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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer on April 07, 2005, 10:24:00 am
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So I'm listening to KEXP this morning, and they play Built to Spill. The music was pleasant enough, but geez, who told that guy he could sing? It seems that he's just another in the long line of indie rock singers who are on the low end of the singing food chain.
So are there any indie rock singers who can actually carry a tune? ...who have voices that could win them some sort of singing scholarship to some sort of school of music? It almost seems like having a crappy or at best serviceable singing voice is a prerequisite to being in an indie rock band. Am I totally off on this one?
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i would concur, based on my limited exposure to BTS his voice really turned me off... modest mouse does my head in as well...
are the Shins still "indie" seeing as they were on NPR this am? i like The Dears and Iron and Wine.
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if you consider red house painters indie, mark kozelek can sing.
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carl newman
stuart murdoch
ben gibbard
colin meloy
jeremy enigk
sam beam
john vanderslice
jim james
georgia hubley
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Colin Meloy?
He's got that nasally effeminate voice not unlike Ben Gibbard that seems to be coming the requisite for indie rock...imo he's definitely in the bob dylan camp of indie rock...
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Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
john vanderslice
I am a fan, but no, he cant sing in the way Rhett is talking about
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Ted Leo
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does Ronan Tynan count?
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What about the singer from Muse - Matthew Bellamy? He has the greatest voice I've ever heard
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personally vocal range is the last thing that appeals to me, then again i grew up listen to neil young and tom petty
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Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
then again i grew up listen to neil young
a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan neeeeeeeeds a maaaaaiiid ... mmaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn ....
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
It almost seems like having a crappy or at best serviceable singing voice is a prerequisite to being in an indie rock band. Am I totally off on this one?
quite a loaded question, rhett.
a. whats indie rock and how many discussions can we have on this, death cab isnt even indie rock anymore.
b. whats a crappy singing voice? i dont know, i am sure you can name some people with "great voices" that i dont like. a voice is like any other instrument. is a fuzzed out guitar a worse sound than a classical acoustic guitar?
that said.
Ted Leo would get my vote.
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Originally posted by HomesickAlien:
What about the singer from Muse - Matthew Bellamy? He has the greatest voice I've ever heard
i agree, but probably not "indie rock"
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Colin Meloy?
He's got that nasally effeminate voice not unlike Ben Gibbard that seems to be coming the requisite for indie rock...imo he's definitely in the bob dylan camp of indie rock...
are country singers any better?
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Nasally voices WORK for country music, but not rock music. Case in point: Robbie Fulks. He's done hardcore country, pop, and even some straight ahead rock. On the country stuff, his voice works well, on the other stuff...not so well. Dwight Yoakam is another example. His nasally voice works well on traditional sounding country songs, but when he takes to covering the Clash and Queen...ewww bad news.
And what's up with that Joanna Newsom chick and the Devandra Bernhardt dude? They have to be like the worst singers of all time.
Originally posted by white man from town:
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Colin Meloy?
He's got that nasally effeminate voice not unlike Ben Gibbard that seems to be coming the requisite for indie rock...imo he's definitely in the bob dylan camp of indie rock...
are country singers any better? [/b]
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Nasally voices WORK for country music, but not rock music. Case in point: Robbie Fulks. He's done hardcore country, pop, and even some straight ahead rock. On the country stuff, his voice works well, on the other stuff...not so well. Dwight Yoakam is another example. His nasally voice works well on traditional sounding country songs, but when he takes to covering the Clash and Queen...ewww bad news.
i dont know what bores me more; you talking about country music, or me listening to it.
10 zzzzzzzz's
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I agree about the context being important, but I think you're a little off with some of your examples. I wouldn't exactly call the Decemberists and Death Cab "rock." I mean, sure, they're rock bands in a sense, but it's not like they're dishing out power chords and sounding all whiny. I mean, for as much as I dislike Ben Gibbard, I think his voice works for his bands. Ditto to Colin Meloy.
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Nasally voices WORK for country music, but not rock music. Case in point: Robbie Fulks. He's done hardcore country, pop, and even some straight ahead rock. On the country stuff, his voice works well, on the other stuff...not so well. Dwight Yoakam is another example. His nasally voice works well on traditional sounding country songs, but when he takes to covering the Clash and Queen...ewww bad news.
And what's up with that Joanna Newsom chick and the Devandra Bernhardt dude? They have to be like the worst singers of all time.
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<img src="http://www.hunderttausend.de/relaunch/liesmich/2001_05/2001_05_24_bob_dylan.jpg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Nasally voices WORK for country music, but not rock music.
i was speaking more along the lines of just being a "better singer".
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Sorry, should have saved that for the Fulks board.
Much more interesting fodder is to be found on this board, like Loserpalooza, HFStivalshite, or the latest totally unoriginal British band to completely rip off bands from the 80's but still sell out the Black Cat because their fans were in diapers in the 80's.
Originally posted by white man from town:
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Nasally voices WORK for country music, but not rock music. Case in point: Robbie Fulks. He's done hardcore country, pop, and even some straight ahead rock. On the country stuff, his voice works well, on the other stuff...not so well. Dwight Yoakam is another example. His nasally voice works well on traditional sounding country songs, but when he takes to covering the Clash and Queen...ewww bad news.
i dont know what bores me more; you talking about country music, or me listening to it.
10 zzzzzzzz's [/b]
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I agree with Sam Beam and Ted Leo, both have great voices. I like Jeff Buckley's voice, but I'm not sure I would consider him indie.
