Music Magazine Textual AnalysisLennon Riley

The masthead in this issue has a slightly different aesthetic in comparison to most other NME magazines, as the masthead is made to look as if it is gold and encrusted with diamonds. This is in order to reflect the artist who is the main focus of this issue of the magazine, as evidenced by the chains and bling that Drake is wearing. This is also why the masthead is above the image, as the magazine wants to show off the new design for this issue. The masthead is positioned at the right of the cover rather than the left or centre, in order to draw more attention towards Drake as he would now be the thing everyone looks at first.

The image of Drake used for the front cover has him showing off his various chains and bling. This is in order to show off Drake’s wealth, while also implying that very wealthy and famous celebrities are featured in the magazine, almost making it seem as if NME is bragging towards the reader about being able to snag Drake for the magazine. The background of the image is plain white but with a shadow cast by Drake. This lets the reader know that the photo was taken in a studio, which makes the magazine appear more professional. Almost all of the image is pure white except for Drake and his jewellery, which creates a contrast of colours and draws more attention towards Drake and his jewellery.

The headline of this issue reads “Bling King”. The rhyming used in the headline makes it more catchy in the minds of readers, causing immediate familiarity towards the headline, enticing the reader to continue reading. The design of the headline has the two words slanted at different angles, even having them cross over each other. This is in order to give the magazine a slight urban feel, which makes sense in context with the image as Drake is a popular rap artist. The word “golden” is used to describe Drake, which ties in with the gold and bling theme that this issue is going for.

NME front cover

The sticker reads “Music / Film / Style” which tells the reader all of the subjects that are featured in this issue. The background of the sticker is black with white text in order to contrast with the rest of the magazine which is mostly white with black text.

The main image is a close-up of MC Ride’s face, which takes up the entire cover. This not only shows that his band is the main focus of the issue but also that the band’s music is very in your face. The colours are very muted and contain a lot of black, which indicates that the issue is very serious and grown up in manner, and that the band’s music contains dark themes. The facial expression MC Ride is giving makes him look sad or depressed, which again ties in with the dark themes of their music.

This section of text is placed below MC Ride’s eyes to not cover them up, which makes it seem like he is staring at the reader, drawing them into reading the magazine. The words “hostile” and “potent” are used as an implication towards the band’s sound being loud, powerful and aggressive. This also relates to the image of MC Ride being so close to the camera, which has connotations of hostility. The headline has been made smaller than most other magazine headlines in order to not cover up the majority of the main image. The headline is also in a vastly different font when compared to the rest of the cover to draw some attention to itself.

The masthead is in front of the main image as the image takes up the whole cover. The masthead, along with the headline and bottom strip, are all white in order to contrast with the much darker image. The font used is very plain, as Clash magazine tends not to appear as vibrant and in your face as other magazines do because it wants to be taken more seriously than other magazines.

The bottom strip, like the headline, is quite small in order to not distract from the main image. The issue is referred to as “The Outsiders Issue”, which indicates that the issue will be about either artists from other countries or artists who are unheard of by the general public, much like the band in the main focus of the issue.

Clash front cover

Q front coverThe text box containing information on artists appearing in this issue takes up the left column of the page, which is normally the part of the page that most people look at first. The phrase “all-star” lets the reader know that this issue will feature some of the most famous names in music from all genres that most people will recognise. These two factors combined will make readers want to read the magazine as it may contain information on their favourite popular artists. The term “special issue” may also draw readers in as it implies that this particular issue stands out from all the others.

The central image of Kings of Leon goes over the masthead. This is not only due to how popular Kings of Leon are to the point where they can be put in front of the magazine’s name, but is also due to the fact that the Q brand is so recognizable that the publishers don’t mind if an image covers it. The image is a mid shot in order to fit all four band members into the picture. The lead singer is placed in the front of the shot so those unfamiliar with Kings of Leon can tell that he is the lead singer. The picture features the four band members staring into the camera, which in turn makes it look like they are staring at the reader, goading them into reading the magazine. The phrase “This Time It’s Personal” implies a return to music from the band, which ties in to the “Comebacks of the Year” header.

The header of the magazine reads “Comebacks of the Year”, which tells the reader that this issue may feature artists making a return to music that the readers may be familiar with, which will draw those readers in as they may want to catch up on their favourite artists.

The sticker on the cover uses the term “New! Improved!” in order to make the audience think that this issue is better than all previous issues, making them want to read it. The sticker also uses the phrase “All the music you need this month”, implying that this magazine is essential to those who want to discover new music.

The main colour scheme used is red, white and black, which is the same for almost every issue of Q. This creates brand familiarity, which makes the magazine more recognizable in the eyes of the reader.

