The Role of Visual Art in Indie Music: From Album to Videos
The role of visual art in shaping the expression and creativity of indie artist.

Indie Music

2023-01-25

The role of visual art in indie music: album covers, music videos, and more

Visual art has been present in the music industry from the beginning, however, since the rise of indie music it seems that album covers and music videos have become more popular. Let's do a quick exercise, try to think of what are your three favorite album covers and please answer to yourself these questions:

Which artists or bands are they from? What year are they from?

Once you have the answer, think about why you like them... Maybe it's because of the colors, the drawing of the album cover, or the vibes they transmit. Now that you have that in mind, I'll talk about how important visual art is for indie artists. Inside the music industry, one of the best ways to express an emotion, feeling, or mood is through music videos or album covers.

For example, when an indie artist writes a song about heartbreak, ideally the music video should explore that feeling to the fullest. The idea is that the viewer can identify with the music video, draw conclusions or simply enjoy it. However, music videos can deal with topics different from the lyrics of the song.

The important thing is the final result, what they generate in the audience. I know that explaining this in words is a bit complicated, so I'll give you a list of the best music videos of the indie genre:

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a New Zealand band formed by lead singer and guitarist Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jake Portrait. Currently, their drummer is Ruban's brother, Kody Nielson. This song belongs to the second album they released in 2013 called Unknown Mortal Orchestra II. The album has understandable lyrics and psychedelic sounds. In the case of this song, the music video is very famous as it stars puppet characters in a kind of comedy/drama. Even though the video is more than 10 years old, it is still a classic for indie music lovers.

If you haven't seen it, you definitely should!

Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Maybe in other articles, you've already read about her, but when it comes to music videos Fiona Apple is a genius! This song belongs to the fourth studio album she released in 2012 called The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do... such a long name, right? Haha.

The fact is that the music video is quite creative and gives the viewer a great experience in just three and a half minutes. According to the famous website Genius, it was directed by Joseph Cahill in Paris, France.

Fiona is part of the indie culture, so if you've been listening to indie artists for years, you probably already know who she is.

Slow Club - Two Cousins

Slow Club was an English band formed in 2006 by Charles Watson and Rebecca Lucy Taylor. You may be wondering, just two people in one band? Well, yes.

Charles played the piano, while Rebecca played the drums and they both sang with the guitar. Just by telling you that… imagine how talented they were. This song belongs to the album Paradise from 2011. This particular song has a lot of energy, and the music video makes it much more enjoyable as it features two dancers giving a happy atmosphere. Every time I watch that music video it makes me want to dance, those dancers transmit a lot of energy!

Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes

Flying Lotus is the artistic name of Steven Ellison who is currently 39 years old. He is a music producer and filmmaker. In his album called Until The Quiet Comes (2012), he decided to put together three songs (See Thru To U, Hunger, and Getting There). For some fans, it’s one of the best music videos because it looks like a four-minute film. The scenes are well-produced and the overall theme is death, so even though it's not a video for all audiences, I recommend you watch it if you haven't already.

A curious fact about this artist is that he is the nephew of the legendary Alice Coltrane, one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. And that means he's also related to saxophonist John Coltrane... quite a talented family, huh?

Arcade Fire - Afterlife

Speaking of music videos that look like films because of how well produced they are, there is one of Arcade Fire's most famous songs. This band is one of the most important indie rock referents in the world, it was founded in 2001 and is currently formed by William Butler, Régine Chassagne, and Richard Reed Parry.

They use a lot of instruments such as double basses, xylophones, synthesizers, harps, hurdy-gurdies, and violins. This particular song is part of their fourth studio album Reflektor. That same year the band was part of the soundtrack of the movie Her for which William and another composer named Owen Pallett were nominated for the 2013 Oscar awards.

The music video was written and directed by Emily Kai Bock and is particularly popular for the sadness it generates. It was posted nine years ago and remains in the history of music videos! It's art in its purest form...

In conclusion…

Maybe when it comes to making music videos it's much easier to convey a message, but that doesn't mean that album covers can't do it. Here are some examples of the most inspiring, and influential ones:

Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea