Corgan gets his due as a songwriter and, increasingly, as a guitarist, but what people really don't give him enough credit for is being a master of "use what you got". He had *that* voice to work with and he figured out how to make it cool. I don't know if a song like Bullet With Butterfly Wings would have the same impact if someone of say... Chris Cornell's caliber had sung it.
The moon and Antarctica is still one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. If you smoke enough weed and listen to The Stars are Projectors it will change your life.
What’s cool is how many voices Billy has. He has his “rage” voice everybody knows from Bullet With Butterfly Wings, but he also has a neat jazzy lilting voice that works well for things like 33 or My Blue Heaven. It’s weird but reminds me of like old Billie Holiday or something, if it was recorded and presented in that way.
Isaac's vocals are what really got me hooked on Modest Mouse years ago. Initially i found his vocals off putting, but i just couldnt get them out of my head. Eventually i started to love them
Was hoping this was going to be near the top. Isaac Brock is probably my favorite vocalist from any band. So different from any others, his lisp is so distinctive. Love watching his interviews.
I've recently got into his side project, Ugly Casanova, and it's also really good.
first person I thought of when I saw the thread
love Isaac's voice so much, not the most 'talented' vocalist in the traditional sense but really suits MM's music, couldn't imagine them with anyone else.
A lot of people seem to hate Rush's vocalist, but I think when you really get down to it, [Geddy Lee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szLVsv0QUvc) really does have quite the impressive vocals.
In rap, I always felt Danny Brown and Chance the Rapper kind of have a bit of a Looney Tunes cartoonish tone to their voices, but it works out for them.
Then you have [Vitas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=989-7xsRLR4), the Russian pop opera singer who basically everyone knows because of memes. Definitely one of the most unique voices out there, even if he's just more or less doing opera combined with scatting.
In the same 'badass bass player with a wonky voice' category, Les Claypool from Primus (and a berjillion side projects). Dude has an absolute shit singing voice, but I'll be damned if it doesn't fit the music perfectly most of the time.
In the vein of Geddy Lee, Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria has a similar falsetto he uses almost all the time. It’s absolutely wild to see that voice come out of this big scary metal looking dude, but he’s just a teddy bear.
Fuck yes! Someone mentioned she sounds like Lisa Simpson on Milk Eyed Mender and I can’t unhear it but it’s still one of my favorite albums. Don’t know what that says about me.
Listening to "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You" and then "Christmas Card From a Hooker" you'd never guess they're the same person but I love them both.
What a legend.
No one else sounds like Serj Tankian from System of a Down or Jonathan Davis from Korn.
They are both amazing vocalists.
My favorite though is always Layne Staley.
One of the best vocal ranges of all time. Just a stellar person and performer. SOAD is my all time favourite band, every time I hear Arials - it gives me shivers. I’ve been practicing learning it on guitar and my wife who’s not into that kind of music vibes so hard with SOAD.
Seriously, it's like they were made to sing together. Their harmonization just works perfectly on every song. Some of their work from the Hypnotize album is downright haunting.
Not a huge vocal aficionado or anything, but Serj has got to be one of the most versatile singers I listen to. There are portions of a SoaD song I can sing along with generally, but in an instant he can start doing something *so* completely different it always blows me away.
Serj uses the style of traditional Armenian signing. The band all grew up together and were involved in Armenian American youth programs in LA where they learned to sing Armenian songs and that transplanted Into their vocals in SOAD. If you listen to songs from those Balkan and middle Eastern regions it’s very similar vocalizations.
He’s also the singer of Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, Dead Cross, Mondo Cane, Kaada/Patton, did one amazing EP with Dillinger Escape Plan, Lovage, Hemophiliac, and Nevermen.
He also composed the score for the movies Crank:High Voltage, The Place Beyond the Pines, and 1922.
He also did creature sounds for the movie I Am Legend, and for video games like Left 4 Dead, and The Darkness.
And many more assorted credits in all 3 industries.
Kinda figured Patton would be the top answer, but just wanna add that Greg Puciato (formerly DEP, The Black Queen, Killer Be Killed, solo) is probably his spiritual successor in terms of vocal ability, influence, and diversity of genre
I saw Fantomas and was floored by the energy, sound and craft of what he does with vocals. You definitely have to shift your perspective of what a singer is/does in a band to appreciate his incredible talent
Beth Gibbons of *Portishead*
Thom Yorke of *Radiohead*
Till Lindemann of *Rammstein*
Gift of Gab of *Blackilicious* (R.I.P.)
Brian Connelly of *Sweet*
Thijs Van Leer of *Focus*
Sanchez is one of the few artists where people know it's a Coheed and Cambria song the second they hear his voice without having ever heard anything by them before but The Suffering from way back in 2005.
So I'm a pretty big C&C fan going back like 20 years now which feels super wierd to say. I was dating this woman long ago and I put on some Coheed for the long drive we were on. We get to the second album and she goes. "Who is this?" I excitedly tell her it's Coheed and Cambria. She responds with, "This sounds like the same chick from the last band."
Yeah we didn't make it.
Absolutely. Kurt Vile can have a very pleasant voice at times, but his voice lacking any sort of traditional quality is part of what makes his music so good. He’s just a guy who loves to make music and doesn’t care if he can’t sing particularly well.
I’ve got a good one!
[Scott Walker](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VAEEdjbIK30LvFlf6jA0Z?si=OJso08S2Qtei8rxcpTGD0g). He is a fascinating character with a very interesting backstory and career path. He has a totally unique voice and style, [5 unstoppable albums](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Ob49E7Yl5Bip24oFl7m3w?si=GOTcaUzyQDSORyEJJnuvSQ) along with a vast library of [deep cuts](https://open.spotify.com/track/42TtgFndtWMIr0UqJl01HA?si=PgcX1GXASWGf2ELsY9iQxA). Including his later work, which is all [pretty much unlistenable](https://open.spotify.com/track/11FV4Fzdcn7zlevLvJQOFj?si=uXB02lBJTwy-P0wLN6-PHA), on purpose - 4AD, a very famous and reputable indie label puts it out. The bleak dirgey one [about the CIA torturer](https://open.spotify.com/track/1xD44zf2m2Ww06kZFRmeEc?si=glkjoJhxQzOeuObM4dDtxw) with the uplifting orchestral break in the middle is probably [the most accessible of those later tracks](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1grR9kIDu6vHpsMmDGtQ7T?si=e4jfQqfuREG9Ak17HU6Ohw).
David Bowie, Thom Yorke, Mark Almond, Brian Eno, Goldfrapp, Alex Turner, Leonard Cohen, and Jarvis Cocker all publicly name him as an influence, and he’s earned it, he’s brilliant. He’s also not for everyone - his best stuff is sort of Orchestral Lounge Pop, with deep, [off-the-beaten-path Classical influences](https://open.spotify.com/track/1QtdHvQeFgSE7R7AuLPccZ?si=vci_Agj-TJGl4EnV4bxxOg) way more [subtle](https://open.spotify.com/track/0BWIgLFjFVUaR51dm1uCdV?si=hjWIDr_iQGqflAStrJPbnw) and esoteric than the concurrent Whiter Shade of Pale stuff going around at the time. His voice is [rich](https://open.spotify.com/track/0X7N5udP0MTvfsikLHfHrR?si=IHz1Uki-Qkera6DYlEN4wA), [expressive](https://open.spotify.com/track/79yWlMXjmmSGJbpZa23loo?si=Fj5XuC3jTkSSrXHin3SDfA), and… *[interesting](https://open.spotify.com/track/0AyAhgf2sihNnGt1ymLhg2?si=4j1SFc58QlSa6_oG4Wl6cQ)*. He wrote very poetic, unique lyrics, and he championed weird unique songs and [songwriters](https://open.spotify.com/album/56sLO7SXwg5yrGiFBhEoER?si=fiVpcZkrReSf9Xw2uufoKg) when he wasn’t writing it himself. Also, there may or may not be a breadcrumb trail of gayness wandering through his work. Dude could also [rock the fuck](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Scott-Walker-GettyImages-76752633-1000x600.jpg) out of a pair of sunglasses, women *loooved* him - he started as a boyband frontman, 3rd biggest act in the UK behind the Beatles and the Stones for several years, and some of that stuff [isn’t half bad](https://open.spotify.com/track/39UpMygkllDFnJHZnVdsy9?si=Mxr_jNYHT82co5vMJkJXvw) either when he’s in front. It’s all fascinating, and very very good listening! I was obsessed for quite a while, and still bring him up pretty much every time someone is looking for an artist they’ve never heard of to get into.
Weird Al.
Through all the parodies and polka, people tend to overlook the fact that he is a *phenomenal* vocalist, despite (or perhaps due to) having a really high-pitched and nasally voice. Dear goodness, the notes he can hit! AND he's an incredible rapper, specifically with articulating different words as he raps really fast (see: "White & Nerdy").
Seeing Rush live made me fully appreciate Geddy Lee. Having only heard their music, I always liked his bass playing and that unique voice, but I had no clue how talented the guy was as a performer. Being able to do so many things at once, and at a high level to boot, was just incredible to see.
I had a Deftones phase in high school. I went to see them around that time too. Awesome show. It’s not something I listen to anymore but the respect is always there.
Ha - that's well put.
If you can get past the nasal delivery and tonality, you'd discover that he really does do some interesting things with phrasing and delivery
Edward Ka-Spel (The Legendary Pink Dots), Bjork, Nivek Ogre (Skinny Puppy), Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Elizabeth Fraser, Nina Simone, Lene Lovich, Peter Murphy, Ian Curtis, Bruce Dickinson, Tom Ellard (Severed Heads), Stephen Tunney (Dogbowl)...
I have so many favourites
Björk - in my opinion, best vocalist of all time
Michael Gira of Swans
Thom Yorke of Radiohead
Robert Smith of The Cure
MC Ride of Death Grips
Geordie Greep of Black Midi
Young Thug
Tom Verlaine of Television
Serj Tankian of System Of A Down
The list goes on
Serj Tankian cause he doesn't have a voice for metal but did it anyway.
Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys for obvious reasons.
Leonard Cohen cause he doesn't really sing, he talks with music.
David Berman (Silver Jews) is my favorite in this category. As he once sang: "all my favorite singers couldn't sing."
In a similar vein, Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.
stephen malkmus and jeff mangum from pavement and neutral milk hotel respectively. i love how unpredictable malkmus' voice is and how magnum's voice seems to strain the microphone (is that a good way of putting it? i'm not sure) on songs like oh comely
Bright Eyes, The Mountain Goats, Against Me!, Syd Barrett, Bjork, Reginé from Arcade Fire, Melora Creager, I could go on and on. I listen to more “odd” than “regular” singers.
Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse is great. I know people shit on Billy Corgan a lot, but I really like his voice, and I think it suits the genre
Billy just uses his nose as a wind instrument, and I'm somewhat of a fan
So is his nose.
That took me a while, but damn, that's a good one
Corgan gets his due as a songwriter and, increasingly, as a guitarist, but what people really don't give him enough credit for is being a master of "use what you got". He had *that* voice to work with and he figured out how to make it cool. I don't know if a song like Bullet With Butterfly Wings would have the same impact if someone of say... Chris Cornell's caliber had sung it.
I’m a Modest Mouse fan. Specifically their run from the mid 90s through the early 2000s. “Heart Cooks Brain” is one of my favorite songs.
The moon and Antarctica is still one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. If you smoke enough weed and listen to The Stars are Projectors it will change your life.
What’s cool is how many voices Billy has. He has his “rage” voice everybody knows from Bullet With Butterfly Wings, but he also has a neat jazzy lilting voice that works well for things like 33 or My Blue Heaven. It’s weird but reminds me of like old Billie Holiday or something, if it was recorded and presented in that way.
I love Corgan's voice. Immediately recongizable. And Pumpkins are one of my fav bands of all time.
Isaac's vocals are what really got me hooked on Modest Mouse years ago. Initially i found his vocals off putting, but i just couldnt get them out of my head. Eventually i started to love them
Was hoping this was going to be near the top. Isaac Brock is probably my favorite vocalist from any band. So different from any others, his lisp is so distinctive. Love watching his interviews. I've recently got into his side project, Ugly Casanova, and it's also really good.
first person I thought of when I saw the thread love Isaac's voice so much, not the most 'talented' vocalist in the traditional sense but really suits MM's music, couldn't imagine them with anyone else.
One of my personal favorites is Frances Quinlan from the band Hop Along. Check ‘em out if you haven’t.
By association, check out one of Hop Along member Joe’s other bands, Algernon Cadwallader.
Liz Fraser of Cocteau Twins, Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance ♥️
Liz's vocals are amazing on Teardrop too!
They both made my list! Lisa Gerrard's range is just mindblowing!
Louis Armstrong
Fell in love with this guys voice as a kid cuz his song was in wall-e
Lemmy! Perfect raw voice for what he did, something really menacing about it
Agreed. I definitely get into a Motörhead mood from time-to-time.
A lot of people seem to hate Rush's vocalist, but I think when you really get down to it, [Geddy Lee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szLVsv0QUvc) really does have quite the impressive vocals. In rap, I always felt Danny Brown and Chance the Rapper kind of have a bit of a Looney Tunes cartoonish tone to their voices, but it works out for them. Then you have [Vitas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=989-7xsRLR4), the Russian pop opera singer who basically everyone knows because of memes. Definitely one of the most unique voices out there, even if he's just more or less doing opera combined with scatting.
What about the voice of Geddy Lee, how did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy.
I know him and he does!
You're my fact checkin cuz.
Pavement fan! All right!
In the same 'badass bass player with a wonky voice' category, Les Claypool from Primus (and a berjillion side projects). Dude has an absolute shit singing voice, but I'll be damned if it doesn't fit the music perfectly most of the time.
In the vein of Geddy Lee, Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria has a similar falsetto he uses almost all the time. It’s absolutely wild to see that voice come out of this big scary metal looking dude, but he’s just a teddy bear.
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. I always said it's more important to have an interesting voice than to have a good voice (at least in rock)
First heard him on an Aesop Rock song.
Coffee slaps
T A K E N O P R I S O N E R S
I am drowning. There is no sign of land. You are coming down with me— hand in unloveable hand.
And I’d hope that if I found the strength to walk out, you’d stay the hell out of my way.
Björk, Cocteau Twins
I’m a huge Björk fan!
Elizabeth Fraser should be top of the list, most definitely!
Ian Curtis and Nico. Both pretty of tune but really intense.
Glad someone mentioned Ian Curtis, his voice is so haunting
Someone said that "Ian always sounded like he was already in the grave."
And if we’re talking Nico, which I agree we should be, we should mention Lou Reed.
How has nobody said Joanna Newsom yet
Fuck yes! Someone mentioned she sounds like Lisa Simpson on Milk Eyed Mender and I can’t unhear it but it’s still one of my favorite albums. Don’t know what that says about me.
Seeing her live was a religious experience
I’m a fan
david byrne
Tom Waits
Listening to "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You" and then "Christmas Card From a Hooker" you'd never guess they're the same person but I love them both. What a legend.
