The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers -190 to 181

Now we continue on the list which was inspired by my need to right the wrongs of Rolling Stone Magazines Top 200 Singers list, which included pop artists with no singing skills beyond Autotune and a lack of metal and rock singers. So, I took on the ambitious task of making my own.  As a singer myself, I key in on vocals first and foremost when listening to songs. In making this list I not only judged them according to their technical vocal ability when it comes to things like range and power, but also other dynamics brought to the table regarding phrasing and the character of their voice. Other important factors include their ability to emote from different places and how well their voice holds up on stage. If you are just making magic in the studio alone, then you might not fare so well on this list. Things like lyrical content and the instruments they play do not factor in as these ranking are based on vocal merit alone. How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers. The same can be said of song writers which is why most Bob Dylan songs sound better covered by someone else. Needless to say, ole Robert Zimmerman is not making the cut. 

Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am also not keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these have to be doing their own thing, though a couple are basically tribute acts to other artists but still make enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors sometimes trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey or that they have listened to their vocal coach too much rather than developing their own style, then that is something that is also not going to fly.

 With that said do not expect to see a great deal of technically proficient power and progressive metal singers on here, so it cannot be said I am giving metal more of a priority, though there are some singers who might be otherwise ignored by mainstream media.  By the time we get to the top 10 I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.

 190- Aaron Stainthrope 

The My Dying Bride vocalist brings a gothic croon to the band's depressive doom metal. he matches the despair in his vocal delivery while delivering an impassioned croon that borders on a whine at times. 

189- Matt Berninger 

The National's singer has a warm resonance to his baritone that still makes you think he might need to be on meds.

    

188-Rob Crow

While I am not judging by songwriting, one of the Pinback singer's strengths in how his uses his voice is where he puts amid their herky jerky riffs.  He uses his voice like an instrument which goes a long way with me.

   

 

187- Marc Bolan

There is no need to have Billy Corgan on the list when we have this guy. The T- Rex singer has an androgynous voice that was admired by many who placed much higher on the list. 

 

 186-Joey Ramone 

By the 80s the Ramones songwriting became more nuanced, and it allowed Joey to show that he could actually sing.

 

 

 

185-Andrew Eldritch 

 Not the widest range, but the Sisters of Mercy vocal possessed a very distinct voice that goth singers to come would try to mimic for decades to come.

   

184-Gary Numan 

This man has a very unique voice that fits his music and has aged incredibly well.

   

183-Adam Granduciel 

 The lead singer of the War on Drugs is another singer who might not have the widest range, but his mellow voice glides perfectly of the mood his band creates. It has a calming effect on me.

 

182- Ken Andrews 

Failure's vocalist has the kind of smooth croon that gracefully offsets the crunch of their space age sonics. I always imagine him being high as hell when he is singing. 

 

 

 181-Dave Pirner

The Soul Asylum singer had a more honest angst to his voice than the bulk of the 90s alt rock radio fodder that would follow his example.

 

Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach : A Tribute to Nirvana

It's Record Store Day, since I haven't bought a physical album in 5 years, I'll at least review one that the few thousand of so of you who do might be thinking about purchasing. This is third and final Nirvana tribute from Robotic Empire takes on the debut album "Bleach" which was Nirvana's heaviest and darkest. Thou takes a blackened stab at "Floyd the Barber" which was the first Nirvana song I ever heard. The vocals are really the only change here as it's hard to make this one any heavier than it already was. Grind-coring it out would have not been a wise choice as it would have ruined the song's initial intentions. Philly rockers Beach Slang, do "About a Girl" justice, but it sounds like the Foo-Fighters covering it do to the singer's vocal range/inflections.

Boston's Basement rocks out a convincing version of  "School", one thing about album's like these I like is it gives you the chance to check out some bands that you might not have heard otherwise. One of the more mainstream band's on here is Circa Survive who cover "Love Buzz" . My band in high school also covered this song so it has a soft spot in my black heart. I think at 16 I prolly sang it in a similar tenor. Musically they ape this one almost too close for me to hear them as a band, though their emo Yes thing is toned down here and haven't listened to this band in about a decade. This Will Destroy You are not really an underground band any more, though the are closer to being than than post- My Space Circa Survive. They wised up an didn't try to make this just an instrumental or get too post- rock with it. The vocal sound like they weren't mic'ed but picked up on one of the drum mics as they recorded it. They come too close to being too hip for their own good here, but it all manages to work out at the end of the seven minutes.

