Textual Analysis Album Covers - Example, Won't go quietly

The band Example are an energetic band with upbeat music. Their music struggles to fall into a specific genre but is best described as falling into the ‘grindie’ genre which was developed in 2006 and is a mixture of indie and grime music. Most of their songs involve rapping and singing with indie sounds from their instruments. This unusual genre and upbeat music is reflected in their style and their album cover.

This album cover is bright and colourful and this use of colour makes it seem lively which mirrors the bands style and tempo of music. The range of colours used in the cover gives a sense of fun which is what the band will want to portray to the audience as this reflects the style of their songs. This light-hearted imagery will attract a younger audience which is the main fan base for the band and therefore, the target audience for their albums. The white background of the cover helps make it look fresh and also makes the colours in the clothing stand out. The white is also used in the text which creates contrast to the black background and makes it stand out which gives a clear message to the buyer what album it is.

The images in this cover are all photographs of the lead singer from the band, this celebrity endorsement and band connection has been used in both of the two other covers I have studied. I believe this is because the artists are proud of their music and want an involvement in the creativity of their album cover. In this case it is also a chance to show the personal style of the artist that also links to the style associated with the genre; this is similar to the Akon cover but different to the kings of leon cover which didn’t show the bands personal style at all. This is because the message they wanted to show was different.

The mise-on-scene in the images is aimed at a fairly young, fun loving target audience which is shown through props, costumes and the actions of the artist. The outfits he is wearing are mostly following the trend of the ‘indie’ style which is a trend that a large majority of the audience will follow or aspire to look like. This means that the audience will look up to the artist and also relate to him as he looks like an ordinary fashionable ‘indie’ style man. The fact that the clothes are also bright in colours also adds to the lively, young style of the cover which will appeal to the target audience and reflects the bands style of music. The props in the images on the cover help to show a fun side to the artist, that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, this is a huge contrast to the other two covers I have looked at as they both had meaningful imagery and looked more sophisticated. However, the main fan base of all three albums, are around a similar age. Perhaps this artist wanted to create a persona of a ‘jack the lad’ character which he has based his songs around as they would fit that description, or perhaps the songs are written about his own past experiences which is why all the imagery is of him.

The typography used in the cover is very bold and easy to recognise, this is a great contrast to the Kings of Leon album that I studied but similar to the Akon cover. I think the reason for this is that Example are a band that are fairly new to fame and recognition and they are still trying to establish their name and image, where as a band like KOL do not need to do this as they are well established and have a huge fan base and recognition. Akon however, is established but the reason he has his name in large writing is because his genre is hip hop where a persona of wealth and celebrity status goes hand in hand with the music. The black background of the text is a stark contrast to the writing and the imagery which makes the text stand out. This is not only used to establish the bands name but also to attract the attention of buyers. Another way in which the text stands out is that it blocks imagery behind showing its importance and dominance over the cover. The other text in the cover is the album name which is incorporated into the photographs and is used as a prop, this doesn’t stand out as much as the band name as it is not as important information. This is the first time I have seen the artist displaying the album title as part of the mise-on-scene and is not a typical convention, it shows the personal connection with the creation of the album.

The layout of the images is in a bloc pattern which may represent the many different sides to the personality of the artist or character. This technique of using a split screen and tables is also used by the band in their music video for the song titled ‘kickstarts’ it is used to show other characters and compare them directly and is also used to show two sides of the story within the narrative. It could be used in a similar way in this album cover to show the many sides of a personality. The use of split screen was also used in the KOL album cover that I studied but created a very different effect as it was to show the coming together of individuals to form a group that was strong and powerful, where as this album cover uses the split screens to show different sides to one character which creates a playful naive persona as opposed to a powerful one.

The cover shows representations of youth culture and also indie music culture. It does this by the mise-on-scene in the imagery as the bright colours within the clothing show a lively young style which conforms to the stereotypes of indie fans and their styles. This is similar to the Akon cover as his clothing represents a desired lifestyle associated with hip-hop. They both also conform to stereotypes of artists as indie artists are often young for their age and lively spirits where as a stereotypical hip-hop artist is very sure of themselves and flaunt their wealth (eg. jewelry and clothing).

Overall this cover contains fun and lively images that do not seem to resemble deep and powerful meaning like the KOL album, but instead shows a fun band and makes people want to listen to their lively music and be involved in the fun experience.

