Research. Band Five: Phoenix- IT'S NEVER BEEN LIKE THAT

Phoenix- IT’S NEVER BEEN LIKE THAT

CD PACKAGE
Front Cover
This cover used the colours red, white and black, they are quite eye catching for the audience. All the band members are positioned in the centre of the frame, and the name of the band is in the centre of their stance. In 3D bold black capital lettering, and is emphasised by chunky white 3D effect. Only one of the band members is providing a direct mode of address whereas 2 others are looking away and one is standing upside down, this creates an enigma because the audience wonder what makes him different. The way in which one of the band members provides a direct mode of address makes the feel of the album more personal, and they the music is made for you, you are the target audience and they want you to listen to it. The majority of the background is in a bright red colour whereas there flooring is white emphasising their black outfits. They have also been highlighted in white so that they stand out more from the red background.
The title of their album is at the bottom in small black capitals. It is easy to read, however the name of the album is not linked to the image on the album, this creates another enigma for the audience because they wonder why the album has been called that.
The genre is felt through this album cover by their use of block colour and how there isn’t any organisation.  One of the band members also stands out, not only because he is standing upside down but also because he is wearing a white top, whereas the others are all dressed in black, the way in which their style is unpolished once again relates to the ‘indie’ genre and the way in which they communicate to the audience.
POSTER ADVERT FOR THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

The colour of the poster is overall very bright, it presents a cartoon image of what can be seen as an old man in a suit holding his hand out, presenting a slightly demolished flower, this flower could be used as symbolism as the same flower is also pinned onto his suit. If you look closely at the flower, two of the pettles look like a heart cracked in the middle, which relates to the name of the band which is 'The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart', this therefore shows symbolism towards the band name.
The background of the poster is bright orange which looks rustic in some places, which reinforces the 'indie' definition of being unpolished, it is also bright and eye catching meaning that an audience would be attracted to it. The cartoon man is in black which causes him to stand out easily. The band name is in a red colour and against the orange background stands out quite clearly.
The date of release for their album is in black thick writing, so that it is clear to the audience, it clearly contrasts again the orange background.

MUSIC VIDEO

This video is very basic, yet interesting for the audience, the camera stays stationary at all times, and is a long shot of the whole band on the stage, as they perform, a lot of different light designs are used which emphasise the band members in specific ways, this could connote their differences in moods, attitudes and interests. The ways in which the shapes of light change keep the audience interested and intrigued in the music video. Despite the fact that a lot of the videos I have looked as appear quite busy and have different settings and camera angles etc, this video still files away into the indie genre, just for being different and experimental. The way in which it is different compared to other indie music videos has a way of making it appear more indie and more interesting to the audience.

There isn't emphasis on one band member, they are all included in the shot, this could connote to the audience how all the band members may feel equal within the group due to typically the lead vocalist being the main attraction in most indie bands.

The audience were not made to feel of a lower authority or higher, the camera shot was in middle shot, keeping the audience level with the band, this creates what is felt to be a relationship between the audience and the band, which is very important for an audience to be interested.

Research, Band Four: The Vaccines- WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?

The Vaccines- WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?

CD PACKAGE
FRONT COVER
This cover displays a black background with the band name clearly shown by light pink font in thick block capitals, this immediately tells the audience who this band are. Below this text is an image of a girl appearing to hug a boy, however you can only see her and the audience are unaware who the male figure is, this immediately creates an enigma for the audience as they wonder if the girl is part of the band and who the man is. The male appears to wear a bright orange top where the girl wears a plain white tank top. She is not giving a direct mode of address and you can merely see her messy dirty brown hair. From what you can see of her facial expression she does not appear happy, merely paying attention to something else. The image is outlined in the same shade of pink as the title, this highlights and emphasises the image however the audience are unaware of the importance which the image holds.

BACK COVER
The text is all in the same shade of pink as used on the cover, showing continuity. The songs are not numbered but are in the same colour and in small capitals at the top centre of the back cover. In the middle of the back is an image of a girl with her back to the camera, she appears to be sitting on a wall facing a cloudless sky, this can connote the effortlessness of the music which the Vaccines provide to their audience. The colours of the image are quite pleasing to the eye seems as they are not very bright but subtle, similar to the colours of the images used in previous CD covers that I’ve analysed already. This creates a calming and relaxing feeling.

