Off the record

Two of last year's three best sleeves, as voted by the public in a poll organised by Art Vinyl, simply feature the band's logo slapped on an existing painting. Taking their retro image to the next level, Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut uses the 1559 work Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and Coldplay's Viva La Vida features the more familiar Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix — suggesting that a lack of effort can still meet with a positive response.

We've been here before with the switch from vinyl to CD, of course, which already seemed like a pitifully tiny space for artistic expression. But celebrated sleeve designers such as Peter Blake and Peter Saville have lamented that further shrinking from CDs to downloads really could be the end of good design. "It wasn't just about an iconic image on the front. It was the experience of owning something. Record covers are the art collections of young people," Saville has said, though actually his minimal designs, such as the pulsing white lines of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, are among the few that manage to remain truly distinctive in extreme reduction.

But Unknown Pleasures, as well as other simple classics such as Andy Warhol's banana for The Velvet Underground & Nico, first appeared when they could make a greater visual impact. Is it even possible for a new album to become so memorable today? Roots Manuva's Slime &
Reason, second in the Art Vinyl poll, is striking enough even on a small scale to make the grade.

Then there's Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, reviewed below, which features a green and purple optical illusion that wobbles and disorientates when you stare at it. But more common is a decision to become more creative with the non-digital side of the package.

Radiohead's In Rainbows may be famous as a frill-free, pay-what-you-like download, but it also appeared as a £40 box containing two records, two CDs and an oversized booklet of luscious artwork by long-term collaborator Stanley Donwood. Laura Marling's Alas I Cannot Swim was available as a "song box" containing a gig ticket and a memento for each track. American indie band Of Montreal recently packaged their Skeletal Lamping album with your choice of a T-shirt, tote bag or lampshade.

There is still the potential to be inventive with downloads, too. How long until we see the first animated album cover, or albums that come with a short film or game for each song? The next great sleeve design could be more interesting off the wall.

The Best Art Vinyl 2008 winners can be viewed at Rough Trade East, 91 Brick Lane, E1, from 15 Jan-18 Feb (www.artvinyl.com).

NEW ON THE NET
*Fans who can't wait a moment longer for the 19 January release of Antony and the Johnsons' torrid, heartbreaking new collection can pre-order The Crying Light at www.antonyandthejohnsons.com and receive the album as a download instantly.

*The box set no longer has to take up as much room as a Volkswagen. The iTunes store is currently plugging albums with 80 or more tracks, though they vary wildly in price. You can have 151 Gene Vincent songs for a tenner, virtually everything Abba ever did for £29.99 or an iPod-busting 773 Bob Dylan songs for a mere £169.99.

*Mash-ups are so, like, five years ago, especially those involving Jay-Z. Nevertheless a Timmy Mallett lookalike calling himself Minty Fresh Beats (right) has just made his effort available at www.jaydiohead.com. Yes, it's Radiohead with rapping, and doesn't entirely work. Dig out Danger Mouse's Jay-Z/Beatles sandwich The Grey Album instead.