Indie/alternative Documentary:

Indie/alternative Documentary:

      

Focus Group:

Focus Group:

Focus groups allow us to find out what our target audience think about the genre of music and what they think when given some texts to look at. We chose to show three people, two seventeen and one eighteen year old, the Arctic Monkeys 'package' - the Arabella music video, the digipak and the album advert poster for the band's album, AM. We thought of five questions that would tell us what the individuals thought about a music genre that they were interested in and the overall responses were things to do with typical genre conventions and characteristics being portrayed in the video and simplicity which creates a sense of needing to listen to the music, which could be complex.

What idea/ image do you get of the band?

                                          

How do the Arctic Monkeys represent the indie alternative genre? Is it effective?

                                         

                                         

What image is created from the advert?

                                          

Do you think the whole package represents the indie genre well?

                                          

Would you buy this album?

                                          

CD Album Poster Analysis:

CD Album Poster Analysis:

• This album poster is for the band, The Killers, for their album Only By The Night from 2008. 
• The overall image is of a face that is made up of sections from the different band member's faces and a type of bird, which looks like an eagle. Eagles have connotations of strength and empowerment, feelings that are probably associated with the band/how they want their music to come across to the audience. Also, the fact that it makes up part of the face could signify that the band, too, each have qualities that make them 'powerful' within the music business and they have a lot of fans. 
• The positioning of the frame is central, and everything is laid out neatly around the central image. The eyes are looking straight at the camera, engaging with the viewer, making them feel special, like they are interacting with the band on a personal level, which obviously results in sales of the album, resulting in a win/win situation for both the band and the audience because the band can make a living and the audience get good music to listen to.
• As the camera shot is a close up of the 'face', we can not see the clothing or appearance but one of the main things that indicates that this band is of the indie/alternative genre is the colour scheme, in my opinion. Dark colours, such as black and green, are genre conventions that are being adhered to in the poster. The colours make the poster look quite dated, suggesting that the music could produce nostalgic feelings, so that the music is always listened to because it is so good and doesn't go out of style. 
• The font used for the band name and other bits of typography on the poster is the same blocky font. It stands out due to its colour, white, yellow and red, and its appearance. It's simple but this could say that the band are 'simplistic', which makes us wonder about the type of music that they play, creating enigma such as 'will the music be simple?', 'what kind of band are they?' however the font is contrasting to the font because the image is so unusual and unique.
• The use of the colour red for the words 'out now' shouts out to the audience, drawing the audience in visually. This signifies that the band is good and are worth listening to so the audience are drawn in to the music as well as the poster. This also creates a feeling of urgency, we must buy this album becuase it's important and the red colour has general connotations of urgency and danger.
• Some of the songs that are features on the album are on the advert, which tells the audience what to look out for when listening to the album. It also shows the success that the band have had. This is also quite a good selling point because the audience can see that the band have had successful singles, meaning that they are a good band. 
• The overall poster for the album is quite mature and appeals to an older audience, older teenagers and young adults, due to the colours and overall look, which suggests that the band are also mature and possibly sing about mature themes, which I found to be quite coherent within a few different indie/alternative bands, such as The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys, where the digipaks and music videos were quite simple and mature, but the themes of the songs were quite deep and meaningful. (Inferred meanings).

