2nd album cover evaluation

2nd album cover evaluation 

Earlier this week in our media lesson, we had the task of creating an album cover from scratch. In my last post I talked about my preparation by attempting to create one earlier. I was pleased with it, but thought I could do better, and wanted to try from a bit of a different angle.

 I chose to make an album cover for a new band, but only have on person on the cover. I chose psychedelic rock because I wanted to work with all the colours, patterns and shapes i've seen on so many albums, like these: 








I had a basic design idea: a closeup image of me at the front and then lots of colourful objects and patterns behind. I though it would be easier to draw it, as i'm not very experience with photoshop or anything like that. Here are some photos of my design process:

I used the app 'Procreate' and started by tracing a picture of me, so it would be easy to get everything in proportion. 

Then I started sketching out everything, like the mushrooms, strawberries and my hair

After that, I started adding colour into the foreground

And then on another layer, I added in the background colours, some more details, and I was done with the drawing!

Finally, I added the name of the band and of the album, in the font: 'Shagadelic', because I really wanted to make it look like a late 60s psychedelic album cover. (I also continued to use bright colours)

 This is the finished album, and I love it! I think it's so eye-catching, and gives off the exact right vibes I was going for. I would've liked to add a bit more detail to the background, but wasn't able to because of the time limit. 

My teachers could tell what genre it was straight away, and i'm so glad they thought it looked groovy. They said the colours were great for what I was doing and they especially liked the font I chose. although as it's the first album, they said the band name should be bigger than the name of the album, but it was in the right order. 

Planning my album cover

Planning an album cover

For my lesson next week, I will be making an album cover for a new artist that I have created. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to create something, so I had a go at it early. I decided to take the rolls of taking the photo, and being in the photo Aswell as editing it. After looking at quite a few album covers in the classic rock genre, I decided on a closeup of my face, which is important as the record studio would be trying to create a star image, and get the musician known to the public.

I was inspired by a photo of John Lennon, and one of George Harrison for this effect, and I think it creates a really cool atmosphere. I also wanted to do a makeup and hair look inspired by 1930's Hollywood starlets, to show the femininity of the artist.  

I wanted it to look a little dark and moody, so I turned all the lights off in my room and placed a lamp next to one side of my face, to create a half shadow. Then I just took a selfie with my phone, and to add to the tone, I put the image in black and white, which I think made it look a little vintage and dramatic.

I added some shadows and highlights to make the dark parts darker and the light parts lighter. I really loved how this turned out but after cropping it to the right size, I felt it was a little simple and was missing something. I decided on adding a kaleidoscope effect on an app called Crystaliq, which I thought looked pretty cool. Then I put on another more warmed tone vintage filter, and the title at the bottom, just to see what it would look like all together.  

However, I'm not complety thrilled with the end result as I think it's a little dull and doesn't get across much about the artist or the genre. Next time I'll probably keep the idea of a close up image, but make it more colourful and expressive. 

Creating an album cover introduction

Creating an album cover introduction

My favourite music genre is by far classic rock, and I'm a huge fan of the 60s and 70s. These bands and artists are usually organic, and have a real authenticity to them which I really appreciate. I feel like it would make sense for me to create an album cover for a solo musician, and take photos of myself as I can get exactly what i'm picturing. But first, I wanted to look at some classic/soft rock album covers for inspiration, and to note some of the conventions, and what many covers have in common with each other.

Here are a few of my favourite albums:

Imagine by John Lennon

Electric Lady Land by Jimi Hendrix

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

All Things Must Pass by George Harrison

So what do these albums have in common?

The first thing I noticed was that the majority of the albums follow a more moody and dark aesthetic: There is a lot of black and grey in 'Rumours' and 'All things must pass', making them very dramatic. 'Imagine' also has a very muted colour scheme, with greys and murky blues, and the image is very faded, creating quite a peaceful mood. However, although 'Electric Lady Land' has very vibrant reds and oranges, the background is also completely black.

I think in most classic rock albums, especially in the 60s/70s, they are either bright, eye catching and psychedelic, or more dramatic and mysterious. I love both, but am drifting towards the latter for my album.

Next, from most of the albums I saw that featured the musician, there was either quite a close shot of their face, or a hole body shot. I feel the closeups allow the audience to feel closer to the artist, and start to recognise their face, helping their record company to create or add to a star image. It is also shot straight on, usually with not many props or an extravagant setting. In George's album, there are four gnomes sitting around him, which I believe represent the Beatles, as this is his first solo album after the band split. This gives some of those super fans some details in the album.

