Specific Album Art/Digipak Analysis (The Chaos - The Futureheads)

The Chaos - The Futureheads

'The Chaos' (2010) is the fourth album by British post-punk revival band, The Futureheads. It is the band's second album released on their own independent record label, Nul Records. The 4-panel digipak consists of the audio CD and booklet.

Front Panel

The front panel presents the image of a globe ripping apart with block arrows placed around the entire circumference, representing the idea of the world being constantly torn in different directions hence the album title, 'The Chaos'. The fact that the globe is splitting to reveal the earth's inner core may signify how humanity is slowly destroying the planet. The band were inspired by 2010 political events and this album is full of allusions to being disaffected with the society and government of Britain. Guitarist Ross Millard exclaimed: 'There's a certain responsibility to address to what's going on.' In addition to the music, the eye-catching, statement image depicted on the front cover definitely encapsulates the band's urgent 'warning' to re-examine the state of Britain. 

Unlike the Red Hot Chili Pepper's 'I'm With You' (see RHCP digipak/album artwork analysis: here) which opts for a discreet presentation of the album title/band name, The Futureheads make their title and band name as striking and bold as the focal artwork. The black sans-serif font reiterates the idea of a 'warning' (a motif) and the subtle destroyed/decaying effect that adds a touch of decoration/serif appearance to the font, reflecting the world's metaphorical deterioration.

The motif of astrological diagrams appears inside the digipak and in the booklet (concealed in the left tube pocket). This recurring imagery is quite foreboding and reinforces the point that the world is heading towards 'chaos' sooner than expected. Each  astrological image serves as a 'warning signal' which constantly highlight the band's message and makes them seem most relevant to British culture. Furthermore, the product adheres to the conventional digipak format with a plastic tray to hold the CD. Although digipaks are viewed as a more creative alternative to jewel cases (with numerous artwork panels), a disadvantage of digipak plastic trays are the brittle teeth of the hub which can often break. Additonally, plastic trays aren't environmentally friendly and in all honesty, The Futureheads should perhaps have opted for a tray made from sugarcane or egg carton to reflect their 'concerns' about the state of the earth!

Another disadvantage of digipaks are that they are less resistant to abrasion that jewel cases. I definitely found this to be true as this Futureheads album appears quite tattered at the corners and the spine is beginning to weaken.

Back Panel

The back panel of the digipak illustrates the tracklisting in the same statement font which features on the front panel, maintaining a sense of continuity and avoiding tackiness. The barcode is placed at the top-centre and the production information at the bottom-centre along with the band's website and record label logo; Nul Records. A 'central alingment' creates a strong impression of order - contrasting with the themes explored on the album, i.e. corruption.

Specific Album Art/Digipak Analysis - (The Secret Life...Two Lectures by Nick Cave)

The Secret Life Of The Love Song & The Flesh Made Word

Two Lectures By Nick Cave

Nick Cave is an Australian musician best known as the frontman of the critically acclaimed alternative rock band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Other than containing the CD, this digipak is far from the conventional. It resonates an autobiographical book, with pages displaying extracts from the two lectures on the CD along with black and white photos of the musician. 

Front Cover

The front cover is a black and white mid-shot of Cave staring analytically at a record. This striking image may be representative of his philosophical nature and relates to his 'two lectures' featured on the CD, in which the artist delves into the complexity of the 'love song' and explores how religion helped to influence his writing. Furthermore, the fact that the CD is interspersed with five examples of 'true love songs' by Cave himself, conveys to the audience how 'love lies within the music' - perhaps this would explain why Cave is seemingly searching the record on the front panel. Additionally, the classic black and white photo appears as if it's a cinematic still taken from a romantic film, creating a 'motif' for the artist as the theme of love and mystery are concepts explored in great depth on the album. The key light is hard/focused through the centre of his face and on his hand, whereas the rest of his form and dimension appears silhouette-like; an effect that is achieved by omitting the key light instead. Overall, this gives Cave a mysterious and haunting quality which meshes perfectly with his dark, brooding music.

