Thom Yorke's Voice: Classic or Dud

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The most overrated thing I've heard in years, whiny, gratey and very, very annoying. Plus if ever a singing voice is pretentious, this is it.

Bill

― Bill, Saturday, 3 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Definite dud

― Michael Bourke, Sunday, 4 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

personally i like it i think it brings a certqin feel to the music, but who am i to tlak i like Raine Maida voice too and he wails almost as much in OLP

― Mog, Sunday, 4 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think it's great. I personally don't understand the U2-lovers out there who rag on Yorke's voice -- started out as an almost exact replica of Bono's, and though it's a bit more individualistic now, it still sounds quite similar to Bono's. It is a bit whiny and grating. Not nearly as bad as Kurt Cobain's voice though, IMO.

― Jack Redelfs, Sunday, 4 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Agreed. The first time I heard a song from OK Computer, I thought, "What is this, new U2?" Either way, his voice is certainly nothing special. Its decent. Nothing to get excited about.

― Tim Baier, Monday, 5 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

He sounded like a Bono impersonator on the first 2 albums, and obscure in a whiny way on Kid A, but on OK Computer he did the trick for me, especially on "No Surprises".

― Patrick, Monday, 5 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

five years pass...

HA! great thread to resurrect. dunno why it died down so fast. so yeah, thom yorke's voice, yuck. it's like whining and you don't really know what about. i feel like every time he sings a note it's the same one.

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:19 (eighteen years ago)

He sings like an angel. Classic.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:21 (eighteen years ago)

Take "Rabbit In Your Headlights," for example. One of the greatest vocal performances I've ever heard.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:21 (eighteen years ago)

yeah the angel of existential whining

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:22 (eighteen years ago)

it suits the music.

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:22 (eighteen years ago)

nah i think the music could be much more captivating if he didn't weigh it down

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:22 (eighteen years ago)

I like his voice when it's all fucked up and he sounds like he has a cold (ex: "We Suck Young Blood").

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:25 (eighteen years ago)

By the way, surmounter, what's the better alternative in current rock music for male singers? I'm interested.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:33 (eighteen years ago)

um, there are a lot of alternatives? just cuz you're a male rock singer doesn't mean your best option is sappy whining

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:34 (eighteen years ago)

I asked for specific names, not juvenile reactions.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:35 (eighteen years ago)

no you didn't ask for specific names, you asked for styles - "better alternative for male singers" - as in, better stylistic options for male singers.

names? i'm not sure. if you happened to glance at the thread i started yesterday, you would know that i don't listen to male voices much. and i don't have to to know i don't like thom yorke's.

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:38 (eighteen years ago)

in any event, like what you please, more power to you.

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:40 (eighteen years ago)

xpost
That's how you understood it, then I clarified it. I'm fine with you disliking Thom Yorke, I just find it amusing that it's so challenging for you to not corroborate my opinion of your moronic childishness.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:41 (eighteen years ago)

Last few years have really raised the stakes on pretentious singing voices in indie/rock acts...

I think he's got a great voice, even if the sheer bulk of RH/solo material out there now can sometimes give the impression he's not using it in as expressive and varied way as he actually is.

― fandango (fandango), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:41 (eighteen years ago)

there's a heavy lilt in his voice that sounds too twangy for me

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:44 (eighteen years ago)

He's not Mika, is he?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:44 (eighteen years ago)

i haven't even heard this mika

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:44 (eighteen years ago)

YOU CAN'T EVEN HEAR THE BLEEDIN' WORDS FOR GAWD'S SAKE.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:49 (eighteen years ago)

who's words? thom or mika?

