really necessary.

And yeah I understand that the simplicity is a common tactic that, I also agree, generally elicits a 'meh,' I don't think it's fair to judge it BECAUSE of its simplicity. Simplicity can be either used ingeniously and emphasize a message or just as a cheap tactic. IMHO, from what I gather about the thematic content of the album it fits quite well, but I could be mistaken. :happy:/>

Having said all this, I think we can all agree that it's at least a step up from the Teargarden artwork.. good god. :rofl:/>

:lol:/> Honestly, first thing I noticed was he had finally abandoned the Chinese take out font. God bless!

[oryann]

lucciola, on 29 April 2012 - 09:53 PM, said:

:lol:/> Honestly, first thing I noticed was he had finally abandoned the Chinese take out font. God bless!

:cheers:/> same here... hahahha

[Opaldiamon]

 Quasar::concept.jpg (493.36K)
Number of downloads: 60

[ShamanO]

^^^oh look it's Porcelina

[marquisinspades]

'Boring, cold, lazy' is my distilled summary.

They could have taken any picture of a dilapidated seaside resort in winter and summed up 'expansive loneliness' better imho.

I really want something iconic like SD for an lp cover, and yet we get 'indie album cover by numbers' as others already said.

Billy could have pulled his wrestling finger out a couple of months back and got a fan artwork submission going via an 'Unlucky 13' - would have been more interesting than asking fans 'what unreleased material do you want releasing' - 'like durrrr - all of it'.

[MrRed]

Arachnea, on 29 April 2012 - 06:58 PM, said:

I am interested to see what the rest of the artwork looks like. I was not too impressed with the image that showed up on FaceBook. It did remind me of Solaris which piqued my interest, yet I am doubtful that was intentional.

Which Solaris, the Tarkovsky version or Soderberg remake? This is important!

[lucciola]

MrRed, on 30 April 2012 - 04:43 AM, said:

Which Solaris, the Tarkovsky version or Soderberg remake? This is important!

Billy has many times stated his appreciation of Tarkovsky. Don't think he's ever mentioned the Soderberg remake. Solaris is exceptionally fertile ground(even the remake, in its way, if you're able to look past Clooney) and a subtle tip of the hat might correspond well with Oceania's themes. Would certainly be nice if he were headed in that direction but I doubt it.

[Arachnea]

MrRed, on 30 April 2012 - 04:43 AM, said:

Which Solaris, the Tarkovsky version or Soderberg remake? This is important!

Tarkovsky, of course! I have not seen the Soderberg remake.

[nasalscarecrow]

I thought the remake was pretty good to be honest. Quicker paced of course but not bad at all.

[patj825]

I really like the cover. Great mood. Not what I expected, but then why should it be.

[serotoninsage]

Billy should have hired Machinist to take a good landscape cover photo.

ShamanO, on 27 April 2012 - 04:42 PM, said:

connect the dots...

zOMG, you got to stage 2 of the Oashian mystery! yer so smert!

This post has been edited by serotoninsage: 30 April 2012 - 10:48 AM

[werideatdusk]

i like the mood. and agree about the american gothic booklet - that's an underrated bit of SP art. i think SP packaging has always been interesting and i look forward to the booklet! only the zwan album stands out as a major disappointment for me.

[Simon]

"The hauntingly beautiful image was photographed by Richard Shay, son of Chicago legend Art Shay. "
http://www.msopr.com...illy-corgan-qa/

[MrRed]

lucciola, on 30 April 2012 - 04:57 AM, said:

Billy has many times stated his appreciation of Tarkovsky. Don't think he's ever mentioned the Soderberg remake. Solaris is exceptionally fertile ground(even the remake, in its way, if you're able to look past Clooney) and a subtle tip of the hat might correspond well with Oceania's themes. Would certainly be nice if he were headed in that direction but I doubt it.

I didn't know Billy is a Tarkovsky fan, all the better! :cheers:/>

[TwoHeadedBoy]

MrRed, on 30 April 2012 - 04:01 PM, said:

I didn't know Billy is a Tarkovsky fan, all the better! :cheers:/>

I was quite pleased when he referenced Andrei Rublev. Ol' Billy has good taste in film :thumbsup:/>

Still trying to warm up to the cover. The idea is cool, but the execution kind of makes it look like a cover for an album being released for free on bandcamp.

[Magick]

Cover has a new age feel to it. This gets better and better

[manuglass]

Opaldiamon, on 29 April 2012 - 10:20 PM, said:

Quasar::concept.jpg

This one's pretty cool.

[ShamanO]

why is there a "picture" for Quasar? it's not a single, since Billy and the band aren't planning on a single. unless it's going to be bootlegged out somehow? or did they change their minds all of the sudden?

[Raoul]

The album cover won't win any newbies over but i personally don't really care. It's ok without being offensive and if the music is good - then it will always look better and "make sense".

I think its worth remembering that Oceania is still a part of TBK. I think the cover fits in with the general feel and such to TBK so far and seems relevant enough to me. Not sure why people are totally attacking it to be honest, what were you expecting?

[LostSoul]

Raoul, on 01 May 2012 - 12:12 AM, said:

what were you expecting?

Well...apparently...

marquisinspades, on 30 April 2012 - 02:46 AM, said:

I really want something iconic like SD for an lp cover, and yet we get 'indie album cover by numbers' as others already said.

Expecting him to somehow replicate something musically or visually from the original band is absurd. This is today. If the music is good, it will stand well enough on its own. There is nothing wrong with the cover, and it actually conveys the feeling of isolation that Billy spoke of. Where's the issue? Or, would they prefer another Zeitgeist cover?

[davidp2007]

LostSoul, on 01 May 2012 - 02:39 AM, said:

Expecting him to somehow replicate something musically or visually from the original band is absurd. This is today. If the music is good, it will stand well enough on its own. There is nothing wrong with the cover, and it actually conveys the feeling of isolation that Billy spoke of. Where's the issue? Or, would they prefer another Zeitgeist cover?

I definitely prefer this cover to Zeitgeist's, which I didn't really like very much.

[DrownPumpkin]

I like it, and i don't think it's much more simple than past artworks. Band photo with fish-eye lens? A random pair of Siamese twins? I think it evokes a sense of beauty and isolation Billy was gunning for.

[JSapp]

Oceania got a plug on the alternative station on XM on my way to work this morning

[MrRed]

marquisinspades, on 30 April 2012 - 02:46 AM, said:

I really want something iconic like SD for an lp cover, and yet we get 'indie album cover by numbers' as others already said.

The SD album cover is only iconic because the album is iconic. If SD was a shit album, no one would remember the album cover.

Same goes for this. The music may strengthen the album cover and art or not.

Plus, I don't think this is the 'Indie album cover by numbers,' that would be more like the band doing nothing but standing in some generic landscape. There is apparent thought and purpose behind this. We'll just have to wait and see what that is.

[Simon]

MrRed, on 01 May 2012 - 06:37 AM, said:

The SD album cover is only iconic because the album is iconic. If SD was a shit album, no one would remember the album cover.

Same goes for this. The music may strengthen the album cover and art or not.

:cheers:/>