Tariq EspritAlbum Cover and Album Advertisement Analysis

Typical Conventions of aCD coverMain image, this can

Be an image of the artist(s)Or an abstract image

Background, can be blank,Patterned or have another abstractImage. This background overlaps overThe main image but still maintains theBackground persona

Name of the artist, the typography may or mayNot suit the name of the artist (the font Actually looking like a piece of text from a Scropt)

Name of the album or single

Demon days is the Gorillaz’s second studio album produced by the label “Parlophone”. The album title “Demon Days” connotes a very sinister style of music, a contradiction to the actual style of music on the album. The title demon days suggests an aggressive tone as the word demon can often be associated with the devil, however the music on the album is calm and collected. The main image is split into 4 sections, suggesting that there is no “main artist” but all of them are equally as important to the group. The images also look like mug shots; again signifying the sinister look to the album while also completely contradicting the style of music. The characters’ faces in the main image also have a sense of anger but at the same time a calm feeling about them, suggesting the content is serious but at the same calm and reasonable. The genre of the music is “Alternative Hip Hop” which suits the album cover as it strays away from typical Hip Hop conventions. The colours used in particular are quite dull and lack vibrancy as opposed to a generic hip hop album that would flaunt its bright colours to capture its audience. Demon Days’ colours suggest that an album cover doesn’t need to be flaunted to gain attraction, people should already know about your music prior to buying it; this is the message the album covers’ colours are trying to convey. (Such as being a band as opposed to a single artist) Since this is a Hip Hop album, its target audience would typically be young males aged from around 14-25 and around the working class/lower class borough.

Artist: GorillazAlbum: Demon DaysRelease date: May, 2005

Good Girl Gone Bad is Rihanna’s third studio album which was released in May 2007. The background of the cover is plain black with a white low key spot light coming from the bottom left hand corner. The background is simplistic which can be seen to portray a sense of class and elegance. The long shot of Rihannabrings out her womanly assets thus attracting the male gaze. The low key lighting also pinpoints Rihanna’s legs (the brightest part of her body on the album cover). Rihanna is posed almost as an ‘S’ shape in that her head starts at the top right, this can be linked to the “lustFactor” of the album cover.The way in which she is posed is alluring and sexual as her long legs and admirable physique are emphasized. The low key lighting also brings out Rihanna’s costume; leotard suggesting that the music in the album are going to be Ballad based. The title of the album ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ suggests that the music in the albumIs going to be powerful ballad based music about life, Tragedy and love,Which is what the audience would be expecting from the artist.Rihanna’s name is written in Arial font across the album cover in a large almost italic looking font; its turquoise whilst the rest of the album cover is in black, white and grey which makes it stand outEven though the spotlight is on Rihanna herself its perhaps suggesting thatThe way others brand her isn’t as important as who really she is (she’s still Rihanna even after problems with the media etc.) This puts a large amount of emphasis into who Rihanna is as her name stands out amongst the rest of the album cover. Whilst Rihanna’s clothing denotes a ballad theme, her makeup is styled in an R&B associated fashion, which could suggest that the music in the album is a fusion of R&B and Ballads.This albums target audience would be 14-25 year old females (despite the constant flux of male gaze attractions) that wouldRange from middle class to lower class (the sense of eleganceMay appeal to middle class females; as for the lower class, they mayFeel empowered by her music)

Artist: RihannaAlbum: Good Girl Gone BadRelease Date: May 2007

The name of the band as seen in the album cover above is Rage Against The Machine (RATM). The album shares a similar name to the band and is their debut effort. The record was released on November 10th 1992, being distributed by the record label Epic. The album was received highly positively from critics and fans alike and has been certified Platinum in countries all around the world including the United States and United Kingdom. The typography of this cover is simple, displaying the band (and therefore the album’s name) in lower case letters across the bottom of the cover. The black backgrounds on which the words are written seem to be uneven, with the black background for the word “against” being slightly out of line with the other three background labels. The album shares its title with the band name, and as implied in said title, the band’s music is very politically charged, as well as being generally having a very hard and loud musical style, and indeed the genre of the band is rap-metal, although they have also been described as alternative metal. The name “Machine” has several connotations in the context of the band, all of them similar. The “machine” could be an attack on the state or government, often seen as operating as a machine, without empathy, thought etc. It could also be an attack at society for being robotic so to speak in following the government/state. Finally the word could also be a criticism of capitalism. All of these aspects work together to heighten and get across to a prospective listener the type of music that RATM make. However the biggest indication for the genre of music of a band typically comes from the picture or artwork emblazoned on the front of the record, and this too is the case for RATM. The cover shows the world famous picture of Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist Vietnamese monk burning himself to death in protest of the authoritarian regime in his homeland, at the time South Vietnam. This perfectly illustrates the genre of music and the political content typical for RATM, especially in terms of their criticism of the American political system, as hinted through the album cover, as the oppressive South Vietnamese regime at the time was backed by the US. This was probably chosen not just for how historic and well known the picture is but as mentioned, for its political connotations as well as the fact that it relates to the band’s grievances in a very dramatic manner. The specific picture used is an extreme close up of which as he burnt to death to convey to the audience the horror and reality of this event. Overall, all of these aspects come together well to convey to the reader the politically charged rap metal music of RATM, and is clearly designed to appeal to those interested in metal music, but more specifically, those who hold similar political beliefs and are interested in political music as a form of expression.