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:49 (eighteen years ago)

Thom's. I try not to hear Mika's.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:50 (eighteen years ago)

I can't hear either of their words because they're Brits and it all sounds like LALLAIABLIMEYBLALALATEAANDCRUMPETS to me.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:51 (eighteen years ago)

Also the best thing about Rabbit In Your Headlights is the Talk Talk sample, innit.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:51 (eighteen years ago)

Sick Mouthy, yeah, sometimes I wish he'd enunciate better. It's ok, though, he's generally singing nonsense. :)

― Turangalila (Salvador), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:52 (eighteen years ago)

aww geez, was that really necessary?

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:52 (eighteen years ago)

Classic. It isn't a spectacular instrument, and he's not a remarkably gifted performer.

But it works. Though Thom's a singer of very limited range, his voice works extremely well as a textural element in Radiohead's overall sound. And he's following his own lead as a pop vocalist, defining a personal vocal style rather than simply doing what so many others have done before. As a musician, his sense of what sounds right is both idiosyncratic and universal.

So, while his bag of tricks ain't all that impressive, he knows exactly what to do with what little he's got. I'm not a fan, but I gotta give credit where it's due.

― the new sincerity (Pye Poudre), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:57 (eighteen years ago)

isn't british enunciation typically better than us americans tho?

well, i think whether or not it works, texturally, is purely subjective. it doesn't work for everyone. texturally, i think vocoder would sound better ; )

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 15:59 (eighteen years ago)

The last three albums (to my uneducated ears) haven't really seen Thom do much new with his voice, or at least, not much new as far as I can tell. The badly-enunciated-for-the-appearance-of-profundity schtick is getting a bit old now.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:02 (eighteen years ago)

uh huh... i mean i actually like the way his new album sounds, it's just that LILT in his voice. it really upset my stomach.

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:03 (eighteen years ago)

DUD

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:04 (eighteen years ago)

LEX IN WALKING PARTY LINE SHOCKER.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:05 (eighteen years ago)

nick in liking terrible singer shocker!

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:05 (eighteen years ago)

The last three albums have his greatest vocal performances though! I mean sure, stuff like "No Surprises" and "Stop Whispheriong" are technically better, but I'd take "Pyramid Song," "We Suck Young Blood," "You And Whose Army" over that stuff any day. His voice has a damaged, broken quality that's much more prevalent on the latter albums..

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:06 (eighteen years ago)

I think the best singers are those that don't have an AMAZING RANGE, but have a particular tonal quality to their voice that's hard to replicate... Thom is in there, Nina Simone, late-period Billie Holiday, etc. I like range, and big voiced divas and everything, but still... but I'm a sad bastard and I love me some sad bastard music, so that might explain it.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:07 (eighteen years ago)

i think you're right, i just think thom yorke's particular tonal quality that's hard to repliace is

tougher to stomach

than nina simone's or billie holiday's

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:08 (eighteen years ago)

Take "Rabbit In Your Headlights," for example. One of the greatest vocal performances I've ever heard

Haha, I clicked this thread just to mention that song as an example where the vocals totally ruin the tune. Absolute dud, in my opinion. I guess his singing perfectly summarizes what I hate in indie / art rock.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:10 (eighteen years ago)

Lex in not reading but assuming shocker - where do I say I like him?!

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:10 (eighteen years ago)

But I hate the majority of indie / art rock, and I love Thom's voice... the thing is, he can actually sing, it's not atonal warbling like that dude from Arcade Fire or whatever.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:12 (eighteen years ago)

"...i think whether or not it works, texturally, is purely subjective."
-- surmounter

I guess when I say it works, I'm mostly just saying that I like it. Or, at least, I can see what Thom's doing, and I think that he's doing it successfully.

I hate to get all caveman reductive, but the fact that Radiohead have remained enormously popular in spite of their committment to an uncompromising & uncommercial aesthetic kinda argues in Thom's favor.

Whatever our personal feelings, he's clearly doing something right. He's not pandering, and while he may be treading water, it's hard to argue that he hasn't been true to his artistic convictions.

― the new sincerity (Pye Poudre), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:15 (eighteen years ago)

But I hate the majority of indie / art rock, and I love Thom's voice... the thing is, he can actually sing, it's not atonal warbling like that dude from Arcade Fire or whatever.

