This brief is a competition for Secret 7" where you have a choose of seven songs by seven different artists and you have to produce a sleeve for one of them. I started researching by going on the website and listening to the song choices.
Here are some of the details of the competition.
Here are the seven artists that you can choose from, and I started by going on the one that I like the most, Laura Marling.
I then started listening to The Beast on youtube, and I really like the song so it could be one that I design a sleeve for. The album artwork that the song is on features two people drawn in a loose style, and it isn't very legible or detailed.
Here are the lyrics for the song:
Where did our love go, you will never know
How did you get home, you will never know
Did you catch yourself in the mirror?
It's a sight I understand
You considered it all for a second
And put it down to slight of hand
You know I've been running 'round for hours
Calling my egyptian(?) blood to bear me flowers
Calling sophia, goddess of power
Instead I got the beast
And tonight he lies with me
Tonight he lies with me
Tonight he lies with me
And here comes to beast
You're okay now, I suppose
You're not pulled by the rope
I'm pulled by the pull on my throat
I'm pulled by the rope
I swing from the trees into the slope
Hold my head high, just by the tip of my toes
And he lies, he lies so sweet that I choke
Tonight I choose the beast
Tonight he lies with me
Tonight he lies with me
Tonight he lies with me
And here comes the beast
Put your eyes away
If you can't bear to see your (the?) old lady
Laying down next to the beast
Tonight he lies with me
Tonight he lies with me
And here comes the beast
Look at yourself in the mirror
It's a sight I understand
You consider it all for a second
And put it down to slight of hand
I give you the best, the best that I can
I suggest that you be grateful
That it's your blood on my hands?
And assume yourself weaker, the fall of man (?)
And look out for the beast
Tonight he lies with me
Tonight he lies with me
And here comes the beast
Put your eyes away
If you can't bear to see your (the?) old lady
Laying down next to the beast
Tonight he lies with me
Tonight he lies with me
And here comes the beast
I then looked at Public Enemy, and the song for them is Harder Than You Think, which I already really like.
I then listened to the song again:
And here are the lyrics:
[verse 1]
What goes on?
Rollin stones of the rap game not braggin
Lips bigger than jagger , not saggin
Spell it backwards
Im a leave it at that..
That aint got nothin to do with rap
Check the facts expose those cats
Who pose as heros and take advantage of blacks
Your governments gangster so cut the crap
A war goin on so where you at?
Fight the power comes great responsiblity
F the police but whos stoppin you from killin me?
Disasters , fiascos over a loop by pe
If its an i instead of we
Believin tv
Spittin riches , bitches, and this new thing about snitches
Watch them asses move the masses switches
System dissed them but barely missed her
My soul intention to save my brothers and sisters
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
[verse 2]
Screamin gangsta 20 years later
Of course endorsed while consciousness faded
New generations believing them fables
Gangster boogie on two turntables
Show no love so its easy to hate it
Desecrated while the coroner waited
Any given sunday so where yall rate it?
Wit slavery, lynching , and them drugs infiltrated
Im like that doll chuckie , baby
Keep comin back to live love life like i'm crazy
Keep it movin risin to the top
Doug fresh clean livin you dont stop
Revolution means change
Dont look at me strange
So i cant repeat what other rappers be sayin
You dont stand for something
You fall for anything
Harder than you think
Its a beautiful thing
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
[verse 3]
So its time to leave you a preview
So you too can review what we do
20 years in this business
How you sell sell soul, g wiz
People bear witness
Thank you for lettin us be ourself
So dont mind me if i repeat myself
These simple lines be good for your health
To keep them crime rhymes on the shelf
Live life love like you just dont care
5000 leaders never scared
Bring the noise its the moment they fear
Get up still a beautiful idea
Get up
Throw yo hands in the air
Get up show no fear
Get up if yall really care
Pe 20 years
Now get up
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
Get up
Hard...just like that
I then looked at Haim as I had never heard of them before and wanted to see what their music is like.
I was pleasantly surprised, and I really liked the song you can design a sleeve for, Better Off.
