2013 in Review: Prelude – Best Album Art

[The 2013 in Review Series]

0. Prelude – Best Album Art
1. Introduction
2. R&B and Soul
3. Rock and Alternative
4. Rap and Hip-hop
5. Dance and Electronica
6. Pop, Ballad and Folk
7. Jazz, Crossover and Other
8. Best Collaborative Work
9. Rookie of the Year
10. Song of the Year
11. Artist of the Year
12. Album of the Year
13. Staff Picks
14. Miscellanea and Loose Ends
15. Concluding Remarks

It’s that time of year again: the third annual Hellokpop Year in Review series kicks off tomorrow, and like last year we’ve got a slight teaser of what’s coming up in the two-week series. Here is a collection of 100 album covers that I think are 2013’s best – some of them backed up by the quality of the musical product inside and some not, but that’s no matter for today. Some of the covers below are evocative, while others are funny, and still others are grotesque, pretty, poignant, silly, or just plain weird. It’s an eclectic mix that reflects the diversity and creativity of the industry as a whole.

Some notes:

1. The list is organized in alphabetical order of artist name. (Korean names are Romanized.)
2. Just like in the main series, the time period considered is December 1, 2012 through November 30, 2013. So albums released after December 1 of this year are not included.
3. 47 of these albums are set to be represented in some way (whether through the album, a song in the album, or the artist) in the main Year in Review series – making this a very partial sneak peek into the next two weeks.
3. There were 156 albums I originally selected as candidates to appear here before trimming to 100. Needless to say, there are many, many more pieces of great cover art out there even beyond my initial 156. If I’ve missed or omitted any of your favorites, please share in the comments!

Gallery: Best Album Art 2013

Sources: Album art – Daum Music