Great vocals in modern rock

Also, I'm partial to Gruff Rhys.

I guess Chris Cornell's a'ight in that Robert-Plant-has-already-done-everything-I-have kinda way, but I just have a thing for adventurous and versatile vocalists what got hella range. That's just my thing man.

Agree with Maynard Keenan and esp Serj Tankian, dislike QOTSA guy, would like to add Chester Henning (? the Linkin Park singer), Avril Lavigne, and Andrew WK.

Great modern vocalists...well, Di rocks, you should hear her on stage. :-)

Modern Rock is such a weird and vague term; I dunno, Mark Lanegan has a good voice I guess... the term just makes me think of the 90s.

More likely not enough of a punk rock mentality.

I like Andrew WK's voice a lot but it actually wasn't as strong live and I guess he doesn't really have a lot of range or anything so I can see why maybe he shouldn't be considered "great vocals in modern rock". I'll totally stand by Avril Lavigne, at least on record, and the Linkin Park guy anyway.

His duet (well, trio) with Chris and Carla from the Walkabouts on their cover of Charlie Rich's "Feel Like Going Home" is what confirmed this indeed essential truth to me.

For a real response, Chris Cornell has a helluva voice although
his Audioslave stuff ain't all that. Faith No More's Mike
Patton, Phantom Planet, Dismemberment Plan, Sunny Day Real
Estate (too high and reedy for some). Radiohead used to have a great
lead singer, now I find it kind of annoying.

Well, for the most part I was just interested in your opinions.

Re: David
Sorry, that was condescending, it was directed more towards
the countless old farts who post on the net bemoaning the
good old days of 1971.

I think you're right
about indie; they don't put as much emphasis on the vocals.
Whereas in the 70s there were a bunch of great singers
performing crap songs in Grand Funk, Foghat, Bad Company
etc. So there is a bit of a tradeoff.

To be honest I would have probably burnt those two if my roommate's copy didn't skip on them. "No Surprises" is fine, though I still don't like it as much as "Exit Music" or "Let Down" (Why wasn't this a single instead?), say. "Lucky" has a lot of promise and great moments - especially that intro to the 'guitar solo'. Somehow, though, the key change (?) in the chorus doesn't really work for me - it feels awkward and like a letdown rather than an anthemic breakthrough or whatever. The album just feels complete for me after "Karma Police" though - it's done what it has to do, paced properly, and anything else feels extra. I've always thought tracks 7-9 are awful ever since I first heard the album.

More importantly: CORIN TUCKER.

I stand by that statement; I'm not sure they've been beaten. That said, Think Tank has reminded me that when he's not being a dipstick, Damon A has a beautiful voice. Just not very "rock".

I guess if'n it's reasoning ya want, I could say something about, I dunno, how Mike Patton fr'instance is a prolific recording artist (has released at least 4 albums in varying projects over the past year alone) as well as being absurdly versatile (from the low moan-y breathy Loveage sleeze to the monsters-on-fire wailing in Fantomas to the avant-freakery of his colabs with Merzbow or John Zorn etc.). Lots of range, great attention to sound detail (the way he uses such a wide variety of microphones for recordings & performing = very wide sonic spectrum), plus this k-undefinable creepy "taint" he has even on his most tranquil and sublime recordings...not to mention the dude has recordings in at least SEVEN different languages! I mean, SHEE-IT!

- Appropriation/use of vocal technique.
- Vocal quality in terms of versatility, tuning, range, and appropriateness to the song (ie "I can't imagine anyone else singing this")

I know that objective technical measures can't directly be translated into value judgments, and so on and so forth, but for the most part I want singers who can sing.

Some of the singer-songwriter types can sing, I gues I'd have to admit, but there's not enough going on in their music to keep me interested (or I'm missing it, of course). I want someone who is doing something with their voice: Al Green, Bryan Ferry (esp, after he got some control, though no later than Boys and Girls, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Oum Kalthoum, Azuquita, Joe Arroyo (who isn't even on-key all the time, for petesake--I'm not that technique-obsessed).

Coming from a similar background as Dan Perry, I'm biased towards good singers (but I'm not all Geir Hongro about it... "bad" singers can be very effective too, in their way) (you know, that Silver Jews line "All my favorite singers couldn't sing" annoys me; on one hand he's just being honest, but come on, Berman, what are you afraid of? Put DOWN the Neil Young LP and listen to some Xtina. If you don't still have your indie cred intact when you're done I'll give you twenty bucks and you can go buy yourself a Smog record).