Young Widows , who I have confused with True Widow more than once throw their instruments into "Negative Creep" and come across like Sonic Youth making some kind of drunken joke. The fun and games doesn't end their as Mean Jeans goes a smirking rendition of "Scoff". I suppose the irony in them scoffing at the song should not be lost.  Rob Crow from Pinback of course kills "Swap Meet".  Last year Crow said that he was quitting music so I guess not and can begin this is the gateway drug to another Pinback record. One band I'll gladly sacrifice in order to retain Rob Crow is Fall of Troy who covers "Mr Moustache". They have the right energy for this, but don't really bring much personality to the table. Speaking of energy there is a deficit of that in Big Hush's take on "Sifting" . Daughters come back and redeem this album with their on point version of "Big Cheese", which hits the right balance between being true to themselves and capturing the song. The Saddest Landscapes is more of themselves and less like Nirvana on "Downer'. Overall this album hits more than it misses, though some of these flubs I wouldn't want to listen to more than once, But I'll give this an 8.5 .


10.8
 

Live Review : Pinback@Terminal West

The one word to sum up a Pinback show is... fun. The San Diego duo has a passionate fan base, that connects with the live performance in a passionate manner similar to audiences at jam band show. In fact there is some cross over with the Phish crowd. While the main liberties the band take with the songs live tends to be their energy speeds up the more driving songs, rather than extend them into sprawling wanderings to get lost in noodling. Not that they are short on the chops as bassist Zach Smith  has an extremely dexterous style of playing, make him arguably rocks most under rated bass player. Live you are reminded just how much he holds down the ship allowing Rob Crow's weird vocalizations room to play. it would be easy to try to just dismiss the band as math rock, but the angular nature of what they do is balance out by melody that is often more brooding than Minus the Bear.

Speaking of Crow, he was slimmed down and look much healthier than the last time they swung though a little under a year ago.He switched from beer to drinking Jameson, which might factor in and his voice was stronger than when they played Terminal West last November. This set list was much heavier on their newest album "Information Retrieved". The audience seemed much more familiar with the selections from this album as it's had almost a year to sink in , though some of the most frantic response came from the songs from the first three albums. Toward the latter half of the set there was a cluster of songs from "Summer in Abaddon" that took the dancing to a more feverish pace.  

In recent memory the only show I have been to that have illicited such a joyous response , was Morrissey who is notorious for having a worshipful cult of followers, Pinback aren't putting themselves on  the same platform to be adorned. They have a very down to earth stage presence and seem very gracious towards their fans. Crow took his breakdance breakdown earlier in the set, dropping to the floor to perform the worm. He then climbed down from the stage to lead a sing a-long, which had him surrounded in a circle of camera phones.  

Pinback @Terminal West

Terminal West continues to feel like the Bronze , the club from Buffy the Vampire slayer an it will carry that association for me until more punk or metal shows come through  and add a dirty element. the openers Solos were no Dingoes Ate My Baby, surprising because considering how competitive the touring market in California is you tend to have high expectations, but regardless Pinback repped the west coast well. It was a weird crowd for them either forty year olds or kids who looked like they were in high school with not a big margin in the middle. It seemed like a more Cobb county crowd as well, not a lot in the way of the tattooed and mustached east atlanta crowd .

the thing about Pinback is they cover such a broad landscape of musical feeling that I did not really notice they arranged the set set list In a manner that best allowed themselves to warm up into their set and fire at all cylinders by three songs in. I thought they were just making an interesting choice of opening with a more subdued approach.

I'm not sure why I didn't see the lack of floor monitors and think too myself " Oh they are going to be using in ear monitors and this isn't a metal sow so in this venue the stage volume is going to be more subdued than I'm use to so maybe to get the fuller spectrum of sound I shouldnt just camp out in front  of the stage like I'm in high school" but no I did  and was standing in front of or slightly to the left of Zach Smith so I got a more bass in my face mix and largely could not hear Rob Crow's guitar parts  though he seems to be a rare quiet guitarist and his vocals became more pronounced as the set went on. Though this was not a gig killer Becuase anyone  who has ever considered themselves to be a bass player need to see Zach Smith in action and reassess that. Though in all fairness Smith approaches the instrument in a more chordal fashion as a guitar playing would though he can pull off Geddy Lee like single note accents.Once they really hit their stride past the midway point and Rob Crow had put away a few more New Castles, Smith's playing became  the glue which at one point escalated into Crow busting a move and break dancing his way into a full on  stage bumping worm  amd running out into the crowd , too not really mosh but defiantly engage and the way he was bobbing his head to the Misfits playing over the p.a before they went on I am sure he has a punk rock past. 