Here are the lyrics for it:
never wanna see you again with the beating of my heart witness
I say no, no, no, no, I'm done I'm done
I never wanna see you again with the beating of my heart witness
I say no, no, no, no, I'm done I'm done
I wanna get back to
I wanna get back to everything I had
Before you came around, you fucked me up,
What am I do to now
But in my mind I keep seeing you, seeing me,
And how good we used to be, used to be, used to be, used to be, used to be
I keep seeing it, seeing me
And how good we used to be, used to be, used to be, used to be, used to be
And now I'm finding I cannot deal with this
Going crazy wanna go leave you want in
Say you wanna work this out boy
Don't need to beg 'cause you'll never get it again
'Cause I'm better off this time this time
No not baby not this time around
Oh I'm better off this time, this time, not this time
'Cause I found out yeah, I found out now
Forgiveness is that all you want from me
I wont fall, into the arms of the one who to know me
Its getting to dark for me to see
So I keep flashing back to when we met
We were better then, better then, better then, better then
I held you I didn't have to share it then
Better then better then better then better the
Now my mind is taking me back to this
Too much time to think about what it is
What made us fall apart
Well don't need to beg 'Cause you'll never get it again
'Cause I'm better off this time, this time
No no no not this time around
Oh I'm better off this time, this time
'Cause I found out you yeah I found out now
I'm better off this time this time
No baby not this time around
Oh I'm better off this time, this time, this time
'Cause I found out you I found out now
Oh you know I'm better off this time, better off this time
Oh you know I'm better off this time, better off this time
Oh you know I'm better off this time, 'Cause I found out, I found out now
Oh you know I'm better off this time, better off this time
Oh you know I'm better off this time, better off this time
Oh you know I'm better off this time, 'Cause I found out, I found out now
As I had never heard of them before, I started to do a bit more research into them, and found these ten facts about them:
10 They have nothing to do with Corey Haim. Apart from sharing a surname, which is also the name of their group. Oh, and incidentally their surname – which is derived from the Hebrew word meaning ‘life’ – is pronounced ‘Hime’ rather than ‘Haym’.
9 The band’s line-up consists of eldest sister Este, 26, 23-year-old Danielle and the baby of the bunch, 21-year-old Alana. They grew up in California’s San Fernando valley, where they made their first tentative steps into music with the band Rockinhaim – which also featured their parents.
8 They have been compared to 70s soft-rock legends Fleetwood Mac. But they like to insist that their influences are a bit more up-to-date, revealing they are big fans of 90s girl groups TLC and Destiny’s Child, but also claim to be fans of Kendrick Lamar, Jessie Ware and Azealia Banks. Consequently their music sounds a bit like girly folk-rock (think 80s chart-toppers The Bangles and you might start to get the idea) with a few R&B/hip-hop stylings thrown in for good measure.
7 The band honed their sound in their mum and dad’s living room (working on a number of EPs which they claim will ‘never be released) before they came up with the rock-R&B-fuelled sound which can be heard on their debut EP Forever.
6 That EP was released last June and almost instantly picked up a following, with 6 Music among its champions. Its tracks include the breezy pop effort Don’t Save Me as well as its equally perky title track – while their other songs include the R&B-influenced Send Me Down.
5 They’re signed to Polydor Records and are set to release their debut album later this year, although details still remain sketchy.
4 Haim are the first group to win the Sound Of…poll since 2004, and are also the first US act to top the list since then. Unluckily for them, however, said 2004 winners were New York electro-poppers The Bravery, who soared into the top ten with their cracking debut single An Honest Mistake, and reached number five with their self-titled debut album – but have never troubled the top 40 since. Their last album, 2009′s Stir The Blood, peaked at number 135 in the US Billboard album charts. Let’s hope it’s not a bad omen for the Haim sisters.
3 The band have remained loyal to their family roots, often dragging their mum and dad on stage during gigs to join in the fun. Not that their parents come from a musical background, they are estate agents apparently.
2 Middle sister Danielle comes to the band with an impressive pedigree, having already toured with Cee-Lo Green, The Strokes’ Julian Casablanca and former Rilo Kiley frontwoman turned solo artist Jenny Lewis.
1 However the band themselves aren’t doing too badly on the supporting acts front. They’ve already opened for the likes of Mumford and Sons and Ke$ha, while they also showed off their skills to a British audience recently supporting Florence And The Machine at the O2 Arena. And they can also count One Direction’s Harry Styles among their famous fans since he follows youngest sister Alana on Twitter. And if that’s not enough to convince you of their impending superstardom then we don’t know what is.
Number 8 is the one I thought was interesting because I like Fleetwood Mac and TLC so I might design something for this song.
I also listened to their song Forever, as that has been released and seems the most popular:
I really liked this song as well.
I then looked at Elton Johns Page:
I was hoping for a different song by him, but I listened to it anyway
I wanted to look at the previous years artists that were involved, and the winning designs. This is a video of last years chosen sleeves being sold.
Last year bands:
'Comprised of seven different tracks, a 20th anniversary release of The Cure’s 'Friday I’m In Love', Noah & The Whale’s 'Old Joy', Florence and The Machine’s 'Only If For A Night', Ben Howard’s 'Black Flies', DJ Shadow’s 'Come On Riding (Through The Cosmos)', CSS’s 'City Grrrl' and a special dub mix of Bombay Bicycle Club’s 'Lights Out, Words Gone' - source
Here are some of last year's entries:
Now I have done some initial research on the songs that I can choose from, I'm going to look at designs for album covers and sleeves.
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