Textual Analysis Album Covers - Akon Freedom

In contrast to the previous album cover I looked at, this artist falls under the R&B genre which is stereotypically very different to the rock/alternative scene. This is not only reflected through their music but is also reflected in their styles of clothing and through their choice of imagery and styles of album covers.

The most noticeable difference between the two is the colours in the imagery. The colours in this cover are extremely bright as opposed to the dark colourwash in the Kings of Leon cover. Both covers attract the listener’s attention but do so in different ways. Another similarity in the use of colour between the two images is the use of colourwash, the Kings of Leon album is the more noticeable colour wash as it is almost greyscale and dark. However this image also contains a subtle blue colourwash. The mise-on-scene has been selected to match this blue theme which creates a stylish co-ordinated cover to mirror the stereotypes of the genre.

The text used on this album cover is very large, however, it does not overpower the cover as it is transparent in the centre rather than being block colour. It displays clearly the name of the artist and the album in a font that is easy to read. This is the opposite of what was used in the KOL album where the writing wasn’t easy to recognise compared to the image and was written in a font that linked in with the photographic style of the image.

The main focus of the image here is the artist (Akon) who is depicted as wealthy, stylish and successful artist and has luxurious settings in the background of the photograph. This high class lifestyle is a stereotype often associated with R&B music as it sells a lifestyle to the listener along with the music. This connection between a lifestyle and a product is commonly used in marketing with any product. The mise-on-scene reinforces this desirable lifestyle with the background being luxurious and also with the artists clothing i.e. the suit, earring and sunglasses.

Even though both albums show the artist(s) as the main focus for the cover, this album conforms to the rule of thirds and shows a medium camera shot allowing the viewer to see more of the artist. The artist is also standing in a powerful pose with his head looking up which shows admiration, confidence and power. The KOL album also depicts these qualities but through facial expressions rather than body language. The KOL cover also uses symmetry rather than the rule of thirds and a close up camera shot to show the intense facial expressions and the artistic editing.

Both albums use photography as the main base for the imagery and then edit around the image, even though similar techniques have been used, the outcomes are completely different. This is because the intentions were very different due to the genres and the meaning that the artists wanted to create for the face of their albums. I felt KOL wanted to portray the image of different components coming together to form a unit, which could symbolise the strength of the band. I also thought that they wanted to show a powerful and strong image associated with heir band which they did through the use of a bird of pray. Akon creates the same meaning but through himself and his body language which looks confident as he looks comfortable and powerful.

Overall this album cover is effective for the market its aimed at and conforms to the stereotypes of R&B. Although it may look like a simple cover which consists of a photograph and text, it is actually far more complex and shows hidden meaning and also demonstrates stereotypes.

Textual analysis Album covers - Kings of Leon

The band kings of leon fall under the rock genre but it could also be argued that they are in the alternative genre as they do not conform completely to the rock sounds and stereotypes. This rock/alternative style is reflected in their clothing and hair styles as well as their music.
The immediate thought when looking at this album cover is that it is a clever use of photography edited together to resemble a whole image. Fans of the band will notice that the photographs used in the cover are pictures of the band members, otherwise it is not obvious that it is the band as it is not a stereotypical band photograph. The fact that the images are of the band members themselves shows to the listeners that they are involved in every aspect of their albums and not just the music.

The cover has a colour wash over the image which is similar to grey scale but with hints of green. This is a colour wash that is rarely used for album covers which makes it stand out and is useful in marketing. The other colour in the image is the green title of the album and the name of the band. Normally these are written in a large font and stand out on the page as they are important information and often the only information included on the cover. The band may have chosen to do this so the writing does not detract away from the image, therefore making the image more powerful. The writing is also written in a font that suits the photographic style of the image and is similar to the writing found on photographs to display the date and time.

The image itself looks abstract which reflects the bands genre and style. The picture is a collection of different photographs edited together to create a full image which has also been edited to have features of a bird of pray. This idea of different components coming together could symbolise the individual members of the band coming together and creating one unit. Perhaps this also represents the creating of their music as they have inputs from every band member and one final outcome that is strong and powerful like a bird of pray. The bird of pray often symbolises power and strength but could also be interpreted as being intimidating and overpowering. This symbol could be a reflection of bands music and the rock genre and makes the band look powerful and influential.

