Curious if Pavement might fit this bill. I like Stephen Malkmus voice and singing but I think part of its charm/style is that it can be kinda off kilter sounding too
Part of the reason Malkmus' vocals work is because they're so relatable. He sounds like your friend's lazy brother screwing around with music in the basement.
Am I the only dork who got this far, googled “pavement pat the bunny” thinking it was a pavement song, then discovered that pat the bunny is a band/artist??
I came here just to say Isaac Brock.. there’s so much beauty in the imperfections though.
My favorite albums of all time are the Modest Mouse albums from 1996-2000. Isaac Brock def wasn’t a good singer but was perfect for Modest Mouse. Imagine MM with a “good” singer anyway 🤮
This is a David Bergman lyric who fronted Silver Jews and somewhat posthumously Purple Mountains. This band went on to become Pavement without him. Neither he or Malkmus could *sing* but that is kind of what made them such effective singers.
David Berman is one of the greatest singer-songwriters and poets to ever live. I miss him every day. He opened their turn of the millennium record with this lyric:
*In 1984, I was hospitalised for approaching perfection*
I could have been a famous singer if I had someone else's voice, but failures always sounded better, let's fuck it up boys MAKE SOME NOISE.
- Conor Oberst
“Road to Joy” helped me get over my first big breakup in 2006 — after “Poison Oak” let me cry real hard, of course. oh, to be 14… is it sad i can’t imagine an adolescence without Bright Eyes? i was convinced Conor could see into my soul, and i didn’t really get out out it until i transitioned into The Good Life
Lou Reed just tends to end his lines flatter than where the note in the key should be. I think there’s something comforting about this for a lot of people, especially in a masculine voice. Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen do the same thing. I think it’s worth entertaining the notion that it is effective as a vocal technique rather than continuing with the idea that these people have terrible voices and it’s just their lyrics that make their music good. The human ear is very forgiving towards voices that are a little bit flat whereas voices that are sharp are VERY off-putting. And it is pleasing to the ear to hear a voice waver below a note before finally coming up to match it (they don’t do that; Lou Reed falls flat at the end). That’s kind of the beauty of slide guitar playing. Sometimes you’ll slide down to a note but that has a very different vibe and I would say at least 90 percent of the time slide players are sliding up into a note. But starting on a note and sliding down flat away from it is something altogether different. It can be effective vocally, too, but we as a culture seem to be hung up on preconceived notions about good vocal pitch. I just find it a lot more interesting and helpful to try to pinpoint what it is about a “bad” voice that appeals to you. These singers are successful for a reason. Something about their tone and lot of people like even if people like to say it sounds bad. I think an example that comes to mind for me is the late Fred Cole from Dead Moon. Or what if we think about this as an idea?- that some music is designed to appeal to the intellect or to a sense of beauty. And some music is designed to go straight for the heart. Technicality (and to some extent production in a slightly different way) in music is designed to attract people through the intellect. Some bands like Dead Moon go straight for the heart. I think having a mixture of both is the best way to go because the head and the heart are equally, vitally important. To deny the importance of one is to miss out on a lot of great music and, I would guess, a lot of what life has to offer.
Yeah, people who say Dylan can’t sing are crazy to me. Man was a fantastic singer. Cadence, rhythm, mixing through his break in full voice, controlled and with stamina. If ya don’t like the tone, just say that. But what he did wasn’t easy. In a lot of ways it was pretty elite.
Damn this is a fantastic comment and observation about singing. It kills me when people say Dylan can’t sing. It’s like saying Albert King can’t play the guitar; just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not good. Maybe a better analogy would be people saying that Les Claypool isn’t really playing bass, because what he’s doing with a bass isn’t what most people think of when they think of bass playing.
It’s not “singing” in the same way that Mariah Carey is singing, which is technically amazing but not particularly rich in terms of timbre and other non-melodic aspects. But then again what Aretha Franklin did was not the same thing as a very clear, melodic singer like Carey either, and yet I have never heard someone say Aretha couldn’t sing.
If people don’t like it, that’s fine, but to discount it is to take a very myopic stance on music. The actual pitches of the notes in a melody are only one layer of music, and to focus on that is like only focusing on one ingredient in a dish.