• This album poster is for The Killers album, Day and Age, released in 2008.
• The image is of a horizon, with the moon placed at the top of the poster in the centre. There is a mosaic effect on the whole poster, including the typography, which in my opinion is quite an original feature for a band poster. The effect makes the image look soft, which is the opposite of the band name, 'The Killers' and it portrays the band as different, something that is a typical ideal of an indie/alternative band.
•  The colours vary, from soft lilacs to dark browns signify that the band's music could also vary, from soft and slow songs to quick paced, heavy songs which again represents them as different.
• I think that the colours are a really good representation of the genre, showing that indie bands make different types of music with different tones and messages, which is something desired in music because it offers a variety for people to listen to, rather than similar music that could be said of pop music.
• The font is iconic to the band, used on a lot of their music CD covers and other advertisements. It means that their fan base can recognize their merchandise/CD covers and other things associated with the band. This sells sales and is kind of like a symbol to the band, something they can use to identify by.
• The font is quite unique too, with rounded edges and quite a futuristic look, which gives the band a quirky atmosphere, something that would be appealing to the target audience of teenagers. The colour of it is also white, which has connotations of purity, which could also counteract the band name, like the colours do, again creating a 'different' band identity and atmosphere.
• The band name is above the title of the album and the band name is slightly bigger, which might signify that the band want the audience to focus on them as a band, which could help the audience feel closer to the band. It might also mean that the band would prefer the audience to have a positive image of them over their music which isn't a typical genre convention but I also noticed that the band are not on the actual poster, which could mean that the music is more important than the band so I came to the conclusion that the band want the audience to notice them for the individuals as well as the band itself but the point of the poster is to advertise the music/album.
• The capital letters 'THE BRAND NEW ALBUM' and 'FEATURING THE SINGLE, HUMAN' are used to draw in the audience, to catch their eyes, as it is as if it is screaming out to them. The definite article of 'the' is also useful because it's as if it's saying it is 'the' album, it's very important, so the audience will buy the album to see if it's as good as it's made out to be by the typography. It also makes the band look like they are the only band, there is only one of them. 
• I think the overall image of the horizon could signify that the band look to new things, new 'horizons' in their music, branching out to different sounds and music, which creates an atmosphere and band identity that we instantly like because in society, a lot of teenagers, like myself, enjoy listening to new and interesting sounds so we would buy the album.

• The overall poster for the album 'AM', is very simple, with no colour except black and white.
• The colour scheme is monotone, which is a typical genre convention of the indie/alternative genre, so it is easy to identify for the audience.
• There are no images on the poster, except for the iconic symbol of the wavy line which is most likely a sound wave. I feel that the wavy line could signify the heart rate of the listener, increasing and decreasing as they listen to the music, which could represent that the music is good and has different sounds to each song, something that is desired within music.
• The fact that there are no images on the poster also link to their early work where they weren't shown in their videos or on their CD art. It shows that they possibbly care more about their music and how people enjoy the music rather than how the audience view them as people.
• The poster is neatly laid out, with the band name at the top in the centre, the wavy line in the middle and at the bottom in the centre is the band name. The band name is easily seen so the band is easily identified and the album is at the bottom, making it easy to see this too. 
• All of the typography on the poster is the same blocky font, so it is easy to read and represents the band as simple yet classic.
• The capital letters are eye catching, drawing in the reader because it's as if the poster is shouting at the audience to look at the advert, persuading them that the CD album is worth buying and it is important.
• However the writing could contrast with the band's music, because in this album and some of their other songs, there are hard hitting, deep messages, which shows that the band are more than meets the eye.

• The overall poster for Oasis' album 'Be Here Now' is bright and vibrant - going against a lot of stereotypes of the indie/alternative genre. 
• The vibrant colours, blues and greens, connote that the music is probably happy music with happy messages perhaps or it could counteract this theory completely and be 'disguising' the music with a happy image when really the music is deep and emotional or hard hitting, like music from the indie/alternative genre.
• The title is iconic to the band (this is how they have had their name before on their merchandise) so it shows the audience that they are easy to recognize and consistent, which can be a good thing because it shows that they are organised, and their music is well thought out and 'organised' too.
• The colours of the band name are in black and white, the only serious note on the poster, which connotes 'classic' and 'sophistication'.
• The image is of a white car in a swimming pool, something you don't see every day. In the background of the image is a very middle class looking house and garden. With bands like the Arctic Monkeys and The 1975, they have a very working class image, and this is a genre convention so the idea that Oasis' poster challenges another genre convention. It's unexpected and unique, reflecting originality, which is how a lot of bands in the indie/alternative genre want to be portrayed. 
• However the image is quite fun, and the unexpected element that it has is quite eye catching, due to the bright colours and originality of the image. It's a unique selling point in my opinion and showcases the idea that the band are probably unique and original too, with their own unique style.
• Also linked to the image, the band's music is normally quite relaxed and chilled, so the image challenges this idea too.
• The font, like on most poster adverts that I have studied, is blocky and stands out, creating the idea of simplicity with hidden meanings of complexity. 

