Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Best Songs of the 90s - Addendum

I had a revelation today about this subject and felt like it was good enough to start a new post rather than adding a comment to the old one that no one would see. Every song that Pat listed was indeed well-written and memorable. Most importantly, though, every song was sung well, which is what really separates these songs from today's radio hits. Both eras have singers that fall into certain categories:

Mid 90s:
-Singers who have a technically and traditionally good voice: Adam Duritz, Darius Rucker, Ed from Live
-Good singers who had an edge to their voice, but still melodic: Scott Weiland, Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, Daniel Johns from Silverchair
-Singers who weren't traditional, but had distinctive voices that remained accessible: Billy Corgan, Billie Joe Armstrong, John Popper, Liam Gallagher

2000s:
-Bad singers who whine, are too high-pitched, and all sound the same: Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, many other faceless radio bands I've heard in passing.
-Singers who think they sound raw and sincere, but are undeniably corny: Nickelback, Hinder, Creed, Staind, Default, 3 Doors Down
-Guys who don't even sing, but just scream and grunt: Disturbed, Drowning Pool, etc.

Would the newer bands' songs sound any better if they had good singers? Probably not, but I thought it was worth noting. Anything to get the thought of cole slaw out of my mind.

3 comments:

HANK said...

...zzz...zzz...zzz...zzz...

Patrick said...

Yea I think that difference plays a major role.

Another problem is that for some unknown reason, kids today evaluate music based solely on how many times the "artist" has been shot or stabbed instead of actually evaluating how entertaining the performance is through talented singing/dancing.

Nothing befuddles me more. If I go to a fancy restaurant, say Elizabeth's on 37th (never been), I go because I know the chef there is qualified and the food he makes tastes really good. I don't go because "I heard he was stabbed 9 times in Orleans Square" or something. The amount of violence he's been subjected to has nothing to do with the quality of product he turns out. This rule should apply equally to music.

Joe said...

Liam Gallagher is a wanker.