What a crock, a totally pants cover. What happened to the superb covers done in the past by Brian. Looks like this one was done by the same guy who did the London olymics logo which is also Phu***ing awful!!!!
It's a graphic cover, at least its different from the photographic ones. I think it's better than Exciter and Speak and Spell.
They can't all be like Music for the Masses!
I'm already used to it. I'm glad the band's not appearing at the cover. That's something for other bands, not for DM, the biggest band in the world. Actually I quite like the cover art.
I remember first seeing "Music For The Masses" - what a disappointment it was comparing to "A Broken frame" for instance. This one here is something different,waaay better than the chaotic "PTA" cover or (in my opinion) worst of all DM covers - "Ultra". The black cover for the deluxe box edition is even better - simply stunning.
Generally happy with the cover.
Eclectic like the music I guess?
Not a big fan of A Broken Frame album cover (It's worse than the music).
SongsOfTheUniverse looks SIMPLE and CLEAN with a Factory Records feel to it (and that's a BIG compliment)...
Is this another work of Corbijn?
Looks Dutch to me.
I like Dutch :D design
I don't like the Wrong cover, but I think I do like SOTU. The colors make it at least seem to have some texture, rather than being just all contrast.
There are 18 pick-up-sticks here by my count. Equal to the number of new songs.
Reminds me of playing Ker-Plunk (a top view) with colored sticks and all. Wonder if Dave, Mart and Andy played Ker-plunk to pass the time during post-production and mixing. : )
When I see that first promo photo, with the band in front to a Metal Globe, i think " cool, that metal structure will be very cool in the front cover... Gray, black, white and orange. Very coll...
But THIS cover... oh, my. probrably It´s my impression cause the sequence of photo-organic color covers since the first albums...
is that a referance to the LHC? are those the particles that comes out of it when the Pb particles collide with each other? maybe it really is a cross-bow-cut of the LHC collision chamber?
Response to comment 19 saying: "Alan is sooo missing here…He wouldn’t agree with this cover".Is Alan a graphist,photographer or something?Nop! And oh,how can you tell Alan wouldn't agree with this artwork(you know his artistic tastes,you're a close friend of him,huh)? Like he would have the final word on Anton's work.What a load of rubbish!
Considering A Broken Frame is (arguably) the worst DM album but has (arguably) the best cover, let's hope SotU is the other way around.
This is the sort of artwork I'd expect my 3 year old to bring home from pre-school. Has Anton got kids...? When they ask what my son wants to do at school tomorrow, I'll suggest to his teacher he designs the new DM album cover!
Inviting the Devotees, like me, to visit my last post about the official cover, with two fanarts that I made this sunday.
Thanks!
http://www.danielhdr.com.br/?p=609
Never ever had any of the bands on all the world a cover like this, uniq, and DM made again something that is a far ahead of anyone, thanks to Anton ! Is it rubish? Maybe Is it perfect? Maybe, but it has something that really gets you either way....
Nice artwork DanielHDR! Fans would be happy if you designed the cover. Really!
FACTory: Cover art greatly enhances the way you perceive a record. It also tells you a word or two about the music inside.
From what I can see with SOTU...oo: - messy recording process with sounds flying all over the place (classic DM); final result - global loudness war which will destroy your speakers. Overall, a record of weak songs which exist together only with a help of gravity and compression.
Let's get pessimistic folks and lower our expectations.
Stylish. I'm just glad they have ditched that paint brush stroke artwork that they have been using since 'Personal Jesus'. I haven't been this excited about new DM since 1990.
48 Comments
20 February 09 at 10:39am
1
Haha, very cool!
20 February 09 at 10:50am
2
Hmmm... it's no A Broken Frame is it? I hope the music is better than the cover.
20 February 09 at 10:58am
3
oh no....... Why didn't they talk to Brian Griffin to make SOTU cover....? I'm going to put the back cover as a front
20 February 09 at 11:31am
4
fucking awful!!!!
20 February 09 at 11:38am
5
The worst cover in the discography
20 February 09 at 12:20pm
6
WOHOOOO!!!A great cover!It definitely grabs my attention!
20 February 09 at 12:28pm
7
the cover for the deluxe edition is SUPERBE chek it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SOTU_Deluxe_Box.jpg
20 February 09 at 2:33pm
8
Please make another cover! this is too Kanye West "heartbreak & 808's" album style.Make a Cool,hell's of album cover.
20 February 09 at 2:36pm
9
sorry "WRONG" album name i mean:"808's & heartbreak"
20 February 09 at 2:38pm
10
What a crock, a totally pants cover. What happened to the superb covers done in the past by Brian. Looks like this one was done by the same guy who did the London olymics logo which is also Phu***ing awful!!!!
20 February 09 at 2:39pm
11
It's a graphic cover, at least its different from the photographic ones. I think it's better than Exciter and Speak and Spell. They can't all be like Music for the Masses!
20 February 09 at 2:47pm
12
I like it, for once there's some colour in it and so maybe the tour t-shirts etc won't be all black with crappy pictures of the band on them!
20 February 09 at 2:48pm
13
I thought the cover of "WRONG" was the worse one. This one definitely settles for the worst DM cover in the discography. Miss the old days.
20 February 09 at 3:11pm
14
I'm already used to it. I'm glad the band's not appearing at the cover. That's something for other bands, not for DM, the biggest band in the world. Actually I quite like the cover art.
20 February 09 at 3:23pm
15
I remember first seeing "Music For The Masses" - what a disappointment it was comparing to "A Broken frame" for instance. This one here is something different,waaay better than the chaotic "PTA" cover or (in my opinion) worst of all DM covers - "Ultra". The black cover for the deluxe box edition is even better - simply stunning.