An autobiographical format: To the left, another classic/cinematic moment is captured on film; Cave in the studio recording 'West Country Girl' (a love song featured on the album). To the right, an extract from 'The Secret Life...' is displayed, commencing with the sentence: 'That was a song called West Country Girl'. In essence, this digipak is designed to be read along with Cave's CD (this extract opens the album like it does with the digipak), to allow the audience to connect with the artist on a more intellectual and personal level.

A motif of black and white, cinematic photographs of Cave at the recording sessions run throughout the digipak to capture his immense creativity (left: Cave with an electric violin) and his melancholic, sensitive persona (evident in the right-hand photo) all in a snapshot. The abundance of intriguing photos make the listening experience more pleasurable for the audience, as they are provided with visuals to accompany Cave's lectures and compositions.

The quotations included in the digipak are specifically selected to provide an overview of Cave's lectures. For example, in the extract above, the artist mentions 'the love song', 'our senses', 'God' and his own songs. Moreover, this provides an overall representation of Cave as a spiritual individual and a philosophical, intellectual thinker.

Since this digipak follows a book-like format, the audio CD is held in a cardboard tube pocket (disguised merely as another page). This design is a great alternative to jewel cases which are prone to cracking and the conventional plastic tray in digipaks which possess the disadvantage of cracking also as the teeth of the hub are quite fragile. Although the hardback book format ensures double protection of the CD, consequently, production costs would be higher than for the conventional cardboard digipak.

Back Cover

The tracklisting of the five songs appears horizontally at the top of the back cover, quite unconventional to typical tracklistings which seem to run in the form of a list. A religious quotation is also presented which not only reflects how significant religion is to the artist as it has undoubtedly influenced his music, but also mimics a 'blurb' on the back of a book. Again, this is another signifier (alongside another photo) which supports the idea that this album is a mini-autobiography. The barcode, production/legal information and record label logo: 'King Mob Records' are also illustrated - the staple key conventions of any digipak.

Specific Album Art/Digipak Analysis (I'm With You - Red Hot Chili Peppers)

I'm With You - Red Hot Chili Peppers

'I'm With You' (2011) is the tenth studio album by American rock band, Red Hot Chili Peppers. It is the band's first studio album to feature guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, following the departure of John Frusciante in 2009. The 4-panel digipak consists of the audio CD and booklet containing song lyrics and photos of the band.

Spine/Front Panel
Q Magazine voted the album cover art as one of the best album covers of 2011.

The front panel of the digipak portrays a minimalistic, macabre work designed by controversial British artist, Damien Hirst. Frontman, Anthony Kiedis, described the album's cover art by saying: "It's an image. It's art. Iconic. We didn't give it its meaning but it's clearly open to interpretation." The cover depicts a close-up shot of a fly sitting on a red and white capsule pill, positioned in the bottom left-hand corner against a pristine white background. My interpretation of this statement imagery is that it symbolises 'pivotal change'. For example, Kiedis battled drug addiction from a young age and the heartbreaking death of co-founder/original guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988 (caused by a heroin overdose) was a 'turning point' in Anthony's life and inspired him to become sober; he has been clean of alcohol and drugs since 2000. Since the fly is attracted to the pill, it could be that the pill is representative of dirt - essentially, broadcasting the message to the public: 'drugs are dirt'. Furthermore, the fact that the album title 'I'm With You' is written in a bold, black sans-serif font on the pill (similar to as if it were a real drug), alludes to the notion that although (due to drugs) Slovak is gone, his legacy is still living 'with us'. He was a tremendous musical influence on ex-guitarist John Frusciante and also on current guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, suggesting Red Hot Chili Peppers will always maintain an essence of their original"punk-funk" style (still evident on this album within tracks such as 'Monarchy of Roses' and 'Ethiopia') which they've possessed since the formation of the band in 1983. Returning to the concept of the statement artwork being a symbol for 'pivotal change', 'I'm With You' marks another 'turning point' in the band's career with the new addition of Klinghoffer and the ambiguous nature of the artwork hints that this particular record is the Chili Peppers' most modern and 'experimental' to date.

