JJ - Noah and the Whale Analysis

I am going to be analysing Noah and the Whale’s “5 years time”. Noah and the Whale is a small English folk rock band. The characteristics of this video are alternative. The genre isn’t very broad yet the band has made a successful boom in the pop industry. With the appreciation from all genres and stereotypes, there are types of the characteristics which are used from all different genres but also reflect the bands alternative look.

The video is a performance and a narrative based piece. The lyrics match with the narrative such as the opening line is “oh well in five years time we could be walking around a zoo” we are shown a couple sitting in a farm yard with a cockerel in shot this shows the irony of the lyrics and the alternative view of the video. We are also shown a boy with his hands over girl’s eyes for the line “ill put my hands over your eyes but you will peak through. This is a song based on love and in each sequence we are shown the boy and girl. We are also shown shots of the lead singer. The lyrics are amplified by the visuals and we are shown more of the story in the video. The chorus is also backed up with dance movements from the band, which is repeated each time the chorus is played. There are little performance based shots however there are some, these shots could be taken ironically in this scene

The music is very upbeat and happy, the tempo is quick and the tone of the song is light hearted. This is represented in the visuals by a fast cut rate and bright colours. The shots are of people smiling or being generally happy as are the objects show. This is rejecting the conventions of alternative/indie music as usually the songs of this genre are dark and meaningful where as this song is the opposite.

The video cuts when there is a chorus and we are shown the band playing their instruments when there are solos. The video cuts in the chorus because of the lyrics rather than the beat. At the beginning the piece is melodic and slow so we are introduced to the band members and then the beat picks up. In the second verse however there isn’t a drum beat as such but is just clapping and every time there is a clap it cuts to a different shot.

There are intertextual references in the video, the main reference being the band playing in suits on a small stage which could be interpreted like “Happy Days” TV show in America. The band playing on a small stage and the drummer only having a small part of the drum set could also be a reference to The Beatles. There is also a shot when the band are dressed in rowing/scout costumes this could be a reference to “Oxbridge” students.

The image of the band is very alternative and we can see this in the way they are shown and represented they are wearing what looks like school blazers and then scout uniforms. They are wearing shorts with socks pulled up as well as pointy shoes. the girl in this band is not represented like other girls in the music industry she has not have her hair fashioned or dyed, she is not wearing stylish clothes or big branding names she is very plain. This shows the image of the band and the girl very well. The recording company is showing that you don’t have to be a glamour girl or big boy band to be popular and have great music and this is shown brilliantly in the video. This was the first video by Noah and the Whale and featured as a single which launched them and later followed to there album.

They reject the dominant ideologies of this genre of music; these bands are usually represented in a better way to be shown as cooler hip groove bands. The scenes are shown to be shot through an old camera with “cigarette burns” on the reel. This challenges the dominant ideology of having shots of the band clear and the front men to be shown in a good light. This adds to the generic look of the band and their music this is a refreshing asset to the music industry.

The band do not use any sexual references in the video from the band or the way it is shot in fact this is avoided by the shots of the scouts uniform perhaps representing innocence or conforming as one. The girl in the band is rarely shown in the video and hen she is she has not conformed to stereotypical pop artist looks. She has not been used as a front man either which usually is the way of advertising a band. The dancing in the video is very similar and is repeated in the same way through the scene this is a good way of representing the band members. The shots used mainly show the entire band and if not the members of the band singularly. The band is shown playing in a local pub which also contradicts with ideologies of pop music which is to have them playing in front of a crowd or concert.

The video is edited to look like it was shot through a hand crank camera, with a grainy look to it. The colours have been distorted after shooting to make it look like it was shot In the 70s on a hand cranked camera. There points reinforce the fact that this band is alternative and individual and the bands image.

The band presents challenging ideas to the media, as it doesn’t conform to showing girls with very little clothing or the lead singer having his top off. The video is very politicly correct which would be considered individual as a lot of alternative music videos are about rebelling and being as close cut as possible.

This video would be viewed in an ambient way as there is no narrative as such so the consumer has no need to watch as an interest.