BS: Digipak analysis

I have chosen to look at The Family Rain, and their promotional campaign/ Digi pack. The genre of their music is alternative rock, with the main roots of their aural sound rock, with more indie sounds within. 

There are many visual signifiers within this digipak, the album cover includes many objects which the band have featured in music videos, other album covers, and lyrics of various tracks. All of these signs and symbols show band coherence and continuity, linking each object directly to the band image, and to some extent subliminally promoting different tracks as the audience are intrigued at the denotation of each, for example the small smoke grenade links to another album "Trust me I'm a genius" and the small pot of pills to the album cover of "Feel Better (FRANK)". Each different object helps to conform and identify the genre of alternative rock, as the different quirky objects add a sense of individuality and alternative style, rather then a purely rock band, who have a very similar style within their album covers/ digipaks. 

These are two rock bands ACDC (right) and Guns'n'Roses (left), clearly both album covers are very similar featuring the band members in a dark low lit room; in comparison to The Family Rain's album cover there are many differences, and iconic signs to identify the difference in genre. There are more vibrant and interesting colours and objects featured within the alternative rock album cover, perhaps suggesting  a difference in aural sound, again reinforcing the more quirky and individual style and sounds within alternative rock, which is constructed through the use of colour. The comparison between the two clearly shows that the myth of rock bands being violent and inconsiderate is broken by The Family Rain, the album cover is not dark and gloomy, but colourful and expressive.

The band members are all looking directly into the camera, this is a first person mode of address and breaks common characteristics of film, usually the actors/ band members would be looking past the camera, by doing this it creates some sort of connection to the band's audience. Each member of the band has a serious facial expression perhaps connoting their serious attitude toward their music, and also to conform to key conventions of their genre.

Much like the rest of the bands album covers they have developed prominent visual themes and motifs. Below are some more examples of their existing album covers. As you can see there is a clear theme of the tear drop shape, this has become an iconic sign for the band, playing a huge roll in their advertising and branding. But this symbol is deceiving of the genre as visual signs similar to this are often seen within the dance genre; but it exaggerates the alternative more individual style of The Family Rain, and to some extent distances their music from the rock genre. All of the bands album covers have been created to look more grainy and vintage, using fainter and duller colours which creates a continuous colour scheme throughout all their digipaks, again reinforcing the bands overall style and image.

 

 

As well as analysing and researching various different album covers we are also required to complete an advertising campaign, with a feature within a relevant magazine. I have decided to look at the bands existing campaigns mainly focusing on their posters, as I hope to take some influence from these.

 

 
This was a poster advertising the band's concert more then their album, but it is interesting to note the appearance of their iconic tear drop signifier, which is the most prominent feature within this poster. Clearly this connotes the importance of the iconic sign and holds creates a code of the relation of this symbol and the band them selves, to some extent this symbol has become an indexical sign to the band as in almost every form of advertising this sign is seen and signifies the band even if they are absent from campaigns.

There is a theme of band absence within the debut and following album covers which is a signifier of the band's star image, although to some extent they are present within each album cover through the iconic and related signs as well as the titles and band name. Obviously the band are not physically present within the majority of their album covers which connotes more of an artistic approach focusing more on promoting the music more then them selves.

 

In conclusion there is clear continuity throughout the band's work and within their advertising campaigns and album covers. Through all of this there is some sense of star image being created, but not to the extreme extent of those more industrial/commercial artists.