Textual Analysis 1 - The Chemical Brothers

Link to... Textual Analysis 1 (SlideShare) 

Chemical brothers - Let Forever be from Stage of the Art .net on Vimeo.

Textual Analysis 2 - Daft Punk

Link to... Textual Analysis 2 (SlideShare)                                  

                                   

Semiotic Analysis 3

All Killer No Filler

This is the front cover of the album “All Killer No Filler”, the first by the band Sum 41. The album would be defined in the punk or alternative rock genre where album artwork can vary greatly from shots of the band members to random front covers which vaguely relate back to the band or album name. On the face of it the front cover of this album has very little to do with either the band or the title of the album, but in fact there are many themes relating to the artwork. 

One of the main themes throughout the album is society and breaking out from traditional societies and teenage rebellion. This theme is shown in the front cover with images of various young people pulling strange faces and acting in a way that could be frowned upon in society. The fact that this album is very strange and could also be deemed as post modern enhances the point that the main theme of the album is breaking out from traditional stereotypes.

Another point that relates to album cover is that the first released single off the album was titled Fat Lip, and probably the band’s most well known single. With that being the first released single the song title closely ties in with all of the imagery on the front cover and could have been a possible inspiration for the artwork.

Semiotic Analysis 2

Infinity On High

This album cover is a good source of inspiration for our own album artwork as it strongly represents the idea of a random, untraditional approach to things.

Denotation
The jumble of seemingly irrelevant things can represent a sense of freedom in the album. The immediate example of this can be seen in the inclusion of, what appears to be, a sheep, as the main focus, in the foreground of the shot. This could be taking the place of what would usually be a rocking horse as the location is a child’s bedroom. The room is decorated with quite a magical feel due to the twinkle lights in the top half of the shot accompanied by an overly sized crescent moon in the top left to create an outer space look. In the far right, we can see a small crow standing on top of a pumpkin. Also, the cover is not symmetrical and much of the shot is packed towards the left hand side. There is also a door, to what looks like a wardrobe, open in the background.


Connotation
The space-like décor may bring the connotations of an “out of this world” experience which further promote the strange, mind-trip theme. In regards to the crow and pumpkin, they not only bring a more sinister undertone, behind the mirage of the pleasant children's room, but also present connotations of death and horror due to the relation to Halloween that both the pumpkin and the crow have. Also, the sheep having what appear to be wings give an even more mythical feel to the artwork.


I don’t feel this is a typical cover for the genre this band’s music represents, as Fall Out Boy are generally an Alternative Rock group and we would usually see the band members or musical instruments on the album artwork. So this is an example of a break from the norm which is exactly the kind of thing we are aiming to create.

Semiotic Analysis 1

Black Holes and Revelations

Connotation

This album cover features four men sitting at a table on what is believed to be mars. The immediate area around them is orange and very rocky whereas the sky is bright blue. The men and the table are centred which focused most of the attention of the view on it and they seem to stand out against the orange surface. The name of the band and album is the corner in black which doesn’t particularly stand out compared with the rest of the album. They are also placed in the corner so not to pull attention away from the visual spectacle in the middle. Small horses can be seen running on the table and the men seem to be wearing unusual clothing. In the sky a small silhouette of the earth and moon can be seen next to the bands name. They are almost hidden and unnoticeable but are there so the viewer can see its mars.

Denotation

The earth and moon in the sky mixed with the orange surface show that this cover is based on mars. The orange surface and the blue sky conflict with each other as they are opposite colours making each other stand out. The setting in the centre with the table is the main focus of attention. It is quite a large part of the picture and is what is the viewer is drawn too first. All text featured on the cover is in capitals meaning they want to viewer to see it but as it is the corner and in blue on top of blue they also don’t want it to be the only thing the viewer sees. The scene is lit very well and you can see the shadows meaning nothing is hidden within the picture although the meaning is not apparent at the start. The men sat at the table are sitting around it in a square which makes it look more formal but at the same time their clothing would suggest its not. It could be said that the scene relates to the name of the album, black holes and revelations and a scene on mars

Music Video Magazine/Promotions Analysis

Chase and Status single magazine promotion of "end credits" in calloboration with Plan B.Promotion shows artist Plan B on the right hand side in a crosshair type shape with a close up of artists chase and status's heads. in terms of style, the advert is very minimalistic, for example there is barely any information given except for the artists name, name of the song and where to download it from. by giving barely any information it creates a hook as the reader is invited to learn more and is literally  forced to go to chase and status's homepage to learn more about the song and download it. again this works on a second level as the reader has to go to their homepage, so they will see all the other songs they have created and will probably download those as well. . Furthermore the basic colour scheme helps to sell the product as its on a white background which focuses the attention on the information at hand such as the black coloured "End Credits" and also the download information which stands out from the contrasting white to black to white. so this promotion is a very effective selling method and for getting there music out there

 Sub Focus album promotion: this promotion shows a brightly coloured circular shape, obviously modelled on a CD and a list of information regarding track listings and platforms that are available to get the album in such as download or CD or even a niche market of vinyl record. with regards to style, the font which is in white, is heavily contrasted to the black background which draws the viwers attention and focuses it on the article. the circular shape that is brightly coloured is again contrasted to the black background, but more importantly the colour represent the fact that the music is smooth and flows well, hence the circle shape and the subtle transition of the colours helps to show that the music moves well and therefore sounds great.