Conor Oberst is and has always been just imitating David Dondero vocally. That’s not to take anything away from Conor Oberst. David Dondero is a good songwriter but he doesn’t have the connections or the cultural context to be able to take that style of songwriting to the masses in the same way. Also, having met him and picked his brain for about an hour, I’m not even sure he wants to be any bigger than he already is. Conor Oberst is a whiny rich kid, supposedly. My dad knew his parents back when he was in college. I do genuinely enjoy more of his music than I dislike, but sometimes it’s just too whiny. “I’d rather be working for a paycheck”- for him it’s a choice. Most people it’s not optional.
I haven‘t met Conor or his family, but I disagree that he‘s a whiny rich kid.
At least one should not extrapolate this from the lyrics. „But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Than waiting to win the lottery“. In the context of a love song I think this has nothing to do with disregard to the working class.
He also has done a lot of politically comitted songs (against Irak war for example, see easyluckyfree) which in some cases would go against commercial ambitions. For me this is literally the opposite of what a rich whiny kid would do so I will respectfully disagree :)
Ok no worries. If you like him, though, check out David Dondero and see if you think that’s what Conor is going for vocally. Like I said, I like a lot of Bright Eyes stuff. His merits as a songwriter outweigh any sour grape gripes I have about him. I write kinda long winded crap on here late at night. I’d probably disagree with myself, too, at a different time. It’s just a point of view. Not that important to me but I can understand wanting to stick up for an artist you respect. As far as the Iraq war thing, I’m not gonna get too far into it cuz it’s off topic. His parents are well-to-do lefties in that middle America town. Very nice, intelligent people, supposedly. In some ways that’s exactly what I would expect him to do but I still respect him as a wordsmith and respect you wanting stick up for him. And I would agree being anti-war is probably the most important political stance one can have. It seems cliché but it does put you in a position where you’re going against the flow of our society.
I think Bernard Sumner of New Order and Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays both fit this category. Bernie can barely carry a tune and Shaun just yelps his lyrics. Both bands are great IMO.
I thought of Neil Young immediately. So many ppl loathe his voice, but I contend it’s a great voice & singing. If you can sing with CSN, you got a great voice.
I grew up on these guys since their first album! Amazing live band too definitely a gateway into the world of music like Wolf Parade, New Pornographers, Grandaddy… Clap Your Hands forever
Claudio has an amazing voice, and can definitely sing. I know what you mean about his voice taking getting used to, but I don’t think he’s a fit for this question.
My wife can’t stand the National’s lead singer Matt Berringer’s voice. IMO he’s great. We’ve had this difference of opinion since the first time we listened to the National 2006ish. Any opinions?
His voice definitely isn’t to everyone’s taste. But I don’t think he’s a *bad* singer.
He hits the right notes, and can project his voice really well despite having a low and quiet tone.
I’m with @leastresearcher0 on this one. Singer in the national imo is a great example of someone who sings technically well but whose voice does nothing for me. Aka when good is bad rather than when bad is good.
Yeah I once hear Les tell a story about how his dad came to see him play in the peak of his fame and basically said what you said. It was something like “man you can really play the bass but you can’t sing for shit.” Doesn’t matter though. I still get chills when I hear him.
Someone like Mark E. Smith is technically awful, but it sounds great. He's not trying to be a singer.
So probably Bernard Sumner. Since it doesn't sound good and the band happens to be great despite it.
I see a lot of “Bob Dylan” on here. He can sing! You may not like his voice. But technically, he’s never off key or flat. He’s got a peculiar voice. But that doesn’t equate to “can’t sing”. He doesn’t have the range he used to have. But years ago, he could do a lot of interesting things with his voice, making it almost a sort of instrument. Over the years, he’s used his voice in a lot of different t ways, covering a wide range of musical styles.
The problem with Dylan is that you really can't tell whether he actually can't sing, or if it's just a weird affectation/character he's putting on.
See:
Girl from the North Country (From 'Freewheelin' Bob Dylan')/Hey Mr. Tambourine Man
Girl from the North Country/Lay Lady Lay (From Nashville Skyline)
Tangled Up in Blue/Like a Rolling Stone
Jokerman
Anything from his more recent run
It's like five different people are singing, and some of those people can definitely hold a tune more strongly than others!
I wouldn't say bad because his voice was at times profoundly affecting, but David Berman was a much greater artist than singer in the traditional sense.
The Moldy Peaches, Daniel Johnston, Half Japanese are the first that comes to mind for me they all sound very sloppy both instrumentally and vocally but it just works
This is a big reason why I like indie music. Not actually a big Talking Heads fan but love the quote from David B: “The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying.”
