Caroline Polachek On How Each Genre Had Its Own Visual Aesthetic

[@plunksong]

she’s such a genius

[@JohnM-sw4sc]

Lmao

[@sergiyr2902]

cringe

[@plunksong]

@@sergiyr2902cringe

[@Olyfrun]

You can hear Elon speaking through her

[@queenieevergreen]

@@Olyfrunhuuuhh? Whats that even mean?

[@deputyrock3489]

Her excited crazy eyes are so adorable

[@abyssceral]

anxiety

[@ClubPuguin]

depression

[@abyssceral]

@@ClubPuguin crazy eyes = depression?

[@seanahmed9079]

Man I love this woman. So poised and smart

[@noyd4172]

Another change is that with streaming a song on Spotify, for example, you only ever see the album art when you're listening to songs from that album, on a much smaller scale than a CD, whereas you could end up looking at a CD on your shelf/in your car/in your bag even when you're not using it - it was still physically around all the time.

[@leehayes4019]

I would argue the dissonance is part of her style/brand? A creative style is one that convinces you it is not repeatable.

[@allyson--]

In what ways would you say dissonance applies to her style? I'm not sure if I can think of an example but am curious of what you'd say.

[@leehayes4019]

@@allyson-- I'm thinking something like dissonant chords. They can be used very effectively to create tension.

[@vagarisaster]

​@@leehayes4019 That's a different kind of dissonance from what she's talking about, though. She's talking about dissonance between visuals and music, while you're talking about notes that sound 'wrong' or unusual together.

[@pyeostello]

That’s also a current trend in design/branding where u have a visual identity that is quite the opposite of what you’re selling to avoid being cliche or to stand out amongst the competitors.

[@thegreatbritishgamer751]

Its like how Shoegaze music has hazy pinks/blues and pictures of cats.

[@hey7068]

I’ve never thought of this. Very interesting

[@lcs-1]

She's so smart I love her

[@VinnieGer]

I didn’t know I how much I needed to hear Caroline say “gangsta rap” until I heard it.

[@ihaveakirbyobessesion2617]

Love seeing an artist who is passionate abt their craft, her album covers are so amazing

[@edwardchen9619]

i absolutely agree what they were talking about. i thought i was the only one that's feeling this.

[@myrajoyce783]

a good example of the dissonance she mentions is spellling’s the turning wheel. that album has a black and white abstract cover but is one of the most colorful and fantastical records ive ever heard in my life.

[@R-H-B]

Oh my gosh YES! I’m so glad someone mentioned this underrated af album. As the album grew on me I noticed that the front cover grew much colder to me, but that puts it absolutely in perspective omg thank you for this cuz this makes me see that cover in a whole new light. I love Spellling sm

[@educostanzo]

When I first heard DIWTIY i immediately thought of Spellling, not because their music is similar but they both have this vibrant, crazy energy

[@Littleredgoon]

She is literally art

[@ZechariYahweahschild]

All facts.I love that she knows this.😍I love her so much 😭

[@diegomo1413]

I just want to listen to her talk and sing for the rest of my life ☺️

[@SUBLIMERENCE]

love herrrr

[@FerasChatila-ok6yz]

I love her so so much

[@MahirH-bq3pc]

Thats what i used to do. I would go to FYE and look at the used CD section and just buy based on art I discovered Queen, Poe, The Cardigans, Daft Punk and so many other bands that way.

[@paulie4450]

ok now im in love

[@Istr]

Dissonance between genre and visual expression is always fun. A current example is Faerybabyy who plays gothic/postpunk and doesn't look like a traditional goth. Love it.

[@zangasperic11]

I still do this in Spotify. I feel its also much harder for me to connect with a song that has an album cover that does not connect with me one bit. It feels like if the artist approved this then we are clearly not in the same artistic path.

[@lucienesther]

i love her sm

[@septan4168]

I LOVE THIS

[@sonny8924]

I miss when it was like that

[@themusician216]

I Love this women..

[@ThyJubinator]

This principle of signalling is still crucial to things like book cover design where it's harder to share a vertical slice of the product in the same way you can share a snippet of a song on insta or tiktok

[@mehehe1989]

i love her

[@LansingBrown-i1b]

my guy justin barney! shoutout to WNXP 91.1 Nashville

[@Jezabel7818]

HFY what she said. Truth

[@AndyBonesSynthPro]

Memories of Moonshine Records' hi-tech trance DJmix fonts, and 'iced out' diamond-encrusted letters on gangster rap CD covers 😀

[@meowmeow1stgen668]

I use to do that too!

[@boogermaiden]

Yeeeessss!!!