Yeah, but it's whiny and angsty and pathetic. The vocal equivalent of someone who wallows in deep sorrow because his favourite brand of of soda was discontinued.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:16 (eighteen years ago)

XTRMNTR & Disco Inferno namedrops in 5.4.3...

― fandango (fandango), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:19 (eighteen years ago)

well i think ur talking about 2 different things, the new sincerity - the success of yorke/radiohead, and his voice.

i don't know that their success has been built on his voice as much as on the music they've put out. the compositions, the instrumentation, textures.

the voice is just an added bonus/dealbreaker, depending on who you are

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

Surmounter:

Agreed. Still, I suspect Thom's voice hasn't exactly been detrimental to the band's continued success, especially during their wilderness years.

Anyway, I wonder whether there's a some transferrence going on with the Thom-hate. I mean, it's one thing to dislike him a singer, or just to think his voice bugs...

But a lot of folks seem to be treating to Thom's voice as an effigy for the whole "woe is me; my poor, poor heart" indie-mope culture. And that's at least somewhat unfair. Cheap, self-indulgent, sentimentalist bullshit often passes for emotional significance in indie circles, but Thom's singing is richer than that. And while his whole approach (vocal, lyrical, aesthetic) has been made to seem like an easy cliche by those who've followed in his footsteps, he's still a singular artist.

The culture he helped birth may suck, but that isn't entirely his fault. I mean, I don't blame Kurt Cobain for that asshole in Puddle of Mudd.

― the new sincerity (Pye Poudre), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:36 (eighteen years ago)

hahaha

um, i see your point. and actually, i don't have as much of a problem with the emotional content of his voice

as i do with his actual voice. the physical voice, for me, grates.

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:38 (eighteen years ago)

Really really DUD: that duet he did with Drugstore - El President or something. Fucking awful song, and I liked Drugstore before they did that.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:46 (eighteen years ago)

Classic. I don't get the "small range" and "he's a bad singer, but even so..." comments. I think his voice is pretty impressive as an instrument. Even if he is imitating Jeff Buckley and mumbles like a drunk Rufus Wainwright. It's not something I want to listen to all the time, but I think he uses it very well.

― Steve Go1dberg (Steve Schneeberg), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 18:24 (eighteen years ago)

It's weird, I'm a Radiohead fan (post-The Bends anyway) and I definitely think TY's voice is unique and works in the context of their sound. But though I value it as such, I never really think about his voice in and of itself, which is unusual with rock bands I really like. I don't know if I find it really interesting in its own right. I don't think I ever put on a Radiohead song primarily because of his vocal delivery. But maybe that's a sign that he is an effective vocalist - that he helps carry the music so effectively that I don't even really notice him instead of the song and music?

― Sundar (sundar), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 18:59 (eighteen years ago)

"I don't get the 'small range' and 'he's a bad singer, but even so...' comments."

I could have chosen a better way to describe Yorke's limitations than to fault his "range". I didn't mean to indicate that he doesn't cover octaves, but rather that he's not a terribly versatile vocalist. He does one very specific thing, but he does it well.

― the new sincerity (Pye Poudre), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:06 (eighteen years ago)

I think I agree.

― Sundar (sundar), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:15 (eighteen years ago)

well, there is something about his voice that blends in with his music. it's like he purposefully melds it with the backdrop. i don't know if that's a compliment or not - i think it's a little compliment, a little bad.

i mean, can you imagine thom yorke doing a nothing-but-voice track (has he?)?

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:21 (eighteen years ago)

the new sincerity is OTM. I understand people not liking the tone/quality of Yorke's voice but a) he is doing precisely what he wants to with it on every song; and b) he uses it in different ways depending on what he's singing. Furthermore, he is rarely (if ever) out of tune.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:24 (eighteen years ago)

if you're agreeing with the new sincerity, you would be agreeing that his singing isn't versatile = he doesn't use his voice in different ways.