I really love the costumes in Rumours, as they contribute to a sort of dreamy, historical aesthetic, along with proving the band is original and organic. Mick Fleetwood in the white puffy shirt and black waistcoat along with Stevie's black mesh sleeves and ballet shoes are very arty, and iconic of the group. Johns also in his famous circle lensed glasses, and George has his long hair and hat, which started to be popular among him. These objects/styles, although subtle, contribute to the musician's image, and the trends they follow and create.

The fonts are different in all of these albums, and Hendrix has even chosen not to include any text on his album. Fleetwood Mac has chosen a swirly, again, dream-like font, that compliments the outfits and tone of the album. The name of the band is above the album title, and bigge

r, making it easy for audiences to recognise the artist and decide if they'll like the album. Harrison has separated his name and album name with a black line, drawing your attention up to the white sky to see the all capital text in black. John has also chose to put the title above his name, although all the text is the same size, quite small. It doesn't stand out terribly, but as there is not much going on on the cover, its still quite easy to see.

Conventions of album covers

Conventions of album covers

Although most people listen to their music through digital downloads, album artwork is still very important. It is shown digitally, on CD's and Vinyl, and can say a lot about the artist just from your first glance at their product. The conventions show the audience what type of genre the album is or if it's by a musician they recognise or enjoy already. Really cool or interesting album art can be a selling point in itself. And for studios, it helps them create a star image and a brand for their artist.

Pop album conventions:

Nancy Sinatra:"Sugar" 1967 

The front cover tells the audience everything they meed to know about the album. A large picture of Nancy in a bikini is on the left, this, her slightly vacant expression, and her blonde bombshell look contribute to a very feminine, pretty and gentle tone to the album. We can see from the way this is strongly stylised, that she is a synthetic artist, and has a very fixed aesthetic that people have come to expect. 

The name of the album and of the artist is usually the largest, and the first text that people will look at. In this case, the album name "Sugar" is in all caps, bringing the attention there first, followed by the artists name, Nancy Sinatra, underneath. The hot pink font and baby pink background are conventions showing that this is a pop album, and most likely directed at teenage girls. Underneath the title in smaller writing and a grey font, are a few of the hits included on the album, to make it even more tempting for fans.

The Back cover

The back is simple, with her name and album name again at the top. Aswell as showing the producer and studio, we are shown the track names in the correct order, split into columns showing the A and B side. There is a photo of her and Lee Hazlewood, her producer, underneath, and we have a bit more information about her. It follows very similar conventions, but with soft, warmer tones to contrast the vibrancy of the from.

Rock album conventions:

Cream: "Disraeli Gears" 1967

From the same year as 'Sugar' I chose another of my favourite albums, 'Disraeli Gears' by arguably one of the greatest rock bands ever. The album os covered in bright and colourful drawings, shapes, and objects with the three band members faces at the top. The psychedelic art and colour scheme shows instantly that this is going to be a trippy rock album, and is so eye catching. 

The band name is in the bottom third of the album, and in a fun bubble font, adding to the exciting tone of the artwork. Hidden above it in smaller writing is the album name, that almost blends into the background.


The back cover

The back of this album is very different, but just as eye catching (no pun intended). We have the name of the album again but in a much clearer black and white font, so it's easier for the audience to figure out what album this is. The song names are very small, so is the legal information on the side, probably to not distract to much from the puzzle-like artwork. The chaotic and messy photos show strong connotations to classic rock, showing us more about what sort of brand the band has, which has a very strong feeling of an organic band.

Hip-Hop/Rap album conventions:

Fugees: 'The Score' 1996

This late 90s album is very simplistic yet powerful. The band name is the most prominent, in a funky orange font in the top left. Diagonal to this we have the name of the album in the same lettering. We can see the three musicians in the centre, with their faces lit up and surrounded by black. Certain connotations such as their ethnicity and outfits, such as the sunglasses, connote towards the hip-hop genre. Their expressions also give a more serious but relax mood, showing them to be more organic artists.

The back cover

On the back, we do not get any legal information but this is a certain continuity as we see the back of the musicians. The colour scheme continues, and with the dark sillouets of the musicians and the pale orange sky, there is a urban atmosphere, contributing to the connotations. We also have contrasting white font at the bottom, against the black, that lists the song names in order.

