Top 20 Countdown - no.2

For 2009

No.2 - Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin

Her best album for quite a while. See my post about it in the top-20 for the decade. She is in top form again - if only someone can tell her that she does not have to fill all the available cd space.

For the 00's

No.2 - Burial - Untrue

The soundtrack of our times, the sound of the decade, otherworldly music but yet so urban, so close to being the music that plays all the time in our minds, in the air, everywhere. And an archangel behind me at all times.

A little space travelling - covers no.17

For 2009 - Loney Dear - Dear John

Most people might think that the Loney Dear album cover is a great looking graphic. In fact it is a legandary object, at least to those of us who grew up with the Voyager satellites going out in space, promises of new, uncharted worlds opening out before us. This is the golden record that is stored in the Voyager satellites, in case an intelligent life form out there finds it and wants to know more about who made it. You can see an explanatory diagramm below the record and read more about it here. I have no more information about the design of the cover than the name of Emil's live-gig photographer, Kate Gaughran.

For the 00's - Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin

See how the outer case and the inner fold-out sleeve fit to make the keyhole effect

Keyhole in place - peeping Tori!

Limited edition packaging galore! Only the actual CD is missing (the record you see peeping out is the DVD)

What a great package. Not only the music is good but, as is the norm with Tori, the album artwork rules. Especially the limited edition pack, which includes a special booklet, a poster and a DVD with visualettes for the songs. It even has a little key-hole at the back, from which you peep Tori! Art direction and design were done by Christopher Kornmann for spit and image. This graphic design studio specialises in beautifull album artwork, so it was a natural choice. For the album's photographic component, Amos enlisted fashion photographer Karen Collins. "I love the way (Collins) shoots women," Amos stated about the photographer's work. "It's not vulgar or demeaning, but I find it just sexy. They look empowered to me, and I like her style." The setting for the album's artwork is a cream-colored hotel room, with various photos of Amos depicting different ideas of sensuality through images such as voyeurism and sadomasochism, both of which tie into the ideas of power explored throughout the album. And although she does appear a bit too photoshopped in them, the photos are gorgeous.

Top 20 Countdown - no.17

For 2009

No.17 - Loney Dear - Dear John

Sweden is a hotbed of good music. There must be something in the water, I cannot explain it otherwise. This fifth(!) album of multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen finds him with all the usual characteristics of the Scandinavian music wave (charming melodies, great beats, melancholy mood) but with a personality all of his own. Lovely dear Emil.

For the 00's

No.17 - Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted to Sin

She finally did it. So many years she kept on releasing mediocre albums that other ladies would kill for. Not to say this one is without flaws, far from it. But she's back in top song-writing form again for more than two or three tunes on an album that could use some fine editing - then it would be perfection. But who is perfect?