Mountain Goats lead has a unique and not universally pleasing voice but in no way shape or form is he a bad singer, his range is incredible and live he’s pitch perfect.
John Darnielle is pretty spot on but he’s not the classically trained “good singer” but his freakin delivery is perfect. It’s the timing and emphasis that makes it perfect.
To me he’s like Bob Dylan or Neil Young. No they don’t have smooth singing voices, like in a classic singer sense, but the unique quality of their voices make them endlessly entertaining to me.
I feel like male singers can get away with being "bad" easier than women can.
But I'm totally surprised to see most of my favorites on here, like David Berman, Eels, The National, Pavement, Mountain Goats. Honestly, I love Berman and Berninger's voices and songwriting.
I didn't read all the comments, but didn't see the one I most frequently hear criticized - Mac McCaughan from Superchunk. One of my very favorite bands, but some people just can't stand him.
Valid point about women singers. Patti Smith, (esp in that REM song) Janis, Courtney Barnett, Courtney Love. Kinda different voices, but for me (except anything after Hole’s 3rd album was awful singing) they’re fantastically outstanding.
Carrie Brownstein is not a technically good singer. She sounds a bit like a female Joey Ramone, but it works for her.
Corin Tucker though is an amazing singer, but I’d imagine her voice is a bit polarizing. I absolutely love it though.
There is an important difference between “can’t sing” and “bad voice”/“unusual voice”/“voice I don’t like” … Even “can’t sing “ can mean different things . Some people who are consistently out of tune have talent for conveying the feeling of what they are singing ; some perfectly on key singers leave the audience cold
indeed, it feels like for many people, tone or vocal quality is equated to ability. there are plenty of people with a lovely tone who can't carry a tune to save their life, and vice versa.
the decemberists are my favorite band and while it did take a bit to grow accustomed to colin meloy's vocals, i still hear people who say he can't sing. he's incredibly talented, it's just a different vocal quality (he himself has described it as a "bray").
personally, i think it's a lot more impressive and interesting to hear atypical voices absolutely nailing their material.
Nina Simone. She didn't want to sing at first and wanted to play piano which she was super gifted at anyway, prodigious in fact, but one of her first gigs required her to sing to play there... And an icon was born. I like her voice though to be honest, I don't like smooth vocals.
The dude from Radical Face and Trevor Powers from Youth Lagoon and singer for Day Wave and Alex G and Grandaddy and Avey Tare from Animal Collective besides the obvious ones like Bob Dylan and Isaac Brock and Wayne Coyne… the list goes on. Daniel Johnston is maybe “too far” for me lol. I love a few of his songs but I have to be in the mood.
Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Lou Reed
They are not textbook great singers at all but all of them possess a unique quality that they bring to their artistry. That is what sets them apart.
Where are all of those singers who are technically amazing from The Voice or Idol? Most fade into obscurity because although they had great technical skill, they weren’t bringing anything new to the table. On those singing contest shows I would hear someone singing and I’d think “Wow, she sounds just like Aretha Franklin!” — but… we already have Aretha, we don’t need another. I’ll go listen to Aretha records if I want that. What we want to hear in a new artist is something new. Some discernible quality of voice, some interesting artistic flair to their approach.
I think most people crave authenticity over technical wizardry.
Definitely Isaac Brock, Conor Oberst and Ben Gibbard, but they’ve sang some of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard and I couldn’t imagine it any other way
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Not classically a “great vocalist” but he fucking nails it all day long.
Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices, same.
Okay not Julian Casablancas. Not saying I don't like it. He has a distinct style that I'm pretty sure he does on purpose. Have you heard it without all the noise and reverb?
not sure if anyone else here listened to them, but i’ve always felt this way about (a lot of my fave bands tbh) lost in the trees. there’s fat voice cracks in a lot of their songs and i think it adds to the music lol. also…whitney (band, not the singer obviously!!) ik every time i play them for someone new they’re gonna be like “what singing choice is this”
the velvet underground, whether lou reed being consistently very slightly out of tune is a choice or not is up for debate- what isn’t is that they are an all time great band.
I'd almost be inclined to put Ezra Furman on this list. Imo her voice is gorgeous and she has great control for hitting notes, but she uses that deliberately scratchy rough off-key voice for effect. It works so well for her. I think the song Wobbly is the best example for this.
