I think he's upset, but how can you tell?
May 16, 2010 3:40 PM Subscribe
International tormented musicians wanted: I'm looking for artists who sound like Vladimir Vysotsky but who perform in other languages.
Listening to Vysotsky I got thinking about how universal the angry and raspy singer-songwriter is, and how different cultures & languages would lend themselves to the style. How would a Dutch Vysotsky sound? A Norwegian PJ Harvey? Tom Waits in Xhosa?
Great culturally diverse Mefi, please advise on artists which would fit the bill.
I think Stefan Sundström or Thåström are the only ones close to the style here in Sweden, but even they make for a so-so comparison. Perhaps Cornelis Vreeswijk when he's channeling hookers and class war instead of childrens stories? Female singer-songwriters more often go for the fragile / petit sound, and the rocking ones I come up with are in bands, so don't really count here.
Listening to Vysotsky I got thinking about how universal the angry and raspy singer-songwriter is, and how different cultures & languages would lend themselves to the style. How would a Dutch Vysotsky sound? A Norwegian PJ Harvey? Tom Waits in Xhosa?
Great culturally diverse Mefi, please advise on artists which would fit the bill.
I think Stefan Sundström or Thåström are the only ones close to the style here in Sweden, but even they make for a so-so comparison. Perhaps Cornelis Vreeswijk when he's channeling hookers and class war instead of childrens stories? Female singer-songwriters more often go for the fragile / petit sound, and the rocking ones I come up with are in bands, so don't really count here.
Don't know about angry, but raspy: El Camarón de la Isla. For a voice like that, take natural talent and practice and filter it through horrifying postwar austerity and a million cigarettes.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:09 PM on May 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:09 PM on May 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Have your mind blown by the power of the Lion of Soweto, Mahlathini, whose incredibly raspy voice is intensified by the general sweetness of the music and back-up vocalists.
Reggae's gruffest vocalist was the sadly departed Prince Far I. This tune ("Bedward The Flying Preacher") is my favorite of his for its moral and humour, but nearly anything he touched was great.
And everyone needs a little Šaban Bajramović to make life as sweet as it can be.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 5:13 PM on May 16, 2010
Reggae's gruffest vocalist was the sadly departed Prince Far I. This tune ("Bedward The Flying Preacher") is my favorite of his for its moral and humour, but nearly anything he touched was great.
And everyone needs a little Šaban Bajramović to make life as sweet as it can be.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 5:13 PM on May 16, 2010
you want Georges Brassens, the king of pissed-off chanson. see also Jacques Brel, Boris Vian.
posted by tealsocks at 6:55 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by tealsocks at 6:55 PM on May 16, 2010
In Argentina there's Daniel Melingo or, a few years back, Roberto Goyeneche.
posted by dr. boludo at 8:07 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by dr. boludo at 8:07 PM on May 16, 2010
Response by poster: Ooh, El Camarón de la Isla's song and the flamenco guitar reminds me of So Broken by Björk, which would make this list if it was in Icelandic…
Nice suggestions one and all. Keep em coming! Maybe mining the punk scene would be a good way to find the proper sound?
posted by monocultured at 1:53 AM on May 17, 2010
Nice suggestions one and all. Keep em coming! Maybe mining the punk scene would be a good way to find the proper sound?
posted by monocultured at 1:53 AM on May 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by griphus at 4:00 PM on May 16, 2010