RFD: The Cultural History of the Modern Rock/Post-Grunge Vocal Affectation

One of the things I habitually do when I'm making fun of terrible "modern rock" is to do the Scott Stapp/Eddie Vedder/Scott Weiland post-grunge vocal, where everything sounds guttural and they use this odd accent that I'm almost certain is not to native anywhere in the US (just as an example, the word "want" might be pronounced "wowwwnt" in this apparent affectation). I've been curious about this phenomenon for a long time, and among other things, I want to know:

1) Where did this vocal style come from? What is the earliest recording that features it? Is Eddie Vedder to blame, or did he borrow it from someone else?

2) What is this accent? Is there a place where people actually speak like this? Now that I think about it, Eddie Vedder and Scott Weiland are both from San Diego... but I have a friend from San Diego and he doesn't talk like that.

3) I'm not into this kind of music, so I'm curious who the worst offenders are, and whether there's still a lot of music being produced with this vocal style. It was inescapable for a long time, and I'm wondering about its longevity.

4) Is there any good music that features this vocal style?

The good old yarl. This article is relevant to the discussion:

http://www.metalsucks.net/2013/12/12/top-ten-yarlers-time/

Sadly, I can't answer any of your questions.

4) Is there any good music that features this vocal style?

no

We used to call that "bread singing", from "Ah dowan maaahn stealin brayehd fromm thuh maowths of day-cuh-dayents"

Maybe Joe Cocker is a precursor?

I was reading some Doors threads on ILX and someone mentioned that Jim Morrison may be a precursor to/influence on the Vedder-esque baritone affectations. I don't think that theory is too far out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zal4Oj8fhX8

not so much an affectation, more of a totemistic thing imo

cocker's just a blues belter though, more janis joplin than proto vedder

i like pearl jam ok

michael stipe seems like he's part of the equation, i'd imagine he has an influence on vedder who is the jesus of yarl

morrison seems like a good call as well

yeah this does seem like the midpoint of morrison + stipe

richard thompson's folky pirate "hurr" surely figures as an antecedent here, no?

tbh i don't know if any of these dudes were probably that aware of thompson

4) Is there any good music that features this vocal style?

Alice in Chains.

Yarl Spangled Banner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLDDvlcNSMo

4) Is there any good music that features this vocal style?

Pearl Jam

Holy shit on that yarling national anthem. I looked up that Madison Rising band and found this AMAZING song they did about gun rights. You really have to hear this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cQ7ldhD05E

thinking Kurt Cobain also part of this equation. Part of it is just sounding like it's really hard to sing whatever they're singing about. Like, if you don't have to bust some inner organ to get it out, it isn't worth singing. The inner struggle!

One of the things I habitually do when I'm making fun of terrible "modern rock" is to do the Scott Stapp/Eddie Vedder/Scott Weiland post-grunge vocal,

for some reason i always go

with ahhhhmms waaahhhddd oooopppeeennn--aaahhh yeaarrrrrrrhhhh

and then wait for the other person to react in some way and then interrupt with them

iiiiiif aaaahhh haaaaahhh-yaaaay-yed JUST waaaaan chaaaancee yeaaaaarrrrggghh

i'm a lot of fun to be around

it's even funnier because it should be just "one more wish" but i just can't change my ways

pretty sure this whole thing is going to be a dark cloud hanging over this entire era of recorded music, like the gated snare

The boss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxGCtMNyBCk

Also Robert Plant, even if Plant sang 2-3 octaves higher than these guys.

laura yarling

van morrison?

I think of Leon Russell, whose singing I loathe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n23YU6dFBsE

how come nobody mentioned axl rose? his low raspy tone and vocal mannerisms on songs such as mr brownstone, it's so easy, or the "where do we go nAAAAAAAAw?" refrain from SCOM sound like the blueprint for a bunch of those grunge yarlers. layne staley took a lot of cues from axl anyway ("man in the box" for a start), so credit where it's due.

Black Oak Arkansas

my friend nate b0yce always called this "underbite rock" because to sing in that style you have to distend your jaw and jut it out kinda- or singing in that style seems to go with making that kind of face

obv it's the worst thing eva

i have a problem with this

4) Is there any good music that features this vocal style?

no

― bizarro gazzara

Maybe Scott "Wino" Weinrich? Although I'd describe his yawl as more natural, southern and bearable than a true yawl of the marbles-in-throat Vedder variety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0CAG2E_3U

Don't see the Plant comparison.

I think the entire phenomenon, from Robert Plant straight through Creed, is about white rockers imitating black bluesmen, then just imitating each other, until it had nothing to do with the blacks or the blues.

I'd say Daltrey's a bigger antecedent than Plant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0iA_rOcn9Y

Wait, nvm, apparently that's a John Entwistle vocal. (I don't know anything about the Who.) Still a yarl I think?

I think the entire phenomenon, from Robert Plant straight through Creed, is about white rockers imitating black bluesmen, then just imitating each other, until it had nothing to do with the blacks or the blues.

Plant was definitely influenced by bluesmen, although he was just as definitely doing more than just imitating. (His influences went far beyond this.) But I still don't: i) see a very clear connection from him to the singers we're talking about (even compared to Morrison, Daltrey, or Stipe) or ii) see a very strong blues influence in the post-grunge vocal style that is discussed here (except in the sense that all rock music has a fundamental blues influence).

There's another sort of modern rock vocal style, typified by Our Lady Peace, where it is easier for me to see the Plant influence (although it's probably filtered through Perry Farrell). Seemed like every other Canadian band was using this one.

Actually, I imagine that FNM-era Patton might have something to do with the yarl too.

it's called 'straightjaw'

Black Oak Arkansas

I've thought this too. Dunno how much listening post-grunge guys were doing to BOA or Steppenwolf, but that bellering always sounded like 70s hard rock to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f7xBjTphaM

Thought the grungers were all really heavily into 70s hard rock?

Singles dude was all about the "Misty Mountain Hop", the "Smoke on the Water, the "Iron Man" of today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS-gwb8eSc0&feature=kp

Jack Endino blames Ronnie Dio for creating the yarl.

http://www.endino.com/archive/yarl.html

metallica?

i think the distant antecedents, like folks say upthread, were all the british rock singers trying to sound like southern bluesmen. but i think, more than plant, eric burdon utilizes something like the yarl. also stevie winwood, in his enunciation at least.

i also think jim morrison is a pretty obvious progenitor of this style of singing, he obviously sounds not-much like eddie vedder et al overall but there is definitely something to his strident yet mealy-mouthed singing voice that looks forward to the yarl.

i think the clearest precursor to this is iron butterfly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIVe-rZBcm4

blood sweat and tears otm tho

carnt ya see whart that waahhhrrrman lawd she been doin to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCXQycyN_Vs