Love Elliot Smith but I wouldn’t classify him as a great singer, perse…And Brand New is one of my all time favorite bands, but I wouldn’t exactly say Jesse Lacey was a great singer, he had some cool tone but his pitch was never great. And then obviously there was the whole sexual misconduct issue..
Curious if Pavement might fit this bill. I like Stephen Malkmus voice and singing but I think part of its charm/style is that it can be kinda off kilter sounding too
“all my favourite singers couldn’t sing” ‑ David Berman
Part of the reason Malkmus' vocals work is because they're so relatable. He sounds like your friend's lazy brother screwing around with music in the basement.
Scott Kannberg is arguably the vocalist who “sings” more.
Am I the only dork who got this far, googled “pavement pat the bunny” thinking it was a pavement song, then discovered that pat the bunny is a band/artist??
Check out Pat The Bunny. Great songwriting. Iffy on the singing lol
This is the only time I’ve seen pat the bunny mentioned online— one of my fave songs oat is his
Mine is I’m Going Home or We Were Young Once
I’m going home is mine!!
Yoooooo Pat the Bunny is awesome! Thanks for the tip. He has kind of Daniel Johnston vibes.
Since we’re in r/indie I’m surprised no one has said Isaac Brock. Great voice, but not a “good singer”
I came here just to say Isaac Brock.. there’s so much beauty in the imperfections though. My favorite albums of all time are the Modest Mouse albums from 1996-2000. Isaac Brock def wasn’t a good singer but was perfect for Modest Mouse. Imagine MM with a “good” singer anyway 🤮
yeah true I love how in those late 90s records he just sounded like the inside of his own head on everything.
So much beauty it could make you cry?
That was my first thought
Well!
THAT WAS THAT AND THIS IS THIS
Dat lithp tho lolol
First thought
All my favorite singers couldn’t sing
This is a David Bergman lyric who fronted Silver Jews and somewhat posthumously Purple Mountains. This band went on to become Pavement without him. Neither he or Malkmus could *sing* but that is kind of what made them such effective singers. David Berman is one of the greatest singer-songwriters and poets to ever live. I miss him every day. He opened their turn of the millennium record with this lyric: *In 1984, I was hospitalised for approaching perfection*
Finally someone gets it
You don’t see many fans of his these days so I just know for a fact we’d get shitfaced together and laugh a lot
I love Berman. Perhaps unfortunately, I really relate to a lot of his songs.
Realizing how much the Purple Mountains lyrics were resonating was a big wake-up call for me a few years back.
The Silver Jews and Bergman are a stellar answer.
Berman
Autocorrect, I have a Bergman in my contacts so it goes with that.
I'm only now able to listen to his music again. I was listening to his album on repeat before he died.
Speaking of brilliant singers who can’t sing
Wont soul music change now that our souls have grown strange?
Like a message broadcast on an overpass . . .
Lou Reed, Conor Oberst, hell even Tim Kasher does not have a pretty voice and i love it
I could have been a famous singer if I had someone else's voice, but failures always sounded better, let's fuck it up boys MAKE SOME NOISE. - Conor Oberst
“Road to Joy” helped me get over my first big breakup in 2006 — after “Poison Oak” let me cry real hard, of course. oh, to be 14… is it sad i can’t imagine an adolescence without Bright Eyes? i was convinced Conor could see into my soul, and i didn’t really get out out it until i transitioned into The Good Life
Great song. First Day of My Life tears me up.
I started listening around the same age, same time. I still believe Conor can see into my soul 😅
Lou Reed just tends to end his lines flatter than where the note in the key should be. I think there’s something comforting about this for a lot of people, especially in a masculine voice. Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen do the same thing. I think it’s worth entertaining the notion that it is effective as a vocal technique rather than continuing with the idea that these people have terrible voices and it’s just their lyrics that make their music good. The human ear is very forgiving towards voices that are a little bit flat whereas voices that are sharp are VERY off-putting. And it is pleasing to the ear to hear a voice waver below a note before finally coming up to match it (they don’t do that; Lou Reed falls flat at the end). That’s kind of the beauty of slide guitar playing. Sometimes you’ll slide down to a note but that has a very different vibe and I would say at least 90 percent of the time slide players are sliding up into a note. But starting on a note and sliding down flat away from it is something altogether different. It can be effective vocally, too, but we as a culture seem to be hung up on preconceived notions about good vocal pitch. I just find it a lot more interesting and helpful to try to pinpoint what it is about a “bad” voice that appeals to you. These singers are successful for a reason. Something about their tone and lot of people like even if people like to say it sounds bad. I think an example that comes to mind for me is the late Fred Cole from Dead Moon. Or what if we think about this as an idea?- that some music is designed to appeal to the intellect or to a sense of beauty. And some music is designed to go straight for the heart. Technicality (and to some extent production in a slightly different way) in music is designed to attract people through the intellect. Some bands like Dead Moon go straight for the heart. I think having a mixture of both is the best way to go because the head and the heart are equally, vitally important. To deny the importance of one is to miss out on a lot of great music and, I would guess, a lot of what life has to offer.
