KG - Deconstruction of a DigiPak

Deconstruction of Muse - The Resistance

Front Cover.

The inside.

The back.

Genre

How is the genre of the track/artist evident?

This artist's genre is debatable. In their songs they have a fusion of several different types of genres from classic rock to classical music. So it is difficult to pin point one genre. It is therefore reasonable to suggest that they are an alternative band as they are set apart from the others and different in their own way. But to add rock onto the end as well because they meet the conventions of that genre too with their use of power chords and guitar riffs. So they can appropriately be termed as being an alternative rock band.

The genre of this is evident on the digiPak as the artwork on the front is not a photograph, which could be considered alternative as the majority of album covers are a photograph of the band or something related to the band. The artwork for this album was designed by the design company La Boca, a company that specialises in art and design for the film, music and fashion industries. This being their first collaboration with Muse. The black and white photograph of the band on the back and inside covers reinforce the alternative style of the band and that fact that the photograph is blurred connotes and reiterates the theme of being alternative and rock'n'roll.

Media Language

What visual techniques are used?

On the front the image is central as the whole thing demands attention as opposed to just one thing that may be placed aesthetically off-centre. The use of colour helps to draw attention to the image, and the use of red and orange at the bottom merging into blues and purples at the top creates a reading line that draws the eye to the bottom, and so to the silhouette of the man moving upwards around the spherical shape and into the Earth at the very centre. This then moves us to the top left where the band's name is visible in it's iconic logo; the band name with the two lines around it. Our eyes are then drawn down to the sticker advertising the singles and then across to the album title, and back to the centre again. The connotations of the Earth being at the centre are self explanatory that the Earth is represented as being at the centre of everything. The picture is of a human on an illuminated pathway, the fact that it is illuminated could be a suggestion that this is connected to heaven in some way, the shadow of the figure is pointing downwards as if the light source is coming from where the Earth is suggestive that the Earth is similar to the light at the end of the tunnel. That this is a pathway from places beyond to the Earth and that only certain people can go along it, suggested in that the figure is simple and silhouetted so that it could be anyone, man or woman. The walkway is clearly in space as the stars are visible through gaps in the spherical shape, this links to some of the themes expressed within the songs on the album but also connotes that there is more than just Earth, a suggestion that there is more out there and that we only need a way to get there, presented with this walkway.

On the inside covers the two are photographs of the band shot in black and white, the one to the right with a raised contrast, but both slightly blurred. The right photograph is of the back of the band walking through a tight walkway, connoting the movement from back stage to on-stage, also suggested through the walking toward a bright light. This being suggestive of the performance element of this band and the importance of the live shows, reinforcing the rock genre. The photograph to the left is of the band members however none of them are facing the camera, again connoting their alternative rock style, reinforced further by the clothing they are wearing; one in a leather jacket and another in dark sunglasses. The weather in this photograph is slightly overcast connoting the dramatic nature of the band and the album something that is also expressed through the use of black and white. The band is shot in an urban location as buildings and streetlight can be visible behind them, this suggesting their normality as well as being familiar to audiences. It also ties in the with the rock band theme as they are often in cities and places with a nightlife [suggested by the streetlights] as opposed to in a field in the countryside.

On the back cover the photograph is of the 3 band members, again in black and white for the same reasons as mentioned above. The are photographed in an urban location as with the photographs on the inside cover, for the same reasons as above. However, in this particular picture there are sky scrapers and tall buildings visible in the background, as the band is seen as being much larger than these it connotes their dominance and significance in the world and represents them as being more powerful or inspirational than what is in the buildings behind them, another interpretation of the perspective is that it could represent the band distancing themselves from the city and its' constraints, something that is emphasised in their alternative style. They are also photographed in mid-step, connoting their busy schedules as they could not stop to be photographed, but also their fasted paced nature, something that is emphasised in their music. Also reinforcing the idea of their importance as there is somewhere they need to be or somewhere they have just come from. They are placed to the left complying with the rule of thirds as it is aesthetically pleasing. The text listing the songs on the album is placed to right again for the rule of thirds but also so as not to cover up any of the band member. The colour of the writing resembles that on the front with the top being blues and purples and working down to the bottom text turning pink and red. Creating a continuity about the album the movement of colour to black and white back to colour again, even if only very slightly. The bar code and copyright information have been placed in the bottom right corner so as not to be overly conspicuous because obviously they have to be on the album but aesthetically they are not very interesting. They have been placed in line with the text so that the eye is drawn to them after reading the list of tracks, but again so that they do not cover up the band, because this is ultimately an advert for the band and it is important that they are not covered up. That is why there is no text on the inside and no photograph of the band on the front cover.