NME contents

The contents page contains both a Regulars and a Features section, in order to differentiate what is expected and what is new for this issue. The titles for the two sections and the sub-titles for each featured article have a red background with white text and a black background with white text, respectively, in order to contrast with the white background of the page. The sub-titles in the Features section are larger than those in the Regulars as they feature sections on specific artists who need more attention drawn towards them as certain readers may be interested in these artists. The image used for Mac DeMarco has him in a car looking at the camera/reader, almost persuading them to read about him in his article. The band list in the third column lists every single musical artist featured in the issue, so the readers can quickly look up their favourite artists and read about them much quicker than if they were to go through the whole magazine just to find the people they care about.

Clash contents

The contents page used a black and white colour scheme in order to show the reader that the magazine takes itself seriously. The paragraph on the far right about the Red Hot Chili Peppers is longer and in a darker colour in comparison to the other content paragraphs, as it relates to the cover of the issue this is from. It also takes up an entire column in order to show that it is more important than the other sections. The images at the bottom of the page all correspond to an artist mentioned above them, as evidenced by the numbers above the images corresponding to the page numbers next to the content paragraphs. All three photos feature at least one of the subjects looking at the camera/reader, inviting them to continue reading the magazine.

The contents spreads across 2 pages in order to show the reader that Q magazine has lots of material to show. Half of the space across the 2 pages is taken up by pictures of musical artists, in order to draw in the readers who recognise the artists shown off, and to allow them to know what to expect going into the magazine without the reader even having to read the contents. The shape of the contents on the left page warps around the image of Beck, to assure the fact that he is the main focus of this specific page. The image of Beck shows him with his arms folded, looking at the camera, almost as if he is growing impatient waiting for the reader to continue reading the magazine.

Q contents Light blue is used in the colour scheme of the “Also In This Issue” section of the contents rather than the red of the other 2 sections. This is because this section isn’t seen as being as important as the other sections, as the contents aren’t advertised on the cover and they aren’t expected in every issue, so it uses a less eye-catching colour. Red is the main colour used in Q, so the blue could also be used to show that this section doesn’t quite fit with the other sections.

The text inside the black box describes Marc Almond as having “star quality”. This ties in with the image of Almond, as the extremely bright light shining behind him ties in with the star aspect.

The image of Chrissie Hynde shows her giving the camera the middle finger, whilst also laughing about it. This is to show that she isn’t being disrespectful towards the reader and is merely joking, in order to make the reader laugh as well.

The review section hails itself as “The World’s Biggest & Best Music Guide”. This is in order to make the audience think that Q Reviews are both varied and accurate, and that their reviews are trusted. Two of the articles mentioned are highlighted in blue rather than red or black, again showing that the blue sections don’t fit in with the others, as the blue sections are about reissues and listening guides instead of straightforward reviews.

NME double page spread

The phrase “Daddy Issues” is used as the title, as it is a play on words with the artist’s name, Father John Misty. The title has different letters spaced out with varying distances giving off an unusual appearance, in order to express the artist’s unusual personality. The photo used of the artist has him looking away from the camera, almost as if he’s paying no attention to the reader. This relates to the fact that this article is about how out of the ordinary Father John Misty appears to be, as well as the numerous references to him “trolling” people.

This quote is highlighted because it shows how passionate Father John Misty is about music, to show the audience that he knows his stuff. The quote is larger than the rest of the text and is in a different colour to differentiate it from the rest of the text.This text box is placed in between the second and third columns of the page, breaking the normal order of how things are positioned on the page. This could be a reference to the way Father John Misty is portrayed in this article, with him being seen as a “walking contradiction”.

Clash double page spread

The outfit Mykki Blanco is wearing only consists of jeans and underwear, which not only implies that the interview will be very casual, but it will also be a stripped down interview, which is further evidenced by the fact that the interview doesn’t appear to be very long. The expression given by Blanco makes it seem as if he is tired, which again shows a casual approach to the interview. The image is on the left page of the double page spread rather than the right as most readers will look at the left page first. This will lead the reader to look at the image first, letting them know who they are reading about before they even see their name.

Q double page spread

An old photo of Kings of Leon is shown, as well as an old album cover, in order to tell the audience that the band has been together for a long time, and to show that the band has decades of experience.

This photo of Kings of Leon shows them on stage performing. The background of the image shows stage equipment usually used in big shows, telling the reader that they are a big band socially.

This quote is highlighted in order to portray the members of Kings of Leon as very down to earth and kind people, which creates somewhat of a personal connection to the reader. The box containing the quote is black with white text in order to create a contrast with the rest of the double page spread. The word “Caleb” is in yellow text so the reader knows it is not part of the quote but is instead the name of the person the quote is from.

The contents of the interview is spread across both pages, unlike the previous double page spreads where the interviews only take up one page. This is done so the interview appears bigger and more fleshed out than interviews from other magazines. If one were to rearrange the images and quotes to all be on one page, the interview, unchanged, would also fit onto one page.