Each year since 2016 Jerome has cast his discerning eye over various album covers and nominated THE BEST ALBUM COVER FOR THE YEAR. Here are some of the better album covers of 2023
culminating at the bottom with THE BEST ALBUM SLEEVE of 2023.

In the era of digital downloads and decreasing vinyl record sales, the art of LP sleeves been consigned to history. From 1948 onwards the 30 x 30 cm vinyl record sleeve has been the canvas for many brilliant and captivating images. The era of great album art was heralded by the remarkable sleeve on St Peppers in 1967. Fancy having a sleeve that folds out and includes lyrics of all the songs. This year I viewed "Squaring the Circle". “Hipgnosis” was responsible for some of the most recognizable album covers of all time. It left me lamenting the passing of that era. Relive it by viewing the dodumentary.



Counting down to THE BEST ALBUM SLEEVE of 2023
...and along the way presenting some of the better album covers of 2023.


Arnold Dreyblatt. "Resolve".


The Lathums. "From Nothing to a Little Bit More".


Blossom. "Pupil Slicer".


Alice Cooper. "Road".


Joshua Redman. "Where are we".


Caterina Barbieri. "Myuthafoo"


SBTRKT. "The Rat Road"


Carly Rae Jepsen. "The Loveliest Time" .


Sigur Rós. "ÁTTA"


Art School Girlfriend . "Soft Landing".


Paper Kites "At the roadhouse".


Boygenius. "The Rest".


VA. "Meddle Reimagined. A Tribute To Pink Floyd".


Jason Eddy. "Mississippi".


BC Camplight. "The Last Rotation of Earth".


Galya Bisengalieva. "Polygon".


Heavenly Cream. An Acoustic Tribute.


Eartheater. "Powders".

Grace Potter. "Mother Road".


Back of the sleeve.

Which brings me to ...

Magnolia Electric Co. "Sojourner".
Released in a screen-printed wooden box including a folded 12"x36" celestial map poster.
Each record comes in a separate printed jacket with a black poly lined inner sleeve.
Recordings from a prolific era in Jason Molina's career, the Sojourner deluxe edition wooden box set features tracks from the Nashville Moon, Black Ram, Sun Session, and Shohola sessions and is accompanied by a vibrant constellation map.

Vinyl Box Set includes:
Magnolia Electric Co. - Nashville Moon on Black Vinyl
Magnolia Electric Co. - Black Ram on Black Vinyl
Magnolia Electric Co. - Sun Session on Black Vinyl
Magnolia Electric Co. - Shohola on Black Vinyl
Digital download code for the album - redeemable on release day

For the first time on vinyl and returning from a long time out-of-print, Secretly Canadian re-presents The Sojourner Box Set from Magnolia Electric Co.
The four LPs that comprise The Sojourner Box Set are from four distinct recording sessions that Magnolia Electric Co. undertook following the release of their debut studio album, What Comes After The Blues. From these, sophomore album Fading Trails was born. But the four sessions, in full, chart the celestial map of Magnolia Electric Co.: its constellations and shooting stars, its Americana stompers and lean folk dirges. And, of course, the center of gravity that is Jason Molina’s mournful, incomparable voice.

The session known as “Nashville Moon” was recorded by Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studios in Chicago, Illinois. The session known as “Sun Session” was recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The session known as “Black Ram” was recorded by David Lowery at his Sound Of Music studios in Richmond, Virginia and features an entirely different cast of characters including Lowery, Rick Alverson, Andrew Bird, Molly Blackbird, Miguel Urbiztondo and Alan Weatherhead. The session known as “Shohola” was recorded by Jason Molina alone, with a guitar and microphone. With LP covers drawn from original box illustrations and with the original box’s poster included, this LP edition of The Sojourner Box Set delivers for the most ambitious and robust Magnolia Electric Co. release to date.

https://magnoliaelectriccompany.bandcamp.com/album/sojourner