How is meaning generated through these techniques?

I think this question has been answered above within the first media language question, in the talking of semiotics in the connotations of the visual techniques.

What linguistic devices have been used?

The use of black and white creates a dramatic moody feel to the album perhaps representational of the music it contains. This is contrasted with the bright colours on the front of the album which are exciting and suggest life and vitality and again give an indication of another side of the music in the album, the contrast in the genre and types of songs. The facial expressions that can be made out in the photographs comply with the moody feel, they are not smiling and not looking at the camera, adding to their alternative image.

The connotations of the album title 'The Resistance' suggest this will be a powerfully moving album, with themes of rising up and resisting, a theme that is common in many of the band's previous works as well. This could be reinforced by the visuals on the album as the photographs could connote a resistance, the angry stance on the left of the inside cover and the walking away from the oppression on the back. The artwork on the front reinforces this as well as it shows a figure set apart from the Earth, perhaps out of their own choice so as to form a resistance. Looking back at the connotation suggested for the front cover in the bullet points above the visuals on the front could be a symbol of hope that teamed with the title 'The Resistance' could connote a new era and a new outlook on the Earth, suggested again in the illuminated pathway.

Is there any intertextuality/references to popular culture?

The cover is very reminiscent of the band 'The Emperor Machine' 's album work, this is particularly because the same company designed the covers and so there is a very distinctive style and feel about the pieces. There is also links to magazines and various other album covers due to the designers.

The use of black and white photographs is something that is commonly seen on movie posters, album covers and adverts, so there is a certain resonance with the use of that, it seems familiar to people as well as being aesthetically pleasing and adding to the band's image.

In terms of postmodernism this album has no parody or pastiche that I can think of, there is nothing here that looks as if it has been borrowed from anywhere else, other than the use of black and white photography but I don't think that on it's own can be classed as postmodern. However, this album cover could be considered postmodern as there is not image of the band on the cover which is fairly unusual as this is ultimately a promotional product for the band. Also, the band name is fairly small on the cover, it does seem odd that this isn't the focus of the album cover particularly as there is no image of the band. Perhaps an indication that the band is well known enough for the marketers to think that it will sell of its own according without having to sell several images of the band, which could be considered a postmodern way of thinking.

Representation

How are the band/artist represented?

The band are represented as fitting the style and genre they are associated with for the reasons already mentioned previously through the visual and linguistic techniques. The clothing they are wearing makes them seem normal as the clothes are fairly average unlike some other artists in modern pop culture such as Lady Gaga, however the leather jacket and dark sunglasses, as mentioned above, still add to the star persona and help keep the theme of an alternative rock band evident.

I think most of how the band is represented has been said above in terms of semiotics, for example with things such as their dramatic moody edge by use of black and white photography and overcast weather, and the idea of presenting hope with their music by the image on the front cover symbolic of a light at the end of the tunnel.

This adds to the band's meta-narrative as they are perceived as a fairly normal down to Earth band and the photography represents that, but because of the epic nature of their music they are set apart from others which could be represented in the image on the front with the figure being apart from the world and the illuminated pathway, perhaps representational of their music and suggestive of the nature of their live shows as they are quite often described as being 'out of this world'.

Institution and Audience

How might this print text be consumed?

Because of the nature of contemporary society and the increase in downloading people would only generally buy this album if they really wanted it rather than just for the sake of it, as they could just download it for free. So this would have to be consumed by a focused viewer, somebody that wanted to spend money on it and purchase it legitimately. The band is very popular so people would want to buy this album and there have been several special edition versions of it [still with the same visuals, but with extras such as a DVD and key ring] to try and entice people to buy it. But ultimately the actually digiPak itself only serves focused viewers as ambient viewers will just download it and some may be interested in seeing the album artwork on their Ipod but it is increasingly becoming something that people aren't really bothered by anymore.