Post-punk CD cover analysis

The White Stripes - Elephant

Elephant encapsulates all of the features of the post-punk movement; with eccentric dress sense, minimalist set design and a nod to the retro with the old fashioned amplifier. The cover is a seemingly disjunctive with any constant theme, as it has many different objects pertaining to many different subjetcts and fields. The colours are symetrical; the white of the dress, stripe of the jacket, cricket bat and light contrast with the black of the amplifier and light, all against a red background.



The Ordinary Boys - Over The Counter Culture

 

 



Again, this cover features very little in the way of cohesiveness or a clear message. The band name in white stands out on top of the sheep's black fur, while the album font is stylised to make the cover look clever rather than mundane. The capatalist connotations of the title are contrasted by the nature of the sheep, blue sky and clouds. There is a symbol next to the title which could add extra brand recognition if that symbol is used on their other releases.

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

Again, minamalism is at the forefront of this cover. It has been made to look aged, the animal print makes it look as much like a book as it does a CD. The slanted allignment of the text and yellow box background add to the nostagic vibes. The words "A Box Of Tricks" and "Thrills For All" are present, whereas this could be seen as notable songs from the album, they are not actually songs at all. The phrases serve to be the album's matra; all are welcome, all will enjoy, and expect something different.

The Strokes - Angles

Whilst less abstract than some of the other covers, it is no less striking to the customer. The title plays in with the image, a seemingly impossible staircase, which gets the customer looking at the staircase and gets them trying to work it out. The bold colours contrast against each other to give the impression that the creators are confident and stand out themselves. The band name and title are in italics, again, adding to the angles theme.

The Hives - Barely Legal

Even in 1997, the foundations of the post-punk revival scene where already in place. The band adopt a stern, confident pose; wearing mainly black, with some white trainers and a white tie. The black and white of the photo are juxtaposed by the colours and font of the adjecent text, stylised to look like a 1930's film poster. The whole cover has a haphazard and jaunty feel, perhaps evident of their genre-defining music.