I think the first time I heard an LGV (little girl voice) song was in the Scandi-Noir series Wallander
And then in just about every other Scandinavian crime drama made since then! Although I do actually think these are quite good!
There's nothing really wrong with the style, or the intent....if it's executed well, and has some sort of personality or memorable twist to it. The problem is, too many artists automatically assume that stripping the sound down to them and an acosutic backdrop, while delivering the song with an unaffected affectation is all that's needed. Same for those who believe that kind of music is somehow more authentic than others. Authenticity did for popular music in the 90s. Everything was going quite well until then. EG.
Interesting take. How did you react to Aurora's cover of "Half The World Away", from two years later?
This has really been bugging me for well over a decade and is one of the main reasons I simply don't bother much with new music. Like Steve, the earliest popular example I could ever think of was Rickie Lee Jones, but at the time at least it seemed "individual" because every other singer-songwriter in the 70s had their own voice . In the late 80s/early 90s indie scene there were quite a few more with the breathy, occasionally slightly strangulated style, like the Sugarcubes, Sundays, Cardigans etc., then Cat Power, although still there was a (dwindling) sense of individuality and authenticity. Then by this century that indie style coupled with a Billie Holiday tinge had become the generic female vocal - the likes of Norah jones, Amy Winehouse (although maybe Amy gets a pass because at least she was instantly recognisable), with the trend exacerbated by TV talent shows in which it was enough to sound like a pop star, rather than have any real soul in your singing. Now with every other TV ad and nearly every busker, you hear this same vocal.
Bit of an unusual thread for this forum in that I can hardly bring myself to click on any of the youtube vids!
Grinding all new music to a halt in 1975 would have solved so much Hoffmanite despair. Edit: with the exception of McCartney, naturally.
They sound like Conner Oberst on estrogen. I don’t know where it’s coming from but some of them are OK others are too mannered and self-conscious for my tastes. I applaud them for writing original tunes and performing them without a lot of technological trickery and effects.
Not exactly my cup of tea. But...sounds fine to me. A little variety here and there. A little personality. It's all fine. You're supposed to stamp your own identity into what you do. Some of it will connect with me. Some of it won't. Would it really be better if there wasn't a stylistic choice at the vocal buffet?
Much of the annoyance is precisely that it is generic. Folk singers in the past, listen to Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee, Judy Collins, Bonnie Dobson, sound anything but typical.
It's not a neutral stylistic choice. Singers can choose to be affected and audiences can choose to make fun of it. I don't want to stamp it out. But without criticism they won't get better.
Get off my lawn! Though it’s true it can be annoying and generic, lots of great artists/singers that many here love have either contributed to the style or are now carrying its torch. This is a funny clip that perfectly sums up the style: https://twitter.com/mistachrish/status/559871309078102016?s=21 And this article takes on the recent history of Indie Voice. The author actually put a lot of thought into dissecting it: Ace Linguist: Dialect Dissection: Indie Girl Voice
Its not the style per se that bothers me, its the unoriginality of (seemingly) so many artists that appear to ape it. And yes it permeates TV advertising and quickly becomes irksome. But if you're into it, knock yourselves out. Its nothing I have any interest in listening to, however.
I just thought this is how Lana Del Rey sings & I'm not a fan; never thought of it as a thing & don't agree w/many of the other selections. Maybe my ears aren't as discerning, or I am merely fully engaged when I listen & not picking apart & dissecting. I listen to Norah Jones, Ricki Lee Jones, Regina Spektor & Cocteau Twins & never would have thought to bundle them all together nor seque from 1 to another. I think maybe Hope Sandoval, who I also listen to occasionally (& also don't seque in w/the others' above) might be mentioned in this, as well, if it's mainly whispery, breathy, little-girl voiced vocals. I think she belongs more than some of others posted & if that is the criteria, I think she owns it; but the "originator" might be Francois Hardy &/or Brigitte Bardot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulq_jb7MhT0 - Francois Hardy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LgQcslGtbQ - Brigitte Bardot
It's not just that. In the example posted by the thread originator, the singer was so blatantly out of tune in multiple spots that it was just intolerable.
