Album cover analysis

Album Covers are another important aspect of Music Video as a package. They are an extension of an artists creative and promotional package. Different Genres of Music have different Ideas and conventions regaring their album artwork. Although there are general conventions that all in the genre follow, some artists use it as a means of individualism and this can lead to interesting and artistic Covers. Album covers are however becoming more and more obselete because of the huge rise of Internet download and other means of playing music. Dispite this there is still a large market for a physical album. Here are three from the main three genres.

Radiohead- Kid A: This albumn cover from the Indie band Radiohead is a good example of what an album cover is. For the Indie genre there generally is an artistic and entropic view on what an album cover is and this is no exeption. It is at first glance just a mountain range, nothing partically interesting about that. But they arnt usually featured in any Album cover (especially not painted) which makes it very entropic and abstract. The reason for abstractnes as opposed to a more pop video is partially to give the impression that they are an Indie band and again because the individual dosnt matter in the Indie genre as a whole and they focus more on the talant, this relates to the album covers bieng extensions of there artistic talants.

This particular album cover has been constructed deliberatly too look almost unfinished and stuck together. Hence the cuts in the image which give it a more arty feel to it. A standalone picture of a mountain range wouldnt have the desired effect of art even though it is painted it still needed something else. and in the background there is suddenly a red and fiery feel to the image. This could be a representation of energy or power which could be relating to the music or the band. Interestingly the Name of the album has absolutely no relevence to the image. Usually there is some sort of reference no matter how insignificant. But in this there isnt.

Iron Maiden- The Final Frontier: This album cover for Rock band Iron Maiden is an interesting and iconic example of what a Rock album cover could be like. Rock album covers are a little trikier to define that Indie or pop because Rock is one of the Widest genres and covers so many different types of rock. Each different types of rock brings with it its own ideas about what there music is about. And they also have differing ideas about what an album cover should be like. Traditional rock bands like The Beatles or Pink floyd have very different  covers to Heavy metal bands like Metallica and Slipknot. However all rock tends to favour creativity as opposed to advertisement in the usage of album covers

Iron Maiden falls under the rock catagory of Metal and is a good example of Conventions and Beliefs in regards to there Albums. As we can see there is a strong theme of Death, almost unholyness in this artwork. Skulls, blood and cuts are all frequent in this album. This is common with many Metal album covers because they relate to the subculture of the people who generally listen to it. It could also be symbolism for the consequenses of living a Metal lifestyle. But probebly not. Colours in these albums are generally dark and include deep shades of colours. However in my mind this is a slightly more artistic and colourful approach to an album cover.

Tinie Tempah- Discovery: This album cover for pop Tinie Tempah is a typical and conventional take on a pop Album cover. Most Pop music in general focuses on the artist and uses it as a advertisment tool. Album covers are no different and will nearly always have mid shots or close ups of the artists and not much else. Art is not a major componant in this genre, but this specific album is using artwork as well as advertising the individual.