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Old man asks music question

FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
edited February 2009 in Other Music
What is this annoying vocal style I hear everywhere? I think it started with that poor emaciated child with the pasty face, Avril Lasagne or whatever her name is, and it continued with a few emo-type acts I hear in passing, groaning on the car stereos of girls with lopsided haircuts.

It involves singing the same five notes over and over again in a cliched fashion, through an affected, nasal twang. Sort of like Close Encounters of the Turd Kind. Except that the topic tends to be soppy love and rejection nonsense.

I'm not talking, stylistically, about all that Ani Difranco hiccuping - though I can't stand any of that either - I mean, I mean ... oh, I don't know what I mean. Do you know what I mean?



:lol:
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    Got a more specific example? I'm not a musical person so I can't call to mind what "the same five notes over and over again in a cliched fashion" might mean, but I'm intrigued.
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Er, er ... hang on ...

    I don't know the names of these acts, so ...

    ... I'll get researching.
  • justamjustam Posts: 21,412
    Sweetie, I can't help ya. I don't think I've taken even five seconds to listen to this type of thing.
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  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    mmmmmmmmmm. Lasagne.
    I smile, but who am I kidding...
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    justam wrote:
    Sweetie, I can't help ya. I don't think I've taken even five seconds to listen to this type of thing.


    Well, I once stumbled upon an open mic, curiously populated mainly by nineteen-year-old women-who-love-women. I thought this would be culturally, er, stimulating, but they started singing these songs in this whiny nurrrr-nurrrr style. If any of you know Lloyd Grossman, the New England gastrobloke who does TV in the UK, these singers sound like him when he's eating, er, lasagne. :lol:

    Now, I don't mean the Tegan and Sara style of singing either. That's a sort of Daffy Duck style. It's something much more generic. I mean, very very mainstream, if you're into that. And I'm not, with my prized vinyl collection of Andalusian cheese-gargling anthems from the 1890s ...
  • justamjustam Posts: 21,412
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    justam wrote:
    Sweetie, I can't help ya. I don't think I've taken even five seconds to listen to this type of thing.


    Well, I once stumbled upon an open mic, curiously populated mainly by nineteen-year-old women-who-love-women. I thought this would be culturally, er, stimulating, but they started singing these songs in this whiny nurrrr-nurrrr style. If any of you know Lloyd Grossman, the New England gastrobloke who does TV in the UK, these singers sound like him when he's eating, er, lasagne. :lol:

    Now, I don't mean the Tegan and Sara style of singing either. That's a sort of Daffy Duck style. It's something much more generic. I mean, very very mainstream, if you're into that. And I'm not, with my prized vinyl collection of Andalusian cheese-gargling anthems from the 1890s ...

    Anyone whining instead of singing deserves to be ignored. :mrgreen:

    That's a rule. ;)
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  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    edited February 2009
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    What is this annoying vocal style I hear everywhere? I think it started with that poor emaciated child with the pasty face, Avril Lasagne or whatever her name is, and it continued with a few emo-type acts I hear in passing, groaning on the car stereos of girls with lopsided haircuts.

    It involves singing the same five notes over and over again in a cliched fashion, through an affected, nasal twang. Sort of like Close Encounters of the Turd Kind. Except that the topic tends to be soppy love and rejection nonsense.

    I'm not talking, stylistically, about all that Ani Difranco hiccuping - though I can't stand any of that either - I mean, I mean ... oh, I don't know what I mean. Do you know what I mean?



    :lol:
    ...
    I think it's called, 'American Idol'. That's the stuff where you over sing, in the stylings of a Celine Dion or Jessica Simpson... or those ungodly high pitched Mariah Carey-esque squeals that are sure to curl the enamel right off your teeth. It's what radio and television are selling to the Asses that make up the Masses... the audio version of the Emperor's New Clothes... that are gobbled up at the Wal-Mart check out stands which perpetuates the manfacuring of more and more of the same old shit.
    ...
    I think.
    Post edited by Cosmo on
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Nope. It's more quasi-emo-pop...
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    Nope. It's more quasi-emo-pop...
    ...
    Possibly... Jessica Simpson on Lithium?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Cosmo wrote:
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    Nope. It's more quasi-emo-pop...
    ...
    Possibly... Jessica Simpson on Lithium?


    It's more Blink 182-ish but worse ... melodic lines spanning a vocal range of the same few notes.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    melodic lines spanning a vocal range of the same few notes.

    There you go again with the gibberish... you need to give us some layman's references ;)
  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    i don't know what fins is saying but i agree with him 100% :P :lol:
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    soulsinging wrote:
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    melodic lines spanning a vocal range of the same few notes.

