Wednesday 28 December 2011

SIMONSEZ'S TOP TEN COVER ARTWORKS OF 2011!


2011 is over and what a year it's been for cover artwork and limited edition releases! as a way of rounding up the year and also thanking you for your support of the simonsez-CD blog, i thought i'd make a run down of my top 10 favourite cover artworks from the year :)

SO what are you waiting for?? look below to see who made the top ten....

10. melanie c - the sea
(album artwork)

for me this artwork was a return to form to her 'northern star' hey day (i've always loved that album's artwork). simple, elegant and hella cool.


9. florence + the machine - ceremonials
(album artwork)

effortless.


8. natalia kills - kill my boyfriend
(single artwork)

only released in the latter part of the year, this artwork still managed to strike a chord with me...something about the image and that red/turquoise colouring to the collage around the type. it works and it works well.


7. lana del rey - video games/blue jeans
(single artwork)

2011 was the jumping off point of larns' career (i'm sure 2012 will see her rise even higher) and with this being her debut artwork, the only way is up :) ... something about the 50's throwback in the palette and the logo really get me going! this is the type of cover artwork which makes me want to get the vinyl edition of it to put on my wall!


6. the saturdays - all fired up
(single artwork)

was i the only one who was so happy to see the return of "a different colour for each saturday" in 2011?! ...and i still heart their logo! i'd say that this era's artwork has been a tad hit and miss, but this definitely stands strong as an awesome cover artwork!


5. lady gaga - the edge of glory
(single artwork)

so, i had a difficult time picking an artwork from gargs' discography from 2011...i remember the feelings i felt when the 'born this way' single cover was revealed (my heart leapt and there was definite shaking n' crying...) and i love 'you and i's use of joe calderone. but there was something extra about the then-buzz single 'edge of glory's artwork, when it was released in the countdown to the album's release. to me, there was no fault to be found with it. flawless-gaga-fierce-ness.


4. dev - in the dark
(single artwork)

i still wish this had been the album cover. grace jones' artwork has always been an inspiration to me and i love the reference to it in dev's sky scraping wig and the choppy image of this cover.


3. natalia kills - perfectionist
(album artwork)

delicious to the extreme! the film noir-inspired visuals of kills have given my 2011 life. you can't falter a black/white 'n' red combo and the cross over her eyes has always kept me happy :) perfection indeed.


2. nicola roberts - cinderella's eyes
(album artwork)

NICOLA ROBERTS A.K.A. THE PATRON SAINT OF COVER ARTWORK! who knew in january that in the year ahead the red head from girls aloud would emerge as a bonafide solo star with such an eye for cover artwork! i want to take a moment to specially mention the 'beat of my drum' cover... DELECTABLE! and the 'lucky day' artwork...AMAZING! and also the 'yo-yo' artwork... INSPIRED! snaps to nix for a solid visual theme throughout all of her covers, for keeping it real and for being errryone's new fave girls alouder! :D:D


AND HERE IT IS... simonsez'S TOP COVER ARTWORK FROM 2011...

1. mýa - k.i.s.s. (keep it simple & sexy)
(album artwork)

miss mýa may have not been at the top of the charts for some time, but that has not stopped the girl's grind to keep releasing music. as she is not funded by a major record label it has sometimes led to piss-poor cover artworks (check out 'someone come get this bitch'...disgraceful). but from nowhere, this beauty of an album cover appeared! i have loved it all year and felt that my-my should come out of 2011 with at least one number 1 hit :)

p.s. love the shout out to janet's 'control' artwork (another fave) with the hand drawn markings running through it :D


and there we go. another end to another year. hope you all keep safe and well in 2012 and keep checking back to see the latest single, album and limited edition pop/r&b artwork :D:D

Monday 26 December 2011

DISCOVERED : pia mia & bella thorne - bubblegum boy

disney's latest ladies of the moment are breaking into the world of pop...and it is a CRAZYILY good attempt as well :D (seriously, though these girls are like 12...they are giving off some suuuurious swag!). artwork is pretty standard: "we're blowing bubbles as the song is called 'bubblegum boy'" and using a "photoshoot border" to show how young 'n' hip they are taking pix at a party...but it does the job and i'm all for that katy perry-inspired type :) go gurls!

Sunday 25 December 2011

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : lady gaga - stuck on fuckin' you

lady gaga decided to say "merry christmas" to all the little monsters by posting a previously unheard song 'stuck on fuckin' you'...it's not a single, but it's a lovely present with it's very own artwork:

Saturday 24 December 2011

THE WEEK'S MOST POPULAR! - 18th/24th december

ANOTHER week at the top...haha, well done again one direction boys :)


wow...they've taken over the top 2 spots...come on lads, give someone else a chance!



down one place on the chart, but still ayy lotta people looking up this artwork. personally, i'm still not mad keen on how cheap it looks...but i guess it does the job :)


well, lot's of people are interested in this artwork again. i'm assuming people have been rediscovering it for their office christmas party playlists! well done olls :D


an entry that seems out of nowhere, not only is it an older artwork from this year...but it's the japanese cover for it! well done jessie :D i'm assuming the resurgence in interest is due to her releasing the 'deluxe' and 'platinum' editions of 'who you are' for christmas time...


thatttttt wassss christmassss week'ssss mosssst popularrrrr!
:)

Friday 23 December 2011

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : cher lloyd - want u back (ft. astro)

so the single version has a feature from the x factor US finalist astro! loving the theme of the singles and album artworks :D well done cher!

Thursday 22 December 2011

NEWS : the goddess edition is on it's wayyyy!

