I have chosen to analyse The Maccabee's Album, as this is the band that I used for my artist research.
The group's name is written in full, as they need to promote themselves as this was their first album, and not everyone knows of them yet.
The font used for "the maccabees" is all lower case, which juxatposes "colour it in" which is all in capitals. Although the general idea of capital lettering is supposed to be bolder and more eye-catching, I personally find that it works in the opposite way. The lower case "the maccabees" is more attractive to my eye; which is enhanced by the fact that it is printed larger than "colour it in". The colour choice works effectively, as the white of "the maccabees" stands out against the black background; and the alternating colours of "colour it in" fit in with the phrase, and match those used for the image below.
B. Nicholson describes this album as a "set of art-pop confections" and being "short on bite and big on cutesy, cuddly songs". To me, this links in, as the phrase "colour it in" evokes childhood.
The image, bluntly described, is a group of simplified cartoon men, of different nationalities, coloured in with a selection of 3 block colours: beige, lilac and eggs-shell blue. One 'man' wears a gas mask, one an Asian beard, one long "skater" hair, and one just appears to be a 'sack-man'.
The fact that they have featured such a variety of people signifies that the appeals to the 'everyman'. This may subliminally act to attract the customer. Although I say this, I am not completely sure of my beliefs, as the image does not include any women, and so couldn't truly appeal to everyone.
The style of the illustration appeals to the younger generation, meaning teenagers. I would also add that it may attract infants, due to the title, but then again, the album has not been marketed towards them specifically, and so may not reach them. Yes, infants would be more attracted to this if the colours were brighter - but the design manages to better appeal to the target audience with more mature pastel colours.
I have personally bought this CD, as it was recommended to me by a friend before the band became mainstream. Saying this, they are not very mainstream, even now, and I know this as my friends have not heard of them. This is probably because they were broadcast on XFM, and on MTV2, as opposed to their favourites: KISS, and MTV Base.
I think the album would give the audience a sense of their own identity or a feeling of belonging, as you have to be quite keen on music to know about them. This is because they appeal to quite a niche market, which is the 'indie-alternative fans'. I have chosen to analyse The Maccabee's Album, as this is the band that I used for my artist research.
The group's name is written in full, as they need to promote themselves as this was their first album, and not everyone knows of them yet.
The font used for "the maccabees" is all lower case, which juxatposes "colour it in" which is all in capitals. Although the general idea of capital lettering is supposed to be bolder and more eye-catching, I personally find that it works in the opposite way. The lower case "the maccabees" is more attractive to my eye; which is enhanced by the fact that it is printed larger than "colour it in". The colour choice works effectively, as the white of "the maccabees" stands out against the black background; and the alternating colours of "colour it in" fit in with the phrase, and match those used for the image below.
B. Nicholson describes this album as a "set of art-pop confections" and being "short on bite and big on cutesy, cuddly songs". To me, this links in, as the phrase "colour it in" evokes childhood.
The image, bluntly described, is a group of simplified cartoon men, of different nationalities, coloured in with a selection of 3 block colours: beige, lilac and eggs-shell blue. One 'man' wears a gas mask, one an Asian beard, one long "skater" hair, and one just appears to be a 'sack-man'.
The fact that they have featured such a variety of people signifies that the appeals to the 'everyman'. This may subliminally act to attract the customer. Although I say this, I am not completely sure of my beliefs, as the image does not include any women, and so couldn't truly appeal to everyone.
The way that the men are all drawn to be facing in one particular direction evokes an image of an audience. Maybe this is the audience that once came to see their show?
The style of the illustration appeals to the younger generation, meaning teenagers. I would also add that it may attract infants, due to the title, but then again, the album has not been marketed towards them specifically, and so may not reach them. Yes, infants would be more attracted to this if the colours were brighter - but the design manages to better appeal to the target audience with more mature pastel colours.
I have personally bought this CD, as it was recommended to me by a friend before the band became mainstream. Saying this, they are not very mainstream, even now, and I know this as my friends have not heard of them. This is probably because they were broadcast on XFM, and on MTV2, as opposed to their favourites: KISS, and MTV Base.
I think the album would give the audience a sense of their own identity or a feeling of belonging, as you have to be quite keen on music to know about them. This is because they appeal to quite a niche market, which is the 'indie-alternative fans'.
WALL OF ARMS - (ALBUM 2)
I have noticed that their second album's layout is similar to their first - men with glasses are arranged at different levels.
NOTES:
Research....
[[[ Review from Barry Nicolson http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-maccabees/10389]]]
Bookish tendencies are by no means a bad thing, but there’s always been an air of wimpy feyness about The Maccabees that suggests Orlando Weeks and his crew spent their art-school days stalking the corridors like nerve-wracked velociraptors, bobbing their heads appreciatively at fetching pairs of clogs. So while 2007 debut ‘Colour It In’ was a commendable set of art-pop confections, it was short on bite and big on cutesy, cuddly songs with titles like ‘Toothpaste Kisses’. The solution? Simple: The Maccabees have ‘gone dark’. Or at least, darker.By now you’re probably familiar with ‘No Kind Words’, given away as a free download and a genuine departure for the band, with Weeks’ dispassionate delivery about “Tempting disaster, testing water with another’s daughter” and Rupert Jarvis’ oscillating bassline lending a sense of gloom to proceedings. Suddenly there’s lovelorn cynicism where once there was doe-eyed optimism and songs about swimming pools, and this suits them a lot better. If nothing else quite matches ‘No Kind Words’, a lot comes close. ‘Colour It In’ was troubled by lack of cohesion; as Weeks himself has admitted, it felt like a collection of songs rather than an actual album, and a lot of them were merely pleasant diversions until the next single came along. That’s not the case with ‘Wall Of Arms’; from the anguished opener ‘Love You Better’ on, this feels more complete than its predecessor. There are subtle Arcade Fire influences (no doubt encouraged by ‘Neon Bible’ producer Markus Dravs) on the military march of ‘Can You Give It’ and the scratchy ‘Seventeen Hands’, while ‘One Hand Holding’ has a whimsical ’80s pop feel that’s underscored by more inner turmoil (“Why would you kill it before it dies?” demands Weeks). In fact, only when they revert to their puppyish former ways – like the title track, or the hatefully nice ‘Dinosaurs’ – is the spirit of Athlete terrifyingly summoned, like some over-amiable djinn from the ether. That aside, ‘Wall Of Arms’ sounds mostly effortless and unstudied. No longer too pop to be art and too art to be pop, The Maccabees are evolving into their own entity. We can’t wait to see where it takes them.
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