Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space Analysis

This iconic indie album art carries heavy inspiration from a pill box. Its minimalistic design is iconic as it is quite recognisable for every member of the potential audience as everyone has seen a pill box. It looks quite familiar. 

It also has connotations of this music being relieving for the listener and, like with every form of medication, could ruin you if you have too much.

The album title being 'Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space' alongside the album art being inspired by a drug suggests a high. Perhaps the band's music is so good that it would make the listener feel high. 

'1 tablet 70 min' again just emphasises the drug theme that this album carries. It is also a subtle way to let the potential audience know the actual duration of the album. 

The minimalistic design is appealing for some audience as although it isn't as 'eye-catching' as a typical album art with a picture of the artist on etc, it suggests less is more as people aren't used to seeing album arts with almost nothing special on it and will be drawn to it more. Some audiences feel that music should be literally about the music only and shouldn't host any excessive visual aspects to it as these people may feel that it is just an unnecessary distraction from bad music. 

Unknown Memory Cover

 

The cover art for this cloud-rap album is very simple. It follows a contemporary art style known as 'Vaporwave', which is art based around internet culture of the late 90s-early 2000s. This album art follows the trend by using the 'tacky' graphic design that many people used on their own social media accounts during the time such as Myspace and AIM. 

The background is used as it is prominently dark colours to represent the unknown in Unknown Memory. The pattern of the background is important also as it follows the art style as it is a typical pattern used on websites in the late 90s. 

The title text is faded as it also represents the unknowing in the Unknown Memory. The key beneath the title is a reference to lyrics within the song Leanworld, which is in the album. The lyrics are 'The Key and the Gate it's a Leanworld'. The song talks about losing a loved one whilst high and coming down and not realising what has happened, hinting at the title 'Unknown Memory'.

Meat is Murder Cover

 

The cover art for this album is very simple. The artist name sits vertically on the left side and to its right is a set of 4 identical images. The images are of a soldier in Vietnam wearing a helmet with the title of the album, 'Meat is Murder', on it. The images are shot in black and white and the contrast is heightened so that the background landscape is less prominent than the soldier's face and what is written on his helmet.

It looks relatively simple but it is iconic in how ironic it is. A soldier, a glorified murderer, is protesting how eating pork is murder, even if the person eating it had nothing to do with the death of the pig first hand.

The image is repeated because it is more impacting as a repeated image, rather than just one large picture. This is because the words 'Meat is Murder' are repeated, and repetition makes something stay in someone's head. That was the aim of this album cover, to get the point of meat being murderous across.

There is a lacking of fancy graphics and art because the most important part of the cover is the image. Also, graphics was a lot less common for album art as this album was released in the mid-eighties.

Shark (Haifisch) Music Video Analysis

Haifisch - 2009

This is the music video for Haifisch (Shark) by Rammstein. The song itself is about people that fight for power and in the process, forget any human values. Power for everything, even if you have to kill your own friends/family. The shark could be a metaphor used to display the inhumane behaviour and evilness that lurks beneath the surface of every man. The shark weeps but nobody notices the tears because the are in a sea of tears. In short: if everybody is sad/angry about the same thing, nobody will notice it because they do not wish that anybody notices it and therefore, they feel alone.

The music video is the funeral for the vocalist. The rest of the band, and some others, attend to pay their respects. However, there is a twist. None of the members know how Till (vocalist) died, therefore a sense of distrust and conspiracy is within the air. The camera will span to a close up to each member through out the video as they look at another member and think of how that other member could have killed him. Eye-line editing is prominent. Each scene of a member murdering Till is from another music video. Quite an original and creative idea.
One of the shots of Till's possible murder is from the Du Hast video, Till kneels on the ground, his face covered in blood looking pleadingy at Schneider, who has an open petrol can in his hand, he douses Till in the liquid before lighting a match. He also seems to have no reason to want Till dead. This also is a direct reference to Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs when Michael Madsen douses Tim Roth in petrol and sets him on fire.

At the beginning of the video, the band are looking at a group photo and using pictures of other vocalists to replace Till's missing face. This is completely unlike the band, as many times they have said that if one person leaves then the group will no longer progress. However, this imagery suggests that the band saw him as expendable. Perhaps, one of the members wanted to get rid of and replace him. 

During the video, there is a fight scene that is caused by the distrust in the air. It is all shot using a variation of close ups, mid shots and long shots. It is also all filmed in slow motion. This is done because it fits in with the music as it is a slow paced (for them) song. Also, scenes edited into slow motion help to emphasise the drama and actions of the scene.

The dark colours throughout the video imply a sense of sadness, distrust and conspiracy. This is because, as it is a very dark scene, the audience can't see everything. It makes them wonder what actually is there. Also, the whole video is very dark because everyone is wearing dark clothes as they are at a funeral, in a dark and gloomy place. 
One of the final shots in the video is of Till alive and well in Hawaii with a woman. He is writing a postcard. This is written on the post card: “Viele Grüße vom Arsch der Welt” (Greetings from the butt of the world). Where is the postcard being sent from is hidden, the postcard is probably bought in Hawaii, however the stamp is from Easter Island.

Textual Analysis of Headmaster Ritual by The Smiths

The song, Headmaster Ritual by 80s iconic indie band The Smiths, is a recollection of the events of abuse from his teachers at singer Morrissey's school. The song was particularly iconic as corporal punishment was outlawed in 1986, a year after it came out. Abundantly, the song had some form of effect on the law.

The majority of this music video is a compilation of footage from news reports on the war in Vietnam. Other clips are shots of the band, such as Morrissey singing. The music video is prominently in black and white to display emphasise that the actions in the footage is more important and it being in black and white helps to rid any distraction from it.

