Today is Festival of Smoke and Mirrors Day. The term means that something is not as it appears to be. So I was thinking about how to form that into a blog post and I started doing some digging. I quickly found out that the new Lifehouse CD is called Smoke and Mirrors and actually has a track with the same title. I did a little bit of reading about the development of the CD and then set about to listen to the song. I got almost through the first verse when I stopped. I realized that I couldn't do a blog post on a Lifehouse song, because then I would have to listen to a Lifehouse song.
I don't mean to sound bitchy or petty. I'm sure they are a great band a lot of people like them, hell - love them, they just aren't for me. You see I've got this quirk. If I don't like your voice, I can't listen. It's as simple as that. Even if it's a great band or a great song. If your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me, I'm out. Sorry Jason Wade. You just sound like you are singing through a throat full of razors to me. Pained and strained man. So alas, as I meant to celebrate the Smoke and Mirrors festival, something else entirely different came up.
Who is the singer that you can't stand to listen to no matter how great the song? I can't say that Lifehouse is my number 1 as that spot has been taken for the last several years by Chad Kroeger from Nickelback. (This would normally be linked to a Nickelback song, but then I'd have to hit myself). I physically want to beat up my radio when their songs come on, so it's not much competition for anyone else. What about you?
You've just given me an idea for a list: great songwriters that sabotage their songs by singing. We're talking Bob Dylan (c'mon Bob, let Bryan Ferry do the singing), Alain Souchon in France, Van Morrison, The Cure, The Guillemots, Radiohead (I still prefer the reggae versions of their stuff done by the Easystar Allstars called "Radiodread")...
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I can't wait to see what you come up with.
ReplyDeleteSome might add Leonard Cohen to the list but he's my songwriting god, so I have a very high tolerance for his voice. And in fact have come to find it soothing and sort of hypnotic. :) Mind you others have done great covers of his work, as we know.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder why awful male voices seem tolerated far more than awful female ones. I mean, can you even THINK of a female equivalent to Tom Waits or Bob Dylan?? Nope...they'd never have made it past the demo stage. A little sexism going on, me thinks?!
Huh...I never thought about that before. You are right though. They also wouldn't have gotten that far if they had the same looks too :-)
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