At first glance of the front panel, I completely dismissed the band's name purely because it's so discreet! The band's name is printed in a small, block, white sans-serif font which is placed at the top-centre of the cover and almost disappears completely against the faded-white background. It is often deemed quite unconventional for famous rock bands to 'hide' their name on the front cover of their album, as surely they would want to enhance their brand-identity even further? In this case, Red Hot Chili Peppers intend for each individual consumer's interpretation of their statement album artwork to override their 'brand'; encouraging the idea of the 'fan-power' and an intimate philosophical connection between the band and the audience. 

An inside view

Continuing with the theme of simplicity and minimalism, the inside of the digipak displays the text 'Red Hot Chili Peppers' in the centre of the left panel and 'I'm With You' in the same position on the right panel. The black sans-serif font stands out against the blank white background in order to sell the band's ambiguous message: Red Hot Chili Peppers - 'I'm With You' (resembles the format of a famous quote.) Some fans have interpreted this message quite literally and believe they possess a deep, intimate connection with the band and feel as though they are part of a Red Hot Chili Peppers 'society' (probably the main intention of this album title.)

"Unbeknownst to me, the news had hit the radio, and some kid came up to me and he shook my hand and he said, 'I'm with you!' And I was like, 'Why are you saying that? Where did you hear that?' He said, 'I'm with you!' And then I realised that he must've heard it on the radio or something, and it was just a great feeling."  - Anthony Kiedis

There are slots provided at either end of the digipak, containing the booklet and CD. The idea of 'slots' within the digipak itself is becoming increasingly popular and an alternative to the conventional plastic disc tray which is prone to cracking if it becomes crushed. Furthermore, the front cover of the booklet  resonates with the album artwork and the metaphorical image of the fly perching on a pill seems to be a recurring 'motif' within the digipak.

Inside the booklet: Fly 'motif' continued. However, in the middle of the booklet the fly is dead, perhaps representing the victory over Kiedis' drug addiction or the end of the Frusciante era and the awakening of a new cycle with Klinghoffer.

Back Panel

The tracklisting is printed in a bold, black sans-serif font in keeping with the rest of the simplistic style font on the digipak. However, the letter 'O' is replaced by a round, white pill which helps the tracklisting 'pop' against the canvas-like background and continues the motif of drugs. Opposite the tracklisting is the barcode, production details, producer's name and record label logo (Warner Bros.) The producer is Rick Rubin who produced the band's breakthrough album 'Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik' along with all the subsequent albums. Therefore, fans will undoubtedly recognise Rubin's name and incredible talent and will be persuaded to purchase the new record, since he has produced some of the Chili's most successful albums, such as 2006 Grammy-Award winning 'Stadium Arcadium'.

 

Analysis of Album Art + Codes and Conventions of a Digipak (Grace/Wastelands - Peter Doherty)

Grace/Wastelands - Peter Doherty 

Grace/Wastelands (2009) is the poignant debut solo album by Babyshambles front man/The Libertines co-frontman, Peter Doherty. The digipak comprises of the audio CD, a DVD featuring an interview alongside exclusive acoustic performances and a booklet containing the song lyrics and various pieces of Doherty's artwork.

Front Panel

The front panel of the digipak displays the album artwork created by French artist Alize Meurisse in collaboration with Doherty. When speaking to the NME, Meurisse explained the inspiration behind the artwork was Oscar Wilde's 'Salomé' and when she gave the painting to Peter, he added some of his blood to it; "I'm not very precious about my drawings. I like him to mess about with them, I trust his eye." Despite the fact that conservative British papers refer to Doherty's blood art as "disgusting", I truly believe that marking his album artwork with his own blood is probably the most genuine and creative expression of self-identity, possibly hinting at the metaphorical notion that the artist has 'put his body into his work' and the songs on the album are his personal 'works of art'. Furthermore, being a huge fan of Doherty and owning this album myself, the gesture provides an intimate connection between the audience and Peter. 

