Red Mosquito

It's always kind of been interesting to me how Ed's voice his aged. I would have assumed that as he got older, he'd gained more grit and sandpaper in his vocals, like Bruce and Tom Waits. That's not entirely absent, but it seems like his voice has gone more in the other direction. They're tinnier and weaker, rather than getting more resonance and grime. It's a surprising result for someone who's been singing for decades and smokes like a chimney.

id agree with that

DP

yeah, it is a surprise. Unfortunately for me, I wish it had gone in the other direction. I wonder how much of it is natural and how much of it is a stylistic choice---since his speaking voice is deep

theplatypus wrote:Stip he sounds terrible.

Yeah, that wasn't great.

Sounds like a sketch...but so did UK and that turned out to be the finished article..

I don't think I'm even bothered to listen to this. The last Ed track I heard I'm sure I didn't listen the whole way through.

Birds in Hell wrote:

theplatypus wrote:Stip he sounds terrible.

Yeah, that wasn't great.

there's a lot of daylight between 'great' and terrible. I went with good. I should have dialed that back to pretty good. There were parts that were okay, but a few moments I liked a lot.

But guys, this is what Eddie sounds like now. The fact is that (especially outside of the studio) how into the band you're going to be really depends on how much you do or do not like the way he sounds. Unless you really think there's some sweet spot his voice can reach right now that you'll really love and he's just stubbornly refusing to sing that way.

stip wrote:

Birds in Hell wrote:

theplatypus wrote:Stip he sounds terrible.

Yeah, that wasn't great.

there's a lot of daylight between 'great' and terrible. I went with good. I should have dialed that back to pretty good. There were parts that were okay, but a few moments I liked a lot.

I thought he sounded pretty shaky through the whole thing.

The song is a sketch and should be judged as such. I take issue with his singing. It's just... anemic, thin, floundering. There's no weight to it anymore.

stip wrote:But guys, this is what Eddie sounds like now. The fact is that (especially outside of the studio) how into the band you're going to be really depends on how much you do or do not like the way he sounds. Unless you really think there's some sweet spot his voice can reach right now that you'll really love and he's just stubbornly refusing to sing that way.

I have no way of knowing this for sure, but while I do agree that some degradation in his vocals is inevitable, there are a lot of choices he could be making that he doesn't. A lot of it is more songwriting than the actual sound of his voice; the melodies he tends to write tend to exacerbate his weakest qualities while burying some of the better ones he's gained with time. So I guess it's a little of column A, column B.

It is way thinner than I'd prefer, but I still like it, even thin, and I really like (and always have, since S/T) the way it sounds when he reaches for something intense. Shaky maybe, but weary, defiant, stubborn--like someone whose just got 12 rounds and is half amazed he is still standing. He moved in that direction for S/T and I'm a big fan. I prefer those moments to the way he had sounded on the 4 records that preceded it, where often just sounded shrill (think habit/lukin) or like there wasn't very much at stake.

Again, far from where I thought he was at his peak, but he was untouchable then, and there was a lot of room to fall and still have me really enjoy it.

theplatypus wrote:The song is a sketch and should be judged as such. I take issue with his singing. It's just... anemic, thin, floundering. There's no weight to it anymore.

Get out of here and go pick a song

digster wrote:

stip wrote:But guys, this is what Eddie sounds like now. The fact is that (especially outside of the studio) how into the band you're going to be really depends on how much you do or do not like the way he sounds. Unless you really think there's some sweet spot his voice can reach right now that you'll really love and he's just stubbornly refusing to sing that way.

I have no way of knowing this for sure, but while I do agree that some degradation in his vocals is inevitable, there are a lot of choices he could be making that he doesn't. A lot of it is more songwriting than the actual sound of his voice; the melodies he tends to write tend to exacerbate his weakest qualities while burying some of the better ones he's gained with time. So I guess it's a little of column A, column B.

That's probably true. What are some examples of some recent writing/performances that you think really showcase him well?

stip wrote:But guys, this is what Eddie sounds like now.

theplatypus wrote:... anemic, thin, floundering.

Pretty much.

I'm with digster in that part of the problem is that he seems to gravitate towards these melodies at the outer reaches of his current abilities. I'd like to think the potential exists for him to harness whatever richness remains in his lower register and work with that (eg. Man of the Hour, his vocals on some of Riot Act, etc.) but who knows at this point.

Haven't heard this song. Can someone PM me?'

Regarding how his voice has aged, it has gotten grittier due to the smoking and drinking, possibly also the touring. His voice has also lowered since Ten; he can sing lower now than he ever could then (Dream A Little Dream) but since Self-Titled, he's made a stylistic choice to not sing in his comfort zone. He's pushing himself to sing higher, scream more, etc. Even a simple song like Elderly Woman now has him adding high notes which weren't there. I guess he just got bored of being the monotoned Eddie Vedder which fans loved but the naysayers mocked. I actually like the fact that he pushes himself. I hated his approach of singing like a 60 year old grandad on Riot Act. I don't like the fact that he still hasn't given up smoking. It makes him lose control and makes his voice more prone to cracking especially when he isn't warmed up. He can pull off great performances in studio or in one-off shows (like that VH1 Rock Honors The Who show where he absolutely killed on LROM and TRM), but he's lost his consistency when touring. Give up the cigs, Ed. And the bottle too. Red wine supposedly makes your throat extremely dry.

there's a link in the first post, and on the main page of theskyiscrape.com

Birds in Hell wrote:

stip wrote:But guys, this is what Eddie sounds like now.

theplatypus wrote:... anemic, thin, floundering.

Pretty much.

I'm with digster in that part of the problem is that he seems to gravitate towards these melodies at the outer reaches of his current abilities. I'd like to think the potential exists for him to harness whatever richness remains in his lower register and work with that (eg. Man of the Hour, his vocals on some of Riot Act, etc.) but who knows at this point.

The real absence of the lower register since riot act is baffling. there are a few moments where it peaks through on Lighting Bolt, and it was always welcome when it did

stip wrote:there's a link in the first post, and on the main page of theskyiscrape.com

Thanks!