Kings of Leon are an indie band who were most popular between the period of 2007-2009. I will investigate how there image has changed over the course of one album and how the images in the videos differ.Only by the night is the album they became famous for, however the band had released 3 other albums prior to this which where somewhat less successful. The band has gone onto release another album in the year of 2010, called 'come around sundown.'
Through out a lot of the bands albums they seem to give the idea of wanting to tackle issues with relationship in a serious and grown up manor. This theme is something that is close to the hearts of teenagers and young adults, which is also the demographic they are trying to appeal to.
This particular album cover uses one image of an eagle to combine the four members of the band. This tells us that they are all part of the same animal and do what they do together.
Video Analysis
In order to truly understand the changes and developments that these music artists take I am going to look at two of the videos they made and compare how the images related to the artists have changed
Video 1:
Song: Use somebody
Album: Only by the night
This video shows the 4 band members as being roadies travelling from gig to gig and enjoying what they do. The camera style is a mix of hand held and camera fixed shots. The handheld shots help to make the audience feel as though we are travelling with the band; whilst the fixed wide angle shots help to segway between those scenes.
We get the sense that this is a band who are constantly moving around and don't really ever settle down. The song is all about the journey of some body (the front man) in need of finding their soul mate, and the actions they take to get there. This is befitting with the general theme of the video as they are men who are starting to feel the drag of band life.
Video 2
Song: Radioactive
Album: Come around sundown
In this video taken from the follow up album we see them being portrayed as being closer to father figures. The way that they are interacting with children whilst leisurely walking around makes them seem as though they have found a much a more peaceful way of living and have somewhat matured into the men they once dreamed about being.
The camera and editing techniques used in this video are interesting. The video has been captured in a way which makes the events seem like a positive memory, with all the best moments being put together with a really fast cutting rate.
Plus the colour tint used is a mixture of oranges and yellows; a blend synonymous with that of indie music.
In addition to this I would say that this video takes alot of its style and nuances from that of a charity appeal video, this could be that the band are trying to show they are supporting other cultures making them seem like noble and considerate characters.