• The Kooks 2006 album 'Inside In/Inside Out' poster is a typical poster of the indie/alternative genre in my opinion.
• The colour scheme is black and white with hints of red for the typography, which is a typical genre convention of this genre. I found that the black and white colour scheme was quite common within indie/alternative posters. However, the idea of the black and white is to create the image of being different from other bands however a lot of indie/alternative bands use this colour scheme, which is quite ironic because they are trying to be different but in fact they are actually the same.
• The red writing helps the title of the album to stand out and it draws the audience in. It is also in capital letters, again another technique that helps to draw the audience in to look at the album and buy it.
• There is an acclimation on the album poster, saying how the band was nominated for awards for their music and performance as a band. Facts like this for the audience to see help to sell an album by showcasing the band's talent and showing that they have a fan base and are recognized for talent, obviously something we look for in an artist or band.
• The logo of the company that has praised them is also on the poster and I feel that this gives the poster a professional look, it has been recognized by a big company and people would recognize the logo.
• The image on the poster is of the band themselves, on their instruments, denoting that they love performing and signifying that they care more for the music than how the audience see them because they are not posing like a pop band would but they are simply on their instruments.
• The font, like a lot of other album posters from this genre, is simple and blocky, again signifying that the band are simplistic and classic but could have a hidden side that you can discover by listening to their music. 

Digipak Analysis:

Digipak Analysis:

                                   

• The front cover is of a man smoking a cigarette, so immediately we know that this is an indie/alternative band because a cigarette is a prop used in a lot of indie/alternative videos and it has connotations of 'edgy'/'cool' as well as 'harmful'.​
•  The man's appearance is quite scruffy which could indicate that he is quite poor, which is a topic that the Arctic Monkeys sing about, as well as other hard hitting topics.
•  The band name is on the front CD cover, so it is easily recognizable. The font of it is curly and quite unexpected and different to the image shown which could suggest that the band are not expected. ​
• The colour scheme is mostly black and white with a green-blue tint, which could signify that the band have mixed ideals and values, unlike The 1975's plain black and white.​

• The back of the CD cover has the same man on the cover.​
• His hand is on his face, as if he could be laughing or crying. This could show that their music evokes emotions, sad or happy, which tells us that their music shares a variety of moods, which is true, for example R U Mine and Fluorescent Adolescent are about two very different topics and I think that this is a unique selling point because it means the audience have got a range of songs they can choose from to like/dislike.  ​
•  There are also titles of producers and other technicalities on the back cover but they are in the top left corner so we aren't distracted by them and we can still see the male. They are in a grey-white so they stand out against the background though which could symbolize how the band stand out against society.​

• ​ ​The CD inlay is plain, besides the CD's actual appearance, of course.
•  The CD has lots of burnt out cigarettes which of course is a genre convention. I think the cigarettes could represent the edge that the band have, even though cigarettes are bad. The 'badness' is the careless attitude that the band want to portray, and it is quite well known for cigarettes to have bad connotations so the idea that the band want an image like this is quite fascinating because they are not conforming to society which is also probably something that they try and achieve through their music.​
•  The CD art also links to the man on the front smoking which could tell us that the genre conventions run a little deeper into the able, so we know what to expect.

•  The inlay shows us a list of the different songs on the album.​
•  The songs are in white, like the producer titles and such, so that they stand out against the dark background so it's easier to spot them. The font is quite small which could indicate that no particular song is more important than the other and we, as the listeners, can choose any we want because they all are just as important with different messages behind them. ​
•  The songs are listed in an aesthetic way, in a list, so that they are pleasing to the eye and we want to read them.

•  The front cover of the digipak is simple and easy to remember.
•  Colours are monotone – just black and white – and I think that this connotes the band’s values, which are either black or white (simple and straight to the point messages) which relates to their music because they tell some strong messages through the choice of lyrics and visuals.
• The font is iconic to the band, it’s how they can be recognised and I find this useful, especially as a fan, because when I see this font I immediately link it to The 1975. It’s also quite unique, with parts of letters/numbers missing, which could represent how the band are different and feel like outsiders.
• The image shows a simple board lit up around the edges by white light and this is something they sue often in their music videos as a prop, for example in the music video for Girls and this too is recognisable.
•  I think the theme of the overall digipak is made up of two parts, on one hand it looks simple so this could be a theme but another theme could be mystery, with enigma created as to why it is so simple. 

