From Antonín Dvorák to the White Stripes, from Gaudí to Niemeyer—dip into the realm of "sonic architecture" with this groovy collection of album covers
"Architecture is frozen music," wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It should come as no surprise, then, that architecture is a major source of inspiration for musicians: from classical composers to the improvisers of jazz and blues; from new wave bands to rappers singing the praises of their city. The architect-composer Iannis Xenakis collaborated with Le Corbusier, and the founders of both Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd studied architecture. Architecture Record Covers brings together the finest, strangest and most unusual covers of this remarkable overlap. With album covers made to visualize the music on the record, cover designers often make use of architectural images, from the New York skyline to the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The result is a striking assembly of diverse musical and architectural genres, from pop to postmodernism. Paul Groenendijk (born 1961) is an architectural historian based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 6/2/2026
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Published by nai010 publishers. By Paul Groenendijk.
From Antonín Dvorák to the White Stripes, from Gaudí to Niemeyer—dip into the realm of "sonic architecture" with this groovy collection of album covers
"Architecture is frozen music," wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It should come as no surprise, then, that architecture is a major source of inspiration for musicians: from classical composers to the improvisers of jazz and blues; from new wave bands to rappers singing the praises of their city. The architect-composer Iannis Xenakis collaborated with Le Corbusier, and the founders of both Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd studied architecture.
Architecture Record Covers brings together the finest, strangest and most unusual covers of this remarkable overlap. With album covers made to visualize the music on the record, cover designers often make use of architectural images, from the New York skyline to the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The result is a striking assembly of diverse musical and architectural genres, from pop to postmodernism.
Paul Groenendijk (born 1961) is an architectural historian based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