The cover depicts Meurisse's abstract interpretation of the femme fatale, Salomé; kneeling down whilst smoking a cigarette. The dangerous nature of this seductress is vividly juxtaposed with her casual body language and the idea of love, lust and even broken love are themes explored within the album, especially on the tracks: 'Salomé', 'Broken Love Song' and 'Sheepskin Tearaway'. Additionally, the neutral toned image animated with the vibrant red of Peter's blood, is placed in the centre of the blank white canvas-like cover and acts as the focal piece (similar to a portrait in an art gallery), almost over-powering the artist's name and album title, representing the idea that Doherty's creativity is part of his being. The artist's name is portrayed in a small black sans-serif font, separating itself from the decorative artwork and white background. Underneath, the album title 'Grace/Wastelands' appears even smaller and in a handwritten serif font; Doherty's own handwriting. I view Doherty's handwriting as a type of calligraphy since it appears all over the digipak (e.g. track listing on back panel) and seems like a form of visual art. The fact that Peter's own handwriting features on the digipak contributes to the personal quality the album exudes and further highlights the artist's strong sense of originality. Moreover, the album title 'Grace/Wastelands' is an oxymoronic, juxtaposing title and reflects the array of themes explored on the record. For example, 'Grace' connotes with peace and suggests a gentle atmosphere is present within each track, whereas the reckless image of 'Wastelands' implies a contrasting darker side to the album.

A parental advisory sticker is evident in the bottom left-hand corner, warning the audience there is strong language featured on the audio CD and DVD. The fact that a photo of Peter isn't featured on the front cover of his debut solo album is slightly unconventional, since when releasing a first record, most artists often want to make an impact with a close-up photo of themselves and their name/album title appearing in a large sans-serif font (i.e. the artist's image is the centre-piece). However, considering Doherty is an alternative/indie artist and already possesses a large following from The Libertines and Babyshambles, it would explain the reason why he doesn't appear on the front panel and instead, chooses to ingeniously represent his genre of poetic rock n' roll through his album artwork.

An inside look: 6-panel digipak format

The inside panels of the digipak continue the theme of Peter's abstract blood-art and each panel illustrates the artist's own sketches of a ballet dancer with handwritten 'Grace/Wasteland' lyrics scribbled over them alongside handwritten song lyrics in the booklet, emphasising the idea of a 'personal-touch' . The fragility and 'grace' associated with ballet dancers may reflect the poignant meaning portrayed in the songs and the theme of 'dancing' certainly seems apparent on the album, e.g. - "...she dances and demands the head of John the Baptist on a plate." - Salomé. This lyric in particular seems to resonate with the centre panel, where the ballet dancer can be seen twirling with arms spread out and behind her, the religious symbol of a cross is depicted (resembling the cruxifiction). This made me question: Is the image of the ballet dancer on the panel Salomé? The dangerous seductress in disguise as a graceful ballerina? What's more, it suggests that the concepts of religion and philosophy may have been a key influence in Doherty's work. The slots to either side of the centre panel contain the audio CD and the DVD and at the bottom of the centre panel, there is a slot provided for the booklet - this demonstrates a very simplistic and compact design yet ensures maximum protection of the products.

Usually, digipaks consist of one or more plastic trays that are capable of holding a CD/DVD attached to the inside. However, the disc tray inside the package (especially the 'teeth' of the hub which secure the disc in place) is prone to cracking if the package becomes crushed. Therefore, by providing simple slots to hold the CD/DVD, it reduces the risk of damage to the digipak and this design can be viewed as a preferable alternative to jewel cases, which are vulnerable to cracking.

