I was once in a rock band called XL Birdsuit. I designed our first album packaging. Here’s the story: In Minotaur City is a metaphor for Cow Town, or Calgary (the city where the band was based). By converting the Cow into a Minotaur, singer Paul Coutts was attempting to mythologize Calgary, and state that he couldn’t get out of the labyrinth that is Calgary. As for the packaging, I wanted it to look like the music sounded – raw, intense and sometimes illegible. I went with a collage approach as I felt it would lend itself to the layered feel of the music. I tore every piece of paper (no cutting!) as to reflect the rawness. I used bandaids and medical tape so as to make perfectly clear where the bonds were made. Underneath everything was a drawing I did of a labyrinth-ized map of Calgary. The city streets became a mad mess that no one could find their way through.
Liz Ikiriko was the photographer.
Below is the spread of the previous 3 images:
Below is the spread of the previous 3 images:
