Textual analysis of CD covers - Ingrid Michaelson

Mise en Scene

The main colour used on the album cover is slate grey chalk board backgrounds, giving the illusion that perhaps the indie genre has being kept in the shadows of the music industry.

The main artist wears a turquoise blue cardigan ironically a similar colour used in the Mumford and Sons album cover the colour connotes a free-spirited persona that is not afraid to stand out. The artist wears her clothes with a nonchalant air showing how her songs are not to be taken with a serious eye but to be part of a more relaxed and calm atmosphere. Her cardigan has dropped down her shoulder and it has been left showing her rejection to conforming to what would normally be seen on CD cover – perfect appearance. This blasé look  is carried on throughout the CD inlay where pictures are shown with the artist wearing plain and simple clothing in an unfussy manner, she always wears minimal make up and an understated hair style – either scrapped back or just down -  she seems to prefer to show who she is not who others want her to be. This reflects her genre of music she specializes in indie style music which is her own expression and songs that gain success without adhering to conventions of mainstream.

The chalkboard in the background gives the album cover a school type environment and the main artist takes on a teacher style character this corresponds that the audience needs to be re-educated in the field of music and gain a more individualistic view of musical expression. It could also be a direct reference to the target audience being people still at school and still have to go through being educated or on the other hand it could infer that the audience is older people due to the use of a chalkboard which is a dated feature of a typical classroom. This prop also adds to the vintage feel of the CD cover which is a typical route explored by indie artists.

Ingrid’s individuality is heightened by the fact that she wears glasses not many artists are shown wearing glasses and this look shows that she is comfortable in her own skin and communicates to her fans that there is nothing wrong in being who you are and also not to change for anyone – this is a key message passed on throughout her songs. On the front cover there are three shots of the artists other albums these are the second main focal point for the audience and allow them to see other dimensions to her musical talents and also gain a sense of genre from them.

The artist is placed off central to the right and her other album covers are in the middle showing that her main focus is on her music and not her self as that its not what needs promoting she does not have a direct mode of address with the audience and holds a type of ‘don’t care’ attitude portrayed through her body language and emotionless facial expression. This leaves the emotion felt by the audience up to interpretation and allows them to make up their own mind as to how they feel about the music.

Copy

The text shown is written on the blackboard in chalk showing again a childlike carefree side to the music the chalk used also links to the genre as the writings on the board are very random, faded in areas and make little sense showing that the art of indie music is self-expression and interpretation and it covers many aspects of musical tastes.

Titles

The titles featured on the album cover are: EVERYBODY and GIRLS AND BOYS this portrays the all inclusive nature of indie folk music and also shows that the target audience is unspecific and is aimed at all. The inclusion of all is also shown in the inlay where a main picture shown is of multiple people with ‘Be Ok’ written on them which is a main message from Ingrid’s songs the people shown come from all different background s and are all different ages again showing that the music has a mass appeal however is only appreciated by a niche audience.


Representation


The album cover reinforces gender stereotypes by placing a female in the role of a teacher; however it goes against the stereotypical conventions of a teacher as they are shown to have a 'not bothered' attitude, and is not giving the audience a direct mode of address. She is also dressed in "scruffy" clothing that counteracts the illusion that women should always look good.

Target Audience

The target audience for this type of genre would be people who like to learn more abou tdifferent musical styles that have less recogniton. This is shown throught the scchool teacher narrative.