2006年 Apr 30日 Sunday, 3:27
Hrmmm…
Random thought for a Saturday night… how much importance should a vocalist have in music effectiveness? I tend to think the music and the sound of the vocalist's voice singing the lyrics (and not necessarily the lyrics themselves) combined make the song what it is. The whole MALICE MIZER going through, what, 4 vocalists during their stint in the musicbiz? I hate it when bands lose a vocalist you've grown accustomed to, because unlike the other musicians (who, yes, are distinctive in their own right) you BLATANTLY KNOW it's a different singer when you hear them and it's always fresh on your mind because their voice is pretty much the huge focus of the song, they bring the song to the audience. In that sense I may be asking "are cover songs really right?" I love cover songs–who doesn't like cover songs??? But even though the lyrics stay the same… it's the fact they're singing lyrics written (i.e. felt) by someone else and so the music loses a bit of power if not sung by the writer/original artist. Let's say I listen to something and think "This song would be so much better if Hyde sang it" wouldn't that be major faulty logic? Half (read: most) the reason I adore Hyde's voice is because he sings words to music he himself or L'Arc~en~Ciel wrote and it's more powerful that way. I really didn't like the fact Kaz wrote SEASON'S CALL. I know that's a stupid petty thing, but it really bothers me since Hyde has been writing songs for the past 15 years and has in some way contributed to all his musical endeavors with L'Arc and had produced all his solo stuff until now with no help from another writer. I tend not to respect the majority of solo J-pop superstars because of the fact they don't even write their own music/lyrics let alone have voices I can stomach.
Which brings me to random thought #2… sometimes I wish I were more like the other so-called "musically affluent" in that my tastes reflected my capacity to listen to every genre of music and hear some beauty in it, even if I absolutely despise the majority of what I'm hearing because I despise the genre itself. I want to listen to rap & country & jazz & soul and hear the talent other people can hear… but I just can't understand what they see in it. Way too painful…
I'm not really that picky since I'll give anything a try. Yes, I actually have Kevin Federline's single PopoZão because I heard it was kinda catchy, and it is. But there are so many voices out there considered "good" by many folks that I downright can't stand. And it's a shame because an otherwise great song can be ruined by a bad (imo!) voice, and there are many culprits out there right now. Imagine if all of BUCK-TICK's songs were sung by Kevin Federline? Despite the music being perfect in every way (because Hisashi and Hide are badasses!) I would disown that crap in an instant just because the vocals are more than unbearable and less than appealing (imo!).
So yeah, isn't it that most bands are who they are because of the vocalist frontman? Imagine Korn replacing Jonathan Davis. Or Queens of The Stone Age without Josh Homme. One lead singer defines their sound and the music is written by he & the other members of the band to accommodate him–HIS voice. And oftentimes someone else singing their music makes it so lackluster it doesn't even sound like the same song. For example, L'Arc~en~Ciel is distinctive and unanimously (^__^ c'mon, true!) amazing because of HYDE and the music the band members write for their singer to sing. It's not the intention of a vocalist to overshadow his bandmates or anything, but like I said, he's the distinctive element fans know and listen for. So a Janne Da Arc cover ofFlower just doesn't do it for me. It went from being a good enjoyable L'Arc song to being just another cover song. I can even deal with and enjoy music when it outweighs a banal/gentler/less prominent vocalist like 土屋昌巳 on his solo albums…it's the great music RUINED by prominently bad voices that breaks my heart.
The victor:
1) 京 from Dir en grey has had many a horrid moment, but for the most part he is able to showcase his talent well enough to assure me he HAS talent and keeps me coming back for more. He improves with time and pleasantly surprises me. His voice can actually be…beautiful. I mean, tears came to my eyes the first time I heard THE FINAL…that's good screamo-beauty stuff. I'm just using him as an example that tastes can change with enough exposure….though it did take over two years for me to warm up to DeG….and of course it was a little easier since they're not country…or jazz…
The inbetweens:
1) Kiyoharu kills me. Because he writes good rock music (SADS & Kuroyume included) but that voice… can be so icky. Luckily I can listen through a whole album of either band and feel like I didn't waste my time. But I certainly couldn't (yet) go to a solo concert setting, I might put a gun barrel in my mouth by song #2. He'll win me over, honest.
2) Antique Cafe… I really like their music. The vocalist isn't terribly awful, and I do hear some improvement. There is hope I *might* be able to make it through a short concert though I'm not a visual kei fan. But, like many visual kei singers so often do, theirs sings out his nose and forces the "warble"… I can't stand a forced warble let alone a nasally one. Kiyoharu does it, Gackt does it sometimes, Takuma often does it in wyse as does their lead singer Kenichi (though he doesn't do it *too* much, and his voice is great in other ways) and even the one and only Atsushi Sakurai can get away with a forced warble once in awhile…but of course his voice is good *and* pretty…
3) hideki …he composes pretty well. That's why I have all his solo stuff and most of SIAM SHADE's &
AciD's too… but DAYUM he forces that geedee warble pretty often. Somehow he gets away with being on my playlists…
4) Ah, 雅-miyavi-. I do like the majority of his music I guess, I think his style's unique and his guitar skills are pretty dang splendid. But that voice! Yikes, I'd rather hear my tarantula molt. (Yes, that means silence.) His songs are still listenable for the most part…. for all the good guitar stuff…yeah… ^_~
5) T.M.REVOLUTION is (was) a part of the DA FAMILY and I love his music because it is (was) written by 浅倉大介 and… yeah. His voice ain't that great. In some songs he's awesome, but in others that forced warble totally grates on my last nerve. I can only listen to about three songs in a row before I chew my lip right off. But kudos to him for making Laruku ken jealous… and if you get that in-joke then kudos to you too.
The disappointments:
1) Ruki from Gazette. I guess I'm a sucker for "pretty" voices…and his voice just ain't. He has one of the worst voices I've ever heard, to be honest. I tried to like Gazette, I really did. I'm not totally giving up, but I'm also not giving them anymore of my hard drive space for awhile…
2) 175R… unlike RIP SLYME or Dragon Ash, who has the golden-voiced KJ, I just can't fathom becoming a 175R fan because I just can't take the voice. I listen to 僕の声 because it's on a Shakalabbits album, but…otherwise…
3) Deadman is so anti-consistent. One good song here, one bad song there. Some songs he sounds actually okay, and on others it's like…whoa. Stop. For the love of God.
4) Due le quartz only has 雅-miyavi- to brag about. Because their singer sure was awful. I actually have
their entire discography from back when I actually thought 雅-miyavi- was tolerable. Another misfortune since the other band members sounded fine–which means they had more potential without that vocalist! >__<;
I'd say these people's voices are all pretty consistently good/beautiful/entertaining/etc: Bono, HYDE, Takayuki from Waive, Ryuichi Kawamura from LUNA SEA & Tourbillon, UKI from Shakalabbits, & most definitely TAKUI, probably the best voice in the Japanese industry in regards to consistent overwhelming live performances year after year. He's an angel!
BUT! Nothing is really black or white. I guess I'm a tad hypocritical because there are plenty of voices I love that have maybe 10% warble and aren't pretty at all. Like David Byrne. I absolutely adore that man & his weird voice. Or Michihiro Kuroda from ICEMAN… not very warbly but still "eeeeeee!" And most of the J-punk artists… good voices with little warble but pure unannoying spunk. Luv <3