Album Artwork - Organic vs Synthetic

In this post, I will be analyzing the artwork of album covers, and applying Negus' Theory of 'Organic vs Synthetic' to these album covers to describe and explain what conventions, technical and symbolic, were used and why.

1st Album Cover:

In my opinion, I think that this is the album cover of an artist. This is because the album cover only has one woman on it, which in my view is to represent the artist. However, upon later discovery that this is a band, this may have been used to confuse their audience, which could reflect the lyrics involved with their songs. I think this is an organic band, as the album cover has very specific feelings and emotions about it, which cold be the construction that the band has achieved by themselves. It seems very artificial The album is expressing a rock/alternative feel about it, because some technical conventions used, such as the whole red background which connotes a dangerous impression, which could symbolize the genre of music. My personal opinion about this album cover is that I don't understand the intentions of the woman and the all-red background is very unattractive, and means you cannot see the woman very clearly. I would not buy this album. 

Some questions i would ask would be:

'Why do you think your audience would like your design?'

'Does the negative character positioning reflect the lyrics in your songs?'



2nd Album Cover:

This is the same band as before. Once again, this has a very organic feel to it, through the style and design of the album. The harsh lighting which creates a shadow implies a very scary/freaky feel, and the wide-eyed man involved, in my opinion, makes the consumer feel very on edge and nervous, as it is very uncomfortable as he seems to be in danger. The artwork again has symbolic connotations of rock genre, as rock stereo typically is very harsh and makes some people uncomfortable to listen to. In my opinion, this artwork is very unappealing as there is no real message involved and it just seems to be too random and unnerving. I would again not buy this album and I am a little surprised that this was a successful album. 

Some questions i would ask:

'Were you worries about isolating your audience with a creepy picture?'

'Does the picture convey emotions portrayed in your songs?'



3rd Album Cover:

Again, this is the same band. This album cover is very different compared to the other two. This one doesn't have any 'creepy' components to it and it is quite refreshing to see a nice landscape and mountains used. In my opinion, I think that the buy standing alone represents the band, who feel that they are very isolated and alone in this world, as they are standing away from the two boys who seem to be friends. However, I would change my view of what genre it would be, as I would say that this would be a classical genre, as the landscape is very relaxing and soothing and beautiful, which are symbolic conventions of classical music. As a result, I think that this would be a successful album and I would buy it. The artwork is very appealing and isn't as weird as their other album covers. 

Some questions I would ask:

'Do the levels of the image and the broad expanse of the landscape represent the global music stage, and do the small children in the foreground represent the minor size of your band standing in front of such adversity in the music industry?'

'Did this represent a change in the genre of your music?'




4th Album Cover:

After having looked at this album cover, I think that this is the album cover of a band. The plain, grey color scheme is one of darkness and simplicity, which could be some symbolic conventions used to portray how this is an alternative genre, possibly acoustic. I think that this band would be very organic, as the album cover shows no evidence of a specific construction or commodity being used, which is a key part of Negus' theory. The simplicity in my opinion too would not be enough for synthetic band to grab the attention of audiences, as its too basic and unappealing. My overall opinion of this artwork is that it is somewhat boring and unattractive, and that it is unsuccessful in acquiring my interest for me to buy this album. 
Some questions I would ask:

'Does the absence of color reflect the bands' emotions?'

'The album is called ''LINES'' but why is there a circle at the bottom?'




Final Album Cover:

This album cover is an interesting one. I think that this some sort of Spanish band, but it has an English written album name. This is because the name ''ROJA'' is Spanish, and the cover has an interesting drawing of a horse being ridden by a woman. I think that is a typical Spanish genre of music, such as Latin Pop or bossa nova. There is a very organic feel to this album because it has a very simplistic and basic color scheme of black and white, but this gives a nice emphasis on the name as it is written in red. The font of the tagline is too in a very Spanish style, which also gives connotations of organic, as it has a very personal implication with it. My overall opinion of this album cover is that it is very visually boring, but the actual drawings of the woman and horse is very cool unique. I would buy this album, despite not liking the black and white color scheme. 

Some questions I would ask:

'What is the significance of the album's name'

'Does the woman used symbolize a specific band member or someone important to the band?' 

Andrew Goodwin's Narrative Theory - Disjuncture

This theory focuses on the idea that there is little connection between the lyrics and the video- the video is completely random and has nothing to do with the lyrics.

Here is an example of a music video:

These screenshots are examples of Disjuncture. This is because whats happening in the music video shows no sense of time or meaning, and whats happening on screen has almost absolutely no relationship with any of the lyrics.