CD DESIGN
The actual CD is alarmingly bright, the colours disintegrate from bright orange starting at the top o the CD and working down the colour spectrum down to yellow at the bottom, Seems as the audience will be met by this exotic bright CD when they open what I can describe as mainly black and colourless covers, this could connote the feelings which the audience will feel as they open up the album and listen to their music.
The name of the band is printed in bold black capitals at the top of the CD then also at the bottom there is a list of the songs which are on the CD also in black capitals but in smaller size and less eye catching but is still reasonable visible.

POSTER ADVERTThe poster is very basic, the name of the album takes up the majority of the poster in the same pale pink colour as the album cover on a black background. The text is in large capital letters similar to the album which connotes continuity throughout the promotion of this band. Underneath the name of the album is the date, expressing the day that the album will be released, also there is a small image in the bottom right hand courner of the album cover, just so that the band is recognisable and it clear what band the poster is promoting.

MUSIC VIDEOThere is an effect used in this video which put certain features in focus and creates brightness without being in your face. There is mainly straight cuts used in this video, this cuts stright to the point and makes the video more focused and tells the story quite easily.

The lyrics match the video, there are a handful of characters used in this video, close ups are mainly used on their faces, this helps the audience to understand their feelings through their facial expressions, and influences the audiences feelings.
The setting of this video is in a few different apartments, they all look rather similar, they are not very tidy, I think that the indie genre focus a lot on untidiness and how it is portrayed and seen as 'cool'.
The lead vocalist is the first shot that the audience see, this clearly and immediately identifies him to the audience, there are a few shots of the whole band cramped into a small room, the lead vocalist who is also a guitarist is seen sitting in a rather comfortable position which could be seen by the audience as slightly arrogant as he plays his guitar and sings the song, the rest of his band mates however do not appear so relaxed. This could connote to the audience how the lead singer appears unique and in charge of the rest of the band.
There are many high angle shots, used down on the characters showing the audiences authority over them, however there are no high angle shots used when the band members are in the frame, showing how they are not to be looked down on, a low angle shot is used in a shot of the lead vocalist, this immediately connotes that we are of lower authority of him and that we are listening to him and his music.
None of the band members provide a direct mode of address though, meaning that they are being passive while the audience observe the story that is displayed in front of them.

Research. Band Three: The Ordinary Boys

The Ordinary Boys.

CD PACKAGING

-CD COVER.
This CD cover is quite ordinary, which obviously resembles the band’s name, the whole image is in black and white, the band members appear to be at some kind of train station, all the members are included in the medium shot, one of the members is positioned closest to the camera, however only one member is giving a direct mode of address, which is Preston, he is a well known artist and is seen as the ‘face’ of the band, the way in which he is providing a direct mode of address connotes his importance and emphasises on how he is he ‘face’ of the band.
The name of the band is printed on a train ticket, in plain black and white, the font is thick black capitals, and the name of the band is the boldest, meaning it stands out the most in contrast to the white background.
They appear to be wearing patterned clothing which appears to contrast with their outfits, once again fitting the ‘indie’ definition.
Due to their band name being ‘The Oridnary Boys’ this causes the audience to believe that they are quite ordinary and not very original, and the way in which their album cover is completely in black and white does not do anything when trying to interest the audience, this could be because they are going for the more classical look rather than bright and original.
It is not very clear who the target audience are, due to the image which this band portray shows how they could appeal to older audiences as well as young ones too.
The name of the album ‘Maybe Someday’ creates an enigma for the audience because they may think, what are they hoping for? This would easily interest an audience.
All the members are white middle class 20year olds, which is typical for this genre because this gender, ethnicity and age range tend to dominate the indie genre.

