Ranking the Five Grammy Award Nominees for Best Album Art

We picked the best of the best.

Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Each year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awards a Grammy for the Best Recording Package, an honor granted to the art director of the best album design. This year's nominations are a widespread panel of old and new artists and art directors. From detailed illustrations and precise graphic design to vintage photography and even sculpture, this year's roundup of album art is an impressive list, and the competition is stiff.

The five nominees for the Best Recording Package this year are Automatic Music Can Be Fun, Long Night Moon, Magna Carta...Holy Grail, Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture), and The Next Day. We went through and ranked them, with #1 being what we think should win the Grammy. The Grammys air this Sunday, January 26.

Ranking the Five Grammy Award Nominees for Best Album Art

5. Metallica, Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)

Designers: Bruce Duckworth, Sarah Moffat, Brian Steele, and David Turner
Label: Blackened Recordings

Metallica is no newbie when it comes to winning Grammys, but at number five we think Through The Never could've been a little more epic. To do something new or to stick to your legacy is a hard decision for a band with such a massive and committed fan base, but we would've liked to see them take on a challenge. Through The Never is a full motion picture, but its accompanying album art isn't quite as dynamic.

4. Geneseo, Automatic Music Can Be Fun

Designer: Annie Stoll
Label: Temperamental Recordings

The young and talented Annie Stoll has taken a graphic approach to Automatic Music Can Be Fun with a playful interaction between vintage photography and modern graphic design. The quirky symbols and jarring words printed throughout the album art definitely compliment the musicians' vibe.

3. Jay Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail

Designer: Brian Roettinger
Label: Roc Nation

Magna Carta Holy Grail features photography by Ari Marcopoulos, a very relevant and driven artist. The statue shown is Alpheus and Arethusa by Italian Renaissance sculptor Battista di Domenico Lorenzi, which resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Regardless of the mysterious reason Jay chose this subject, the sculpture along with a blocked out "Jay Z" creates an appealing clash of old and new. Like a lot of the street culture we've seen this past year, throwbacks to historical artwork seem to symbolize the beginnings of power and knowledge—certainly two qualities most rappers are looking to represent.

2. Reckless Kelly, Long Night Moon

Designers: Sarah and Shauna Dodds
Label: No Big Deal Records

Design duo sisters Sarah and Shauna Dodds are no strangers to album art and have taken a very creative turn with this work. Not only does the album feature enchanting illustrations, it also glows in the dark. The album is equipped with its own blacklight so you can discover hidden messages throughout. Also notable is that all of the astrological references are legitimate. This interactive element puts this album on the high end of our list.

1. David Bowie, The Next Day

Designer: Jonathon Barnbrook
Label: Columbia Records

Ranking at number one on our list is Jonathon Barnbrook's album design for David Bowie. The art direction of The Next Day is a contemporary update to iconic images of Bowie. Barnbrook took several well known portraits of the rocker from previous album covers and played with composition and negative space, proving that even without Bowie on the cover, he is still iconic. The simplicity of the cover plays well with the complexities of Bowie's music. It serves as not only a nod to Bowie's past, but also his integration in and influence on contemporary art.