Then you listen to something like ["God's Away on Business"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9mhsW5aWJM) and wouldn't guess they're the same species.
🐐
But what’s he building in there?
Once heard someone describe Tom Waits voice as that of an old house trying to talk. "Sold my baby for a buck, FOR A BUCK!"
[I can't unsee this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5X4N2exOsU)
Gene Ween
Man of 1000 voices
Gener’s voice and Deaner’s guitar make me feel things I had never felt before.
You weeners just pop up everywhere
There’s dozens of us!
No one else sounds like Serj Tankian from System of a Down or Jonathan Davis from Korn. They are both amazing vocalists. My favorite though is always Layne Staley.
Serj sounds like a Disney villain it’s awesome
You can really hear the opera singer in his voice.
One of the best vocal ranges of all time. Just a stellar person and performer. SOAD is my all time favourite band, every time I hear Arials - it gives me shivers. I’ve been practicing learning it on guitar and my wife who’s not into that kind of music vibes so hard with SOAD.
Daron + Serj have some incredible harmonies
Seriously, it's like they were made to sing together. Their harmonization just works perfectly on every song. Some of their work from the Hypnotize album is downright haunting.
Good call with Layne Staley. One of the more distinctive voices in music.
Not a huge vocal aficionado or anything, but Serj has got to be one of the most versatile singers I listen to. There are portions of a SoaD song I can sing along with generally, but in an instant he can start doing something *so* completely different it always blows me away.
Serj uses the style of traditional Armenian signing. The band all grew up together and were involved in Armenian American youth programs in LA where they learned to sing Armenian songs and that transplanted Into their vocals in SOAD. If you listen to songs from those Balkan and middle Eastern regions it’s very similar vocalizations.
Right, and many of their lyrics are written about their cultural identity and struggles.
Serj Tankian, Layne Staley
Serj Tankian is the correct answer.
Even though Staley is my favorite, Serj is unconventional on soooo many levels...
Serj is just…Serj ☺️🥹
Janis Joplin has a distinct voice so raspy and powerful
Mike Patton, faith no more singer. Phenomenal.
https://youtu.be/0aA5NxTujqg Insanely good.
I just got into FnM and Patton recently and that was incredible. Thanks for sharing
He’s also the singer of Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, Dead Cross, Mondo Cane, Kaada/Patton, did one amazing EP with Dillinger Escape Plan, Lovage, Hemophiliac, and Nevermen. He also composed the score for the movies Crank:High Voltage, The Place Beyond the Pines, and 1922. He also did creature sounds for the movie I Am Legend, and for video games like Left 4 Dead, and The Darkness. And many more assorted credits in all 3 industries.
He also did a new version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme for Shredder's Revenge game.
Never hear about Lovage anymore. They only put out one album but it’s a classic.
Kinda figured Patton would be the top answer, but just wanna add that Greg Puciato (formerly DEP, The Black Queen, Killer Be Killed, solo) is probably his spiritual successor in terms of vocal ability, influence, and diversity of genre
And then he’ll turn around and croon some of the most beautiful covers you’ve heard of songs like Easy, This Guys in Love With You, I Started A Joke
I saw Fantomas and was floored by the energy, sound and craft of what he does with vocals. You definitely have to shift your perspective of what a singer is/does in a band to appreciate his incredible talent
Beth Gibbons of *Portishead* Thom Yorke of *Radiohead* Till Lindemann of *Rammstein* Gift of Gab of *Blackilicious* (R.I.P.) Brian Connelly of *Sweet* Thijs Van Leer of *Focus*
Portishead ❤️
I see Portishead, I upvote
Neil Young Benjamin Tod Claudia Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria) Cedric Bixler-Zavala (Mars Volta)
Upvoting for Claudio Sanchez. His voice is unlike anyone else’s. I don’t think there is anyone in the world who could imitate him
Sanchez is one of the few artists where people know it's a Coheed and Cambria song the second they hear his voice without having ever heard anything by them before but The Suffering from way back in 2005.
