Having gone through a bit of a patch where no-one sent us any CDs or records at all (we got sent download links to download the music instead for a bit), thankfully, the joy of physical music product is upon us once more... Here are some nice sleeves of various musical releases to have landed at CR towers recently...

The brightly coloured sleeve (above) is the cover for the single Can't Shake This Feeling by Grum – aka Graeme Shepherd, a 24 year old Scot who, we're assured, is about to hit the big time with his dancefloor-aimed disco pop. The single (sleeve designed by David Bailey Ross who designs under the moniker GOODBOY) is out May 3 and Grum's debut album, Heartbeats, is due for release May 24 on Heartbeats. Check heart-beats.co.uk for more info.

We got sent a promo copy of Mock & Toof's (absolutely brilliant) forthcoming debut album, Tuning Echoes - out May 24 on Tiny Sticks. Artwork is by Billie Jean. Duncan of Mock & Toof also sent us more of the album artwork (digitally) to look at...

We featured a great video for Liars track Scissor here on the blog a few weeks ago. Since then we've received their just-launched album, Sisterworld - and its packaging is most unusual... Inside a slipcase (shown above) is a hardback book-like object with the same image (as on the slipcase) on the front. Open it and two discs are housed in sleeves on each side - as per the image below. One disc contains the 11 tracks of the album, the other contains a reworking of each track by a different artist (Devendra Banhart, Thom York, Alan Vega are just some of the artists that appear on this disc)... A small window in the sleeve on the right reveals the centre hole of the CD housed on that side. You can just make out that that disc has a photograph of trees on it.... 

Behind the book-like bit, is a concertina-folded section with woodland photography on the inside and seaside panoramas on the two outside panels...

The idea is that you can peek through the hole of the CD and look through to a woodland scene... Here's a photo to show you what I mean:

Art direction and design: Brian Roettinger. Photography: Zen Sekizawa. Styling: Jennifer Johnson. Label: Mute.

This is the more than slightly Monty Python-esque cover of yet another debut album: Reintegration Time by Canadian band Shout Out Out Out Out.

Above, the open jewel case and also the unfolded cover insert. Sleeve design by La Boca. Release date: May 17. Label: NRMLSWLCM.

Illustrated cover of Keane's forthcoming (out May 10) eight track EP, Night Train. Art direction, design and illustration by Rob Chenery at  Tourist. Label: Island.

This album was sent anonymously to us with no enclosed note, possibly from the LA-based band The Deadly Syndrome themselves... This is their self-published album, Nolens Volens - out March 23. Nothing on the album packaging reveals who it is art directed by or who the photographer is. It's nice though.

Regular readers will recall we posted up the artwork for Copenhagen band Efterklang's recently released album Magic Chairs in last month's record sleeve post. This (above) is the sleeve for their forthcoming single, I Was Playing Drums, art directed (like the album sleeve) by Hvass&Hannibal. Label: 4AD.

This is definitely the weirdest musical package we've received recently. Perhaps 'weird' is the wrong word. The most unusual. That's better... A cardboard package had a two track CD attached and an email address (see above image). Within the package we found a nicely wrapped screenprint...

An accompanying press release informed us that The Electric Opera "release graphic art and music through their new website." It also informs us that The Electric Opera comprises the talents of Mark Bown (formerly a creative director at Ogilvy & Mather, New York) and Gerard Johnson - former "music director" of Saint Etienne.  The pair seem determined to associate their music with the accompanying artwork. this is futher borne out by the fact that on their website - theelectricopera.com - visitors can view images of artwork only while the music is playing. Stop the music and the images disappear... There are three prints that accompany the track, I Know: All feature Darth Vadar on the left and a different character from the Star Wars films on the right. One print features Padme (shown above), another features the Emperor, and the third features C-3PO. Each print is available as an individually numbered, hand pulled screenprint in an edition of 125. See theelectricopera.com for more details