Viewing the photograph of math-rock band Foals in The Independent article, the polo shirt and cardigan costume hint at a student following, indeed the band themselves are ex-students of the prestigious Oxford university; this intellectual yet rebellious and laid-back ideaology is also reinforced in the reasonably unknown genre "math-rock" which has found itself as a label for the band- and perfectly sums up this ideaology of intelligance and subtle anarchy.
This student demographic can also pinpoint the age-group of the following, identifying itself with the illustrious lifestyle of a group of late teens to early twenty year olds dropping out of one of the reputably best university in the world, living together and crafting a band to create, as The Independent claim to be, "exhilarating, diverse and innovative music." Certainly the article aims to create a rebellious yet highly intelligent aura around the band, introducing them in the statement "the palid lead singer of art-house punks Foals, is smoking a cigarette as the rest of his bandmates drink coffee and the read the papers inside."
It is this aura that can reveal a lot about the demographic that the article is targeting white, middle class youths, like the band themselves, who are spurred by the lifestyle Foals portray to release the shackles of what The Independent state to be "parently approved careers" and getting "thrown into the rapid decadence of the music industry." To attempt to bring rock music out of the mundane lad-rock of the lower classes and show that you cannot choose which class you are born into. The demographic, as well as the band, aspire to be abstract and exciting, taking "abstract lyrics, vocal barks, funky bass-lines and disco drumbeats and layered them into math-rock bass-lines." The music video for one of "two hit singles" 'Balloons' displays many of the bands enticements to their intellectual, middle-class demographic: drinking tea in front of a pale-green background- displaying a Britishness alongside a laid-back, confident aura amongst the abstract back-and-forth performance shots and the use of the crow (intelligent, not traditionally sexually appealing and rebellious- just like the band and reflecting a male-dominant demographic) imagery reflecting the lyrics "we fly balloons of this field called love."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/foals-why-its-creativity-not-fame-that-interests-them-773528.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHcOFmiswcQ&feature=related
A competent analysis which shrewdly identifies the potential demographic the band is targeting. There is an effete privileged attitude in the body language of the band which is likely to appeal to aspiring 16-20 year old males who aspire to have their type of success.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting and generally articulate analysis.
To add to the post where is your 2nd essay due in directly after half term analysing aspects of "Find My Tribe". I'll speak to you about this is lesson tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteYou should also have begun work on identifying the target audience for your music video and print productions.