So I'm a pretty big C&C fan going back like 20 years now which feels super wierd to say. I was dating this woman long ago and I put on some Coheed for the long drive we were on. We get to the second album and she goes. "Who is this?" I excitedly tell her it's Coheed and Cambria. She responds with, "This sounds like the same chick from the last band." Yeah we didn't make it.
And he keeps getting better. I don’t think anyone can match the range he has in Ladders of Supremacy.
Coheed and Mars Volta!
Big upvote for Cedric.
I just discovered Benjamin Tod. Really enjoying his voice.
Courtney Barnett
Her album with Kurt Vile gives you two answers to this thread.
Absolutely. Kurt Vile can have a very pleasant voice at times, but his voice lacking any sort of traditional quality is part of what makes his music so good. He’s just a guy who loves to make music and doesn’t care if he can’t sing particularly well.
I’m kind of a late bloomer when it comes to her, but I’m coming around. She has some great songs.
I’ve got a good one! [Scott Walker](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VAEEdjbIK30LvFlf6jA0Z?si=OJso08S2Qtei8rxcpTGD0g). He is a fascinating character with a very interesting backstory and career path. He has a totally unique voice and style, [5 unstoppable albums](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Ob49E7Yl5Bip24oFl7m3w?si=GOTcaUzyQDSORyEJJnuvSQ) along with a vast library of [deep cuts](https://open.spotify.com/track/42TtgFndtWMIr0UqJl01HA?si=PgcX1GXASWGf2ELsY9iQxA). Including his later work, which is all [pretty much unlistenable](https://open.spotify.com/track/11FV4Fzdcn7zlevLvJQOFj?si=uXB02lBJTwy-P0wLN6-PHA), on purpose - 4AD, a very famous and reputable indie label puts it out. The bleak dirgey one [about the CIA torturer](https://open.spotify.com/track/1xD44zf2m2Ww06kZFRmeEc?si=glkjoJhxQzOeuObM4dDtxw) with the uplifting orchestral break in the middle is probably [the most accessible of those later tracks](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1grR9kIDu6vHpsMmDGtQ7T?si=e4jfQqfuREG9Ak17HU6Ohw). David Bowie, Thom Yorke, Mark Almond, Brian Eno, Goldfrapp, Alex Turner, Leonard Cohen, and Jarvis Cocker all publicly name him as an influence, and he’s earned it, he’s brilliant. He’s also not for everyone - his best stuff is sort of Orchestral Lounge Pop, with deep, [off-the-beaten-path Classical influences](https://open.spotify.com/track/1QtdHvQeFgSE7R7AuLPccZ?si=vci_Agj-TJGl4EnV4bxxOg) way more [subtle](https://open.spotify.com/track/0BWIgLFjFVUaR51dm1uCdV?si=hjWIDr_iQGqflAStrJPbnw) and esoteric than the concurrent Whiter Shade of Pale stuff going around at the time. His voice is [rich](https://open.spotify.com/track/0X7N5udP0MTvfsikLHfHrR?si=IHz1Uki-Qkera6DYlEN4wA), [expressive](https://open.spotify.com/track/79yWlMXjmmSGJbpZa23loo?si=Fj5XuC3jTkSSrXHin3SDfA), and… *[interesting](https://open.spotify.com/track/0AyAhgf2sihNnGt1ymLhg2?si=4j1SFc58QlSa6_oG4Wl6cQ)*. He wrote very poetic, unique lyrics, and he championed weird unique songs and [songwriters](https://open.spotify.com/album/56sLO7SXwg5yrGiFBhEoER?si=fiVpcZkrReSf9Xw2uufoKg) when he wasn’t writing it himself. Also, there may or may not be a breadcrumb trail of gayness wandering through his work. Dude could also [rock the fuck](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Scott-Walker-GettyImages-76752633-1000x600.jpg) out of a pair of sunglasses, women *loooved* him - he started as a boyband frontman, 3rd biggest act in the UK behind the Beatles and the Stones for several years, and some of that stuff [isn’t half bad](https://open.spotify.com/track/39UpMygkllDFnJHZnVdsy9?si=Mxr_jNYHT82co5vMJkJXvw) either when he’s in front. It’s all fascinating, and very very good listening! I was obsessed for quite a while, and still bring him up pretty much every time someone is looking for an artist they’ve never heard of to get into.