• The inlay shows us the producers and other technical people who helped to produce the CD/album.
• It follows the same theme as the whole digipak and I think that this is a good example of coherency and it gives the band a certain identity, possibly that they are coherent in their music style, which I think is true to an extent because although the instruments and tones used for their songs are all individual, the lyrics have deeper meanings, all with different ideas and themes.

• The CD inlay is plain (without the CD disk itself inside). The CD however is matte black with the band name on it in the same font used on the front cover.
• Again, I think that this represents the band as simplistic but this is ironic because their songs have much deeper meanings, which could create the sense that the band are in fact complex and the facade is to get the audience to actually listen to the music in order to find out if they are as simple as they come across.
• Black also has connotations of 'mystery' and 'seriousness', which could link to the previous point about complexity, as black is sophisticated also, and the idea that it is matte black and not shiny black for example, could show that the band are timeless and classic, a connotation of matte colours, in my opinion.

• The back of the digipak is the same as the front, from a different angle. Therefore, it is the same image just from a  different perspective, which could signify that the band's music is quite similar (as mentioned before) and it could also denote that it is the same image and it makes the CD look presentable.
• There is a list of songs on the board shown in the image, telling us what to expect on the CD. It's helpful because the audience can then pinpoint their favorite songs.
• I think that the illumination around the board of songs draws attention to it in a subtle way - we always look to the back of a CD first because we want to read about what we will be purchasing, so this is helpful.
• The colour of the font is a bright white which contrasts with the black background really well and makes it stand out more, which could represent how the band stand out from the 'norm'.

•      Nirvana's digipak shows elements of the typical alternative (more than indie genre). It's very unique and it stands out from other digipaks in my opinion.
•      The front of the digipak shows a baby suspended in water, his expression quite neutral, with his eyes open. It's an image you would not expect to see, which makes it memorable. 
•      The colours are vibrant, blue, which is on the front and back of the digipak. It kind of challenges the genre stereotypes because with the alternative genre, the colour schemes that are associated with this genre tend to be dark. 
•      There is a prop of money on the front cover that the baby is swimming towards to which could represent that the band are 'swimming' towards their 'goal' of earning money for something they love.
•      The baby could also represent how the band started off small and are progressing into something bigger and better - there music career has taken off but like most bands, it took them time to grow.
•      The album is on the front, just to tell the audience the name of the CD they are listening to. It's in the corner of the CD cover because we are supposed to focus on the image more, on how the band became who they did. The font is quite faint but blocky, so it is noticeable but not as important.
•     The inlay is of a (toy) monkey in flames, which, like the CD cover, could represent the band's journey to becoming who they are. The monkey could represent the band and how they have crossed difficult times (represented by the fire) in the music industry but they have never been 'burnt' and they have made it out on top as a successful band.
•      The colours of the inlay are a lot to be compared of the front cover and back cover, with a contrasting red and orange tone to the cool blue of the other CD pages. This could show that the band like to make different points in their songs.
•       There is no writing on the inlay, just an image, so this is the focal point obviously.
•       The back of the digipak is a playlist of all of the songs on the CD. 
•     The colour is the same as the front of the CD, the same ocean blue, which shows consistency and it makes the album look presentable and eye catching.
•      The font is is in white, easy to read again the blue background and it stands out. It is normal for people to look at the back of a CD straight away so the fact that the writing stands out appeals to the sense of 'looking'. 
•      The songs are laid out in a neat fashion, easy to read and presentable, which could show that the band like to present their music in a certain way so that people feel the need to want to listen to it.

