The Killers - Sam’s town CD digi pack analysis

The digi pack I am analysing is the Killers' album, Sam's Town,

The digi pack is in grayscale singling out the album name on the

front cover. The greyscale which is carried out throughout is typical

of the indie genre. The front cover appears to be in a ‘retro style’ The

font of the band name is written in bold text which stands out against

the text underneath which is the name of the album, this is written in

fancy italics. The font of the bands name contrasts with the ‘dated’

feel in which the album has as it is much more modern compared to

the black and white, old feel in which the cd digi pack has to it The

killers logo is their bands name and is well known and recognised

easily. The logo appears on their merchandise, their albums and

their advertisements. The title of this album is ‘Sams town’ The

album title is the only part throughout the whole album in which

contains colour, making the album name stand out. The artwork in

this digipak is extremely unique and doesn’t seem to link to the album itself. One of the most striking image on

the digipack is the goat/ram. Its horns follow the circle of the cd and it is fairly unusual for a cd to have a picture

like this without it being related to the band.

The back cover is probably the most important

part of the digipak, it contains the majority of the

institutional information including, copyright

information, the barcode and the track listing.

There are typical indie conventions which are on

the back cover, there is a large image of the band

printed on it, which is normally on the front cover,

the way in which they are posing is typical of the

indie rock genre as they are each stood in a typical ‘indie’ pose. This wide shot reveals their body language

which suggests theyre quite cool and relaxed, this relates to their music which is indie-rock. Their style of clothing

also reflects the genre, as the band is dressed smart casual. The song list on the back cover is simplistic in a

small font and they are numbered so that the viewer can identify the order of songs. The font colour is white

which contrasts against the black and the bands dark clothing. A website is clearly marked on the digi pack

which gives the audience an opportunity to find out more about the band. The black and white colour scheme of

the album sets the tone of the indie-rock band.

Visually the album is targeting mainly males, due to the use of the female model in a bikini. Aswell as the model,

there is also a ram, which is continued throughout

the digi pack. There is an image of a desert,

giving a western feel to the album, the inside book

cover is also simple as it is a photo of a ram.

However it links to the front cover and the cd

which also has a ram on it. The close up of the

animal represents power and shows structure of

the digi pack as the animal is used on three parts

of the digi pack. The rams horns wrap around the

inside of the disc. Showing an interesting pattern. The ram is a symbolism for leadership, power and authority.

However it is also a symbol of satan. Relating to songs within the album as they all consist of lyrics about the

devil. Inside the case the same image used upon the CD of the rams head is duplicated within the case itself.

The mise en scene and the use of black and white, along with the bands proxemics show that the band are an indie-rock band.