What Makes An Album Trailer? We've Got A Few Great Examples! (And One Stinker)
posted in: Music News
It’s a pretty exciting time to be working in music marketing right now. And I mean that.
The Internet is, essentially, a collection of fiber optic cables, gently humming modems, and servers cooled via fans or percolating liquids. All of those quiet pieces have facilitated a din of information that is tugging at your eyes and ears for sensory attention every moment of the day.
So how does a musician rise above the info rabble? Used to be that a few well maintained social media sites, solid music product coupled, positive press, and strong word of mouth was enough to get some attention. Not anymore, though all of that is still really important.
Nowadays, the hot promotional vehicle du jour is the album trailer. Yes, trailer. The visual vehicle has moved beyond the movie theater ” hell, even books get their own trailers these days. Album trailers are a pretty recent promotional innovation, and while it’s unclear whether they’ll become an integral part of a release campaign in the future, tons of bands have put out album trailers in 2012. So, we thought we would shine a light on some of our personal favorite album trailers from a handful of acts that we love.
The Killers – Battle Born
We already wrote about this trailer a few weeks back, but it is too quality to leave off of this list. If there’s a band that is more in complete control of their image and sound then The Killers, please point them out. Every album, from 2004’s Hot Fuss to 2008’s Day & Age, has featured a different stylistic incarnation of the band along with music, lyrical themes, outfits, and music videos to match. If the trailer for 2012’s Battle Born is any indication, it sounds like all of those disparate styles are coming together on this next release. Or are they? The video is a nice little bit of obfuscation, revealing only the necessary details (a little sonic snippet along with the title of the record) while keeping the audience guessing. All the while the various members of the photogenic band gallivant across the desert and stand broodingly in front of a bonfire. Desert bonfires are very rock and roll.
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
“Echoes…” the trailer that came out a few months ahead of the release of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, M83’s breakthrough fourth studio album, doesn’t follow a lot of album trailer best practices. For example, the title of the album isn’t even mentioned in the trailer. Nor is a release date. Or the full name of the song used for the trailer. (It’s “Echoes of Mine,” the ninth track from the second disc of Hurry Up, by the way.) Usually, one shouldn’t make their fans work this hard. But the clip is so visually arresting that it doesn’t matter. The trailer starts as a simple, albeit good looking, in studio/performance-y clip. Then midway through the trailer there is a tonal shift. Cut to shots of jellyfish, panoramic cityscapes, and gorgeous forced perspective shots. The last 45 seconds of the trailer are essentially a summation of the human condition and life on Earth. It’s epic. Fittingly epic, given the overall largeness of M83’s sound.
Tenacious D – Rize Of The Fenix
Jack Black and Kyle Gass are funny guys. Tenacious D is a band that makes funny songs. So the group put out a funny trailer for their 2012 album Rize of the Fenix. It’s not rocket science, people. The six-minute trailer is also technically a music video for “To Be The Best,” though the song itself is only a minute long and is the shortest track on the record. The song does soundtrack a pretty sweet montage of Black and Gass whipping themselves back into shape with the help of singing coach Josh Groban and rocking out coach Dave Grohl. The trailer also features cameos from Jimmy Kimmel and Val Kilmer. The lesson to take away from this trailer? It never hurts to have famous friends.
Xzibit – NAPALM
“After seven years away from what I love the best, which is music, I find myself in a position of power. And it’s because the creativity that it takes to make a classic album, it comes from a deep source.” Kudos to Xzibit for managing expectations. Since the release of 2006’s Full Circle, Xzibit has become better known as the host of MTV’s Pimp My Ride, and he’s aware that some people might question his ability. But as he mentions his upcoming “classic album,” the trailer switches between shots of Xzibit marching through Iraq and greeting soldiers. I can’t think of a better way to earn good will or prime grand expectations. It should be noted that this trailer is just part one in a series of videos leading up to the release of NAPALM. Why put out just one album trailer when you could do several?
The Stinker: Muse – The 2nd Law
Now, we’re not hating on Muse here. We love those Brits! But they broke one cardinal rule with their album trailer for their sixth studio album The 2nd Law. No, it’s not the new dubstep-infused sound. Opinions about music are subjective and there’s no accounting for taste. And no, it’s not the grainy quasi-Hunger Games/Alex Jones’ Infowars-looking imagery and feel of the piece. Again, that’s an aesthetic choice, and it definitely fits with the themes that will likely be on the album. No, the one rule that Muse broke with their album trailer it that they essentially re-released it as a video for the track “The 2nd Law: Unsustainable.” Now, this might not seem like such a big deal. I mean, Tenacious D did basically the same thing with their album trailer/video for “To Be The Best” right? Not quite. Tenacious D released a single clip that managed to double as both trailer and video. Muse, on the other hand, put out two clips that have essentially the same content that were released to accomplish separate goals.
Album trailers are supposed to be special. It’s wise to have them tie into the overall promotional image of an album. But it’s unwise to muddle the message they’re trying to deliver by re-releasing the same product in a slightly different form. It’s not advisable to confuse your fanbase.
Got any other great or terrible trailers that you think we should know about? Tell us in the comments!
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