UPDATE : check out my full post with HQ photos here!


well, what a long journey it's been. the waiting. the anticipating. the complaining. the waiting. some more waiting. but now...FINALLY...1000 copies of the 'aphrodite (the goddess edition)' are complete and are being dispatched to their eagerly awaiting new owners! just to prove that it hasn't all been an elaborate hoax, the official behind the scenes blog released it's final statement confirming that all copies were being sent out this week and also posted images of the packing of the books (showing the john zhu illustrated book bag and additional "k" logo wrapping paper).


NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : kelly clarkson - stronger (what doesn't kill you)

not as hot as her 'i'll be home for christmas' beautiful-ness, but still does the job. anyone else miss the amazingness that was her artwork for the 'my december' era?...for me, she's never come close to it since.

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : lana del rey - off to the races

this week's UK itunes free download...not larns' best song, but still a solid performance. the cover artwork yells out "buzz single" cover, but that logo is purdy, so i won't complain :D

Tuesday 20 December 2011

DISCOVERED : moxiie

new artist alert! new artist alert!! welcome to the arena...moxiie! she's serving up some MAJAH tunes (in the never dull genre of electro/pop) with her debut EP, 'jungle pop'...and it is amazing! the artwork is solid...not perfect (though i do love that logo), but as someone who has crafted these awesome tunes, there is already a foundation for her to create a visual that will propel her to super stardom :D!


i decided to include another image from her website (moxiiemusic.net) that uses that purdy logo again and also shows that she does have an eye for a loverly photo :)...i'm excited for what she has in store!


(you can download her EP for free, by "paying by tweet" here.)

NEW LOGO ARTWORK : little mix

lots of people asking about the little mix logo...so thought i'd upload it :D (little tidbit, this and the 'cannonball' artwork were designed by "form design". very talented designers!)

NEW REMIX SINGLE ARTWORK : katy perry - the one that got away (ft. b.o.b.)

 hmmm...not best pleased with this artwork. as i'm sure you know, kates is releasing a remix version of 'the one that got away' (featuring b.o.b.) to help propel the song to the top of the US charts to become 'teenage dream's (record breaking) sixth number 1 single. some people are saying this is a shady thing for an artist to do, a remix not being seen as a "real" single...but for me, it's all well and good as long as the artwork doesn't suffer. and to be honest, this cover definitely does. it looks rushed out, boring and just doesn't help but support the idea that katy is just pushing for that top spot :/


for me, i was expecting something more along the lines of this:

(made by roykmol)

or at least, this:

(made by mrnorthwes)

! updated ! NEWS : vote for the winner in shontelle's cover art contest!

so a few weeks back i posted about shontelle's cover art contest, for new buzz single 'ten to one (glasses up)'. she has chosen her top 5 entries and now fans can vote for which one will be used as it's official artwork. take a look at the five finalists and head through to her fansite, to vote for which one you think should win. personally i think they're all good efforts...but for me '002' is the strongest by far...what do you think?

001:
 002:
 003:
 004:
 005:

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : nicki minaj - stupid hoe

hmmm...so 'roman in moscow' was a buzz single for the upcoming sophomore release from nicki and the cover suited that fact. 'stupid hoe' is said to be the first official single...so why the 'buzz'-like artwork? :/ i'm hoping she blows us out the water with the album's cover as 'pink friday's was on point!

Friday 16 December 2011

THE WEEK'S MOST POPULAR! - 11th/17th december

1. (-) one direction - up all night (limited yearbook edition)
will that 1D reign let up anytime soon?? haha, lots of fans still looking for this cover...FOR ANOTHER WEEK! well done lads.


2. (new entry) sean paul - she doesn't mind
seany p's latest smash! i've already expressed my distaste for this cover (feels a tad cheap etc etc.), but you can't argue with the amount of views it's getting...


3. (re entry) one direction - gotta be you
wow...one direction...let someone else have a go at "the most popular"...JEEZ! :)



4. (new entry) jls - do you feel what i feel?
jls have released their third single from their third album, this lovely poppy jam :D loving that they're keeping a theme to this artwork (see colour, logo etc.)...and glad this one is ayyy lot less cheesy then the other covers of the era!


5. (new entry) olly murs - heart skips a beat
and another new entry...this time from olly murs :) STILL loving this song.


and that was this week's "most popular!" :D:D:D

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : ashanti - the woman you love (ft. busta rhymes)

shany is going to werrrrk for this cover!! how good does she look?! i reported a while back about a promo pic and new logo and i love that she's kept that visual up (it looks a part of the same photoshoot). coming out the gates with a strong visual only solidifies a single/album campaign...looking forward to this era!!

Thursday 15 December 2011

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : flo rida - wild ones (ft. sia)

lovvvve that sia is getting some proper mainstream attention!!...wouldn't mind some of her visual originality to go into the cover artworks she's featured on as well...but we can't have it all ;)

NEW EP ARTWORK : kelly clarkson - itunes session

wow, there's a way to wreck a beautiful image and type...slap a banner across it and edit it within an inch of it's life (making her look like a charcoal drawing...) :/ i'm assuming kelly's camp haven't had a say in this/itunes demanded that awful banner be used, but hey-hum, the EP should be really good: updated/re-worked versions of kells' best hits and a couple of covers :D

Wednesday 14 December 2011

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : mýa - somebody come get this bitch (ft. stacie & lacie)

i don't understand how the album can have such an awesomely delicious cover...but the singles for this era (this mess and 'earthquake') are just walking piles of wtf! :/