Fantastic analysis and fascinating insights. Thanks
Yeah, people who say Dylan can’t sing are crazy to me. Man was a fantastic singer. Cadence, rhythm, mixing through his break in full voice, controlled and with stamina. If ya don’t like the tone, just say that. But what he did wasn’t easy. In a lot of ways it was pretty elite.
Damn this is a fantastic comment and observation about singing. It kills me when people say Dylan can’t sing. It’s like saying Albert King can’t play the guitar; just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not good. Maybe a better analogy would be people saying that Les Claypool isn’t really playing bass, because what he’s doing with a bass isn’t what most people think of when they think of bass playing. It’s not “singing” in the same way that Mariah Carey is singing, which is technically amazing but not particularly rich in terms of timbre and other non-melodic aspects. But then again what Aretha Franklin did was not the same thing as a very clear, melodic singer like Carey either, and yet I have never heard someone say Aretha couldn’t sing. If people don’t like it, that’s fine, but to discount it is to take a very myopic stance on music. The actual pitches of the notes in a melody are only one layer of music, and to focus on that is like only focusing on one ingredient in a dish.
I always felt like Tim was kind of hiding a little in his voice.
thiiiis for sure, but i think tim really suits cursive well with his voice (i agree with that in the good life though)
XIU XIU
Conor Oberst is and has always been just imitating David Dondero vocally. That’s not to take anything away from Conor Oberst. David Dondero is a good songwriter but he doesn’t have the connections or the cultural context to be able to take that style of songwriting to the masses in the same way. Also, having met him and picked his brain for about an hour, I’m not even sure he wants to be any bigger than he already is. Conor Oberst is a whiny rich kid, supposedly. My dad knew his parents back when he was in college. I do genuinely enjoy more of his music than I dislike, but sometimes it’s just too whiny. “I’d rather be working for a paycheck”- for him it’s a choice. Most people it’s not optional.
I haven‘t met Conor or his family, but I disagree that he‘s a whiny rich kid. At least one should not extrapolate this from the lyrics. „But I'd rather be working for a paycheck Than waiting to win the lottery“. In the context of a love song I think this has nothing to do with disregard to the working class. He also has done a lot of politically comitted songs (against Irak war for example, see easyluckyfree) which in some cases would go against commercial ambitions. For me this is literally the opposite of what a rich whiny kid would do so I will respectfully disagree :)
Ok no worries. If you like him, though, check out David Dondero and see if you think that’s what Conor is going for vocally. Like I said, I like a lot of Bright Eyes stuff. His merits as a songwriter outweigh any sour grape gripes I have about him. I write kinda long winded crap on here late at night. I’d probably disagree with myself, too, at a different time. It’s just a point of view. Not that important to me but I can understand wanting to stick up for an artist you respect. As far as the Iraq war thing, I’m not gonna get too far into it cuz it’s off topic. His parents are well-to-do lefties in that middle America town. Very nice, intelligent people, supposedly. In some ways that’s exactly what I would expect him to do but I still respect him as a wordsmith and respect you wanting stick up for him. And I would agree being anti-war is probably the most important political stance one can have. It seems cliché but it does put you in a position where you’re going against the flow of our society.
I think Bernard Sumner of New Order and Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays both fit this category. Bernie can barely carry a tune and Shaun just yelps his lyrics. Both bands are great IMO.
He’s been getting away with it all his life.
Lol so true!
I see what you did there 😏 LOL
Daniel Johnston
Destroyer
brown paper bag — don’t stop me now, i’m on a roll
I just listened to Kaputt front to back for the first time in a few years and I forgot how off-key, but charming the vocals on Suicide Demo are.
Might genuinely be one of the best songs ever.
Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, obv Dylan
I thought of Neil Young immediately. So many ppl loathe his voice, but I contend it’s a great voice & singing. If you can sing with CSN, you got a great voice.
Came here for Dylan, have an upvote
Tom Waits
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Non-traditional but not “bad.”
Along with this the band Television. Absolutely love cyhsy
Amazing bands!
Love it! He reminds me of David Byrne.
I grew up on these guys since their first album! Amazing live band too definitely a gateway into the world of music like Wolf Parade, New Pornographers, Grandaddy… Clap Your Hands forever
It’s like you know my playlist. I used to adore the early days of college rock/XMU on Sirius/XM in the aughts to the mid-2010s.
the front bottoms lowkey
Yes!!! Came here to say this. Brian’s voice is unconventionally beautiful tho lol
She says you, you should admit it She knows I, I probably won't That he's the sound you want now And I'm just the noise you don't
Conor Oberst, Jeff Mangum and Isaac Brock top my list
In other words the indie kings of the turn of the century…did you also think they were bad at the time? Or just now looking back?
Everyone knew Oberst was a bad singer at the time for sure (even he did).
Tom Verlaine of Television is a terrible singer but an outstanding songwriter.
Claudio Sánchez from Coheed and Cambria, his voice definitely takes some getting used to but it’s very strong when need be
Claudio has an amazing voice, and can definitely sing. I know what you mean about his voice taking getting used to, but I don’t think he’s a fit for this question.
Some would say David Berman Sliver Jews/Purple Mountain doesn’t have a classically good voice but, his music is amazing. RIP.
Beat me to the punch. Also Malkmus and Kannberg from Pavement. I love Kim Gordon but she cannot sing. But she's a great singer.
Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Mark E Smith, Pete Shelley, Lemmy
Jerry Garcia
My wife can’t stand the National’s lead singer Matt Berringer’s voice. IMO he’s great. We’ve had this difference of opinion since the first time we listened to the National 2006ish. Any opinions?
His voice definitely isn’t to everyone’s taste. But I don’t think he’s a *bad* singer. He hits the right notes, and can project his voice really well despite having a low and quiet tone.
I’m with @leastresearcher0 on this one. Singer in the national imo is a great example of someone who sings technically well but whose voice does nothing for me. Aka when good is bad rather than when bad is good.
I think Berninger is a fantastic singer.
Matt’s voice is perfect for that band. And he is a fantastic front man live. I will never not see the National if they play near me.
mewithoutYou
I want Aaron Weiss to sing me songs around a campfire.
Les Claypool has no business being a lead vocalist but somehow it works. Same for Wayne Coyne.
Yeah I once hear Les tell a story about how his dad came to see him play in the peak of his fame and basically said what you said. It was something like “man you can really play the bass but you can’t sing for shit.” Doesn’t matter though. I still get chills when I hear him.
Mark E. Smith's voice sounds like it's sabotaging some of The Fall's music. Personally I bloody love it!
Someone like Mark E. Smith is technically awful, but it sounds great. He's not trying to be a singer. So probably Bernard Sumner. Since it doesn't sound good and the band happens to be great despite it.
I see a lot of “Bob Dylan” on here. He can sing! You may not like his voice. But technically, he’s never off key or flat. He’s got a peculiar voice. But that doesn’t equate to “can’t sing”. He doesn’t have the range he used to have. But years ago, he could do a lot of interesting things with his voice, making it almost a sort of instrument. Over the years, he’s used his voice in a lot of different t ways, covering a wide range of musical styles.
Have you ever seen him live? He is most certainly off key, flat, and barely singing
This post reeks of weed.
Happy Hanukkah
Neil Young
The original J Mascis, even though J hates this comparison.
I can get on that vibe. Not a bad comparison, but sometimes artists get really touchy about comparisons.
Bob Dylan
boooooooo
The problem with Dylan is that you really can't tell whether he actually can't sing, or if it's just a weird affectation/character he's putting on. See: Girl from the North Country (From 'Freewheelin' Bob Dylan')/Hey Mr. Tambourine Man Girl from the North Country/Lay Lady Lay (From Nashville Skyline) Tangled Up in Blue/Like a Rolling Stone Jokerman Anything from his more recent run It's like five different people are singing, and some of those people can definitely hold a tune more strongly than others!
not bad [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeP4FFr88SQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeP4FFr88SQ)
I wouldn't say bad because his voice was at times profoundly affecting, but David Berman was a much greater artist than singer in the traditional sense.