    There you go again with the gibberish... you need to give us some layman's references ;)


    Okay. Instead of "my", sing "moy". Instead of "life", sing "looyyyyyyyyfffffe". Now sing "Mooooooooyyyyy loooooooooyyyyyyffffe", With "Mooooooyyy" higher than "looooooyyyyyyyfffffe". Imagine you've got the most wishy-washy, plastic skater-punk pop band balladising behind you, and that you're about nineteen years old with a tosser's hairstyle. Leave out the screamo parts, though, and you're getting there.
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Actually, I've decided I don't care. Good night. :lol:
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    melodic lines spanning a vocal range of the same few notes.

    There you go again with the gibberish... you need to give us some layman's references ;)


    Okay. Instead of "my", sing "moy". Instead of "life", sing "looyyyyyyyyfffffe". Now sing "Mooooooooyyyyy loooooooooyyyyyyffffe", With "Mooooooyyy" higher than "looooooyyyyyyyfffffe". Imagine you've got the most wishy-washy, plastic skater-punk pop band balladising behind you, and that you're about nineteen years old with a tosser's hairstyle. Leave out the screamo parts, though, and you're getting there.

    Now that I can follow :) And yes, it sucks. As to why it's become all the rage now... I have no answer. Trite sentiment sells to teens with minimal real problems that still want to feel deep I guess.
  • DocChicagoDocChicago Posts: 653
    Blink 182's Tom DeLonge is a primary offender in this regard. May I present Exhibit A, a morose little ditty called "Stay Together For the Kids" and its pretentious video. Check in around the 0:50 mark for some sweet vocals!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moidPfDvRic
    It is time to admit that we used to rock like hurricanes. It is time to run for the hills and go round and round. It is time for us to shout at the devil. We've got the right to choose it, there ain't no way we'll lose it, and we're not gonna take it anymore.
    - C. Klosterman
  • justamjustam Posts: 21,412
    Actually, it's painful to me when the American Idol type singer ruins a melody by swimming around the pitch. I know they are claiming to be "creative", but it just sounds like they can't hear. :evil:
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  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    DocChicago wrote:
    Blink 182's Tom DeLonge is a primary offender in this regard. May I present Exhibit A, a morose little ditty called "Stay Together For the Kids" and its pretentious video. Check in around the 0:50 mark for some sweet vocals!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moidPfDvRic


    That's exactly it. And this style of moaning with your mouth on back to front has gone viral ...
  • gabersgabers Posts: 2,787
    My little nieces were here over the holidays watching the Disney Channel and pretty much all the singing is in this style you mention. Made me want to shove an ice pick in my ear. I'm confident I'd rather listen to Michael Bolton's greatest hits.
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    justam wrote:
    Actually, it's painful to me when the American Idol type singer ruins a melody by swimming around the pitch. I know they are claiming to be "creative", but it just sounds like they can't hear. :evil:


    Just to derail my own thread a second, one horrendous offender in this regard was Eva Cassidy. Why couldn't this woman ever stick to the melody?
  • Corey LynnCorey Lynn Posts: 681
    I think this style of music is referred to as "shit". At least now, those with minimal talent or vocal ability can be in a band. I feel sorry for the kids these days who are trying to embrace the new style...and this is it.
    I also laugh at the ridiculous style that I call "the ADD bands" ...i.e System of a Down...who quickly move from loud to soft to fast to slow to opera to metal to crap and then to more crap. That is my 2 cents.


    If I knew where it was I would take you there. There's much more than this
  • gabersgabers Posts: 2,787
    I'd say that Green Day kind of got the ball rolling for this style of singing. The kind of whiny, pseudo-British style of rock singing imitated but never quite duplicated these days. It's funny how that works. Kind of like how many bands that try to sound like Pearl Jam are so hated by Pearl Jam fans.
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    melodic lines spanning a vocal range of the same few notes.

    There you go again with the gibberish... you need to give us some layman's references ;)


    Okay. Instead of "my", sing "moy". Instead of "life", sing "looyyyyyyyyfffffe". Now sing "Mooooooooyyyyy loooooooooyyyyyyffffe", With "Mooooooyyy" higher than "looooooyyyyyyyfffffe". Imagine you've got the most wishy-washy, plastic skater-punk pop band balladising behind you, and that you're about nineteen years old with a tosser's hairstyle. Leave out the screamo parts, though, and you're getting there.
    ...
    Oh... okay. Now i get it.
    Yeah... you can find those artists (a term I use lightly) in the 'Audio Pollution' section on the CD stands at the local Wal-Mart. if you don't find them there, they may be filed under 'Sonic Lobotomy'. But, most Wal-Marts just sell them from the 'Verbal Deffication' section.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
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