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:26 (eighteen years ago)

In his MOJO interview a few months back he claims the guy from Miracle Legion to have been his biggest influence, at least when it comes to singing, if not in all of music.

You'll never watch the beginning of the Adventures of Pete and Pete the same way!

― Cunga (Cunga), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:32 (eighteen years ago)

Pause for clarification. I said he isn't terribly versatile. He seems to want to be perceived as emoting "authentically" more than interpreting songs in a distanced, technical sense that might allow him to draw on a broader range of vocal approaches. But he does vary his approach quite a bit within the somewhat narrow confines of his chosen style.

It's a question of degrees.

― the new sincerity (Pye Poudre), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:36 (eighteen years ago)

So, like I said, tns OTM.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:44 (eighteen years ago)

narrow confines of his chosen style OTM

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:50 (eighteen years ago)

Mars Blackmon's Voice: Classic or Dud?

― the new sincerity (Pye Poudre), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:52 (eighteen years ago)

Rarely if ever out of tune---- live that is simply not true. Still, in terms of expressing a kind of grizzly disenchantment its the perfect instrument for the job at hand.

― gekoppel (Gekoppel), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 19:59 (eighteen years ago)

I haven't seen him live all that many times; mostly I've seen television appearances and concert excerpts. I do know that the leaked live versions of the Kid A tracks I heard were all in tune, plus the Peel session of "Idioteque" I've heard was in tune, plus all of the concert excerpts I've seen have been in tune. Ergo, in my experience, he sings in tune.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 20:04 (eighteen years ago)

i guess, though "perfect instrument" might be a bit much

he isn't the end all when it comes to grizzly disenchantment. by now it's a pretty visited concept

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 20:08 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, but it's whiny and angsty and pathetic. The vocal equivalent of someone who wallows in deep sorrow because his favourite brand of of soda was discontinued.

this is pretty reactionary. it's one thing to identify the sound of his voice as whiny and angsty and pathetic (i'd suggest weary, anxious and deflated instead, but hey), but what makes you think he sounds like he's whining about something so pathetic, or at least what makes you frame it that way? you're clearly projecting your image of him in the press, or more likely the press' line on him, onto his voice. that's fine as far as a superficial critique goes, but it doesn't hold any water as an interesting observation.

i rarely bother defending radiohead, even though i really (used to?) love them, but i don't understand the need to evaluate him from an automatically trivializing perspective. he's not whining about soda, he's whining about fucked up shit.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 20:34 (eighteen years ago)

whining about either sucks for more than a few songs

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 20:37 (eighteen years ago)

whining is only interesting when it's hemmed in

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 20:37 (eighteen years ago)

Classic, can't imagine the music with any other singer

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 21:44 (eighteen years ago)

What's he whining about in "Pyramid Song" or "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors"?

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 21:47 (eighteen years ago)

i really don't know but the word whining is getting on my nerves. let's make fun of someone else.

― surmounter (rra123), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 22:40 (eighteen years ago)

i like this thom yorke dude.

― M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 22:53 (eighteen years ago)

Thom's pretty cool.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 23:11 (eighteen years ago)

I like his voice quite a bit. usually have to drop an octave to sing along, though.

― Bernard Snowy (sixteen sergeants), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 23:18 (eighteen years ago)

dude would probably buy some kidz in the neighborhood beer and shit if they werent' old enough

― M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 23:25 (eighteen years ago)

he helped the gorillaz change a flat on their tour bus one time.

― M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 23:26 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think I ever put on a Radiohead song primarily because of his vocal delivery. But maybe that's a sign that he is an effective vocalist - that he helps carry the music so effectively that I don't even really notice him instead of the song and music?

I agree with this. I like Thom's voice, but it was their music that won me over.