Artist: Rise Against the machinesAlbum: Rage against the machinesRelease date: November 1992

Artist: The ScriptAlbum: #3Release date: September, 2012

#3, The scripts’ 3rd studio album produced by Phonogenic records. The albums title, #3 has two possible meanings. Firstly, it could be signifying that it is their 3rd album therefore naming it #3 or it could be considered that because there are 3 of them in the band they decided to name the album #3 (Although the first point is more likely due to the “#” in front of the 3) The Typography of the artists’ name can be considered to have a direct correlation to the artists name “The script” as the font seems to be a type that you would typically find in an old script. The main image is an interesting one. The artists are interlinked with each other. However it is quite clear that the artist on the left is the lead singer because his head is the largest and the other two seem to be manifesting from him not with him. The background is clear to put all the emphasis on the band. The genre of music could either be Pop Rock or Soft Rock, depending on the consumers classifications. This is why the album cover has a mixture of tones about it; on one side, it can be seen as a rock album because of the typography and the style it represents. However it can also be viewed as a Pop album because it has the band on the front cover (Rock albums usually have abstract images on the front cover). This albums audience would be those interested in the Pop/Rock genre, perhaps 14-25 male and female working class/lower class. This is because Pop isn’t such a restricted genre as opposed to Rock itself therefore this album should appeal to both genders.

Rise Against The Machines is an unusual rock band known for their heavy interest in Politics. (These views can be found in the albums music, such as the track “Prayer of the refugee” which questions the U.S.A’s immigration laws indirectly) The artists’ name is in a bold, paint splattered style. The title of the album is also done in this style; however the extent is not as extreme. This style can suggest that the artist is going against the convention of having a clear name and title on the album. It can also connote the state of the U.S. at the time (2006, the time of George W. Bush, potentially one of America’s worst Presidents) Since Rise Against have high political interests, this typography could be a symbol of the state of the U.S. at the time. The state of the U.S. was dire, The sufferer and the witness can be a referral to the Republican party’s leader and President George Bush who was seen to watch people suffer and not do anything about it, making him the witness (Republicans generally believe in rugged individualism). The main image is pretty abstract which upholds the typicality of a Rock album cover. It appears to have a smudged/paint splatter style to perhaps signify confusion within the nation (back to their heavy interests in politics) The background is fragmented; small paint dots are scattered around the main image creating a sense of roughness to the image. The genre can be inferred from many of the elements on the front cover. The abstract image suggests that it is a rock album; the title can also be used as it uses a distinctive phrase “the sufferer and the witness” Suffer is normally associated with pain, which is a main theme in a lot of rock/metal music. Finally the name of the artist “Rise Against” seems to have an aggressive and rebellious theme to it, which again exemplifies what Rock is based off. The target audience for this album would be young, perhaps rebellious males aged around 14-19 and are probably working/lower class.

Artist: Rise Against the machinesAlbum: The Sufferer and The Witness.Release date: July, 2006

The band featured in the album that I have chosen for analysis are Linkin Park, and the album entitled Hybrid Theory. Hybrid Theory is Linkin Park’s first album released on October 24, 2000, and became wildly popular with its mixture of rap and metal, which would become the band’s trademark. The record was released on the Warner Bros. label, and to date has sold over 24 million copies worldwide, including 10 million in the United States alone. The title of the band is written in large, bold block letters to signify the hard-core nature of the band’s music, and the album name is written in smaller, yet still bold letter and encapsulated in square brackets. The album’s title is, while unknown to many at the time, the original band name of Linkin Park, until they decided to change it, however the title Hybrid Theory has more connotations than just that, as it also represents the band’s fusion of the rap and metal genre’s, as well as the mix of hard and soft musical elements that the band demonstrate on the album. This view is reinforced by the main image on the album cover, depicting a soldier with white dragonfly wings, highlighting his grace and strength at the same time, and this too represents the fusion of hard and soft musical elements prevalent in the album as well as for the band’s music in general. Additionally, the album, while admittedly hard to see, also displays scrambled lyrics from songs off the album. From all of these hints scattered throughout the artwork it is clear that the album’s genre is rock orientated, and the connotations most likely point towards a metal album.The artwork and cover in general is clearly designed to appeal to those interested in the rock and metal genre’s, as well as younger audiences, typically ranging from the ages 14-24, due to its hard-core look and connotations as a result of this. I personally think that the album cover is extremely impressive and effectively conveys the message of the band and their music through the imagery of the winged soldier as well as the title, Hybrid Theory, effectively describing their music as a hybrid of melodic soft music and heavy metal and rock music, and the artwork is certainly intriguing, as is the album name, and I would be inclined to purchase the CD if I were to have no prior knowledge about it.

