The document analyzes and summarizes the cover artwork and themes of albums by Florence and the Machine, OneRepublic, and Marianas Trench. For Florence and the Machine, the cover depicts a fragile image of the female lead singer that contrasts with typical female pop icons. OneRepublic uses animal personas to represent each band member and focus on their music. Marianas Trench may represent each band member with toys on the back cover to show feeling broken like the toys and able to relate to their songs.

1. POP ROCK ALBUM
ANALYSIS

2. The Album cover depicts an image of Florence the singer of the
band. She is wearing very sparse clothing that has just been
draped over her. Her positioning looks very uncomfortable for her
by the way her arms have been placed.
White has been used for all of the font and draws out how pale her complexion is. The
use of the thin white font for the title makes it blend into the photo rather than standing
out. Instead what stands out the most is the actual lungs she is wearing around her
necklace as the red contrasts with the other soft colour tones.
At first it looks like
she is standing up.
However, I think
she is actually lying
down on a rug and
has had flowers
chucked around
her. It appears that
maybe she has
been abused and
then just left there.
This is taken from
her sad expression
and hearts drawn
on her arms look
like bruises that are
slowly fading.
On the back cover the use of the white
lettering has continued but the song list
is quite small making it harder to read.
What stands out the most on the back is the drawing of the
anatomical lungs. The reason behind it could be to show
that the music is real rather than something glorified and
fake. It also shows that the heart is right in between the
lungs and then in the music.
The audience
are likely to be
fairly young
women who can
relate to having
been in love
and felt broken
and abused
afterwards. That
they feel inside
the way
Florence is
shown on the
outside.
The font used for the
title of the band is very
distinctive and has
become recognisable to
the band. Fans will be
able to identify that font
to the band and feel
more connected to
them.
Of all the albums
the barcode is
most prominent
on this cover. As
well as the
website about the
band, suggesting
they are the most
accepting of the
commercial side
of making music.

3. The cover of
the album
shows some
toys each in
their own
sections in
rustic looking
shelves. The
wood around
the edges
makes it look
old as well as
the toys that
look worn and
damage. The
type of toys
you might
expect to find
in a
grandparents
attic.
The toys create a rather eerie feel about the album especially the four toys
on the back of the album. Most specifically the soldier on the left. The theme
of the toys could come from the constant reference of “toy soldiers” and
“porcelain” in the songs.
The name of the band and the album are both done in the same font and colouring.
The brown colour matches the wooden effect and further compliments the
creepiness about the cover. The title also gives the impression of fairy tales such as
those by the brothers Grimm.
The writing of the songs is small and doesn’t really grab
you. This could be the bands way of saying that it is a
whole album and the individual songs aren’t important.
It has a darker look
than you would
imagine from most
albums of pop rock
bands. This image
though would seem to
fit the lyrics though
the sound would
seem to still fit into
the pop rock genre
even if the rock is
more prominent than
the pop.
The audience is most
likely to be for older
teenagers. As the
cover doesn’t look
appropriate for
anyone younger and
the music may not be
as relatable to adults.
By not having a picture of the band
on the front it shows that they don’t
want to be recognised for their
image but by their music.
The barcode looks the most out of
place on this album, as all the
commercial information around the
CD has been squished at the
bottom. This suggests the artist
wants to ignore this commercial
reality around their music.

4. The cover possibly shows the five personas of the band members as there
are five heads of animals on the cover and there are five band member. This
could link with the title of the album (Native) as native tribes such as Indians
were known for using animals as a representation of human souls/spirits.
This could also
possibly link to
reincarnation.
The colouring
consists mainly of
orange hues that
give the
impression of a
sunset. The
colours are quite
soft and hazy so
that gives a
calming feel to the
album artwork as
there are no
extreme, bright
and garish
colours.
The font used for the band’s name on this album is not done on any other album- it is specific to this
album. The ‘e’s and ‘b’ are unique because they are not following the style of the lettering on their other
albums. They have edited the band name logo to reflect the album. The name of the band is also a lot
bigger than the album title showing that they believe the band name will draw in potential fans that know
the band but not the album.
The back cover is
very plain
compared to the
front cover. It
focuses on the
actual song list
rather than any
extra pictures or
fancy fonts. The
two colours fit the
native theme as
they are quite
earthy colours.
Their target
audience would
be teenagers
due to the music
genre being pop
rock with songs
they can sing
along to but also
dance to.
The use of the animals representing band
members could create connection between the
band and the audience as fans would feel close
with them if they new who was which animal.
This album has also tried to push all the
commercial information to the bottom.
However, the layout of this information
suggests it was considered when the back
cover design was created. Implying that the
artists realise these factors are a part of
being a musician.

5. ARTIST REPRESENTATION
Florence and the Machine are of English
nationality and the (lead vocalist whose
picture is on the front) is female and aged
29. Having a photo of her on the front cover
could show that she is the main focus point
of the band. Her positioning gives the
impression of the stereotypical fragile
woman. This contrasts with most female
pop icons that are represented as being
sexy. The way her hair frames her face
makes her look even younger, and
enhances this idea of fragility.
OneRepublic are of American nationality.
The band is made up of all male musicians.
Their ages range from 30 to 41, making
them one of the more mature pop rock
bands. This could be part of the reason why
they’ve decided not to have a picture of
themselves on the front, which is common
with many young pop rock bands.
Representing themselves through animal
personas shows how they’ve really tried to
focus on the theme of music on the album.
Marianas Trench are of Canadian nationality.
The band is also made up of all male
musicians. Their ages range from 29 to 34, so
are younger artists to OneRepublic. However,
they don’t have a photo of themselves either. It
is not as clear as the OneRepublic album, but
the four artists of Marianas Trench could be
being represented by the toys on the back
cover. This could show that they themselves
feel like they are broken like these toys, and
therefore can relate to the songs they are
singing on their album.