It tends to make me curious if the cover artwork seems incongruent with the genre. That usually makes me take a listen. I use Allmusic.com a lot and most albums allow you to listen to 30 second previews. Mostly, album covers are an arbitrary thing to go by, but I've got to sort through all this stuff somehow.

Semi irrelevant side note: One of my favorite covers that happens to belong to an excellent album.

EDIT: Elphenor would dig that Neko Case album. I'm sure of it. Listen to it, mother****er! Just do this one thing for me!

I feel the exact opposite about MX-80's Hard Attack.

I do still frequent my local record store but I only by stuff I've heard or if I haven't heard it, I know the artists work

So you never happen across something that you have no reference points on, but think the cover is cool so you check it out. Whether that's 30 seconds or the whole thing.

I get that. I don't judge off covers of as much anymore too. Mostly just use RYM, this place, and previous experience from artists.

It wouldn't be accurate to say that I judge from album covers either. It's more that a particularly creative or interesting cover makes me more likely to give it a chance, no matter what genre it falls under.

hauntering

I didn't say I judge it solely, i said I usually listen to something new if the album cover pulls me in. I've listened to albums from artists I've never heard of based on the album cover alone. I'll think of specifics later but it does happen.

Well now I have to.

I use a site called musicbanter.com where a lot of the time in threads about what people are currently listening to they just post album covers with little to no explanation.

What does it sound like?