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• The overall theme for the ALT-J digipak is a space theme, with dark colours with splashes of brightness to draw our eyes in and interesting shapes.
• The front cover is simple, with the name of the band and the name of the album. 
• The font links to the theme of the overall digipak, as it looks other worldly and is quite fascinating, with triangles as 'A' and it is quite blocky and unique, which is probably how the band want to be seen. 
• It is black, except for the writing which is deep purple, orange and yellow, which creates the semantic field of space and originality. The colours can also link tot he indie/alternative genre conventions because these are the kinds of colours we'd associate with an indie/alternative band.
• The inlay(s) consist of two blank images of space scenes, one image of a triangle using the same colours as the CD cover and the other inlay has writing on it. 
• I think the two plain inlays create a certain aesthetic and it makes the overall digipak pleasing to look at. They, too, carry the theme of space and I think this theme conveys to the audience that the band want to be seen as different and 'out of this world', with original music and unique CDs.
• The inlay with writing on it includes a form of intertextuality as it mentions some words said from 'Johnny Flynn', who is an actor and singer/song writer, which shows that ALT-J want their audience to know where their music inspirations come from as I think it makes an audience feel closer to a band or artist as it's as if we know something about their musical journey if we know why and how they started making music. 
• The font is the same blocky font as on the front and back of the CD cover, in white. It stands out against the black background and it is upside down, positioned in the centre of the 'page'. It kind of makes reading it interactive and it makes us want to read it, because we have to turn it upside down to read it and it creates the impression that it is important and because we get this impression, we then proceed to read it.
• The back of the CD cover consists of a track list.
• The font is white and each song has a number in chronological order next to it. The numbers make it easier for the listener to pinpoint a song they like and they are orange in colour, which again adds to the aesthetic and helps it to stand out. The band are known for their originality and I think the colours really help them to stand out against other bands. 
• The band's record label are on the back of the CD below the song list in the right hand corner in small font which could suggest that the band prefer to make their own choices about their music and appearance so their label have only a small part in it and they don't like to be told how to 'run things'.

• Out of all of the CD covers/digipaks that I looked at, this one from The Killers was my favorite. For me, it is a physically embodiment of the indie/alternative/rock genre as it's edgy, quirky and I think it has a natural, raw element to it that makes it stand out.
• The front cover has the band name in the font that they use for some of their other CD arts, such as the 'Mr Brightside' cover so it's iconic and easy for the audience to recognize, if they are fans or not.
• There is also a woman and a goat and I think the goat plays an important role, possibly to send a message across. The goat/ram wouldn't really be expected on a CD cover, it certainly isn't a genre convention of the indie/alternative genre or a typical prop, so it could represent how The Killers are different and think outside the box with different ideas and beliefs. 
• The woman could be seen as portraying a voyeuristic view due to her lack of clothing although she doesn't look like a typical woman that we'd see in a pop video, dancing around in a mini skirt. She fits in with the band's identity, quite tough looking which could challenge stereotypes that women are weak.
• The overall colour scheme of the digipak is quite muted, with gray, white and black, but they are different shades of these colours, making the overall digipak look quite old, which could represent that it is a CD you'd keep for a long time because it has good songs on it, because the band are good for example. 
• The CD itself has an image of the goat seen on the cover on it, covering most of the CD. I think it's interesting how the CD doesn't have the band name on like The 1975 but it has an iconic image on it, possibly iconic to the band - it is an image the audience are most likely to remember because it's so different and therefore they remember the music too.
• The back of the CD has a full image of the band with the songs that are on the CD below them. 
• I feel that it's a good idea to have the band on the CD digipak because new fans can see what they look like and from the image, the band conform to an extent to typical conventions (messy hair, scruffy looking clothing in neutral colours) however I think that the idea the band are positioned above the lyrics and the lyrics are a lot smaller than the image, the band want people to looka nd focus on them, which could show that they care more about their appearance than the music (to an extent) and this means that they don't completely conform to genre conventions because genre conventions of a typical indie/alternative/rock music group or artist is that they care more for the music, it's all about the music.
• The lyrics are, as mentioned before, small, but they are in white, so they do stand out somewhat against the background, which means they are readable. 
• There are two inlays, consisting of images with no words. One of the images is of the goat, which shows that the goat could be a symbol for the band, something that we can easily link to the band. The other image is of an old petrol pump in the middle of the desert, with a picture of a male on it. Again, this too matches the colour schemes and it fits the aesthetic of the whole digipak. 
• In my opinion the digipak looks quite western and old fashioned, with the retrica colour themes and images used - this could show that the band want to be different and remembered for a long time and that they also produce music that isn't as modern as the sugary pop we get today.