Textual analysis CD cover - Florence and the Machines

Mise en Scene

The colours used in this album are bright and vibrant with the main emphasis being on hues of blue and green a colour common to most indie style artists these colours connote freedom and serenity a reflection of how the audience should feel when listening to the music. Another main featured colour is the red of the lungs connoting the artist’s passion for her music and her fans also.

The artists is shown wearing a hippy- style garment – the dress is colored in cream and hangs down in a feminine manner the loose fitting of the dress relates to the free flowing mood of her music and the way it will make the audience feel.

The artist is shot in what appears to be an enchanted wood this displays her to be something out of the ordinary and free-spirited and presents to the audience a different realm in which they can escape and feel at peace. This is enhanced through her blissful expression, her eyes are closed and her hands are lifted up: she appears to be totally absorbed with her music and these feelings transfer to her fans.

Therefore the target audience for this type of music would be people that aspired to escape to get away from daily hassles and relax.

The artists mode of address is quite self-absorbed she has her head turned away from the audience and has her eyes closed which makes her appear to be shut off from the outside world which at first would be interpreted as perhaps her being ignorant of her audience but on further inspection this pose/posture would appeal to aspirers who wish to also be in a similar dream like state.

Title

The title of the album is ‘Lungs’ this is also shown through her props of a pair of lungs tied on her chest this gives the message that listening to her music comes as naturally as breathing. It also shows that her music does not just scratch the surface of her genre but dig deep into the depth of indie music and self-expression. The title is camouflaged against a white background showing it as inferior in comparison to the main copy being the artist’s name which is featured at the top of the CD cover in white “handwritten” font against a black background: the emphasis on her name is necessary as due to her being a newcomer she needs to be instantly recognizable.   

Representation

On this album cover women are represented stereotypically as ‘beautiful’ – the artist wears make-up and a dainty dress however her hair is in a rough bun with escaped strands showing her inability to be tamed and also her ‘dainty’ dress is shown with less coverage perhaps making her seem like tarnished goods and a bit rough around the edges showing that there is no perfection in this genre. This is also shown through microelements such as the colour of her nail varnish being black connoting a type of mystery shrouding her and also that she is not the typical red nail varnished female. The artist is also showing signs of rebellion towards the stereotypical female by displaying her tattos an expression of individuality and meaning.

Enigma


An enigma is created in the album cover through the setting as it seems to be an out of this world environment which arouses the audiences attention and makes them question where the artist is situated and why? The audience will also wonder as to why the artist appears to be so blissful and therefore may aim to reach the same sate of mind and purchase the album.