ALBUM COVER ANALYSIS’By Cameron and Abi

Alt J: An Awesome Wave

The album Cover is a compilation of radar images of the Ganges River in Bangladesh overlaid to show different colours. The iridescent colours show different radiations given off by the river, giving the album cover a political message and a unique edge over plainer album covers. The audience question what the picture is, and find that it is radiation which leads to the political edge of the cover. On the Extended version, the image is the same apart from the colours, which are inverted. There is no typography giving the album an indie feel.

Sticky Fingers: Happy EndingsThis album cover is in a rustic scrapbook style, typical of an indie genre band. The single is for the song happy endings, as shown by the typography. The single, like the music video, is black and white, giving it a vintage feel. There are the letters STI FI, an abbreviation of 'sticky fingers', giving the band name a unique signature (it is also white to offset the black, making the lettering stand out), however there is also the name written towards the bottom of the cover. The images are also of the band. The images of the band are slightly risqué giving the artists a minimal punk look.

Evil Empire: Rage Against the MachineThe Cover is of a boy superhero in the pop art style, which is contradictory to the rock music genre of rage against the machine. The Name 'Evil Empire' was also a name given to the early Soviet union, hence the orange star in the background of the album cover and the use of red on the superhero costume, all of which relate to the soviet union symbolism.

The Text 'Rage against the machine' is in a brick wall style bold dark blue, which gives it a militaristic feel and it stands out against the yellow background. The lettering 'Evil Empire' is simple and red, attached to a scroll which is wrapping around the superhero figure. The superhero is young, representing innocence, making the album cover look like a different genre to the rock style of rage against the machine. It also contradicts the Evil empire title and the soviet union militaristic connotations.

There is a lower case 'e' on the superhero, which is the initial of evil, however as it is lower case it could imply it is lower than evil.

Tove Lo- Stay High

Fonts layered and of handwriting style, they are the only colour, pink, which suggests that the character has written in her lipstick. Associations can be made here between her being intoxicated and in a club.

The figure behind is in clack and white to connote something dark in her life, perhaps a failed relationship, as the woman is effectively staring back at herself with a serious expression. This would be appropriate within the codes and conventions of the indie genre- love and relationships.

Facial Furniture EP

Nature imagery composed of multiple images layered on top of one another, key code and convention within the indie genre. This symbolises the connection between humanity and nature.

Simplistic, typography, again key within the indie genre.

Man of earlier century layered with mechanics, could be connoting modern man and his advancements within society as well as their relations to the wider universe (time and space).

Snow Patrol- Eyes OpenWe can faintly make out two figures that are positioned in the middle of the photo, a man and a woman wrapping their arms around each other. The picture is layered and filtered which disturbs and distorts it, connoting their perhaps a their hectic and distorted relationship.

Barbed wire connoting restriction within the relationship, with theme or relationships and love key to the indie genre.

Colour connotations: bleak, dark colours (perhaps filter sepia) have been used which gives the image a quite gloomy impression. On the actual cover, we can see a blurry version of another face underneath the figures, suggesting a possible alternative love within the relationship

Simplistic, easy to read typography. Title ironic to cover as it would be assumed that people would kiss with their eyes closed.