Rethinking narrative analysis

Rethinking narrative analysis

Andrew Godwin believed that the structures people thought fit with music videos, such as linear, were far from that actual narrative structure of a music video. Because unlike a film or novel, there are parts in songs that are repeated, like the chorus and verses, which you wouldn't see in many other forms of media. Therefore the structure has to be different.
There are three types of structure that he introduces: Illustration, amplification and disjuncture.

Illustration is where the lyrics are telling the story through the music video, and what's happening in the words is literally happening, or perhaps through dance. 

Amplification is where the video adds onto the original meaning, making it clearer and therefore amplifying the expression of the lyrics.

And finally, Disjuncture is when there doesn't seem to be a clear connection between the lyrics and the video, and it is more contrapuntal, with no obvious meanings.

Analysing a music video and finding the structure:

"Formation from Lemonade 2016" By Beyonce 

I chose this video by Beyonce because of the very powerful political message behind it. The lyrics are about black power and fighting against police brutality, as well as referencing hurricane Katrina. Beyonce is the main 'character' in the video and she is also narrating by singing the lyrics, therefore she is creating a lot of the meaning. She often breaks the fourth wall and looks directly at the camera, addressing the audience personally, but many of the other characters look into the camera during different scenes which creates a powerful connection between them and us.

The structure of the song goes like this: Intro, refrain, interlude, refrain, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, outro. It is very unusual, and there doesn't seem to be a particular pattern in the music video. There are lots of different scenes, dances, and characters that interchange throughout the video and in-between and during the sections of the song, so it does not really reflect the repetition in the song.

Throughout the video, the lyrics are explained and amplified, by the visuals. The first time we see Beyonce, she is sitting on a sinking police car as she sings, showing her attitude towards police and a revolt. She sings about black self-love: “I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros. I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils” as there is a closeup of her daughter in the scene. There is also a breif moment when a man is holding up a newspaper with Martin Luther King on the front page of a paper called "The Truth" showing how she is connecting the meanings of this video to anti-racism and the black leaders of the past.  

Synthetic vs organic music artists

Synthetic vs organic music artists 

The Rolling Stones in Milan 1967

In the music industry, there is a clear divide between music artists who are synthetic or organic. Synthetic artists have a more manufactured and controlled appearance because of their record company. They are marketed a certain way to appeal to their target audience, and to create as much profit as possible, and usually not expected to have a particularly long career. However, we also have organic music artists, who usually have already started to create their own image and fan base, but are picked up and slightly altered by record companies to maximise their star image. These artists are usually more authentic, and create trends rather than follow them.

Analysing album covers: Synthetic vs organic

Organic: "Beggars Banquet" by The Rolling Stones, 1968

We can see straight away that this was quite a controversial album cover of the time. Pictured is a very old and dirty toilet stall, with the wall behind it covered in graffiti. The whole atmosphere is far from romanticised, and we can see straight away that this band has a rough and unaltered side to them, emphasised by the all caps red writing. The writing on the wall also gives detailed to what the band is about: we can see they are influenced by Bob Dylan, so the music is most likely influenced by blues and folk. along with rock and roll. There is also a peace sign and a hand that has 'love; written across it. We know they are part of the late 60s, hippie movement, so we get a sense that they are free spirited and not controlled. These references also helps to create a target audience for them, one that is more matured. Another way we can see that this album is from an organic artist, is that we don't see them in it. This shows that to them the music is more important than the musicians, which seems to be the opposite to synthetic artists, who are just matched up to a genre.  


Synthetic: "What makes you beautiful" by One Direction 2011

There is clearly a huge contrast between this album cover and the one I analysed previously. We can see four young boys all dressed in a matching colour scheme in some sort of tour bus. They are all smiling and very far from sexualised; their innocent look would be used to help create their target audience of young teen or preteen girls. One Direction's career was probably assumed to be a reasonably short one because once their fans grow up, along with them, they will no longer be interested in this type of music. They have no instruments so we can assume from this and their appearance that they're probably only singers. The title "what makes you beautiful" helps connect the band to their target audience which is very important for their image. Their band name is large in a white, playful font, which makes sure that people will quickly see their band name, and it will start to be known.

Narrative structure in music videos

Narrative structure in music videos

What is Narrative structure?

