Album AnalysisBethany White

Kodaline is a soft rock/pop band from Ireland. Their album cover for ‘IN A PERFECT WORLD’ display’s what their perfect world might look like. Some inspiration for their perfect world might be drawn from where they grew up in Ireland. Especially the green hills in the background of the photograph on the album.Kodaline is not a stereotypical rock band which is also shown on the album cover as there is no dark colours such as e.g. blacks and purples. Instead the album is bright and clear. In addition to this the band members faces and image is not shown on the album cover. This maybe because they are not so concerned over their particular image but in fact the message that their music spreads which is mostly represented in the photographed album cover.

The back of the album is a complete contrast to that of the front of the album cover as it is dark and isn’t as clear. Although, it still displays a calm scenery and is seen to be taken in exactly the same location as the scenery pictured on the front of the album cover. The front of the album cover is a photograph shot during the day time whereas the back of the album cover is a photograph shot at night time. This could symbolise the bands diversity in music and maybe even the variations of music that is included in the album.

The band name is in a simple font and is larger than the album title. This is to ensure people who buy the music are able to identify the band straight away by the name. The album title is in a thinner font and is much smaller. This must mean that the album title isn’t as important as the band itself.

The image is a photo that is taken to display what the band would believe that their idea of a perfect world would look like. This links back to the title of the album. Someone who may buy this music or is a fan of this music may relate to the image being their idea of a perfect world as well or may completely disagree

The colours captured in the photograph are bright and clear. This must mean that the songs on the album tend to be quite happy songs that are able to spread a positive message to whoever hears them. Additionally the water is quite calm and this also may be something that represents the bands music and their particular style.

Blink 182 is a pop/punk band from San Diego in California. Their self titled album cover is able to reflect the style of the band as it includes bright colours that tend to clash, a simple image that seems to look like it has been painted on and a parental advisory sticker in the bottom left hand corner. This lets the people who buy the music know that the album contains content that is not suitable for children. This helps the development of the bands rebellious image as there music may not be seen as mainstream.Most importantly the bands name is displayed on the front of the album cover and looks as though it has been cut out of paper and stuck on. This resembles how a ransom note is formed and is often something that many rock/punk bands tend to use on their album covers, e.g. rage against the machine’s self titled album

Although there is no picture of the band members on the front of the album cover, there is a picture of them on the back of the album. This is because their logo is easy to identify compared to the actual bands image. The photograph of the band is on the back of the album so that whoever is buying the music is still able to acknowledge what the band members look like. This may also mean that the band find that their message and whatever they stand for matters more to them than their image, although their image still does matter

The band’s name is in a type written font but looks as though it has been cut up and stuck on the front of the album. This replicates the form of a ransom note in the way the letters are arranged.

There are bold colours included within the album cover. Both the blue and the pink are colours that clash and seem as though they have been painted on. This is because the colours aren’t just solid blocks but have some sort of brush stroke effect on them. The colour on the front of the album make the album seem edgy and different from other albums that you may see and allow it to stand out.

The parental advisory sticker adds to the bands more rebellious image as the content within the album is not suitable for children to listen to alone and may need an adults consent. This means that the album must contain musical content that to some people would seem offensive.

The logo of the band is shown on the front of the album and is easily identified. The logo is incredibly popular but if you were not a fan of the music then you may find the album difficult to identify due to no images of the band on the front. The logo almost looks like it has also been painted on the front cover and looks rough and untidy. This may link to the bands style of music as it isn’t conventional pop music and is a bit different and alternative.

The eyes on the logo are presented as crosses. This is something that people would associate when representing someone who is dead. This may hint to whoever buys the music that their music also includes some aspects of rock due to the representation of death and darkness in the eyes of the face

David Bowie is a pop artist from London in England. His front cover for this album reflects the music that is on his album. This is because David Bowie has dressed very edgy and differently to any other conventional pop artist of his time. David Bowie is seen to be a piece of artwork himself on the front cover of this album. For whoever buys this music, they are able to see David Bowies’ personality through his image. As established, David Bowies appearance is very different and alternative much like his music. His music on this album is very different and also includes some influences of rock music within it.David bowies’ image and name are included on the front of the album along with the album title. This could suggest that David Bowie believes that his own appearance is as important as his music and he wants to make a statement not only with his music but also with his daring style.

On the back of the album the image displayed is very simple and is in fact just an outline of David Bowie along with the song titles. This outline makes it look as though it is the back of him whereas the front of him is obviously on the front of the album cover. By keeping the back of the album simple, it keeps your attention to the front of the album which displays the vibe and overall style that is included within the songs on the album.

The artists’ name and the album title are both in the same font and both the same colours. This means that it is easy to identify and link the album title to the artist. Also David Bowies’ name is also in the top right hand corner of the album where most people are bound to look instantly when they pick up an album. The eye is instantly drawn to the top right hand corner first.

David Bowies’ dyed red hair is able to create a contrast between his pale skin tone meaning that instantly he is able to stand out. The colour red is often associated with rock artists which may hint to whoever buys the album that it may contain some aspects of rock music which has been incorporated into his songs. Red is also a colour of rebellion which also may hint that he is different and not conventional. David Bowie is known for doing his own thing and making his music sound unique which is shown in how he looks on this particular album cover.

Bowie stated that the lightning bolt painted over his right eye symbolises the duality of the mind and relates back to the idea of the mental illness, schizophrenia. On the other hand someone else who might buy the album may think that the lightning bolt relates to the idea of some sort of symbol for power or strength which could also be a hint as to what his music sounds like.Although David Bowies’ face is on the front cover,

he is staring downwards. This could suggest a certain level of vulnerability and shyness about him (even when he has such a confident image). The fact that he is looking downwards also may show that he is being respectful to whoever buys the album as he is not staring straight at them.

Fact:The name of David Bowies album is actually a hidden pun. The name of the album, ‘Aladdin Sane’ can also be reread as ‘A Lad Insane’. This could link back to the whole idea of mental illness and the duality of the mind coming from the lightning bolt painted on his face.