Above is the cover of Kala, M.I.A.’s new album on XL Recordings. And isn’t it perfectly SuperSupersuited to the times? Brash use of colours: check. Seeming disregard for any classical design tenets: check… The artwork is a mix of M.I.A.’s own input along with graphics by Carri Mundane and Steve Loveridge. Photography by Janette Beckman, Liz Johnson-Artur, Michael Kamber and M.I.A. herself

We’ve seen lots of great sleeves in the last few weeks. Bright colours and illustrated forms seem to be flavour of the month…

Above are the two sides of the current Super Furry Animals seven inch picture disc release, Show Your Hand. The illustration is by Japanese graphic designer Keiichi Tanaami and layout is by The Bait. When I mentioned to label Rough Trade that I was interested in the artwork, they sent me a version of this single with various clock parts in order to turn it into a fully functional clock. Nice idea that ties in with the track title

This cover, frankly, is weird. What’s going on? There seem to be some cranes, some big chairs (?) and are those four-leaf-clovers? Can’t explain it, but I really like this sleeve and black and white seems wonderfully restrained these days… Artwork by Marisa Fjärem. Label: Headspin Recordings

The sleeve for Pepe Deluxé’s latest album, Spare Time Machine, has got a certain charm and, actually, the Monty-Python-meets-Robert Louis-Stevenson-and-creates-a-time-machine type illustration (created by one half of Pepe Deluxé, Jari Salo, in collaboration with Vilunki Viljakainen) is a perfect visual expression of the music on the album - which sounds like it might have been created in the late sixties by a bunch of lunatics collaborating with Ennio Morricone on the soundtrack to a time-travel themed Italian porn movie. Or something… Label: Catskills

As Found album sleeve contains drawings by Fugu (the artist) himself (real name Mehdi Zannad), a picture by Tim Keegan and artwork by Julian House. Hey is that Helvetica? Lurking on a grungy sleeve? Whatever next? Label: Third Side Records

The artwork for Scottish band Swimmer One’s album, The Regional Variations, is all reproduced with kind permission of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Design is by Daniel Warren. Label: Biphonic

The packaging for Shape of Broad Minds’ album entitled Craft of the Lost Art has been devised by ehquestionmark and features strange subaquatic creatures, some picked out in phosphorescent (glow-in-the-dark) ink. Spot varnished wavy lines on the outer sleeve (shown, centre) also contribute to the underwater theme. Label: Lex Records