POSTER ADVERT
This poster has a image of their recent album on a black background, this image is positioned at the top of the poster and fills 2/3rds of the poster in total. At the bottom of the poster there is white text, which states the name of the album in capital letters and is underlined, this connotes importance and immediately grabs the eye of the audience, this text is the largest creating emphasis. Underneath is smaller text is the date of the release and below that in even smaller text is the singles in which the album present.
This poster also promotes their website which may interest many members of their target audience.
MUSIC VIDEO

This video mainly focuses on the lead singer, at the beginning he is in a very old fashioned and vintage bedroom, he constantly provides the audience with a direct mode of address gaining their attention and making the audience feel as if he is only singing to them. Many straight cuts are used, and the camera movement is mainly stationary, although there is a pan at the beginning, showing how the audience can follow the action. The lead vocalist is usually in the centre of the frame, and the camera only follows his movement, no one elses, this keeps the audiences attention on him at all times.
This music video portrays the lead singer to be almost super-human, he is in the crowd at his own gig, yet he is singing at the same time, this could communicate to the audience how special and unique this band member and his music is.
The gig is set in a very dirty looking hall, there are many people in the crowd enjoying the music, looking rather lively, this connotes to the audience how they should react to the music and shows the audience the way they should act when this music is playing. The way the setting is quite grubby once again reinforces the definition of being 'indie' because it's unpolished yet no one cares, the way no one is bothered, also influences the audience and may change their views and opinions on such things as it appears pretty cool and 'hip' not to be bothered by uncleanliness.

Research. Band Two: The Wombats- THIS MODERN GLITCH

The Wombats- THIS MODERN GLITCH.

CD Packaging

CD COVER
This cover shows a beach scene, with 17 unknown individuals either sitting or standing which an unknown image coving their faces, this immediately creates an enigma as the audience wonder who these individuals are and what the image they are holding represents. They are all positioned in the centre of the frame connoting main importance which is quite unusual because they appear to have nothing to do with the making of the music. They are all dressed in what can be deemed as ‘indie’ clothing which can be defined as delibrately unpolished or uncommercial style, this immediately related to the genre of the music with ease.
This image is expressed through a medium to long shot because it is possible of showing the surroundings but also some of the features of the individuals which are present in the image. None of the individuals are expressing a mode of address because their faces are covered.
Unusually the band members are not featured on this cover, unlike the Noah and The Whale CD cover where they appeared to be a main focus, this could connote confidence due to the band members not having to appear on their cd cover to make the audience interested in their music.
The way in which the setting of this image is on a beach immediately connotes relaxation, calmness and happiness, which could also reflect the feeling that their music provides to the audience.
The band name which is positioned at the top centre of the cover, is in thick white ‘hand writing’ like writing, making the music and the feel of the band more personal and less formal and almost playful. The name of the album which is underneath the band name is in a different font and more formal. The name of the album is ‘THIS MODERN GLITCH’ which immediately creates an enigma for the audience.
The target audience could be reflected through the age range of the individuals which are featured in the cover, so that would be around the age of late teen years and early 20’s.
There are both males and females featured in this image, however,there appears to be a slight increase in the amount of males, which could suggest that this band is more male dominated.

BACK COVER
This is quite playful and personal because it appears that there is a person viewing the CD making it look quite popular and known. You can see two hands which display 2 contrasting colours of nail varnish, this also adds to the ‘indie’ feel of the cover as unpolished or uncommercial. The way a girl is seen to be looking at the album also creates continuity because her face is covered also, similar to the individuals on the front of the CD cover.
It clearly states the song names of the band, in thin black capitals which makes it appear rather formal. The same titles are used on the back, but they are now in a black font, this also connotes continuity.
There is a contrast of colours, the background is a bright blue colour, where as the spin of the CD is a bright green colour, which also reinforces the ‘indie’ feel to this genre.

CD DESIGN.
The CD is quite unusual, it is a bright yellow colour with a cartoon drawing of what appear to be robots in green pen, which again makes the CD feel more personal and less serious, and formal. This image immediately creates an enigma due to it being so unusual, the audience will wonder what the story behind the drawing is, but of course they will not get to find out, maybe by listening to it, the lyrics of one song may give them a clue, but that is how the band making the audience listen to it, possibly to figure out the enigmas which the band propose.
The way the name of the album is called ‘THIS MODERN GLITCH’ could relate to this image, because it uses the word ‘modern’ which can be easily related to robots, because they appear modern however are more futuristic.

