Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero.
1. How is the artist represented in the images?
The images of the digi pak are not of the artist but of what the album represents. Trent Reznor, front man of Nine Inch Nails, described Year Zero as a concept album criticizing the United States government's current policies and how they will impact the world 15 years in the future.
The images can be interpreted in many different ways.
The front cover is a point-of-view image of which appears to be a ghost-like hand gripping the land this is taken through the front wind-screen of a car.
The last few seconds of the "My Violent Heart" file found on the USB drive is static; spectrogram analysis reveals an image resembling an arm extending down from the sky. This arm is known as "The Presence." This spectrogram image is later put at the end of "The Warning" and doesn't appear at the end of "My Violent Heart" on the album.
The Presence is the ‘ghost-like hand’ visible on the cover of the album.
The backing image of the digi pak was taken or edited in sepia.
When the digi pak is opened the back displays a contrasting yet conjoined scenery; to the left, a little back water town set on a hill with a catholic church perched on the hill top, separated by a moss covered wall and a stream (to the right) is the work side of town, a derelict almost shanty-like town where the main workplace is a huge foundry that lies in the background.
On the inside of the opened digi pak, the basic black CD, entitled year zero in white text is framed by conflicting images either side of the digi pak. Each side shows an arm; the left side shows a (masculine) left arm in a pinstriped suit, white shirt, wearing a silver wrist watch - leather bound Holy Bible in hand whilst on the right side of the digi pak shows a bare (masculine) right arm holding which appears to be a semi-automatic weapon, a gun.
2. What colours are used and why do you think they might have been chosen?
Black/ White; I think were chosen as they contrast with one another and stereotypically black represents darkness, chaos, secrecy etc whilst white represents light, peace and purity.
In arguments, things can be black and white, meaning that the issue at hand is dichotomized (having two clear, opposing sides with no middle ground).
Shades of blue; I think was chosen as all the different shades can represent emotions like sadness and calm to positions like royalty to temperature (cold).
3. Do the design/ layout reflect the style of the artist?
Industrial rock artists generally employ the basic rock instrumentation of electric guitars, drums and bass and pair it with white noise blasts, electronic music gear (synthesizers, sequencers, samplers and drum machines). Guitars are commonly heavily distorted or otherwise affected. Bass guitars and drums may be played live, or be replaced by electronic musical instruments or computers in general. Industrial rock frequently incorporates the sounds of machinery and industry.
4. Can you tell what genre of music the artist is from the packaging? How?
Nine Inch Nails is an Industrial Rock project. Although from the packaging it’s hard to categorize into a specific genre it’s easy to say by process of elimination that the packaging can only belong to that of the rock genre as no other genre would have a derelict town on the back of a CD and abstract image on the front.
5. How is the packaging laid out? What information does it give?
The digi pak is a 6 panel lay out with a sleeve which holds all the albums information like track numbers and song titles, lyrics to the songs, album information, ‘thank you’s’ and websites to visit. Every panel baring the CD holder displays an image relevant to the albums purpose.
6. What is the title of the album? What meaning does it give to the image on the front cover – are they linked?
The digi pak is entitled Year Zero; baring the title in mind whilst looking at the front cover I would say that it looks as if life as come to a stand-still or that there is simply nothing left.
7. How does the packing promote the artist?
I think the packaging promotes the artist, Trent Reznor as the packaging is certainly different just like the sound of industrial rock project Nine Inch Nails. Not to mention that most of Nine Inch Nails CDs are used as a canvas of art works.
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