They say that album artwork is dead - and judging by these examples, perhaps it should be
Michael Baggs

12:11 11th December 2013

What's that old cliche about judging book covers? It escapes us now, but it's not just great works of literature that have been saddled with some seriously ugly cover art, albums can be equally unattractive. And 2013 has been one of the most repellent years in recent memory...

Obviously, artwork has no bearing on the music, but it is important. A good record sleeve can be celebrated for years, but bad cover art will ensure the album is pushed to the back of a collection, never to be seen again.

This year has seen a vile collection of ugly examples, with bizarre images and seriously lazy record sleeves cluttering the shelves of the few remaining music stores we have on our high streets. Check out the 50 worst offenders here.

  • Lucy Spraggan - Join The Club: Maybe it would have worked if Spraggan wasn't so very clearly recoiling from her own card-tossing actions...

  • James Blunt - Moon Landing: It's the stuff of nightmares, right?

  • Dannii Minogue - The Very Best Of: There's a good idea in there somewhere - sadly, it was given to an intern to put into practice

  • Avril Lavigne - Avril Lavigne: Well, wouldn't you look this way if you woke up next to Chad Kroeger of Nickelback every morning?

  • Kanye West - Yeezus: Less is more? Nope. He just couldn't be arsed (much like the album itself)

  • Matt Cardle - Porcelain: So. Much. Face

  • Diplo - Revolution: A visual representation of how the once cutting-edge producer is becoming a parody of himself

  • Tyga - Hotel California: Initially we weren't sure whether this was amazing or awful, eventually deciding on the latter

  • Action Bronson - SAAAB Stories: We are not sure what is going on here and quite frankly don't want to know

  • Jay-Z - Magna Carta Holy Grail: "Let's just stick a grainy black and white image of two statues on there, that'll look deep and interesting"

  • Jessie J - Alive: Never has an album artwork made the viewer feel such a strong urge to punch themselves in the face

  • Stooshe - London With The Lights On: Bad photoshop, bad styling, bad everything

  • will.i.am - #willpower: Sums up will.i.am in one image - raging egomaniacal tosspot. That's without even mentioning that hair

  • Haim - Days Are Gone: Great album - lazy instagram artwork.

  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito: KILL IT. KILL IT WITH FIRE.

  • Christopher Owens - Lysandre: Oh Myspace.

  • Theme Park - Theme Park: Is this an album or an advert for C&A?

  • Tyler, The Creator - Wolf: We know this is supposed to look shit, but yeah...it does

  • Drake - Nothing Was The Same: Nothing was the same after Drake got off with that baby

  • Limits Of Desire - Small Black: Your guess is as good as ours...

  • Gucci Mane - Trap God 2: What's going on in the kitchen? We don't want to know

  • Polyphonic Spree - Yes It's True: Yeah, we remember our first crack at Photoshop too

  • The Dismemberment Plan - Uncanney Valley: If you judge a book by its cover, then this must be one hell of a horror story

  • My Bloody Valentine - MBV: The album was worth the wait, the sleeve was not. MS Paint at its finest

  • Gary Barlow - Since I Saw You Last: Concrete proof that 'duck-face' isn't just something for teenage girls on Instagram

  • Cher - Closer To The Truth: There's so much blur on the artwork, Damon Albarn should sue for copyright infringement

  • Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines: Design aside, it's the slightly apologetic look on Thicke's face that troubles us. Apologetic for what? Oh yeah, being a massive misogynist, that's what

  • Blue - Roulette: Such a shame it wasn't Russian.

  • Adam Ant - Is the Blueback Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter?: Clearly took longer on the name than the artwork.

  • Josh Groban - All That Echoes: Who feels like punching something?

  • Justin Bieber - Believe Acoustic: His right arm's disappearing here. How do we make this happen to the rest of him?

  • Twenty One Pilots - Vessel: Bert and Ernie are looking a bit rough.

  • The Blackout - Start The Party: Stop the party, it looks terrible.

  • Darwin Deez - Songs For Imaginative People: If he's trying to suggest his music is criminal he's succeeded.

  • Helloween - Straight Out Of Hell: This was released in January.

  • Tim McGraw - Two Lanes Of Freedom: If only they had cameras these days that could take the annoying reflections off your photos.

  • New Order - The Lost Sirens: Straight out of a nightmare I once had about B&Q.

  • Voivoid - Target Earth: We get it, you like things to have claws at the end.

  • Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II: It's not the nudity we object to, it's how awful the rest of the picture is.

  • Union J - Union J: Couldn't be bothered to come up with a name for the album, even less thought went into the cover for it.

  • Pusha T - My Name Is My Name: If you scan it at Lidl you'll find this artwork's worth about 2p.

  • Ellie Goulding - Halcyon: There's always a camera around when you're having the worst hair day of your life. Typical.

  • Dizzee Rascal - The Fifth: Maybe he'll have got the hang of it by the sixth.

  • Statovarius - Nemesis: I don't like the look of this girl, I think she's trouble.

  • Bon Jovi - What About Now: Guys we're about to do the art, oh sod it we'll just paint over them.

  • Kenny Chesney - Life On A Rock: Thanks for the postcard Kenny. Probably don't bother next year though eh?

  • Polica - Shulamith: Well I'm never buying that shampoo again.

  • Bo Bruce - Before I Sleep: Look at those cold dead eyes. Like a really posh shark.

  • Puscifer - Donkey Punch The Night: We see what you've done there lads.

  • Jason Derulo - Tattoos: Christ, that's nasty. Who draws tattoos on themselves above the age of four?