Examples of Concepts

Many artists and bands follow a concept when releasing an album, this is because it allows the artist or band to express their idea to the audience visually. Whether its from using the same sort of mis-en-scene for the music videos or on stage when performing live, it gives the viewer a better idea of what the artist or band is trying to convey through their eyes.

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - Coldplay

Coldplay's fourth album 'Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends' released in 2008  used the French Revolution as their concept in video for their first single 'Viva La Vida' Spanish for 'live Long Life', they wore French revolutionary costumes. This theme was chosen because in the album contained songs about love, war and revolutions, unlike their other albums which dealt with less personal problems and more problems to do with humanity. For example 'Violet Hill' and 'Death and All His Friends' expressed the band's views on war and politics, particularly 'Violet Hill' because it talked a lot about war and it also was the band's first anti-war protest song. The video for 'Viva La Vida' directed Hype Williams and released on Coldplay's website in 2008, the video shows the band performing behind a old blurry cracked paint filter, this would've been done either in post-production or shot using a filter to achieve that look. The picture used for the album artwork is a picture painted by Eugène Delacroix called 'Liberty Leading the People' which was altered slightly by graphic designer Tappin Gofton with the name of the album 'Viva La Vida' painted by a brush with white paint. 

The E.N.D - Black Eyed Peas

'The E.N.D' is the fifth album released in 2009 by the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, this album in particular was a very big and new step for the group as they had completely changed their sound. Will.I.am described the music as 'A lot of dance stuff, real melodic, electronic, soulful. We call it, like, electric static funk'. Their first single 'Boom Boom Pow' directed by Matthew Cullen and Mark Kudsi showed the sound of their album through the use of visual aids such as costumes,props and effects, the video itself is set in 3008 and was based on the line in the song 'I'm so 3008, you're so 2000 and late'. The costumes worn played a big part in the video as it set the tone for the audience of where and when they were, the group wore very futuristic spacy outfits that portrayed the 'electric static funk' sound. The video featured images of computer icons and computer codes flashing in the background, there are also back up dancers wearing a zentai suits. This concept has been taken and used on their other singles like 'Imma Be' and 'Rock That Body' and was also used for their performance during the superbowl half time in America.