POSTER ADVERT.
This poster has the same image as the one on the cover of their CD package and it shows a beach scene, with 17 unknown individuals either sitting or standing which an unknown image coving their faces, this immediately creates an enigma as the audience wonder who these individuals are and what the image they are holding represents. They are all positioned in the centre of the frame connoting main importance, which is quite unusual because they appear to have nothing to do with the making of the music. They are all dressed in what can be deemed as ‘indie’ clothing, which can be defined as deliberately unpolished, or uncommercial style, this immediately related to the genre of the music with ease.
This image is expressed through a medium to long shot because it is possible of showing the surroundings but also some of the features of the individuals which are present in the image. None of the individuals are expressing a mode of address because their faces are covered.
The text however is different the band name is slightly bigger and bolder immediately grabbing the audiences attention. The bottom is cut off and there is a bold block of blue colour, which presents white capital lettering describing the date when the album is released, the way the text is white, creates emphasis, which makes the audience draw attention to the text. Also the text tells the audience what singles are included in the album, these song titles are in a reddish colour which makes them stand out against the contrasting blue background.
This poster also promotes their website which is in white text at the bottom of the poster, this interests audiences more because websites could promote special deals or more information which you may not found on their promotional poster.
MUSIC VIDEOThere are many straight cuts in this video and they become more frequent as the music picks up in tempo, this is used to keep the audience on their toes and makes them want to see more. The band members are clearly noticed due to them wearing different clothes to the other characters, causing them to stand out, which is used quite frequently in indie music videos.

There are two different settings used in this video, there is a floor where the band are playing with all their insturuments, there are a lot of close ups on the lead vocalist as he sings, showing how he is the main importance of the band, and also providing the audience to see the band members facial expressions while he sings.
The lead vocalist is the only band member used in the other setting which is at a party, due to him being in a suit and every other character in the scene to be wearing extremely unusual clothing this immediately shows the audience who he is and becomes easily recognisable.
Many different shots are used, many go back and forth, this interests the audience because they do not know what till be next. When the chorus kicks in bright flashing lights are used to emphasise the lyrics of being a 'techno fan'. If someone is a fan of techno music, this entails bright flashing lights and quite crazy parties, this is what we quickly relate to such a person, and that is exactly what is used in this video.
As 'indie' people are defined as having an 'unpolished' look and style, this applies to the characters used in the music video but not to the actual band members which appear not to change from their quite formal yet fashionable clothing.
The video is quite up-beat and lively, which immediately interests the audience and comminicates the type of genre immediately.
The band members are usually highlighted or are in the centre of the frame once again connoting importance and independancy, none of the band members give a direct mode of address, this could be due to the fact that they are creating the illusion that they aren't being filmed, this once again makes the video more personal to the audience, because they feel as though they are seeing into the lives of the band members despite the fact that it is highly mediated.

Research. Band One: Noah and The Whale- L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N

Analysis of CD packaging, Promotional poster and Music Video
Noah and The Whale- L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N
CD PACKAGING
-Front Cover:
The main image and title are slightly shifted to the right of the cover, however is still extremely visible, the title which is in the top right of the cover is in thick black capital letters, gripping the audience to recognise this band. Underneath the title, in smaller lower case font, are the titles of the songs which are featured on the CD, this appears unusual due to the song list usually being on the back cover, but this creates ease for the audience due to the fact that they can immediately identify which songs are on this particular CD.
In the bottom left hand corner, there is a quote ‘Last Night On Earth’ this is emphasised by it being on it’s own on the left side of the cover. This is a quote from one of their songs, however it is not the title of one of their songs, which is unusual because generally a band would quote a song title. This adds to the uniqueness and difference of this CD cover compared to typical predictable ones.
The image used displays all the members of the band, however none of the members are providing the audience with a direct mode of address, this could connote how the audience have a higher position and therefore the band do not intimidate the audience by looking directly at them. It is as though they appear humble to the audience, showing no signs of arrogance or pomposity due to the fact that the audience would be doing them a favour by buying their CD.
The band members are positioned in the centre of the image, showing that they are the main focus of the CD cover, although the main vocal singer is typically positioned in the centre of the band members, connoting importance. However, from first glance, the image appears merely edited with eye catching subtle yet bright colours, however the deeper you look into the image, there is an overlap of two images. It appears that the band members fade into an image of a city street at night, showing cars, and street lamps, at the end of the road, there is a bright light, this could connote that the music is slightly futuristic, bright and happy, which resembles the light shown at the end of the road in the image.
The camera shot used for the image is a medium shot, despite the image being edited the audience are still able to recognise the band members faces, despite the fact that some of the members are sitting at angles which hide themselves from the audience slightly they are in casual and comfortable positions this could connote how their music resembles their body language, relaxing.  The colours used are very mellow however it is not dull; it appears very pleasing to the eye.
All the band members appear Caucasian, and are all male, this is quite usual for the Indie genre to be dominated by middle class, white males, they appear reasonably young, in their mid to late 20’s this could influence their audience, despite the fact that they interest teenagers in their music and also older people, they provide decent indie music for a variety of age groups.
This CD cover persuades the audience quite easily by having a basic yet unique layout that can interest an audience due to it bring different. This cover also presents the band members as quite casual everyday people, but them being in the same class as many of the target audience, this could have an interesting effect; by listening to their music they may relate to the way the band members feel, thus creating a relating to the audience directly.