On the other hand, the image of different photographs put together could also symbolise the shattering and the cracks formed in a unit showing its vulnerability and weaknesses. This is demonstrated in another ‘Kings Of Leon’ album cover called ‘Because Of The Times’ this depicts the image of a light bulb shattering. (left image)

The face in the image on the album cover is looking straight at the camera and is a close shot which suggests power and dominance, this is reinforced by the expressionless face which looks intimidating and sincere. This could be to represent the dominance amongst the music industry or it could also be a persona that the band has created and refers to throughout their music.

The edge of the image is faded to black which gives the cover a dated look and makes the image look more authentic. It also has cross marks on each side which shows the alignment of the four images and also highlights the symmetry of the image. Symmetry is often used in album covers as opposed to music videos where they use the rule of thirds, central placing of the image makes the cover stand out and grasp the attention of the listener.
Overall, this album cover contains powerful imagery which grasps the audiences attention and intrigues them as the picture is unusual and is almost a trick on the eye.

Textual analysis - Album covers

Album covers are important for artists as they can give meaning and insight into the band and the songs. It is also a chance for the artist to have creative input in imagery rather than through their music.
From a marketing point of view, an important use for album covers is that they can help sell the product; the covers are often eye catching so they can be spotted amongst a shop full of other CD’s and draw the attention of the buyer. They also often conform to the stereotypes of the genre, making it easy to distinguish and recognise what type of music it is.
I will be analysing three different album covers and looking at what conventions they use and how they use them. I will also look at the difference between genres within album covers. This will give me a better understanding of previous products and also provide inspiration for when i make my own.

Research on conventions of music videos

Research
Conventions of Music promo videos and their effect on the audience…

The conventions associated with music videos usually depend on the genre of the music or band and the image that is stereotypically associated with that genre. They also depend on what message the song is trying to portrait and what effect they want to give to the audience. However there are also some more general conventions that all types of genres conform to. From what I have seen so far in my research, I have found that there are always exceptions to these conventions but they are still widely used.

Style: The main styles used in music videos are…
• Performance - where the band or artist performs either to an audience or to the camera, this creates a ‘live concert’ atmosphere which provides the audience with an intimate relationship with the artist. This style is often used in rock videos such as the Kings Of Leon – On Call.
• Narrative – where the imagery is based on a storyline played by actors. This engages the attention of the audience and draws them into the narrative. The narrative is often linked to the meaning of the song or a persona the artist wants to create. This style is mostly used in the ‘indie genre’ for example the Arctic monkeys – Leave Before The Lights Come On. This creates a persona for the audience rather that having a connection directly to the artist. The convention is not widely used due to this fact as audiences enjoy making a connection.
• Narrative/performance – a mixture of performance and narrative usually with quick cuts between the two. It is often used with bands and sometimes individual artists. It provides both the connection with the audience to the artist and also the interest of the narrative, this means that it is a popular style for many videos of a variety of genres. However it is most commonly used in the indie and rock genres. An example of this mix of narrative and performance is demonstrated in The Lostprophets – Rooftops.
• Cameo appearances – where the artists appear in the narrative playing a character and often miming the song but not performing. This allows the audience to relate to the artist by seeing them as a character who can show emotion rather than a performer. It also has an advantage to the artist as they can have involvement in the creative process of portraying a character as they intended in writing the song (persona). In the video to Plan B – The Recluse the artist is playing the persona of the character ‘Strickland Banks’ that he created as the inspiration of his album.
• Animation – where imagery in the video is produced through drawings mostly electronically using computer software. The advantage of this is that images can be created that are of fantasy rather than reality which creates a more imaginative video. It can also be used to create cartoons of the artists so that the mixture of narrative and performance can also be used alongside animation, which is the case in the video for The Gorillas – Feel Good inc.


Camera work:
From the range of videos I have researched I have found that there is a wide variety of camera work used in music videos, a few conventions that I have found to be consistent are…
• Close-Up shots – usually used to focus on the artist in a performance or the main character in the narrative to show emotion. They are also sometimes used to focus on an instrument or an important prop. These close up shots make the audience feel involved in the video and can also be used to help the audience relate to the character.
• Pans/Tilts – these are used in all styles of videos and are used to move from different band members or to show a location and follow a character. This allows the audience to see clearly the location or the band members.
• Tracking Shots – used mainly in narrative styles to track a character and also used in upbeat dance music to show the energetic pace of the music. These shots allow the audience to feel involved in the action.
• Crane shots – usually used when showing a performing band as the angle of the shot can capture the whole band instead of focusing on just one member.
• Long establishing shots – used mainly in narrative and animation to show the audience the setting of the storyline.
• Extreme close ups – often used to focus on lips showing lip syncing. Also used a lot to focus on instruments.


