This is my analysis of the advert for Manic Street Preachers album, Futurology.

1. The cover forManic StreetPreachers- Futurologyalbumcontainsaunique type of fontwhichhas
lettersfacingthe opposite way.The Risthe letterthatis back to frontwhichsuggeststhatthe band
may wantto be individual andunique.Itshowsthe audience thattheyare differentandtheysend
that message throughthe textontheircover.The backwardsR may be a wayfor the audience to
identifythe bandbecause they
wouldassociate the backwardsR
withthisband.It isa wayfor the
band’saudience toidentifywith
the group and itwouldmake them
recognisable.
The image on the frontof the
advertisof a blonde haired
womandressedinall white and
she issurroundedbysnow,inthe
backgroundthere are people in
the distance buttheyseemtobe
dressed inblack.The womaninthe
foregroundisstoodona small rock
on herown.The colourwhite
symbolisespurityandinnocence;
blacksymbolisesfearandmystery
and because the womanseemsto
have isolatedherself fromthe
people dressedinblackinthe
background,itsuggestsshe wantsto be pure and not taintedby‘fear’.The womanappearstobe
standingona small rockand the surroundingsnow appearstobe darker,the rock couldbe
representingthe barrierbetweeninnocenceandfear.Also,because the womanisthe onlycharacter
that seemstobe dressedinwhite,she couldbe representinganangeliccharacterandthe onlypure
personleftinthe scene.The treesthatalsoappearin the backgroundappearsto surroundthe
womanwhichhighlightsthatshe is perhapssurroundedbyfearandmysteryandshe isthe only
innocentperson.The image isverybrightandlight.Itisobvioushighkeylightinghasbeenusedin
orderto make the image gowell withthe woman,the skyisverylightblue andalmostwhite which
encouragesthe theme of innocence andpurity.Highkeylightingmayhave beenusedtomake the
image lookpowerful andenergetic;itmaybe reflectingthe songsonthe album.
The adverthas many reviewsfromimportantMusicMagazinesandtherefore suggeststhatthis
albumisdecentenoughfora highrating.The majorityof starsare four starsout of five andthe fact
that ‘The Quietus’calledthe albuma‘masterpiece’meansthatthere isa reasonforthis. The
audience forthisbandseemtobe people perhapsintheir20’s,some of the reviewsare from
newspapers,thissuggeststhe audience.Notmanyyoungerpeoplewouldreadanewspapersuchas
The Telegraphor Mail on Sunday;italso seemslike notmanyyoungerpeople wouldtake the ratings
seriouslyorevenlookatthem. The advertdoesnot displaythe conventionsof arock genre andas
Manic StreetPreachersare an alternative rockbanditis unusual asit isexpectedthattheywould
use an image withlowkeylightingorascary lookingpersononthe cover.Itagain,highlightsthat
thisband isunique.