@allenf1963 Thank you.
I just bought the Reality Dream tour on DVD tonight.
Where are the front men? (Rant)
I've been in a slump for a while trying to find new music. I use Qobuz and it does an abysmal job of suggesting music for me. So I browse their playlists.
Today I ran through their "Ones to Watch in 2025", mostly in the pop, rock, indie, Americana, R&B and soul categories. Probably listened to 50 or 60 songs....or parts of them.
I noticed across all the genres mentioned above that there was the absolute lack of male singers with good or interesting voices. This was for two reasons. The first is that the male singers I heard weren't interesting. The second is that of those 50-60 songs I'd say at least 75% had female lead singers.
I have nothing against female singers but amongst the ones I listened to most of them sounded identical. Its this sort of breathless, emo sounding, slightly slurred, slightly little girl inflection often with a touch of L.A. or Detroit ghetto affectation. Song after song after song across all those genres. (Jazz seems to be spared from this blight).
I don't know who started this trend among female singers. Courtney Burnett (who I find entertaining at times) maybe? Hannah Reid of London Grammar (not as bad as most of these but still)? Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) further back? I don't mind a smattering of it but it seems like its all you can hear from female vocalists these days.
So where are the front men? Where are the guys with big voices, great range and dynamics? Charisma, swagger, stage presence? A thing of the past maybe?
Showing 5 responses by sls883
Most of the music that I’ve been listening to has female vocalists. One exception is the group Riverside. It’s progressive rock, so if you don’t like that genre, you may not appreciate it. Qobuz has the album Riverside 20 - Vol.1, The Shorts. Songs from several of their albums. I like the entire album, but try "We Got Used to Us" first. I have one of their concerts on DVD and the singer sounds excellent live. Not one of those dudes that’s been doctored up in the studio. He also plays bass guitar. If you want something more upbeat, play Friend or Foe on their ID.Entity album. Listen to the entire song. Some really cool guitar. Needs to be cranked a bit... |
@allenf1963 Thank you for the background on Riverside. I knew a little bit of it, but much was new. I have most of their recordings on cd, but not all.. I'll look into the ones that I don't. I have the Lost and Found dvd of their live performance in Tilburg. I really had a greater appreciation for the band after watching that concert. I do listen to Lunatic Soul as well. I listen to Porcupine Tree and Pineapple Thief. I'll look into the others. I'm also a big RPWL fan. I've recently been listening to Blind Ego as well.
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@allenf1963 I just took an inventory. I have all of their cds, one EP, and a couple of videos. |
@allenf1963 thanks for the additional information. I have the Reality Dream tour and Wasteland tour ordered. I found Reality Dream in the U.S. but Wasteland is coming from Poland. |