See These CDs

Some have said that the transition from vinyl to CD killed album art’s importance . While there may be some truth to that, I would argue that CD packaging/cases have allowed for much more innovation in regards to how we protect and decorate our precious physical media. I’ll wear my bias on my sleeve though, I didn’t grow up in the age of vinyl. Being a 2000s baby, it was the compact disc that dominated my music consumption, then the mp3, and now the soulless fake ownership that comes with on-demand streaming. CDs bridge the gap between the undeniable convenience of streaming and the fabulous physicality of vinyl; Mp3s for instant listening, and a disc(s) and case for the experience and artwork.

Unless there’s any Tibetan monks reading this, I feel it safe to say we all like having nice things. So in that vein, I’d love to showcase some of my favourite CDs I own with a focus on their unique/cool packaging!

NB: Apologies for the somewhat poor photo quality! I did the best I could with my phone camera. Photographing reflective plastic CD cases wasn’t super easy. There’s often better photos on the relevant Discog page as linked.

Lost Horizons – Lemon Jelly

Year: 2002

Discogs - Listen

Lemon Jelly’s music tends to have a warm psychedelic feeling to it. Like walking through the British countryside in summer, passing over streams, and climbing over styles. I think the album’s initial art does a really solid job of capturing this feeling. The red balloon might as well be the listener floating on a current of toasty air, propped up by Lost Horizon's eight relaxing tracks.

What sticks out to me about this album is the contrast between the artwork on the card sleeve (top left), and that of the jewel case insert (top right). Cool summer nights are very often just as delightful as a summer's day, and pulling out the jewel case to reveal the evening version of the card sleeve's artwork captures that feeling really well. Also of note is the beautiful vista on the CD sticker. I really love when CD stickers are taken seriously.

Leviathan – Mastodon

Year: 2004

Discogs - Listen

As you might be able to gather from the cover, “Leviathan” is a concept album based on Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”. I’ll be upfront – I’ve never read Moby Dick. I do however understand the story to largely be about rage, obsession, and madness. If this much is true, Leviathan gets it completely spot on! Eyes sore with salt and hands bitten by cold; I can almost imagine myself wrapped up in the fury at sea. MetalSucks even claimed Leviathan to be the best metal album of the 21st century back in 2009.

On the physical side, it’s easy to appreciate the attention to detail and decadence on show. Paul Romano’s excellent oil paintings span the cover art, as well as the booklet. Many of the pieces reference famous aquatic artworks such as The Great Wave of Kanagawa. The result of this all is an album that feels akin to an antiquarian artifact. Is that a bit over the top? Yes. But I can’t deny how FANCY this thing feels.

Lastly, it wouldn’t feel right talking about Leviathan without at least mentioning this gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpoAcXu65TM (TW for cartoon violence).

The Karma Collection – Ministry of Sound

Year: 2002

Discogs - Listen

I don’t usually go for compilation albums like this, but I’d listened to someone else’s copy of the collection and thought it was unique enough to look out for my own copy. Funnily enough, I found a copy in an Oxfam the very next day! The Karma Collection is home to thirty-five downtempo, triphop, and other veritable electronica tracks. My favourites are probably Zero 7 – Likufanele and Sunset – Nitin Sawhney.

The booklet and discs are nice and all, but the box really steals the show here. Its non-standard dimensions/shape and the mahogany/burgundy coloured velvet material demands attention. You can’t really ignore it if you’re just flicking through a collection. The reflective gold printing is the cherry on top. My copy’s lettering is a bit faded, as this is second hand. Holding and listening to this album at the same time makes for a very relaxing experience.

Cross – Justice

Year: 2004

Discogs - Listen

Justice’s Cross is a medical-grade shot of danceamphetamine straight to the motor cortex. It’s an album of lively dance tracks, distorted synths, masterfully sampled funk, and groovy punchy bass. The opening track “Genesis” uses pounding drums and ominous brass to conjure the feeling of being suited up in kevlar disco flares and a sequined plate carrier for the highest stakes dance battle in history. Funnily enough, it appears in the film John Wick 4, just before and during an incredible fight scene. It fits perfectly.

Almost every single track flows perfectly into the other, with mixed transitions. Despite each track being unique and being able to stand on its own, the thoughtful mixing, repeated motifs, and shared synths results in the album being arguably greater than the sum of its parts. In

In its default state, Cross doesn’t seem to be anything particularly special. The emblem is iconic sure, but not much to talk about otherwise. This instantly changes once you fold the card flaps out and see that it forms into an ACTUAL CROSS?! Simply put, this is one of the most uniquely packaged and plainly impressive CDs I have ever seen, and easily one of the best in my current collection.

The white speckled stars and more detailed cross artwork is awesome. On their own, the individual squares of cardboard aren’t much, but just like the tracks, they all form something greater than the sum of their parts. Though it doesn’t show in the photos, the CD sticker is pure black with raised black lettering, and the reading side is also pure black!

Cross is the gold standard for CD packaging in my opinion.

Seen These CDs

Well thanks for reading! I’d love to hear some feedback if you have any, this is my first real crack at a proper internet article. Got any cool album suggestions yourself? I’m keen to hear about that also.

A part two exploring another four interesting albums will be on my homepage at some time in the near or vastly far future. Drop me a follow on Neocities if you’d like to keep your eyes peeled for that. See you all another time!

A big thank you to MosesSHTAR for this guest article. If you enjoyed the writeup, feel free to visit his website for additional content.