Sea of Red for Smashing Pumpkins' Zeitgeist

By Julene McCoy in Arts & Entertainment on May 16, 2007 6:50PM

We haven’t seen this much talk about an album cover as art since LPs were phased out as the dominant form of music delivery. The artwork for Zeitgeist, the first album in seven years from a retooled Smashing Pumpkins, has been released.

Graphic artist / illustrator Shepard Fairey was given the nod to create the cover for the band. Fairey has created album art before with such musicians as Flogging Molly, Less Than Jake, 311, and the Black Eyed Peas. The Zeitgeist cover is predominantly red, says Fairey, because the color gets people’s attention and evokes a sense of foreboding. Further comment from the artist about the cover:

I think global warming is an issue that is currently relevant, time sensitive, and a symptom of the shortsightedness of the U.S. As a broader metaphor, the drowning Statue of Liberty, a revered icon of the U.S., symbolizes the eminent demise of many of the ideals upon which the nation was founded. Civil liberties, freedom of speech, privacy, etc. have been decreasing since 9/11. The sun in the image could either be setting or rising and this ambiguity shows that there is still hope to turn things around.

No word from the “fans” who stole artwork from the Pumpkins’ rehearsal space last week on what they liked about the cover. Listen for “Tarantula,” the first single from the upcoming Zeitgeist, on the radio near you starting May 22.