Why I Love CDs (Sometimes)

submitted by Deena

I admit it--I'm an mp3 whore. My CD collection numbers remain stagnant for months while the number of gigs of music on my external hard drive grows almost weekly. I just can't seem to justify a CD purchase unless it's under ten bucks any more...guess I'm getting cheap in my old age.

But last week I picked up the new full-length release from Flight of the Conchords on a whim (to get an online order to qualify for free shipping), and boy am I glad I did...not because the music was remarkable (I'd heard it all from watching the show, though the album versions are all remastered), but because the packaging was simply top-notch.

Die-cut illustrations of Jemaine and Brett pop up at you when you open the CD. Look on the other side of the popup and the illustration shows them from the back, too.

The artwork, done by Tyler Stout, is quite clever. For instance, on first glance when you open the case, it appears that the cover image is printed in reverse on the inside; but when you look closely, it's actually a completely different illustration--the name of the band is the only thing that's backwards:

Plus, nestled in the folds of a packaging is a double-sided poster done by Stout as well.

They've already won for best comedy album for their 2007 EP "The Distant Future"--maybe this year holds a Best Packaging Grammy for FOTC. All I know is that if more CDs were packaged this thoughtfully, I might be more inclined to buy them.