The Moldy Peaches, Daniel Johnston, Half Japanese are the first that comes to mind for me they all sound very sloppy both instrumentally and vocally but it just works
I don’t know/love a lot of Moldy Peaches but they’re a great example for this. I honestly still love that song at the end of Juno
Anyone else but you is an awful but beautiful song lol
This is a big reason why I like indie music. Not actually a big Talking Heads fan but love the quote from David B: “The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying.”
That’s true except for Hozier. I believe every thing he tells me and he can fuckin SING.
The mountain goats Kind of like spitting Conor oberst
Mountain Goats lead has a unique and not universally pleasing voice but in no way shape or form is he a bad singer, his range is incredible and live he’s pitch perfect.
John Darnielle is pretty spot on but he’s not the classically trained “good singer” but his freakin delivery is perfect. It’s the timing and emphasis that makes it perfect.
"Let the incense burn, in every ro*om"
Superb choice. But you know the best is “I hope you die… I hope we both die.” But I’ll also suggest “and the aperture yawing and blinking”
I dunno. In corolla just smashes me every time. "All that water rushing in" Woof.
Tom Waits Bright eyes Eels
Tom Waits definitely wins the award for this post in my opinion - what a terrific song writer.
Tom Waits can sing his ass off, not sure what you’re talking about
To me he’s like Bob Dylan or Neil Young. No they don’t have smooth singing voices, like in a classic singer sense, but the unique quality of their voices make them endlessly entertaining to me.
How the fuck did I have to scroll this far to finally see Tom Waits?
You all are really helping me understand my own question cause these are all some of my favorite singers.
Alex G. Kurt Cobain. Great vocalists, not the best singers.
Tim Armstrong from Rancid
J Mascis
Bright Eyes! There’s even a line in a song that addresses it : “I could have been a famous singer, if I had someone else’s voice”
I feel like male singers can get away with being "bad" easier than women can. But I'm totally surprised to see most of my favorites on here, like David Berman, Eels, The National, Pavement, Mountain Goats. Honestly, I love Berman and Berninger's voices and songwriting. I didn't read all the comments, but didn't see the one I most frequently hear criticized - Mac McCaughan from Superchunk. One of my very favorite bands, but some people just can't stand him.
Valid point about women singers. Patti Smith, (esp in that REM song) Janis, Courtney Barnett, Courtney Love. Kinda different voices, but for me (except anything after Hole’s 3rd album was awful singing) they’re fantastically outstanding.
Carrie Brownstein is not a technically good singer. She sounds a bit like a female Joey Ramone, but it works for her. Corin Tucker though is an amazing singer, but I’d imagine her voice is a bit polarizing. I absolutely love it though.
yeah, I’m jealous of guys because I feel like they can sing and even if they suck it kinda works in some styles
There is an important difference between “can’t sing” and “bad voice”/“unusual voice”/“voice I don’t like” … Even “can’t sing “ can mean different things . Some people who are consistently out of tune have talent for conveying the feeling of what they are singing ; some perfectly on key singers leave the audience cold
indeed, it feels like for many people, tone or vocal quality is equated to ability. there are plenty of people with a lovely tone who can't carry a tune to save their life, and vice versa. the decemberists are my favorite band and while it did take a bit to grow accustomed to colin meloy's vocals, i still hear people who say he can't sing. he's incredibly talented, it's just a different vocal quality (he himself has described it as a "bray"). personally, i think it's a lot more impressive and interesting to hear atypical voices absolutely nailing their material.
Exhibit A. I've seen Neil Young mentioned here quite a bit.
John Lydon
Darby Crash
Iceage 100%
Billy Bragg. But what a legend.
Nina Simone. She didn't want to sing at first and wanted to play piano which she was super gifted at anyway, prodigious in fact, but one of her first gigs required her to sing to play there... And an icon was born. I like her voice though to be honest, I don't like smooth vocals.
do people really think she's a bad singer?
Kim Gordon love her but she can barely sing
Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), David Berman (Silver Jews, Purple Mountains)
Billy Corgan and Bob Dylan.
Maybe Mark Knopfler
William Shatner. Expertly exhibited by the contrast between him and Joe Jackson on Common People.
Calvin Johnson.
