Blistering High Note Divas: Stop it!!!

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...And I-III wish you'd drop an octave!!!

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From the 60's all the way to the 90's, we were all dazzled by the vocal styling of divas like Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and others. They were great. There was an elite group that all other female singers wanted to be. They will all be remembered as legends, and rightfully so. Who can forget Whitney Houston's National Anthem at the Super Bowl? But, what happens to all good things in music? It gets beaten to death until every last penny can be squeezed out of it by the record companies. Then, once its ruined, its cast aside forever...Unless there is a resurgence. Then, they will hook up the record company juggernaut squeezing apparatus, and do it again. Its sad really. Most of the divas were extremely talented.

Case and point: There is a video of Whitney Houston's version of I Will Always Love You on You Tube. When she hits the last chorus, the infamous internet goat screams over her high notes. Its hilarious, and its true. And, this isn't because anybody thinks that Whitney was any less talented now than they did back then. (Yes, I know she died. Stay with me, wise ass.) Its because the next crop of divas, starting with Christina Aguilera who actually IS talented were force fed based on the popularity of the classic divas. All of a sudden, instead of an elite few, there were at least 20 on the radio at the same time, all singing songs written by the same group of writers that all sound the same. AND, they were all trying to break glass with their auto-tuned voices, and making all dogs in the vicinity want to chew their own ears off. Most came from American Idol. You know how I feel about that show. But, it got so old and annoying that the great songs of the past are now making people cringe if they hear it. So sad. 

Take a look at that video I told you about:

Sure, its funny, but its the sad reality of yet another type of great music being bastardized to line record company pockets with money. This happened with metal too, although when the 80's glam metal went away, so did all the high note singers. That's part of why its easy to listen to a great metal singer like Yannis Papadopolous of Wardrum. We aren't being bombarded with inferior synthetic high vocals like we are from these pop singer divas. 

How do I know so much about this crap? Well, as I explained here, I worked at a car dealership in North Carolina where the GM insisted on playing modern pop through the PA at annoyingly loud levels. There is one song by a singer who I had no idea who was, singing a song that I honestly couldn't understand a single lyric to. Someone told me it was Kya, or Cya, or something like that. I wanted to write this post then, but I obviously had the name wrong. Then, (months later aka now) I saw the goat video on Facebook. I decided to try again. This time, I looked up the Billboard charts from last February. I saw a singer named Sia, with a song called Chandelier. I looked it up on You Tube, and listened long enough to determine if that was it. It was. The song is worse than nails on a chalkboard. It goes from blurry sounding auto-tune into a completely unnecessary high pitched assault on the eardrums. Don't take my word for it. Listen to it for yourself, and see if you can get all the way through it without wanting to stick a knitting needle in your ears to ease the piercing pain!

Did you feel my pain? I had to listen to that song 3 times a day for months! 

My head hurts...And NO, I didn't listen to the song. But, this new diva crop, and this song in particular have ruined the legendary divas for me. I can't hear any of the old school talented ones hit a high note anymore without cringing. Just another thing about this era of unoriginal art that we are living in from movies to music. I'm over it, and you should be also. And, a word to the record companies...KNOCK IT OFF!!

Its sad, but true. But, if your ears are bleeding, let me make it up to you. Here is some Wardrum. Check them out! 

WTF Is This Crap??? (Modern Pop)

You may have noticed that this is a heavy metal themed blog, so you may be wondering why I would concern myself with modern pop music. Well, its simple. Its because at my job, the GM thinks that modern pop music entices people to buy cars, so he blasts it throughout the entire dealership. There is no escaping it. And, since I am there 50-60 hours a week, these songs get stuck in my head. Various songs are the last thing I hear in my head when I fall asleep, and the first thing that pops in when I wake up in the morning. Its TORTURE! If they played this crap at Gitmo instead of Skinny Puppy, the terrorists would start singing like canaries, and we'd be able to exterminate all of them in a matter of days. But, this post isn't just me talking about how it modern pop sucks. I'll explain WHY as well.

Yes, I've (against my will) become an expert on the subject. But before we get into it modern pop, I want to go 25-30 years into the past. Why? Just be patient. It will all be clear in a few minutes.

Madonna and Maiden Mentioned
in the same PARAGRAPH???

I've gone on the record about how the majority of metal that has come out in the past 15 years can't hold a candle to the greats of the 80's such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and even bands like Skid Row and Stryper. Its the truth, and the same holds true for pop. The hits of 80's pop stars like like Michael Jackson, and Madonna are still very much relevant today. Think a bit. You can more than likely name 5 songs from Jackson and Madonna. You may not have liked them, but you do remember the songs because they have substance, and were well written by someone who actually cared what they were going to release. Even the one hit wonders of the 80's are still very much relevant. Tainted Love? Whip It? I could name 20 more in 25 seconds if I tried. Do you really think that any of today's garbage pop music will still be relevant 30 years from now? Hell...Even 10 years from now? Didn't think so..Except on a satellite radio channel that 100 people worldwide listen to. I think that the only people who listen to today's garbage are the people subjected to it in their jobs and when they go to stores.

This is why modern pop acts don't use

real drummers.

The reason for this is because you have a group of 10 producers writing the majority of the songs out there. Therefore, they all sound the same. You can't even differentiate who is who. Its all just the same monotonous beat throughout the entire song with no change up at all. Its just 'bump-clap-bump-clap-bump-clap-bump-clap' through the whole damn thing. And sometimes, there's not even a bass beat. I've heard several that are just hand claps all the way through. No change up in the music either. Pop has become almost as bad as rap when it comes to music. Its the same one progression lick over and over again.

Tell me what to like, Mr Record Producer!

There is an explanation for why these producers have taken over the "mainstream" music and made it the modern day equivalent to cookie cutter boy bands. Recycling. It won't matter 5 years from now if nobody remembers today's crap because it will be used all over again with a fresh new face that sounds exactly like the previous singer, yet packaged as the next big thing. And, its evident in the young adults today. Ask any of them what kind of music they like, and they will all tell you "Oh pretty much everything." But you ask them if they like anything old good, and they are clueless. They can tell you the songs and "artists" who are popular currently in pop, rap, R&B, and even country because it all gets played on the same radio stations together. Its ridiculous.

Radio DJs don't even try to hide the fact that its unoriginal garbage anymore. One day, a particular song came on, and the DJ was giddy with excitement, saying "[Lame Singer A] had a chance to sing this song, but she passed on it, so that was lucky for [Lame Singer B] who got a hit out of it.

I am not telling you all this because I'm biased as a metalhead. There are good pop, country, etc artists who still write their own music, and REAL songs. They just aren't what the record labels want. Those people are on YouTube, and playing in your local clubs. Seek them out, and support them. If everyone does that, and stops buying into this garbage polluting the airwaves now, then maybe there will be some good music on the airwaves once again. Until then, keep your chin up and the volume up to 11. In the 80's, 'Video Killed the Radio Star.' Maybe now, we can throw out the cookie cutter and get back to real music.