Performance wise they were pretty flawless and a lot of fun, But from myvantage point the video screen behind the drums was partially obscured and the Previously mentioned lack of floor monitors made Crow's part lower in the mix than preferred, yet it don't take wha from my enjoy,ent of the performance and they can be filed as highly recommended to fans of math or indie rock,yet I think anyone who enjoys excellent musicianship can appreciate what they do in this setting. 

Pinback: Information Retrieved

So these guys might be slight left field to what I normally cover on here but it's my party I can math rock if I want to. To Pinback's credit their musicianship alone should appeal to fans of prog in either rock or metal form and their most recent album has taken on a darker and more serious turn, thus it might make a better entry point for those of you whom their earlier work might have held to bouncy of an indie rock jangle.

The traits which has put Pinback head and shoulders over the hipster indie rock they are often lumped in with are not only still present but have been perfected upon. The fluid guitar playing is even more seamless and fluid in its interplay with the vocals.

No time is wasted establishing the moodier tone as the opener, "Proceed to Memory" simmers with a more introspective melody that glides over the syncopation. The song builds in rising layers.

The duo displays one of strengths of their close to faultless songwriting in articulate pattern the guitar and bass intertwine spotlighted from the beginning of "Glide" modulate in almost Fugazi like punches with the melodies dripping I between the cracks.

One stylistic change for the band is the inclusion of much more piano that begins to take the stage on "Drawstring" where I also noticed a somewhat of a theme developing in the lyrics of man vs technology and very drab social commentary taking form.

The more care free rolling melodies heard in their previous work in he sing song chant of "is there another side of your story/ is there something else you're not telling me" in "Sherman" (see video below)

This is the first album where I can recall being able to pick out the bands influences which are still not worn on their sleeves but the post chorus like bridge from "His Phase" reminds me post-Farewell to Kings era Rush, as the chord progress tighten around the drums. The piano in "Diminished" recalls some of Tears for Fears more reflective moments at times and Dark side of moon Floyd. I have always heard shades of the Police in the band and here they are of the more "Tea in Sahara" variety, but in the hands of this duo's songwriting magic they are well veiled to even to much scrutiny.

The dreamy elf like weaving of the vocals at the beginning of "True North" is counterbalanced well against the drifting shift of guitar chords set against piano and the appearence of strings. the vocals constrict into an interesting pattern around the swell of the song.

" a request " is a return to the bands earlier sound, but even here it's not like they are returning slavishly to all too familiar sounds or creating any sort of redundancy. They continue to uphold their legacy with the type of artistic integrity most bands of this ilk should be envious of. The production while a fraction or two slicker than "Autumn of the Seraph" gives ample space and preserves their sound rather than detracting from it with an abuse of effects or wizardy.

When the guitar of "Winslow , you idiot" takes a turn into a more straightforward rock direction than what typically is thought of in relation to the band they turn round and do something different in the verse. The piano often takes a more typical rock approach when it sees center stage rather than just providing color from the wings, but when this occurs the vocals steer clear of going the more obvious routes, though I'm surprised at how prominent role they take on a song like "sediment" , which by no means turns them into the Fray , but flirts with teen sitcom soundtrack in its dramatic build.

In the initial listens I would go ahead and give this album a ten as I think it builds upon the bands strengths and it's tone is more all purpose for my normally borderline depressed mood, where as earlier albums were more happy music for me , not that this album is glum, I think the more ultra realism found in the lyrical world view of the album contributes to this or maybe these guys had their insurence run out and are no longer medicated thus the Leap of maturity away from the rolling bounce of their other albums. If you have an appreciation for math, indie or modern non- dream theater progressive rock then this is worth your while, if already a fan of the band like myself then it sits as another classic.