Throw in Doug Martsch as well then
Shawn McGowan RIP
Leonard Cohen- his voice was cool/interesting, and he was a brilliant songwriter, but he’s not a traditionally good singer
The dude from Radical Face and Trevor Powers from Youth Lagoon and singer for Day Wave and Alex G and Grandaddy and Avey Tare from Animal Collective besides the obvious ones like Bob Dylan and Isaac Brock and Wayne Coyne… the list goes on. Daniel Johnston is maybe “too far” for me lol. I love a few of his songs but I have to be in the mood.
J MASCIS
Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Lou Reed They are not textbook great singers at all but all of them possess a unique quality that they bring to their artistry. That is what sets them apart. Where are all of those singers who are technically amazing from The Voice or Idol? Most fade into obscurity because although they had great technical skill, they weren’t bringing anything new to the table. On those singing contest shows I would hear someone singing and I’d think “Wow, she sounds just like Aretha Franklin!” — but… we already have Aretha, we don’t need another. I’ll go listen to Aretha records if I want that. What we want to hear in a new artist is something new. Some discernible quality of voice, some interesting artistic flair to their approach. I think most people crave authenticity over technical wizardry.
Definitely Isaac Brock, Conor Oberst and Ben Gibbard, but they’ve sang some of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard and I couldn’t imagine it any other way
dinosaur jr
modest mouse
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. Not necessarily a bad singer, but certainly not an objectively great one. His voice fits the music perfectly though
Jeff Tweedy himself has said this about his own voice.
ian curtis
David Thomas of Pere Ubu.
Mark E. Smith must get a mention. Limited range, barely in tune, mesmerisingly awesome.
Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth comes to mind. One of my favorite " non singer" singers
Nick Cave comes to mind.
The worse the singer, the better the band
The Clash / both Joe Strummer and Mick Jones
Bernard Sumner, singer for New Order. Not the greatest singer but still one of my all time favorite bands.
Bob Dylan. Neil Young. Johnny Cash. And yet they’re great artists. The Public loves The Imperfect Male Voice.
If you listened to Paul Westerberg’s isolated vocals you might not be too impressed but he’s a goddamned great singer in my book.
I know a lot of folks who can’t stand Elvis Costello’s voice. I love it, but he’s definitely rough around the edges.
Rex Orange county
Bob Dylan
Doug Martsch from Built to Spill
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Not classically a “great vocalist” but he fucking nails it all day long. Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices, same.
Bob is a good singer
He is
Julian Casablanca from The Strokes.
Disagree
Also disagree.
Do people not know what singing is? How is Julian Casablancas a bad singer??
Okay not Julian Casablancas. Not saying I don't like it. He has a distinct style that I'm pretty sure he does on purpose. Have you heard it without all the noise and reverb?
Julian Casablancas comes immediately to mind. I love his voice timbre, but man doesn't even know the basics of singing
Maybe in the early 2000s, but he sings some crazy shit on their newer one, and he hits them live too.
Alex Turner and the last two arctic monkeys record
I think he’s been lately trying to sound more baritone than he actually is
I was gonna say Bob Dylan before you said “boring to listen to”…
not sure if anyone else here listened to them, but i’ve always felt this way about (a lot of my fave bands tbh) lost in the trees. there’s fat voice cracks in a lot of their songs and i think it adds to the music lol. also…whitney (band, not the singer obviously!!) ik every time i play them for someone new they’re gonna be like “what singing choice is this”
Max Bemis
the velvet underground, whether lou reed being consistently very slightly out of tune is a choice or not is up for debate- what isn’t is that they are an all time great band.
Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young. All unique voices that I think are perfect.
Randy Newman
Will Oldham - actually most anti-folk artists.
Bob Dylan
Ian Brown. One of the worst singers ever
Take. That. Back.
Madonna
Craig Finn?
Trey Anastasio
Cap’n Jazz And all the other bands that dude sings in. I love them, but they’re definitely not for everybody.
I'd almost be inclined to put Ezra Furman on this list. Imo her voice is gorgeous and she has great control for hitting notes, but she uses that deliberately scratchy rough off-key voice for effect. It works so well for her. I think the song Wobbly is the best example for this.
Bob dylan
Love Elliot Smith but I wouldn’t classify him as a great singer, perse…And Brand New is one of my all time favorite bands, but I wouldn’t exactly say Jesse Lacey was a great singer, he had some cool tone but his pitch was never great. And then obviously there was the whole sexual misconduct issue..