Cover art. When well executed, it speaks volumes about what lies inside waiting to be listened to. If it's stylish, well laid out, thoughtful and thought provoking, it not only immediately grabs our attention, but pulls us in, forcing us to take a listen. And when idea and image gracefully intersect, it tells us what a record sounds like before we ever hear it. So to celebrate of some of the artists and designers who've produced eye catching, curiosity inducing results for their respective records, you can now vote for your favourite vinyl artwork from 2013. Check out a few of the nominations here, and find out how to vote below.
Claude VonStroke - Urban Animal LP (Dirty Bird Records). Illustration by Matt Goldman with MFG. Layout by Maz Pfiester.
Gold Panda - Trust EP (Ghostly International). Design by Andy Gilmore. Layout by Michael Cina.
Daft Punk - Get Lucky Single (Daft Life/Columbia). Concept and art direction: Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Cedric Hervet, Paul Hahn and Warren Fu.
Braids - Flourish // Perish LP (Full Time Hobby). Design by Marc Rimmer.
Bibio - Silver Wilkinson LP (Warp). Photography and design by Stephen Wilkinson. Logo design by James Burton and Stephen Wilkinson.
Dutch Uncles - Out of Touch in the Wild LP (Memphis Industries). Design by Mark 'Eddy' Edwards at DR.ME.
Bonobo - The North Borders LP
Head over to bestartvinyl.com to see the rest of 2013's nominations, and vote for your top pick from this year.
Have any suggestions the nominations missed, or think some should never have been nominated in the first place? Give us a shout!