20 February 09 at 4:39pm
16
It looks sorta pro-gay to me. Not a problem, just preparing myself that someone is coming out.
20 February 09 at 5:26pm
17
Nice cover.. I don't know why people get so annoyed at such things though, it's just a cover!
20 February 09 at 6:30pm
18
Alan is sooo missing here... He wouldn't agree with this cover
20 February 09 at 7:17pm
19
I like this cover. It is very nice.
20 February 09 at 7:22pm
20
Generally happy with the cover. Eclectic like the music I guess? Not a big fan of A Broken Frame album cover (It's worse than the music). SongsOfTheUniverse looks SIMPLE and CLEAN with a Factory Records feel to it (and that's a BIG compliment)... Is this another work of Corbijn? Looks Dutch to me. I like Dutch :D design
20 February 09 at 7:36pm
21
It's growing on me. I think it's supposed to be a pin cushion! I mean, this IS Depeche Mode here. Pain is the name of the game.
20 February 09 at 7:39pm
22
Yeah! Now I see it! Smart!
20 February 09 at 7:55pm
23
I don't like the Wrong cover, but I think I do like SOTU. The colors make it at least seem to have some texture, rather than being just all contrast. There are 18 pick-up-sticks here by my count. Equal to the number of new songs.
20 February 09 at 8:55pm
24
Reminds me of playing Ker-Plunk (a top view) with colored sticks and all. Wonder if Dave, Mart and Andy played Ker-plunk to pass the time during post-production and mixing. : )
20 February 09 at 9:24pm
25
I love the cover... best since MFTM
20 February 09 at 9:38pm
26
The best cover in the Universe!
20 February 09 at 10:40pm
27
I really like it, it has a nice retro/modern feel to it. Fantastic!
20 February 09 at 10:44pm
28
it looks like moscow subway map )))
21 February 09 at 12:45am
29
...and all you arses that hate it will buy the t-shirt.
21 February 09 at 12:47am
30
Well, honestly it looks ok, but I think Music for the masses and The Violator covers were far superior thant this one. It could be better.
21 February 09 at 5:35am
31
When I see that first promo photo, with the band in front to a Metal Globe, i think " cool, that metal structure will be very cool in the front cover... Gray, black, white and orange. Very coll... But THIS cover... oh, my. probrably It´s my impression cause the sequence of photo-organic color covers since the first albums...
21 February 09 at 7:55am
32
too cartoony for me, ULTRA is the best cover and layout for me followed with SOFAD, for singles SOFAD's singles era are just brilliant :)
21 February 09 at 2:20pm
33
is that a referance to the LHC? are those the particles that comes out of it when the Pb particles collide with each other? maybe it really is a cross-bow-cut of the LHC collision chamber?
21 February 09 at 4:32pm
34
Response to comment 19 saying: "Alan is sooo missing here…He wouldn’t agree with this cover".Is Alan a graphist,photographer or something?Nop! And oh,how can you tell Alan wouldn't agree with this artwork(you know his artistic tastes,you're a close friend of him,huh)? Like he would have the final word on Anton's work.What a load of rubbish!
22 February 09 at 8:24am
35
Patrick 101, you the man,sumed up stupid nonsense comments completely, well done.
22 February 09 at 3:24pm
36
Its not a bad cover, they've had better, but then again its not the cover you listen to, is it, its the music that counts, or is it!?!
22 February 09 at 8:00pm
37
Considering A Broken Frame is (arguably) the worst DM album but has (arguably) the best cover, let's hope SotU is the other way around. This is the sort of artwork I'd expect my 3 year old to bring home from pre-school. Has Anton got kids...? When they ask what my son wants to do at school tomorrow, I'll suggest to his teacher he designs the new DM album cover!
23 February 09 at 12:32am
38
Come on guys, you can't be serious. You can make a better cover than that.
23 February 09 at 1:23am
39
Inviting the Devotees, like me, to visit my last post about the official cover, with two fanarts that I made this sunday. Thanks! http://www.danielhdr.com.br/?p=609
23 February 09 at 2:40am
40
PLEEEEEAAAAASEEEE Change it !!! Please use Anton !!!!! This was not coool....:(
23 February 09 at 9:19am
41
It's not the worst cover in the Universe, but it resembles a Moscow metro scheme. I'm kinda disappointed with it.
23 February 09 at 1:37pm
42
Never ever had any of the bands on all the world a cover like this, uniq, and DM made again something that is a far ahead of anyone, thanks to Anton ! Is it rubish? Maybe Is it perfect? Maybe, but it has something that really gets you either way....
23 February 09 at 4:02pm
43
Nice artwork DanielHDR! Fans would be happy if you designed the cover. Really! FACTory: Cover art greatly enhances the way you perceive a record. It also tells you a word or two about the music inside. From what I can see with SOTU...oo: - messy recording process with sounds flying all over the place (classic DM); final result - global loudness war which will destroy your speakers. Overall, a record of weak songs which exist together only with a help of gravity and compression. Let's get pessimistic folks and lower our expectations.
24 February 09 at 12:16am
44
Stylish. I'm just glad they have ditched that paint brush stroke artwork that they have been using since 'Personal Jesus'. I haven't been this excited about new DM since 1990.
24 February 09 at 12:59am
45
Simple, stylish, striking, new yet old. Not much more needs to be said. Does its job. Damn slick job, too.
24 February 09 at 1:04am
46
Ivan, thanks for your comment here. feel free to add comments and sugestions in my blogpost http://www.danielhdr.com.br/?p=609
22 April 09 at 4:11am
47
it looks like you're looking down a Mattel Kerplunk game tube. I like it! Thanks guys, I love the new album! Shell
26 April 09 at 10:54pm
48
Here's a cover for next album: http://www.metro.ru/map/1986/metro.ru-1986map-big2.jpg