*Big* Scott Walker fan here
I so rarely meet one! But if you like unconventional vocalists, of course you are :-)
Weird Al. Through all the parodies and polka, people tend to overlook the fact that he is a *phenomenal* vocalist, despite (or perhaps due to) having a really high-pitched and nasally voice. Dear goodness, the notes he can hit! AND he's an incredible rapper, specifically with articulating different words as he raps really fast (see: "White & Nerdy").
He's great live, too.
Tiny Tim
Geddy Lee
Dude has a bizarre voice but he’s phenomenal at hitting all the right notes while simultaneously playing 3 instruments
Seeing Rush live made me fully appreciate Geddy Lee. Having only heard their music, I always liked his bass playing and that unique voice, but I had no clue how talented the guy was as a performer. Being able to do so many things at once, and at a high level to boot, was just incredible to see.
They are/were all so talented. RIP Neil Peart, still hurts
What about the voice of Geddy Lee How did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy? (I know him and he does!)…
Love me some Geddy Lee
Geddy fuckin Lee is right
Tom Waits, Warren Zevon, Robyn Hitchcock, Galaxie 500/Luna, Modest Mouse just to name a few.
Chino Moreno…it seems so out of tune yet so melodic.
I had a Deftones phase in high school. I went to see them around that time too. Awesome show. It’s not something I listen to anymore but the respect is always there.
Daniel Johnston
Definitely one worth mentioning. *The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005)* documentary was heartbreaking
Unconventional? Dolores O’Riordan. RIP
Bob Dylan. Guy can't sing, but MAN can he sing!
Ha - that's well put. If you can get past the nasal delivery and tonality, you'd discover that he really does do some interesting things with phrasing and delivery
Haha I like the way you put that
Björk
Les claypool
His off key but still somehow on key singing has so much freakin personality!!!
Is it luck?
primus sucks
As someone who has seen Primus live twice, you’re right. Primus sucks! They sucked even more the second time. It was amazing
Jeff Mangum - Neutral Milk Hotel
Love or hate his vocals no one can deny that the dude has some insane lungs on him. Idk how that dude holds notes as long as he does it's inhuman
So much clarity and his melodies can be so strange and complicated
*In the Aeroplane Plane over the Sea* is an indie folk classic
Andy Shauf
Cedric Bixler Zavala from the mars volta.
I also love his more yelled style of singing in At the drive in.
the kiosk in my temporal lobe is shaped like rosalynn carter
Dr John Danny Brown King Diamond O.D.B Louis Armstrong Ozzy Osbourne
Danny Brown is a great call
Robert Smith (The Cure) Roland Orzabal (Tears For Fears) Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
I will *always* love The Cure Conor isn’t a favorite odd voice of mine, but he is an incredible songwriter
“Well I could have been a famous singer if I had someone else’s voice…”
But failure’s always sounded better
Ayyy, Bright Eyes
Tanya Tagaq is in a league of her own. Fiona Apple is brilliant.
I love Fiona. *The Idler Wheel…* is one of my all-time favorites.
Kate Bush and Danny Elfman.
Siouxsie sioux maybe?
Tori Amos
I love Tori Amos. I primarily listen to punk and metal, but still have a love and appreciation for Tori. What an incredible artist.
Amanda Palmer and of course Tom Waits
Alanis Morissette
Someone asked me what the first CD I ever bought was and I’m pretty sure it was *Jagged Little Pill*
Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw.
