In the present day, what kind of relationship do art and music have with each other? Does each field have the kinship with the other as they have in the past? Let’s go back for a moment.

There are a number of known musicians who attended art school; John Lennon (The Beatles), Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno (Roxy Music), Ray Davies (The Kinks), and Pete Townshend (The Who). The genre art rock is difficult to pigeonhole, but is generally rock music which incorporates the avant-garde and experimental, as is often more album-oriented than single-driven, though the line between this genre and progressive rock is at times blurry.

An important band, and one of my favourites, which has often been equated with art and experimental rock are the Velvet Underground, a 60’s group proving immensely influential on countless later acts. Though also known for being influenced by literature and film, the band’s association with Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable and his art for their debut album in ‘67, The Velvet Underground & Nico (probably one of the most instantly-recognizable album covers of all-time), allowed for an immediate link between the band and the sort of pop art that they sonically represented.

“Art rock” can encompass progressive bands like Genesis, Yes, and King Crimson, certain glam-associated artists (David Bowie, Roxy Music), and also art punk (Television, Talking Heads). There are a newer batch of artists which have been associated with the term, like TV on the Radio and Franz Ferdinand, who employ similar aesthetics as some of the earlier groups mentioned, often with a post-punky flair. Last.fm’s list of artists tagged as art rock is an interesting browse, proving again that genre definitions can indeed be quite subjective.

But what about rock art? Album covers, concert posters, imagery in music videos; they are inextricably connected with our favourite bands and songs, making them all the more iconic and memorable. The fashion associated with particular music scenes often just as strong of a cultural impression as the music itself (gothic, punk, metal, etc.).

And now, we come to 2008. In August, graphic designer Peter Saville declared the album cover as “dead” (article at Gigwise), pointing to the prevalence of digital downloads as the reason for the decline. After all, what would a downloader care about the album art? I do. Album covers can clue you in to what to expect sound-wise and serve as works of art on their own. Even being born in the age of the CD, and subsequently mp3, I have bought albums I enjoy on vinyl primarily to have an expanded form of the art.

A record album cover is slightly larger than 12” x 12” (see image of 1938 first album cover at right). A CD cover is 4.75” x 4.75. Digital album art varies, though usually the size of a normal CD cover or smaller. For many people, the only time they see it is when it appears as a minute square on their digital media player. Many mp3s, ZIP, and RAR files do not have album images attached at all. Album designers and bands themselves may (and arguably already have started to) disregard the medium in the same way that both new and old music videos often go unseen unless a fan decides to trawl YouTube for it. New and vintage concert posters have had a renewed popularity (see massive selection at GigPosters), and fashion’s relationship with music is currently a bit confusing and mostly seems to boil down to fruitless arguments over what constitutes a “scenester”.

What could be interpreted as an unfortunate waning of significance of art in the music world could also be an opportunity for designers everywhere to put their heads together and do something about it. Inspiration is everywhere, just as always, if not more so because of the infinite springboard for ideas that the digital realm offers. Keep your eyes open and your ears listening. And, feel free to share your memories of, and outlook on, music+art in the comments!

I’ll leave you with an artsy video, and 80’s classic…:
Blue Monday - New Order


Del.icio.us | Digg | Technorati | Blinklist | Furl | Newsvine