Analysis of Digipak, Magazine Advertisement and Promotional Music Video - Cage The Elephant

Cage The Elephant -

• Cage the Elephant is an American alternative band from Bowling Green, Kentucky, that formed in 2006 and relocated to London, England in 2008 before their first album was released.
• The band currently consists of lead vocalist Matt Shultz, rhythm guitarist Brad Shultz, lead guitarist Nick Bockrath, guitarist and keyboardist Matthan Minster, bassist Daniel Tichenor, and drummer Jared Champion.
• The band's first album, Cage the Elephant, was released in 2008 to much success, spawning several successful radio singles and gained the band a large following in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
• Cage the Elephant are known for energetic live performances and for possessing an eclectic sound. The band's first album is influenced by classic rock, funk, and blues music.
• Melophobia was a concerted effort by the band to find its own distinct musical identity, and earned them a Grammy Award nomination in 2015 for Best Alternative Music Album.
• Cage the Elephant's fourth album, Tell Me I'm Pretty, produced by Dan Auerbach, was released on December 18, 2015. This is the album I will be analysis and deconstructing. The album won the award for Best Rock Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
• Relentless Records, RED Ink, Jive and RCA are all record labels that the band have been or are currently singed to.

Digipak Analysis -

Magazine Advertisement Analysis -

Promotional Music Video Analysis -

Trouble

From their album 'Tell Me I'm Pretty' this alternative video is a combination of performance, narrative and concept. This is rather common in this particular genre, as although the story is clear the meaning behind them can be rather concept based and up for interpretation.

Lyric Analysis -

Timeline -

• 00:00 - 00:30 = The instrumental doesn't start till 15 seconds into the video, before this we are introduced to characters and locations as the video establishes certain scenes that will appear later on in the video. A western, classical take has been added and this is reflected in certain props and costumes that can be seen. Even the band themselves are in the same location, wearing similar costumes, so although they aren't a part of the story their presence creates a sense of inclusion between the actors and themselves. The low key lighting support the idea of it being late evening and this atmosphere reflects the tune and lyrics of the song.
• 00:30 - 1:00 = Subtle cuts between the band and the actors are used often, also, the long shots and close up shots provide those watching with more details about the setting, the signing doesn't start until 00:53, this allows those watching nearly one minute to become familiar with certain aspects of the storyline that are important. Like many of the previous videos I have analysed their is a correlation between the action in the video and the song lyrics themselves.
• 1:00 - 1:30 = The story continues and is rather easy to follow, their seems to be no elements of concept currently incorporated into the video. Furthermore, their is still a lack of a female presence which can make the video seem to be from a male perspective so it may be less appealing to a female audience as well. The slow motion shots allow us to focus on certain details that are important and relevant to the story.
• 1:30 - 2:00 = More locations are introduced meaning that this might be something we struggle to re create due to the complexity of the locations and the multitude of characters used. Fast pace cuts signify changes in locations, scenes and characters which in some places goes against the pace and tone of them music itself. The sporadic bursts of bright colours link to the action that comes later in the video with the extravagant characters that have detailed make up and costumes.
• 2:00 - 2:30 = The relevance between the action in the video and the feelings and opinions of the lead singer is made known when the press descend upon the main actors. This reflects his own personal experience when the band started to grow and gain more success. Women are now used in the video and are presented in a rather stereotypical, feminine way, they have make-up on with red lipstick and white dresses which plays up to the concept of women being image concerned.
• 2:30 - 3:00 = The extravagant make up and costumes are strongly notice in this time frame, the classical feeling is also emphasized here. The cuts, fades and shots being imposed over one another is something we can take influence from due to it being easy to re create but it makes the video look more detailed instead of simply using dip to black transitions. Events that have happened previously in the video are being shown briefly to show the connections between them and what is happening in this frame.
• 3:00 - 3:30 = The different coloured lightings such as blue and pink are specific to certain genre. The blue lighting is shown when the band themselves are performing since they are all males. Also, the pink is used when showing certain female characters from the story, the contrast between the pink and the blue are used to highlight the differences between genders. This is then reversed as the band are lighted with pink spotlights which could reflect a more upbeat atmosphere to contrast the sombre elements to the song itself.
• 3:30 - 4:00 = The use of a handheld camera in certain aspects of this time frame can create a sense of a distorted reality that is relevant to the lyrics and the meaning behind song. The band then have a long shot focusing on them during the last few lyrics of the song and it cuts back to the storyline which had become increasingly more concept based over the second half of the video. The video ends with a cut to a black screen as the music fades out until it is silent.

Mise en scene -

• This shot happens at the beginning of the music video and acts as a preview of the events, characters and scenes that will occur in the rest of the story. The fades, and fast cuts don't show a clear picture but establishes a sense of what is to come. Furthermore, the western elements and more classical setting is something that isn't seen in many videos in the alternative genre.

• Here we see the band themselves in a performance based set up, they are in the same location as the action of the story making creates a sense of relatability between themselves and the lyrics. The lip syncing and musical instruments are rather common across all genre's of music videos and are often seen in alternative video's also. The low key lighting and grey undertones create a sombre atmosphere which correspond to the meanings behind the lyrics.

• This shows a correlation between the lyrics and the story that is being told on screen, the lyric says 'we were at the table' and the video reflects that, however it has been interpreted differently than the way the lyrics may have been due to the concept of we normally referring to your romantic partner.

• Although the story is being told by someone how isn't a part of the band, elements of their experiences and life has been included in the video. Such as their relationship with the press and the media. It shows them to be rather invasive and making people feel uncomfortable, the regular cuts, flashing lights and medium close up shots are reflective of this.