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i suppose that, by your definition rhett, tom waits would also be a "bad" singer. maybe you should enlighten us as to who is a "good" singer in your book. are you going for perfect pitch (e.g., an art garfunkel or thom yorke) or do you go for a vocalist whose voice is suited to the style of music he/she is singing? if it's the latter, then one could argue that no one is a bad singer.
i saw melt banana live once and their female vocalist ranks up there with yoko ono as one of the screechiest, most obnoxious vocalists IMHO...there are people in the world that enjoy it though. just because i don't care for it personally, doesn't mean she's a bad singer.
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Which is worse, the quality of the "fodder" on this board, or the fact that you have contributed 10,000+ posts to those topics?
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Much more interesting fodder is to be found on this board, like Loserpalooza, HFStivalshite, or the latest totally unoriginal British band to completely rip off bands from the 80's but still sell out the Black Cat because their fans were in diapers in the 80's.
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Much more interesting fodder is to be found on this board, like Loserpalooza, HFStivalshite, or the latest totally unoriginal British band to completely rip off bands from the 80's but still sell out the Black Cat because their fans were in diapers in the 80's.
or......some obnoxious jerk-off country fan forces his pigheaded opinions on everyone, every chance he gets and then gets all pissy and whiny when someone throws it back at him :) thats really the vast majority of this board.
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Originally posted by joz:
are you going for perfect pitch (e.g., an art garfunkel or thom yorke)
i am totally positive Rhett will say Thom Yorke is not a good singer. he will lose all credibility if he doesn't....
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Remind me who Tom York is again?
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Remind me who Tom York is again?
why don't you just look it up on one of your marvelous search engines or databases that you consult numerous times a day to give yourself an air of intellectual superiority in posting something you spent 20 minutes researching on the web?
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!
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Why don't you go blow another $75 for some shitty record for your husband's birthday, so he can pretend to care all over again, you fat, snot nosed bitch?
Originally posted by joz:
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Remind me who Tom York is again?
why don't you just look it up on one of your marvelous search engines or databases that you consult numerous times a day to give yourself an air of intellectual superiority in posting something you spent 20 minutes researching on the web? [/b]
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Why don't you go blow another $75 for some shitty record for your husband's birthday, so he can pretend to care all over again, you fat, snot nosed bitch?
you are a total loser Rhett. in every way possible really.
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not exactly "rock", but leslie feist?
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the going out gurus certainly have us pegged... but i'm also digging being called an indie elitist.
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Why don't you go blow another $75 for some shitty record for your husband's birthday, so he can pretend to care all over again, you fat, snot nosed bitch?
Originally posted by joz:
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Remind me who Tom York is again?
why don't you just look it up on one of your marvelous search engines or databases that you consult numerous times a day to give yourself an air of intellectual superiority in posting something you spent 20 minutes researching on the web? [/b]
[/b]
ouch. someone needs a hug.
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Why don't you go blow another $75 for some shitty record for your husband's birthday, so he can pretend to care all over again, you fat, snot nosed bitch?
Originally posted by joz:
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Remind me who Tom York is again?
why don't you just look it up on one of your marvelous search engines or databases that you consult numerous times a day to give yourself an air of intellectual superiority in posting something you spent 20 minutes researching on the web? [/b]
[/b]
and btw, it's actually a very beautiful, very rare piece of vinyl that he has wanted for many years and i was able to find it for him. yeah, i'm special. when's the last time you did something that nice for your fat, snot-nosed wife?
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Why don't you go blow another $75 for some shitty record for your husband's birthday, so he can pretend to care all over again, you fat, snot nosed bitch?
You sure you're in your late 30's?
Ted Leo is alright until he hits the high notes...then he may as well be singing through a kazoo in his left nostril.
Personally, as far as voices go:
Hrishkish Hirway
Laetitia Sadler (Sp?)
Beth Gibbons
Peter Murphy
Bjork
Roots Manuva (I know he doesn't sing...still an amazing voice)
Lisa Shaw
Miki Berenyi (whatever happened to her?)
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There are some pure vocalists I love (Tony Bennett, George Michael), but then most "amazing vocalists" today typically end up on a different trac--like say, American Idol or Broadway.
I grew up listening to Otis Redding who, with all that rasp and holler, probably doesn't qualify as a great "singer," but that's a different thing than being a great vocalist, and Otis was truly great. Totally shaped my opinion of vocals in pop music.
Celine Dion is probably a better singer than M. Ward, but I know whose voice I prefer. It's an instrument like anything else... Tom Morello is a better guitarist than Britt Daniel, but Audioslave sucks.
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My vote goes to Sufjan Stevens. Not quite "rock", though...
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Jim James
Jason Lytle
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A few that come to my mind:
Joe Pernice
the guy from Nada Surf
Jeff Buckley
James Mercer when he wants to
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Jenny Lewis. Does Rilo Kiley still qualify for "indie"?
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Sure, why not?
And I'll agree with you on that one.
And add Neko Case to the list.
Originally posted by buddha:
Jenny Lewis. Does Rilo Kiley still qualify for "indie"?
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rilo's on warner bros. but yeah, she's good
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Mike Patton.
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Originally posted by jardison:
Mike Patton.
Agreed. A genius as well.
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Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
And add Neko Case to the list.
she's rock?
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Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
then again i grew up listen to neil young
a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan neeeeeeeeds a maaaaaiiid ... mmaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn .... [/b]
That sounds more like Bob Dylan to me! (Doing a Neil Young cover of course)
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Jeff Heiskell (the Judybats)
Anna Waronker (that dog.)
Colin Meloy
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Maura Davis from Denali (and now Bella Lea).
Classically trained.
Gorgeous.