An outside look: 3rd panel

This extra panel serves as as Peter's personal 'thank you' message to the audience; hence the elegantly handwritten; 'love you forever'. Here, we do see a portrait picture of Doherty, although a slightly distorted one appearing similar to a piece of black and white pop art. The fragmented state of the monotone photo (alongside the jigsaw puzzle pieces) could be representative of a Peter's constant struggle to find himself (having endured difficulties in The Libertines and Babyshambles), the artist may be looking to 're-invent' himself as a solo-artist. 

Back Panel

The track listing is written in Peter's signature, fine handwriting and reinforces the idea that his handwriting is a form of visual art (calligraphy) for his audience. In addition, this affectionate/personal touch meshes well with Doherty's star-image as a striking individual artist and romantic soul. Referenced beside the relevant tracks, Doherty pays homage to those also featured on his solo album, including the likes of Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, who plays guitar on all the songs on the album apart from 'Broken Love Song', Dot Allison, Peter Wolfe and members of Babyshambles. The digipak notes that the CD is produced by Stephen Street, which would appeal to Doherty's alternative/indie rock fan- base who will most likely recognise the English music producer, best known for his work with cult favourites The Smiths, Blur and The Cranberries. The record label indicated is British multinational music company EMI; one of the world's leading music companies that signed major rock acts such as The Beatles and Pink Floyd (defining them as a label that work with influential British artists, much like Doherty). Although newspapers couldn't comprehend why EMI signed "high-volatile" Peter Doherty for over £1 million, the reality shows that Doherty's growing influence on popular culture is vast and thus, EMI seem proud to be associated with 'Grace/Wastelands'. The bar code is also displayed in the top right-hand corner.

Digipak Spine

In summary, I adore the digipak for Peter Doherty's debut album 'Grace/Wastelands'. This is predominantly because the album is represented in a way that I believe Doherty would also admire; the unfolding of the visual artwork panels unveil his record to be a true form of self-expression and a gift to his fans. This is an element I will definitely look to recreate when designing the digipak for Olly Patriarca's, 'What We Started'. Furthermore, the digipak for 'Grace/Wastelands' possesses a protective UV coating (recommended by licensed digipak manufacturers such as domestic U.S. printer and disc replicator Oasis Disc Manufacturing), which ensures greater longevity. Moreover, the digipak is constructed from glossy, rigid card and by eliminating the conventional plastic trays, digipaks prove to be a more environmentally friendly alternative to jewel cases. 

Specific Album Art Analysis - (Doo Wops & Hooligans - Bruno Mars)

Doo-Wops & Hooligans - Bruno Mars

Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) is the debut album studio album by American singer-songwriter, Bruno Mars.

When releasing a debut album, it has become increasingly common for most singer-songwriters desire a cinematic close-up of their face to appear as the album artwork to market their brand-identity. For example, James Morrison's 'Undiscovered', Adele's '19' and Duffy's 'Rockferry'. However, Bruno Mars certainly challenges this typified image with 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans'.  The album artwork depicts the star as a minuscule silhouette figure (defined by his statement Fedora hat that constructs part of his modern/urban star-image in reality), and suggests he has just embarked on a journey, walking a long and winding path that literally rockets off towards the stars. The fact that he only possesses the company of his shadow alludes to his strong sense of independence and maturity as an artist;  '...you have to go into this industry as an artist with a clear vision and understanding of who you are. Being so young when I was first signed, I never really had a sense of who I wanted to be.' Furthermore, the vibrant yellow background may  reflect Mars' energetic and lively disposition and music. His name is printed in a bold, subtly serif font which resonates a 60's, retro quality which could signify Mars is an artist with a 'retro edge'.  The album title 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans' appears in a small, sans-serif font to prevent the album artwork from appearing tacky with over-decorative fonts. Moreover, the artwork reflects simplicity whilst appealing to both a male and female demographic, allowing for a wide fanbase and maximum exposure.