Digipak Research: Prog Rock - Collection

This digipak is different to the others, because it's a collection of Prog Rock. Prog Rock was big in the 70's which explains the surreal weird artwork. It's similar to Psychedelic Rock, because of the unusual concept in artwork. As it is a collection of different artists there is no identification of any specific groups. The mention of the bands are displayed in the booklet, which is very simplistic and standard. Unlike with the others dedicated to one particular band, the booklet has a description of the band instead of the lyrics. The songs tend to be very long and instrumental. 

Annotation: 

One song from the album "Focus" by Sylvia, it wasn't what I was expecting when taking the artwork into account, however it is instrumental dominant.

Digipak Research: Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea

Black Stone Cherry are a country rock band from Kentucky in the USA. This is their third album and since their second album they have become more popular with White Trash Millionaire being a big hit. "Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea" is dominantly black and white, with very little colour except for the picture behind the CD. The artwork follows the title of the album. The album does look like what their music suggests: loud, heavy and dramatic. 

Annotation: 

The album is more about expression and a story they want to tell. Their music is reflected well through the artwork and it is what you would expect.

"Such a Shame" 4th Track off the album, which proves my statement above.

Digipak Research: Eskemo - Eskemo 1.v1

Eskemo are a emo rock band from France. They call their genre of music Emotional Rock. Their first album is in a digipak form. From the annotations I have made, they have tried to identify themselves by having their picture on nearly every page of the CD case, because they are not well known and very young. Purpose of the artwork is to get them recognition as a group, because they are so young. Also being a french band they sing in french, which limits their audience range. They are confined when it comes to their economic success. 

The album design is primarily to promote themselves as a band, rather than expressing themselves.

 Annotations: 

Inside the booklet there is your conventional features of credits and the lyrics to their songs. The grey wall is a key feature on every part of digipak material (excluding the CD). Note: Digipak themes are always consistent. 

 

"Partie Terminée" is the main track of the album, it matches the expectation given from the artwork.

 

Digipak Research: Explosion In The Sky

Explosion in The Sky had a very creative digipak and was very interactive. The band are purely instrumental and their digipak artwork is very ambiguous. It is almost like it is telling you a story, within the house. It has a metaphoric meaning behind it, with the open doors and the overgrown plants. It leads to many interpretations.

Annotations: 

 

 

"Human Qualities" is one track off the album and is instrumental. You can imagine it from the album artwork.

 

Previous Work: Enigma: Technical Notes

Camera Shots:

- Foot Shots of them walking together
- Shots of them running into the sea
- Shots of them on rides
- Arcade - close up shots of hands, faces and lights
- Shots of tickets from the machine and taking the tickets

-Important shots-
Close ups, Wide shots, mid shots, two shots,

Locations:

- Cromer - Pier, arcades and beach
- Sheringham - beach with stones
- Beach - Messing around at Cromer
- Bowling - Idea dissolved
- Arcade - playing on the games, winning!

Digi Pak:

- Bands feets at Sheringham
- Band walking away into the sun at beach
- Traffic Lights
- Landscape photograph of the phone on the beside.

The Bowery Boys

The Bowery Boys are a nativist, anti-Catholic, and Anti-Irish gang based north of the Five Points district of New York City in the mid-19th century. The Bowery Boys are perceived as arrogant young men who are now rebelling against society. The Bowery Boys were referred to as a gang not a group, which gave them negative connotations that are still around today. The idea of violence, drugs and anti-social behaviour. They are marginalised as a group for being anti-social, because of their behaviour and their fights with other gangs/groups. One of the Bowery Boys most famous member was William Poole, also known as Bill the Butcher, a bare knuckle boxer. [1821 - 1855] He died from a gunshot wound, from such behaviour. A typical Boy was a young male who was well dressed; with a high beaver hat, a smooth face, a gaudy silk neckcloth, black frockcoat, full pantaloons, heavy boots and hair that was curled and greased at the front. This gave them the name of "Soap locks".  

[Taken from Wiki]

The Bowery Boys can be related to nowadays, because of the idea of gangs, violence etc. That activites like what the Bowery Boys are still present within social cultures stereotypically chavs as their background tends to revolve around fights, intimidation and anti-social behaviour. The dresscode of the gang was a signature style to them, which is common in all gangs like today such as Goths.  

Andrew Goodwin Conventions

1) Music Videos demostrate genre characteristics (e.g. Stage Performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl bands)

2) There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals, either illstruative, amplifying or contradicting.

3) There us a relationship between music and visuals,  either illstruative, amplifying or contradicting.

4) Demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work, (visual style).

5) Frequently references to the nation of looking, (Screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particulary voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6) There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programs, other music videos etc)

*Whether the video is primarily performance-based, narrative based or concept based and how elements of each are used in it*