Dolly Parton, Kelis, Troye Sivan Rock All the Feels

Some of these images are darn sexy, too

Album covers do not always capture my imagination like videos. But most of these sleeves are engraved in my brain from back in the day, when I’d go to CD stores to listen to music through plasticky shared headphones (you know the ones), album cover in hand, staring at people around me … taking in the vibes. So, most images on this list will be older covers.

While they might flash by quicker in a digital blur, a couple of newer ones have still managed to lodge themselves in my mind. The selection shows what I’m inspired by in work life: How different people color their experience of being human in their own personal ways. Through love, anger, glitter, passion, entertainment, explosion, art.

George Michael

Faith (1987)

I just love George Michael! RIP. He had the voice of an angel and soooo many great albums and visuals. This one is iconic because he was hiding in plain sight until he came out later in his career. 

Miles Davis

Bitches Brew (1970)

This cover is so dreamy and just draws you into the world of the music. It’s tempestuous and lush. A good reminder that our god is in ecstasy, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Yves Tumor

Safe in the Hands Of Love (2018)

An image that immediately captures my moody and emotional soul. And it fits the tracks so well: colorful, angry, poetic, bold. Yves Tumor is on his own frequency. 

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Solid State Survivor (1979)

Great album with a cover like a movie scene. Really triggers the imagination and adds dimensions to the tracks. 

Troye Sivan

Something to Give Each Other (2023)

I love this cover because it brings the happiness and sexiness we all need in our lives—as does the music. Perfect sexy cover for perfect sexy album. 

Kelis

Kaleidoscope (1999)

As a teenager I was obsessed with Kelis—her magic, her rawness. These visuals capture her in such a mysterious way and it immediately drew my attention as a girl in a CD store. Still does.

Rush

Hemispheres (1978)

Sometimes when I go to bed, I ask my brain to think of something while I go to sleep: “Old friend, old friend, what would you do?” This psychedelic depiction reminds me of that and also of a Dali painting. The music is a bit silly but it also works with the trippy roadmap of the mind.

Sufjan Stevens

Carrie & Lowell (2015)

This album stimulates my dormant but always present melancholic tendencies, and the cover perfectly captures the mood. Who are these faded people? What were they to each other? Why does time pass and break all our hearts?! (But the only way our hearts expand is by cracking open).

Dolly Parton

Dolly (2009)

Hard to pick which Dolly album is the best because they are all fabulous, but I love how very Batman she is in this one. She’s so kitsch and real at the same time.

Thierra Whack

World Wide Whack (2024)

Even though I’m not that funny, I identify with the role of the joker. Everything is honored, but nothing matters. And I love an artist who completely explores her own visual style. Thierra Whack is unique, and every time she comes out with new music or visuals, I get excited.