UPDATED Visual Styles Investiagtion

Visual styles investigation from Alice Western

UPDATED Preliminary ideas for Print production

Preliminary ideas for print productions from Alice Western

CD covers Moodboard

UPDATED Annotated lyrics (AW)

It was very difficult to pick out the lyrics as our group were unable to find them online. This meant that we had to listen carefully to the song whilst watching the music video to see wether the animations demonstrated the lyrics.

(Verse 1)
I've been getting high
Red monkey man you read between the lines
On Monday night

(Chorus)
Riding on a tidal wave
floating in from out of space
someone take me back to summer's place

(Verse 2)
I've been seeing signs
that four wheel drive it travelled in the signs
You'll be alright

(Chorus)
Riding on a tidal wave
floating in from out of space
someone take me back to earth to leery and high school ball
Celebrating on my own

(Verse 3)
Now I am finally laying, oh
free at the world
man will swallow me whole
swallow me whole

Now I'm finally making sense
clearing all the ripples in my hair
ripples in my hair

(Chorus)
Riding on a tidal wave
floating in from outer space
someone take me back to earth to leery and high school ball
celebrating on my own

Oh, celebrating on my own
__________________________________________________ 

Verse 1: 

'I've been getting high' means more than the outcome of a drug. It could connote the powerful/'high' feeling of love/lust/life? I searched 'red monkey man' into a search engine to see wether this phrase has any significance/inter-textual references. As according to wikipedia, 'the monkey man' is a monster which was reported roaming in New Delhi mid 2001. Perhaps it is a reference to the devil? 'read between the lines' means to analyse into something further, perhaps that is what the red monkey man is doing? Interrupting the singer's 'high'/happiness? 

Chorus: 

A tidal wave is an exceptionally large ocean wave. The lyric 'riding on a tidal wave' implies that the narrator is on a new level of something positive, and has gained control over the wave that can cause damaging effects. However, there's a time when tidal waves crash down and relax, suggesting this type of high is not permanent - the same explanation goes to 'floating in from outer space' because there will be a time when the narrator lands. 

By researching the lyric, I discovered that 'summers place' is a romantic film about teenage lovers from different social classes who get back together 20 years after. This lyric incorporated in the song may imply that the narrator wants to go back to this 'high' that appears to be a consistent theme throughout - they want to go back to being in love, and they want it to last. 

Verse 2 

'I've been seeing signs - reflects the dilemmas and scenarios the narrator has stumbled across in their life. Or possibly, they could have been signs that would have impacted on them positively if they followed them? The next lyric 'the four wheel drive it travelled in the signs' reflects this. 'You'll be alright' - perhaps this is what the narrator was telling themselves whilst they drove into the signs? It appears that the narrator has regret for accomplishing this. 

Chorus 

'Leery' - meaning to be cautious due to realistic suspicions. However, this goes against 'high school ball' because the narrator is speaking as if  they are remising the past when they were younger and happier, but is not realistic they would come back to reliving this time.

'Celebrating on my own' suggests that the narrator does not want anyone else with them, enjoys their own company. This could either reflect their lonely experience in high school, or a retaliation to the people who have hurt them & no longer need? 

Verse 3 

The world 'finally' puts emphasis on how the narrator feels relieved to be content with life - 'finally laying free at the world', suggesting the problems they faced before are no longer present. However, 'man will swallow me whole' means that society and its dominant social norms will stop the narrator doing what they wish to do, or perhaps 'man' means something else that is just as powerful as humans are - the reoccurring theme of love? 

'Ripples in my hair' Small waves that could represent small issues/struggles. 'Hair' is close to the head & brain, so the narrator may be trying to empty the negative thoughts from their mind. 

UPDATED Potential track ideas (AW)

When it came to choosing a song for our music video, our group had a solid idea as to what genre we wanted our song to belong to. We concluded that we wanted to use the indie genre, but depending on the songs we found we had to take sub-genres such as indie rock and indie pop into consideration.  After listening to the songs, as a group we wrote down notes about the lyrics, the beat, the recording quality, and the intensity/pattern of the song.

The following 4 songs we chose are:

 •Shiners - 19 Again

 •Tempesst - Tidal Wave

 •Family Friends - Sometimes

 •Corey Bowen - If birds wish to fly

Shiners - 19 Again

Strengths

 •The title of the song is clear in the chorus - “You make me feel 19 again", meaning that it is catchy to sing along to. The band's target audience may also be within this age range so they can relate to the feeling and age of being 19.

•There is a slight change in intensity and the recording quality of the song sounds professional, not crackly/distorted.

 Weaknesses

 •The verses and the choruses are similar, meaning that it would be difficult to divide the narrative/scenes into sections.

•The beat is good but it is not very unique, the overall song sounds like typical indie rock music. It contains the same instruments throughout. This suggests that it would be hard to identify the areas to cut on.

•Although '19 Again' is a good example of an indie rock song, it does not connote to other genres/sub-genres, meaning that their target audience would be small and selective, which would make it difficult to connect the product to the consumer.

Tempesst - Tidal Wave

Strengths

 •The sound and the genre of the song is something different, which instantly places it into the indie genre as originality is a common convention. The vocals are sung slowly to match with the pace of the guitar, creating a relaxing and psychedelic sensation.

•The lyrics are creative which means they are open to interpretations and interesting to analyse - the message of the song is not obvious and embedded within the metaphors e.g. 'riding on a tidal wave, floating in from outer space'.

•The chapters of the song are easy to notice. The intensity of the verses are at a slow pace until the guitar riffs begin and they pick up the potency - introducing a new section or scene in a music video.

•It is not too challenging to find beats to cut clips on, as there is a small pause after each line of the lyrics.

Weaknesses

 •Recording quality is good but it lacks depth - all the instruments and vocals seem to be the same volume. The audio appears to be more quiet than the over songs, even at a loud volume.

Family Friends - Sometimes

Strengths

 •The beat begins of slowly and as the song progresses it gets livelier from there, meaning that the music video to thing song can be full of emotion and expressionism, making it effective for cutting.

• The style of the song changes throughout, meaning that it would be useful for adding in a variation of scenes and narrative structures.

• The recording quality of the song is amazing and professional - each instrument and the vocals have clarity

• It contains a hybrid of musical genres, enabling us to create and develop a wide variety of ideas/themes

Weaknesses

• The lyrics are not very creative, intriguing and memorable, which would make it hard to deeply interpret them, their repetitiveness would make it challenging to link them to the visuals.

• No precise/noticeable chorus

 • Overall, the song would be hard to make a music video for - there is not music to focus on and pick out from the song.

Corey Bowen - If birds wish to fly

 Strengths

 •The lyrics are clear and distinct, making it easier for the audience to notice the links between the visuals and the lyrics, helping them to follow the narrative.

•Recognisable lyrics e.g. "If the birds wish to fly, you should let them fly"

 •The song possesses changes in the dynamic, which would make it easier to include elements in the music video with different mise-en-scenes - conforms to its genre.

 •The recording quality is good and professional.

Weaknesses

 • The variation within the lyrics is limited - the song could include more to build upon the visuals in the video.