[@caerulemusic]

thats the goat right there

[@thejimwellsv]

MY MOTHER

[@morgenlefay]

Now all the album art looks the same because pop artists especially under the largest label like Sony because they literally hire the same art production studios - not even with album art but the visuals for MVs too are all strikingly similar. There is no dissonance between image & sound only in idealized nonsensical theory here.

[@ByeByeDeadName]

It’s why death+black metal bands all have the illegible font

[@chrisjames7803]

you say 'back then' Metal has continued to do this on the cd shelf

[@protozoamusic]

My synesthesia only allows me to make my cover art look like what my peoject looks like in my head, color and texture-wise

[@dinoziii]

She’s so intelligent. Omg.

[@lilmissgearhead]

She’s such an anthropologist

[@Dude1923Dumby]

Streaming is so lame but it does allow me to carry around a ton of music I guess. I do miss buying physical media since it was a whole experience but these days I never really do since it's too expensive with everything else going on. Makes me sad really.

[@oscarwiklander7688]

Which podcast is this from?

[@tannervargas9672]

What interview is this

[@headly21]

Roger Dean album art was pretty obvious to me.

[@ooDirtyMickoo]

Is this even true…album art still signals the type of music…

[@tack3545]

Not nearly as much as it used to. Album covers used to be far more genre specific and almost always had descriptive text on them.

[@deathchips926]

I think a perfect example of dissonance in art vs. sound is MJ lendermans boat songs.

[@ranger_dangerz]

Digital downloads have destroyed the artistically creative world of album covers. That tactile immediacy is sorely missed 😢

[@ruslannunez4449]

That's a label Caroline. A sticker on that Gangsta rap crap.

[@jericbark6556]

This is one of Charli's fav songs, right?

[@ChristianPierce]

clan??????

[@tack3545]

What do you think clan means

[@Dippedwithsweet]

Omg album art was sub culture signaling very cool

[@crybunny]

is she ill maybe? her voice sounds a little huskier than usual

[@annagibons6785]

She just eats everytime

[@JohnPenix0]

no

[@lonepantalones8284]

Disgusting take. I'd like to hope artists preferred to choose album art that fit their vibe. Of course, mainstream albums had more pressure to adhere to convention tho. The "signaling" take is very surface-level and kinda projecting modern ideas into areas where it doesn't quite apply

[@tack3545]

What she is saying is true. Album covers used to need to communicate more information, part of that was the specific genre/subculture the music was a part of at a glance. In the digital age, album covers no longer need to do because of the way music is now discovered and consumed. Standing out has become more advantageous. An example of this shift in utility can be seen in how album covers no longer have as much descriptive text or titles. They used to almost always have the name of the artist and the album and often the record label as well sometimes even the tracklist. This isn’t as common anymore since all of this info is displayed on streaming services. Of course artists choose what is on the cover based on personal preference, but the competitive advantage gained from an effective album cover combined with the desire to fit within a subculture also have a large effect on design decisions. Most artists aren’t the ones making their covers by themselves, they or their label hire graphic designers and visual artists and the artists simply guide the creative direction. I could go on and on but I won’t. She has a solid point and what she described is echoed in other areas of visual media which shifted due to the effect of the new digital landscape.

[@richardlimp6788]

"clan"? what she mean by that?

[@noahjames9457]

a group of close-knit and interrelated families (especially associated with families in the Scottish Highlands).

[@Bestbeachesincalifornia]

Style tribe

[@tack3545]

What do you think clan means

[@richardlimp6788]

@@tack3545 clash of

[@NeverTakeNoCut-offs]

you need flat abs to stand out

[@reekhavoc2932]

Does Caroline eat food? Serious question.

[@NeverTakeNoCut-offs]

@@reekhavoc2932 she looks extremely hungry

[@harrythehat7]

@@reekhavoc2932 no she’s anorexic

[@boosie6076]

Maybe another word rather than clan would be nice

[@R-H-B]

It literally means group tho what are you on about

[@boosie6076]

@@R-H-B my bad. Clan is sometimes confused with klan

[@ElleBaby87]

​@boosie wow take a seat 😑

[@fruit4evr]

@@boosie6076? i feel like there’s a huge difference between those two words like i’m not trying to be rude but i feel like only an idiot would assume she’s using the word, which is used by the kkk. Like clan, as in c l a n is a very real word that is normal is used regularly I understand wanting to hold people accountable but when people are trying to such a unneeded and comical standard it becomes meaningless, what you did was meaningless

[@flazeda8743]

Only by people who want to confuse it tbf. ​@@boosie6076