Artist: Linkin Park Album: Hybrid TheoryRelease date: October, 2000

Magazine Adverts

Conventions of a Magazine Album Advert

Typography - artists name, album title, album content/guest appearance(other artists)

Background (Abstract,Plain or patterned)

Title

Main image (usuallyAn image of the artist)

Promo infoInstitutional info

This is a print advert in a magazine for Wretch 32’s album “Wretchrospective” released on 6th of October 2008 (which means that the advert was printed some time before this or close to its release) The typography in this advert adheres to the general stereo typical view towards the “Grime” or “UKRAP” genre. The title (also the name of the new album) is spread out across the middle of the page, making it difficult to keep your eyes off it. The text underneath is almost in a “rave” advertisement style which is a viable approach to promotion as a lot of grime/UK rap artists go to raves to promote their music. This style may be familiar to that audience therefore, attracting them to read on and possibly buy the album on release. The main image mixes its style; keeping some Ukrap elements while slightly straying into the popular music category. Its sticks to its urban style by having the artist as the centrepiece and the clothing being that of a working class or lower class man. Also, the buildings to the left of the artist suggests that the music is urban and the paint dripping from it also signifies this because it can be linked to graffiti (a lot of UK artists use this to get their names recognised) However, while a lot of urban UK artists’ album adverts have serious tones with the artist generally looking angry while this advertisement is bright and has a cheerful aroma. This cheerful sense can be exemplified through the blue shaded rainbow behind the artist or the bright sky above him, signifying happiness which is what popular music tends to do. The target audience for this album advertisement would be lower class male youths aged around 12-19 from underprivileged areas (where underground music is dominant)

• This magazine advertisement is for Rihanna’s album ‘Rated R’ her 4th studio album. This album advertisement is very secretive. The title that immediatley stands out is “Rihanna, The New Album” and not the actual name of the album and because the album name is so small and out of place, you almost have to search for it, thus enhancing the “secret” factor of the album advert. The main image is colourless/saturated and she is holding her right eye. This secrecy may confuse the audience and make them question why she is doing this (which is actually linked to her personal life, however this may make the audience go out and find it out for themselves) Another feature in the background is the “R” to the right of the main image. This can mean either “Rihanna” or “Rated R” (the name of the album) which again confuses the audience as it is unclear. The audience may feel intrigued through all this mystery and buy the album to find out how much Rihanna has changed/stayed idle with her style. The style of this album advert strays towards the Punk/Rock style and therefore may attract a new fan base. This album adverts’ target audience would be young females interested in R&B, Pop,Rock or Punk and would generally be between the ages of 13-25.

This is a print for an album advertisement for the artist Plan B’s second album, “THE DEFAMATION OF STRICKLAND BANKS” This advertisement would’ve likely been printed after the release of the album due to the ratings on the left side and the phrase “The multi-platinum Album of the year” The message of the typography is clear in this album advert. The artists’ name “Plan B” and the quote “The multi-Platinum album of the year” are highlighted in red and bold. This makes the two most important pieces of the advertisement stand out and easily draws the consumers attention. Also, the ratings under the quote gives the audience a good idea of where the album stands; consistent ratings of 4 stars can sway the potential consumer to go out and buy the album as opposed to them not being there. The main image is the actual artist which adheres to typical Pop/Hip Hop conventions. However the saturation level and the clothing of the artist insists a sense of elegance and class, that expected of a Soul/Jazz artist. This could attract a massive audience as these genres are largely mainstream and the ratings suggest that the artist is able to combine these styles cohesively and effectively. The target audience that this album advert is attempting to appeal to would be young males for the alternative Hip Hop aspect and young females for the Pop/Jazz feature. Particularly working class/lower class however it could spring up to middle class teens in some cases due to its elegance.