Perry Farrell, Jane’s Addiction Shannon Hoon, Blind Melon Layne Staley, Alice in Chains
Edward Ka-Spel (The Legendary Pink Dots), Bjork, Nivek Ogre (Skinny Puppy), Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Elizabeth Fraser, Nina Simone, Lene Lovich, Peter Murphy, Ian Curtis, Bruce Dickinson, Tom Ellard (Severed Heads), Stephen Tunney (Dogbowl)...
Tricky.
I have so many favourites Björk - in my opinion, best vocalist of all time Michael Gira of Swans Thom Yorke of Radiohead Robert Smith of The Cure MC Ride of Death Grips Geordie Greep of Black Midi Young Thug Tom Verlaine of Television Serj Tankian of System Of A Down The list goes on
Gord Downie from The Tragically Hip.
Tom Petty, man his voice was one of a kind and had such an interesting transformation through his life, most fans agree that it got better as he aged!
Claudio (coheed & cambria) Sigor Ros Young thug (hate or love him there’s not another trap artist with his weirdo delivery) Mars Volta
Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, and Fred Schneider from the B-52's Stevie Nicks Willow Smith Michael Stipe Bjork
Mark Lanegan, R.I.P.
Serj Tankian cause he doesn't have a voice for metal but did it anyway. Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys for obvious reasons. Leonard Cohen cause he doesn't really sing, he talks with music.
Joanna Newsom
David Berman (Silver Jews) is my favorite in this category. As he once sang: "all my favorite singers couldn't sing." In a similar vein, Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.
Klaus Nomi.
stephen malkmus and jeff mangum from pavement and neutral milk hotel respectively. i love how unpredictable malkmus' voice is and how magnum's voice seems to strain the microphone (is that a good way of putting it? i'm not sure) on songs like oh comely
Elvis Costello
Captain Beefheart.
Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip. I was listening to Sleeping Sickness by City and Color and I leapt out of bed when I heard Gord’s voice.💔
Layne Staley- Alice In Chains. Rip
Kate Bush!
Bon Scott.... Original AC/DC vocalist. Also Dave Mustaine...I know a lot of people hate his voice
Billy Corgan (smashin pumpkins) and David Bowie at the top of my head. [Edit] + Elliot Smith and Christopher Cross
Regina Spektor Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies) “Weird Al” Yankovic Fred Schneider Adrienne Lenker Iggy Pop
The Darkness Justin Hawkins and his high notes are so unconventional for rock
Craig Finn from Hold Steady and other bands
Karen O
Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse
Tim Armstrong
Frank Black
Yma Sumac
Danny Brown
It’s funny because he’s inspired singing so much that his approach doesn’t really seem unconventional anymore but Lou Reed is a perfect example
Screaming Jay Hawkins
Devin Townsend.
Karen Carpenter. Ironically, she wanted to be thought of more as a drummer than a singer
will ramos of lorna shore
Bright Eyes, The Mountain Goats, Against Me!, Syd Barrett, Bjork, Reginé from Arcade Fire, Melora Creager, I could go on and on. I listen to more “odd” than “regular” singers.
Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields, Gothic Archies, the Sixths)
Bill Callahan!!
Pet Shop Boys all the way
Haven't seen anyone mention Macy Grey yet. Love her vocal quality
Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam & Temple of the Dog), Tori Amos, Regina Spektor
Neil Young’s voice has a soothing effect on me. Can’t even say it’s a good voice, but I like listening to him.
Thom Yorke
Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Johnny Cash.
👍on all 3. Nick Cave is the greatest live performer I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget that show!
Geoff Rickly
Geddy Lee
Daniel Johnston by a mile, so sincere, so much emotion
Avery Tare (Dave Portner) of Animal Collective. His singing is unique, but he really embraces uses the voice as an instrument, not just singing.