POP ROCK ALBUM ANALYSIS

The Album cover depicts an image of Florence the singer of the band. She is wearing very sparse clothing that has just been draped over her. Her positioning looks very uncomfortable for her by the way her arms have been placed.

White has been used for all of the font and draws out how pale her complexion is. The use of the thin white font for the title makes it blend into the photo rather than standing out. Instead what stands out the most is the actual lungs she is wearing around her necklace as the red contrasts with the other soft colour tones.

At first it looks like she is standing up. However, I think she is actually lying down on a rug and has had flowers chucked around her. It appears that maybe she has been abused and then just left there. This is taken from her sad expression and hearts drawn on her arms look like bruises that are slowly fading.

On the back cover the use of the white lettering has continued but the song list is quite small making it harder to read.

What stands out the most on the back is the drawing of the anatomical lungs. The reason behind it could be to show that the music is real rather than something glorified and fake. It also shows that the heart is right in between the lungs and then in the music.

The audience are likely to be fairly young women who can relate to having been in love and felt broken and abused afterwards. That they feel inside the way Florence is shown on the outside.

The font used for the title of the band is very distinctive and has become recognisable to the band. Fans will be able to identify that font to the band and feel more connected to them.

Of all the albums the barcode is most prominent on this cover. As well as the website about the band, suggesting they are the most accepting of the commercial side of making music.

The cover of the album shows some toys each in their own sections in rustic looking shelves. The wood around the edges makes it look old as well as the toys that look worn and damage. The type of toys you might expect to find in a grandparents attic.

The toys create a rather eerie feel about the album especially the four toys on the back of the album. Most specifically the soldier on the left. The theme of the toys could come from the constant reference of “toy soldiers” and “porcelain” in the songs.

The name of the band and the album are both done in the same font and colouring. The brown colour matches the wooden effect and further compliments the creepiness about the cover. The title also gives the impression of fairy tales such as those by the brothers Grimm.

The writing of the songs is small and doesn’t really grab you. This could be the bands way of saying that it is a whole album and the individual songs aren’t important.

It has a darker look than you would imagine from most albums of pop rock bands. This image though would seem to fit the lyrics though the sound would seem to still fit into the pop rock genre even if the rock is more prominent than the pop.

The audience is most likely to be for older teenagers. As the cover doesn’t look appropriate for anyone younger and the music may not be as relatable to adults.

By not having a picture of the band on the front it shows that they don’t want to be recognised for their image but by their music.

The barcode looks the most out of place on this album, as all the commercial information around the CD has been squished at the bottom. This suggests the artist wants to ignore this commercial reality around their music.

The cover possibly shows the five personas of the band members as there are five heads of animals on the cover and there are five band member. This could link with the title of the album (Native) as native tribes such as Indians were known for using animals as a representation of human souls/spirits. This could also possibly link to reincarnation.

The colouring consists mainly of orange hues that give the impression of a sunset. The colours are quite soft and hazy so that gives a calming feel to the album artwork as there are no extreme, bright and garish colours.

The font used for the band’s name on this album is not done on any other album- it is specific to this album. The ‘e’s and ‘b’ are unique because they are not following the style of the lettering on their other albums. They have edited the band name logo to reflect the album. The name of the band is also a lot bigger than the album title showing that they believe the band name will draw in potential fans that know the band but not the album.

The back cover is very plain compared to the front cover. It focuses on the actual song list rather than any extra pictures or fancy fonts. The two colours fit the native theme as they are quite earthy colours.

Their target audience would be teenagers due to the music genre being pop rock with songs they can sing along to but also dance to.

The use of the animals representing band members could create connection between the band and the audience as fans would feel close with them if they new who was which animal.

This album has also tried to push all the commercial information to the bottom. However, the layout of this information suggests it was considered when the back cover design was created. Implying that the artists realise these factors are a part of being a musician.

ARTIST REPRESENTATION

Florence and the Machine are of English nationality and the (lead vocalist whose picture is on the front) is female and aged 29. Having a photo of her on the front cover could show that she is the main focus point of the band. Her positioning gives the impression of the stereotypical fragile woman. This contrasts with most female pop icons that are represented as being sexy. The way her hair frames her face makes her look even younger, and enhances this idea of fragility.

OneRepublic are of American nationality. The band is made up of all male musicians. Their ages range from 30 to 41, making them one of the more mature pop rock bands. This could be part of the reason why they’ve decided not to have a picture of themselves on the front, which is common with many young pop rock bands.Representing themselves through animal personas shows how they’ve really tried to focus on the theme of music on the album.

Marianas Trench are of Canadian nationality. The band is also made up of all male musicians. Their ages range from 29 to 34, so are younger artists to OneRepublic. However, they don’t have a photo of themselves either. It is not as clear as the OneRepublic album, but the four artists of Marianas Trench could be being represented by the toys on the back cover. This could show that they themselves feel like they are broken like these toys, and therefore can relate to the songs they are singing on their album.