The music video begins with an establishing shot of a jet flying over Vietnam. There are also a few shots of soldiers running around, this also helps establish that is in Vietnam. Otherwise it could just be a plane flying over a field.

A significant shot in the video is of a very young Vietnamese boy smoking a cigarette. This could either be to symbolise how the cruelty by teachers in schools at the time would force a child to grow up so much faster, or simply to show how some young children can do such stupid things whilst in school.

We then see a shot of Morrissey singing, looking distressed. We can see that he is distressed by his behaviour, he is singing with his hand holding his neck. He then moves his hands to be open, the back of his hands towards his face. This is to symbolise his distress as a child when a teacher would raise a hand to him.

After seeing Morrissey singing, we then see a group of Vietnamese men getting bags put over their heads by American soldiers. The Smiths decided to use footage from Vietnam because it displayed the same unfair corporal punishment that children in school suffered and it was also a very relevant war because it had only ended ten years ago. This particular footage is used as the Vietnamese being tortured have paper bags on their head; they have no identity to these Americans. They are just seen as another person who 'deserves' a beating. This is significant because teachers would beat a child without consideration of why the child was misbehaving, why they didn't want to take part in PE, or maybe even that they were already getting beaten at home.

Later, a shot of a emotionless Vietnamese man getting hit repeatedly by the bottom of a gun is shown. The Smiths chose to use this clip because he is appearing emotionless, his head is being forcefully held up and he is closing his arms himself. Children during school felt forced not to show emotion during the beatings and were forced to endure it and not 'wuss' out of it.

A shot of the same man is shown later on; he is lying on the ground and is being repeatedly kicked by the soldier. This is used to display how much weaker the beatings can make someone who is even being forcefully held up. Again, it is also used simply because it is an example of institutionalised beatings.

A lot of shots of the band performing are used. This is because, although most of the video is to symbolise the meaning of the song, it is a good idea to include shots of the band to allow the audience to know who the artist is and what they look like.

Later, some shots of the Vietnamese fighting back are used and a shot of an American soldier being carried by his allies whilst having a bandage covering his entire face is used. The band used this to suggest that all the abuse and beatings will have a payback and there will be a consequence for the actions of teachers. The way the footage is in order is to make the audience feel like the Americans in the video deserve it. Also, the fact that the video is in black and white makes it look as though all the people are the same in each shot (it is harder to differentiate without seeing hair colour, skin colours etc), therefore the audience may think that the American with the bandage on his face is the same one that was beating the emotionless man.

Although a montage of specified footage alongside footage of a band is quite typical, The Smiths did it differently and there is a great amount of meaning behind the chosen footage, rather than just to make it look 'artsy'.

We Didn't Start The Fire Music Video Analysis

We Didn't Start The Fire - 1989

The video starts with a newly married couple entering their kitchen with the typical 'groom-carrying-bride' image. The artist, Billy Joel is sitting in the kitchen and will proceed to, going unnoticed for the rest of the video. The video starts with this image because a recent marriage is a symbol of a new life. The beginning of everything; the beginning of a family. At this point is when the fire starts.
In the next scene, the couple are seen but have changed fairly since the first scene. The surroundings haven't changed but the woman is now pregnant and the man is waiting on her. This is to display the change in women's rights and maternity rights of during the 1900s. Joel is still sitting in the kitchen in the background. There are several shots of plenty of things that signify the era. This is mise-en-scene. Such as the shots of the radio and the calendar.  Also, newspaper and magazine articles give hints to what era each shot is in. Different foods or fashion become available as the years progress in the video.
The next significant scene is of Joel sitting and singing directly to the camera with historical images behind him. The image behind him is on fire, which emphasises the metaphor of all historical events being fires. The iconic images vary from the horrific events in Vietnam to the latest car of the era.
Throughout different scenes, the decoration of the kitchen changes. The fashion the people are wearing changes. This is because the family are going through the years, conforming to different trends as the years go by.

Music Video Analysis: Du Hast

Du Hast - 1997

The name of this song is ‘Du Hast’, which in German means ‘You Have’. The song itself is about a friendship that is unbreakable by relationship or marriage.  This particular music video is inspired by the Tarantino film, Reservoir Dogs.

The members of the band are all wearing masks in the music video. This is a metaphor for being a two faced friend; wearing a mask to cover up how bad of a person they really are.
Throughout the video there is a build-up to the point where Schneider (man in car) meets the rest of the band in the warehouse. This creates a tense atmosphere for the audience, making them feel as though something will happen once he meets the band. However, it is the complete opposite. Once Schneider meets the band, he had his hand on a gun, as though he was actually going to do something. He then takes his hand off of the gun as though he has made a decision to not shoot anyone.

When Schneider enters the warehouse and meets the band, they all take their mask off and laugh and smile. This is to represent that, even without the mask they put on around everyone else, they are all still such close friends. As though they are all friends with the real personalities of each other.

Later in the video, each band member (except Schneider) speak to the camera and repeat the lyric ‘Du Hast’.  The band are reminding Schneider that they all have each other and that they are all going to stick together. Them constantly saying, 'Du hast' and injecting some form of drug into him, helping Schneider make his decision: partner or friends?

After this particular scene, a figure is set on fire and is still walking whilst on fire. It is hard to decipher whether or not this scene is Schneider being tortured, someone else or a metaphor of what will happen to his partner now he has made his decision.

At the end, the band (with Schneider) are seen walking out of the warehouse. There is a close up to Schneider’s partner as she has a distressed and concerned look on her face. This is because she can see the band all walking together, therefore she knows that she was not chosen over them and something bad is going to happen. Schneider looks at his watch, and merely a few seconds afterwards, his car explodes. The band walk away from the explosion, together, emphasizing their genuine friendship.