― Zachary S (Zach S), Thursday, 25 January 2007 05:50 (eighteen years ago)

he sounds like a 13 year old boy, what with his voice cracking in this obnoxious falsetto all the time. personally, i can't stand it on post-bends albums

― richard wood johnson (rwj), Thursday, 25 January 2007 06:05 (eighteen years ago)

i like this thom yorke dude.

Who is he again?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 25 January 2007 06:58 (eighteen years ago)

he's the lead singer of On a Friday, Ned! Check it!

seriously though I was just watching this clip of "idioteque" from SNL! it's awesome! what a spazz! it's my fav radiohead jam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn4eO3j0FCs

― M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:15 (eighteen years ago)

i like to imagine the one dude isn't even doing music, he's routing phone calls for the andy griffith and the gang in maybury!

― M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:18 (eighteen years ago)

dud

― Harpal (harpal), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:41 (eighteen years ago)

i was going to disagree but your use of bold text convinced me!

― M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:53 (eighteen years ago)

three years pass...

I run hot and cold on his voice, but I just heard a duet he did with PJ Harvey ("This Mess We're In") and I dug it. What are his best guest appearances?

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 1 July 2010 02:10 (fourteen years ago)

http://i46.tinypic.com/2njdaix.jpg

― ksh, Thursday, 1 July 2010 02:52 (fourteen years ago)

That one is the best! "Rabbit in Your Headlights" with UNKLE is also unassailable. And I quite like the song he did with Flying Lotus this year.

― swvl, Thursday, 1 July 2010 02:55 (fourteen years ago)

Xp: say what you will about he man's voice, that headband is classic for sure

― swvl, Thursday, 1 July 2010 02:56 (fourteen years ago)

http://www.karmablue.org/radiohead/av-57.gif

― ksh, Thursday, 1 July 2010 03:14 (fourteen years ago)

Is he channeling Mark Knopfler there?

I think I prefer his voice in lower registers.

― rhythm fixated member (chap), Thursday, 1 July 2010 11:29 (fourteen years ago)

http://i46.tinypic.com/2njdaix.jpg

god damn it, now I have something to like about radiohead v_v

― the last air bud (crüt), Thursday, 1 July 2010 11:56 (fourteen years ago)

i think his appearance on drugstore's "el presidente" is good but not altogether essential

― king solomon and the surrealists (electricsound), Thursday, 1 July 2010 11:58 (fourteen years ago)

Doesn't he look cute like that.

― Band Fag X (u s steel), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:15 (fourteen years ago)

Is that a question?

― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:20 (fourteen years ago)

I see it's going to be like that today....

― Band Fag X (u s steel), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:41 (fourteen years ago)

You all went this long and didn't mention the uncanny Brian Ferry imitation off the VELVET GOLDMINE soundtrack? For shame.

― Matt M., Saturday, 3 July 2010 15:28 (fourteen years ago)

I run hot and cold on his voice, but I just heard a duet he did with PJ Harvey ("This Mess We're In") and I dug it. What are his best guest appearances?

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 1 July 2010 02:10 (2 days ago)

word

― so sick of the fucking V8 commercials (surm), Saturday, 3 July 2010 15:36 (fourteen years ago)

well tbh i have no interest in hearing him guest vocal on much else but that track is stellar

― so sick of the fucking V8 commercials (surm), Saturday, 3 July 2010 15:36 (fourteen years ago)

that record is stellar too

― ksh, Saturday, 3 July 2010 16:37 (fourteen years ago)

yep

― so sick of the fucking V8 commercials (surm), Saturday, 3 July 2010 16:43 (fourteen years ago)

I think that album & song are hackneyed and horrible, esp. in the context of their own bodies of work.

― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Saturday, 3 July 2010 16:44 (fourteen years ago)

Oh Turangalila... here we were moderately enjoying Mr. Yorke's tepid vocals and you had to pour water on our heads...

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 7 July 2010 21:30 (fourteen years ago)

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