Arctic Monkeys – ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’

The cover for Arctic Monkey’s debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ features a full bleed image (typical of CD covers) of a man (a friend of the band) smoking a cigarette, wearing a white shirt with his eyes half-closed. The top left corner of the cover features the band’s logo placed at an angle, which suggests a sense of recklessness, as though the logo has been casually stamped on. This is enforced further by the fact that the image itself is in black and white, which reflects the ‘rough-and-ready’ style of the indie music genre and emphasises the gritty realism of the band’s lyrical style. The fact that the man is smoking connotes anti-establishment and rebellion, which are both typical themes in rock music. By having one simple image, the band are suggesting a minimalist approach to making music, or are perhaps implying that their music is the most important thing.The back cover of the CD features another photo of the same man, still smoking a cigarette, although this time he’s covering his face with his hand. The font used is a simple, lower-case, white serif one, which ties in with the minimalist theme created by the photos on both the front and back covers.

Arcade Fire – ‘The Suburbs’

The CD cover for Arcade Fire’s 3rd album ‘The Suburbs’ again features a full-bleed photograph, this time of the back of a car, a palm tree and the wall of a house. The old-fashioned car and wood panelling on the house give a sense of nostalgia, which is heightened by the use of high-contrast, vivid colours. Additionally, the palm tree and style of house give the impression that the location is suburban America, making an obvious link to the album’s title. In the top right corner of the cover there is the band’s logo, which, as it is very small, does not distract from the main image. Moreover there is no mention of the album name on the front, meaning all the focus is drawn to the photograph.The back of the album is primarily black, with the album title and band name written in dark green. These dull colours could be seen as suggesting that the band’s music is somewhat dark, and creates a sense of mystery. Like the Arctic Monkeys’ one, the simplicity here makes for an eye-catching cover.

Friendly Fires – ‘Pala’

The CD cover for Friendly Fires’ second album, ‘Pala’ consists of a photo of a bird, shot from behind mid-flight, on a black background. The vibrant colours here reflect the “dance-punk” style of music that the band produces and stand out against the plain backdrop. Additionally, the exotic bird connotes the influence of world music on their sound. The band name and album title are laid over this in a simple, translucent and white, sans-serif font, which makes it seem modern and stylish. By keeping the cover simplistic, the attention of the audience is drawn directly to the image, making it eye-catching and interesting.

Feeder – ‘Renegades’

This magazine advert for Feeder’s 7th album ‘Renegades’ consists primarily of a photo of a woman wearing nothing but a balaclava, holding a skateboard over her shoulder. By using a naked woman, the band are establishing themselves as typical ‘macho’ rock icons with a male target audience, but the fact that she can only be seen from behind means the photo is still appropriate for publishing in music magazines. The sexual appeal of the woman is highlighted by her heavy black eye make-up, red lipstick and tattoos. The skateboard is an iconic signifier of teen rebellion and grunge music, implying the influences on the genre of music that the band produces (often Feeder are described as ‘post-grunge’). The title of the album is written on the left side of the woman’s back in thick black marker, making it stand out and , from a feminist perspective, it could be seen as suggesting a sense of ownership over her. This is enforced by the balaclava, which denies her an identity, arguably objectifying her; hence it could be said that women in rock music are negatively represented. All these visual elements combined make for a very striking advert, especially when supported by the use of eye-catching text colour: red and white on an off-white background. The font here is a large simple sans-serif bold one, making it clear and memorable.

Kele – ‘The Boxer’

This magazine advert for Kele’s debut solo album ‘The Boxer’ is entirely in black and white, which makes it seem dark, mysterious and artistic. The sense of mystery is heightened by the fact that you cannot see the artist’s face, perhaps in an attempt to reinvent himself as a solo artist after leaving the highly successful band Bloc Party. The presence of a slightly battered wooden chair and wooden floorboards suggest a raw (and again artistic) approach to making the album, whilst the font used for the album title and artist name is thin, simple, and slightly squared, which connotes the heavy dance influence on this album. Lastly, the white serifed text beneath the title stands out against the darkness of the rest of the advert and helps promote the album by quoting positive reviews, arguably meaning that the artist is attempting to legitimise solo career.

Stornoway – ‘The Beachcomber’s Windowsill’

This magazine advert for Stornoway’s album ‘The Beachcomber’s Windowsill’, like the Kele advert, uses quotes from reviews as a way of legitimising the band due to the fact that this is their first album, as stated beneath the album’s title. The image used on the advert is very abstract, which could be interpreted as suggesting that the band are unconventional or a little different to other current music. Moreover, the fact that it is hand-drawn makes it more personal and ‘down-to-earth’. The image itself is of a dark, almost purplish, house with a bright white light escaping from a hole in the roof, which is being circled by seagulls. However, this image has been cut out in an unusual, almost unidentifiable shape, making it even more interesting and ambiguous; it could be interpreted in many ways. This enigma makes the advert more intriguing and eye-catching.