Back Cover:This CD back cover is quite basic and straightforward; the songs are listed on the back, which is also presented on the front cover of the CD package. The title of the band and the tag line are presented in the same black bold capital letters as the front showing continuity. There are no bright colours used on this back cover, this cover has more of a basic yet classical look, despite it not being very bright it is still capable of attracting the audience.

CD Design:
The fonts and styles used for the CD design are the same as the front and back cover of the CD package, once again showing continuity. No images or excess text are printed on the actual CD. The CD clearly states the bands name and their tagline.

POSTER ADVERTThe members of the band are positioned at the bottom of the image, which is displayed as the background of the poster; this could connote how they are not the main focus of the music, but that there actual musical talent speaks for them.
The image if of the members in what appears to be a field on a lovely sunny day, this could connote the happiness and calmness, which is represented through their music. The name of the band is in a smaller font compared the name of their album. This could show how their target audience may already recognise their album name rather than their band name straight away. This means that this could appeal to dedicated audience members.
The image only puts one of the band members in focus, this could connote how he is the main image of the band and how he may be seen as the leader seems as though he is standing slightly infront of the other members. The band member which is in focus is holding a camera, but it is unclear what he is taking a photo of, this creates an enigma. This creates a feeling of mystery and wonder which is used to attract the audience.
The colours used are quite bright yet subtle, this could connote how the music is felt by the audience, that the music is cheerful but not exotic.
The text is in a dark colour making it stand out and is eye cathcing to the audience. The name of the album is in italics, making it more diverse compared to the name of the band, this makes the poster appear more interesting and not as plain as it would if the same font type was used throughout, showing that continuity is not as important in posters.
A mood is created through the scene of which the photo is taken in, it connotes and expresses a feeling of freedom as they are in a field on a sunny day, any teenagers dream. It immediately connotes relaxation and calmness.
The stars/ ratings given on this poster all show 4 stars, this can help promote the band and their album because this shows positivity towards their music, which would influence individuals which are already intersted in this genre of music to give it a listen seems as it has received such good reviews.

MUSIC VIDEO
The band members always appear to be either in the centre of the shot or the front compared to other characters which are featured in the video, this connotes importance of the band and easily shows the audience who the band members are and who are meer actors in the video. A lot of slow zoom ins and outs are used to portray the setting and help the audience understand the possible purpose of being in that setting. There are many straight cuts, and many put of focus shots, this reinforces the 'indie' stereotype of being unpolished, this therefore communicates the genre to the audience. The straight cuts are rather slow, not extremely frequent because the song is not very fast, if it were it may confuse the audience. The video also shows a vintage record player, this is seen as stereotypical for 'indie' genres because they are easily related to vintage clothing etc. None of the band members give a direct mode of address, they appear passive and shows that they may not need the audiences exact attention for them to be interested in the music.
The setting appears to be in a pub, which is quite empty, this could relate to the target audience and how they may be seen to be in their late teens, such as 18 and 19, this can influence the audience because they could relate to the setting and some situations which are shown in the video.
The video links to the lyrics of the song very well, in the song they describe different people, and these people are shown in the video, they are in the centre of the screen behind a window, and are unaware while the band members sing about them, it is portrayed almost like a story and is personal to the characters which are featured.
This video shows the band to be quite different and experimental, they use a range of different shots which makes it more interesting for the audience and intriguing also.
The video clearly promotes the song as it relates quite closely to the lyrics used.