Editing:
• Jump cuts – these are sometimes used in music videos to create a dramatic point in narrative but it is also used in more abstract music videos to create abstract imagery to mimic the song. However these shots have to be done with caution as it can look as though they are a result of poor editing.
• Cut to music – The transition between shots is normally done on a change of a beat in the music. This links the video to the song and provides a connection to the narrative and the lyrics in the song.
• CGI (computer generated images) – for example special effects or the display of images for example split screen. Split screen can provide the viewer with extra information within the narrative and can help portrait excitement which is often used in upbeat music. However, it can also overload the audience with information and confuse the narrative.
Special effects are often used in music videos where the meaning of the song is abstract and unusual which actors can not physically show eg. A character flying or a action n scene which involves a lot of violence. This is an advantage to the director as the narrative is not limited.
Also there is the obvious use of CGI within the animated style of film.
• Transitions – are often used as an alternative to simple cuts between shots. Common transitions between shots in music videos are fades and cross-dissolves. This can show extra meaning to certain shots and important moments in the video.
• Colour wash - these are often used in music videos to reflect a theme or to differentiate between past and present.


Sound:
• Rhythm – The rhythm of the music often affects the imagery used in the video. If the music is upbeat, the imagery often contains action or an upbeat narrative whereas, if the music is slower, the imagery is often romantic or negative. The rhythm also effects the editing (as stated above).
• Diegetic sound – used throughout music videos when actors or artists are miming to the song or playing instruments to the music. It is also sometimes used at the start of music videos where there is dialogue played by an actor or artist.
• Non-diegetic sound – sometimes added in the form of special effects to emphasise a dramatic point in the video. When doing research into music videos, I found that some narrative videos use non-diegetic sound in the form of narration or the intro to the music which isn’t shown on screen.
• Levels of sound – the levels of the song sometimes for narrative reasons or to emphasise the chorus. Also the music can be louder when other instruments of the song are introduced.


Mise-on-scene:
• Props – are often used in music videos, the most common ones I noticed were the obvious instruments, also stages and lighting where the performance style was used. Various other props are used throughout the video within narrative and performance.
• Costumes – the costumes change depending on the genre of the music and the storyline (if there is one). The artists costumes normally conform to stereotypes of that genre for example a rock band will often wear dark clothing whereas a girl band will wear colourful dresses with make up and groomed hair. Characters costumes change according to the narrative, although the style often matches the genre of the music even thought they are not the artists themselves.
• Location - Many settings are simple to give the audiences something they can relate to. If this I not the case, the setting is most likely the opposite, being overwhelming and grand to provide an eye catching and exciting image for the audience.
• Themes – are often based on an artist’s conception, following the meaning of the song. The theme of a song can effect everything about its video (location, editing, lighting, colours etc.)
• Lighting – strongly depends on the genre of the music. Solo artists and upbeat music such as dance music often have strong lighting to either enhance the artist or to reflect the lively narrative whereas bands often have darker lighting to fit the loud music and multi-layered sounds. The lighting gives a good indication to the audience about the type of music and narrative surrounding the genre.


Representations:
• Gender – gender representations change according to the target audience. Women are often represented to show their sexuality in genres such as hip hop, R&B and dance, this is because the target audience for these genres is dominantly male. This representation is shown through imagery of women wearing revealing clothing and often being seen as an object of desire. In a similar way, pop music which has more of a female target audience often has topless male dancers or a male actor who is seen as romantic.
Another gender representation is masculinity which shows dominance and provides a role model for the audience.
• Wealth and Power – this is represented, particularly in R&B to relate a desirable lifestyle to the music, this makes the audience look up to the artist and admire them.
• Social groups – differs for each genre, class is represented mostly stereotypically, showing higher classes to have more power. Social groups within society and particularly within the music and youth scene are also shown, eg. ‘indies’, ‘rockers’ and ‘chavs’ as these are representations that our modern society can relate to and understand which provides interest.