Towards a New Theoretical Framework for the Concept Album

Abstract

Concept albums have existed since the introduction of the Long Play (LP), but the exact definition of the concept album is still up for debate. This is evident from the multitude of varying definitions in circulation and the discussion of definitions in recent academic literature. The problems with defining the concept album have as a consequence that it proves difficult to identify concept albums. The aim of this thesis is not to come up with a solution or a conclusive strategy, but rather to assess the theoretical frameworks applied to defining and identifying the concept album and to make suggestions towards a new theoretical framework. I do this by performing a critical literature review, analysing the concept album taxonomy, the paratext and the concept album continuum. I then apply the frameworks to the album Offerings by Typhoon to assess their possible uses and flaws. This thesis proposes to view the issues concerning the definition of the concept album as a characteristic rather than a problem, and proposes that future research takes an unified approach to defining and identifying the concept album. By combining the theoretical frameworks in this thesis, a new analytical model could be made to offer a systematical approach to defining and identifying concept albums.