Andrew Goodwin's Narrative Theory - Amplification

This theory is about they lyrics. The image amplify the lyrics as a narrative may be used to convey a deeper meaning that would not be picked up from the lyrics alone. The artists may take on fictional roles within the narrative.

Here is an example of a music video:

This is an example of amplification, as the lyrics are talking about being 'in too deep'. The whole video is based at a diving center, so the lyrics' meaning are amplified with the surrounding environment.

Here, this could link in with the lyrics 'faster we are falling'. Once again the meaning are amplified with the environment of the music video.

Andrew Goodwin's Narrative Theory - Illustration

Andrew Goodwin believes that traditional narrative analyses do not comply for music videos. Instead, they are split up into 3 components, the first of which is Illustration. This is where the video tells the story of the lyrics.

An example of this is 'Hero by Enrique Iglesias'

This is an example of Illustration as it tells a story. As the video advances, the story continues, to attract and entice the audience, and to also feel emotionally involved. 

Here is an example of time passing, as the light has faded. There has also been a revolution in the couples relationship, which could show a difference in their relationship as the narrative continues. 

The video ends with the death of Enrique, which ends the story of their relationship. 

'Like a Prayer' Analysis

                                    

I will be analysing the music video 'Like a Prayer' by Madonna, which was released in 1989, and is considered to be one of the most controversial music videos ever created. 

There are many different aspects of this music video which caused disturbance in the ripples of the  music industry. One of the main components is the religious aspect to the music video, as many connotations are used to portray Christianity in an inhumane and disturbing manor. The audience is introduced to burning crucifixes props, and additionally a black character whom is positioned with a cage inside of a church building location. These elements of mine-en-scene help to show christianity to be a sort of evil part of humanity. This was a huge insult to the American society as religion was a huge aspect of everyone's life, which explains why this element alone cause such a stir in controversy. Focusing back on the burning crucifixes specifically, these were used by the racist group known as the Ku Klux Klan, which still existed at the time of the release, but were not as occurring. The burning cross was to symbolise the death, or upcoming death of a black person, as it was seen as a sign of the people do God's work by 'cleaning' society of the black population. This follows onto the racist aspects of the video.

During the time of this videos release, racism was very common and was not illegal or looked down upon in any cases. Throughout the video, an underlying narrative involves Madonna, a black man, and a group of white males. First off, at some points the black man is dressed as Jesus, the symbol and face of christianity. This was UNBELIEVABLY offensive in the eyes of christian followers at the time, as they were racist, and they couldn't have a black man dress up as him. Low angles are also majoritavely used when showing the black man dressed as Jesus, as it represents his power that he has. Madonna is also seen worshipping him, which was offensive as a white person would never bow down to a black man at the time of the release.

This is in tangent too with the group of black people singing as a choir within the church itself. This too was seen to be unacceptable in the eyes of christians as black people were not seen to be religious, or even to be allowed to be inside of a church. The racist aspect continues, as the group of white men conduct a murder on a woman, which the black man later gets arrested for, despite hoping to care for the woman victim. Throughout this murder, the pace of the editing quickens and the number of straight cuts increases, and the use of a handheld camera portrays the danger and speed of this horrific event. Aa the black man is blamed, society became further outraged as it was Madonna's way of stating that not only is society racist, but the actual police force which is meant to 'protect and serve' is also racist, which is highly ironic.









Additionally, sexuality and the role of women in society is also portrayed in a way which was seen as unacceptable at the time of its release. The costume of Madonna is fairly revealing-her cleavage is on show and you can see her bra straps. This works in correlation with the slow-motion shots of her doing erotic hand movements etc. and with the close-up shots of her lips and cleavage too. These show off her sexuality, which is very inappropriate as the majority takes place inside of the church itself. This was seen as bad as churches are the houses of God. This is topped off as, as a result of the character positioning, Madonna ends up sleeping with the black man, on the church floor. This is seen as 2 unforgivable acts, as one side is that they're ruining Gods house with sinful acts, and also as a white woman is sleeping with a black man, which was seen as unacceptable in the time of this videos release.

Music Genres

Here is a list of genres which exist in the music industry:

What is a Music Campaign?

Here is a powerpoint presentation analysing the Website, album cover and music video of an artist. These 3 components make up a music campaign. I will be looking at Drake and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. 

Here is Drakes Website:http://www.drakeofficial.com

Music Video 'Take Care':

Here is Nick Caves Website:http://nickcave.com

Here is the Music Video 'We No Who U R':