This the way a media text, either film, music video or even poems, create a series of events creating meaning, usually with reaching a set end goal

The narrative structure in music videos allows the musician to tell a story throughout the video, that usually works along with the lyrics. There are many different types but a clear narrative structure involves a linear structure, which is a straight line. with beginning, middle and end. Another more detailed example is one developed by Tzvetan Todorov, who developed the three part structure into a five part structure: 1: the narrative starts with an equilibrium, 2. something disrupts the equilibrium and creates an unbalance, 3. there is an aim to fix this equilibrium and 5. the characters succeed in creating balance again, or establish a new equilibrium.

Analysing a music video's narrative structure:

For this task, I chose Alt-j's "Breezeblocks" because while maintaining a clear structure with a beginning, middle and end, the whole video is backwards, creating a plot twist as the audience figures out what has happened.

The beginning:

Firstly, we see the female character, drowned in the bath tub, and then a man sitting next to her on the floor, covering his face with his hands, where we can see a wedding ring. We can see that something violent has occurred, but don't know who has done it yet. After, we see that the man has pushed her in, with a cinder block in his hands. The story has ended with a murder, but for the viewers, it has only just started. The girl is trying to run away from the man, as he gets more and more aggressive (but in this structure, his aggression becomes less)

The middle:

The middle part is the fight scene, we see the woman aiming a glass bottle at her rivals head, and then they are wrestling on the floor, and then up on the table. We are then introduced to the final character, a young girl who is visibly distressed as we see closeups on her face and she has been crying. Then, while she is being pushed against a bookshelf, we see a knife has fallen on the floor, and it returns to the woman. This is when the motives of the characters starts to be clear.

The end:

The man is knelt next to the girl who has been behind a curtain and he removes the duck tape from her mouth. It reveals that it was the woman who had been dangerous, and abusing their child, whereas the man has been trying to protect her, and save her from the violent mother. 

We then get flashbacks to the start of the video so we can be reminded how it all ended. I really enjoyed this music video because its nothing like I've seen before. I love how the gender stereotypes have been reversed and how the whole video was backwards, slowly revealing the plot to us. 

'This is America' Analysis

'This Is America' Analysis

"This Is America": Childish Gambino (2018)

This track was released online in May 2018, while Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) was hosting Saturday Night Live. It has a very string political message, referencing many important topics such as race, gun culture in the US and the police. All these topics have definitely come to light very recently because of the Black Lives Matter movement, and people are starting to address these issues properly. I thought the video and lyrics was very powerful, and made a very emotional impact on me. Gambino didn't treat what he was saying as a taboo topic, his views were very clear on the subjects.

Race

One of the most obvious references is to race. This music video only features black men and women which his very unusual for this media. By only casting people of colour, it makes a statement of how they are normally overlooked and are not nearly represented as much as they should be, and it also makes it clear that this video and message relates to them and shows one of their points of view. We see a separation of white and black people, which is very powerful in itself. One technical convention that caught my eye is the the camera focuses on and follows Gambino as he dances and raps, showing that this song is a message from him and his eye contact with the camera shows he is speaking to us. I think there is a strange intimacy here and a connection he doesn't shy away from. 

Gun Culture in the US

Gun culture in America has always been a huge, controversial problem, that people usually have different views on. However, as he shoots multiple black men and women throughout the video with ease and while still dancing, we can see that he is showing how common and easy it is for people to get away with this crime.  As soon as he shoots the first man, the atmosphere and music itself changes, from a fun and funky afro beat, to a more dark and heavy tone. This technical convention definitely makes me realise that there are way more disadvantages when it comes to guns in America, than benefits, and is something that needs to be controlled. The video emphasises this by including teenagers dancing behind and around Gambino in school uniform. This is clearly referencing all the school shootings in America and how disgusting and preventable it is. 

Police 

Finally, in the lyrics there are many mentions of police and they are seen as a rival to the black community. It is very well known that there are many extremely racist police officers in the US, making it extremely unsafe for people of colour to do daily tasks. Towards the end of the video, the setting feels like a riot, with fires burning, people running around frantically, and cars parked everywhere with their lights on, and at the end of the scene we watch Gambino, who is wearing military style trousers, a symbolic convention, run away from a swarm of people. I think throughout this scene I feel the guilt that goes along side recognising white privilege  and to be able to make your audience feel such a strong emotion through music is very impressive.

In conclusion

This music video is extremely powerful and filled with technical and symbolic conventions. And to address so many controversial and emotional topics all in one go is very hard to do, but here it was done brilliantly. I felt a very strong connection to it and although I can't begin to understand what it must feel like to be put in that position, I can understand the feeling of pain and how it is pushed onto an oppressed community.