vocoder music?
February 7, 2006 9:05 PM Subscribe
Songs with Vocoders: I recently fell in love with "Middle Class Men" by Syd Matters, which features some beautiful vocals sung through some type of vocoder.
Any recommendations for similar songs or music that use a vocoder? I'm NOT looking for funky or electro stuff. More on the experimental rock side of things, spacey and melancholy is a plus.
Any recommendations for similar songs or music that use a vocoder? I'm NOT looking for funky or electro stuff. More on the experimental rock side of things, spacey and melancholy is a plus.
O superman, By Laurie Anderson. Is pretty much THE vocoder tune...
posted by gergtreble at 9:40 PM on February 7, 2006
posted by gergtreble at 9:40 PM on February 7, 2006
Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek", the first single from her solo album, is just her and a vocoder. It's really quite good.
posted by solid-one-love at 9:41 PM on February 7, 2006
posted by solid-one-love at 9:41 PM on February 7, 2006
Thinking about it. O superman is both spacey and Melancholy.
posted by gergtreble at 9:43 PM on February 7, 2006
posted by gergtreble at 9:43 PM on February 7, 2006
Well - there was the vocoder in the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange,' as well as Alan Parsons use of it in 'Tales of Mystery and Imagination.'
BTW -- according to the Wikipedia article, Peter Frampton's recordings of "Show Me the Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do" used a 'talk box' -- and not a vocoder.
posted by ericb at 9:48 PM on February 7, 2006
BTW -- according to the Wikipedia article, Peter Frampton's recordings of "Show Me the Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do" used a 'talk box' -- and not a vocoder.
posted by ericb at 9:48 PM on February 7, 2006
Wumpscut - Wreath of Barbs.
posted by dong_resin at 10:07 PM on February 7, 2006
posted by dong_resin at 10:07 PM on February 7, 2006
Response by poster: Good recommendations all. I will look into them. Thanks.
posted by geekhorde at 10:12 PM on February 7, 2006
posted by geekhorde at 10:12 PM on February 7, 2006
Trans Am are the first thing that comes to mind when I think of vocoders. Especially the "Futureworld" album.
Thrones is another act that makes fairly heavy usage of vocoder effects. It's kind of weird spacey sludge metal thing, so maybe it qualifies.
Cynic are kind of a hyper prog metal band that makes fairly extensive usage of vocoders as well.
As other mentioned, the Laurie Anderson album "Big Science" has lots of vocoder as well.
posted by alikins at 10:18 PM on February 7, 2006
Thrones is another act that makes fairly heavy usage of vocoder effects. It's kind of weird spacey sludge metal thing, so maybe it qualifies.
Cynic are kind of a hyper prog metal band that makes fairly extensive usage of vocoders as well.
As other mentioned, the Laurie Anderson album "Big Science" has lots of vocoder as well.
posted by alikins at 10:18 PM on February 7, 2006
More Bounce to the Ounce, by Roger Troutman and Zapp.
posted by godawful at 4:15 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by godawful at 4:15 AM on February 8, 2006
Don't forget "Juxtapozed with U" by Super Furry Animals.
posted by kuperman at 4:53 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by kuperman at 4:53 AM on February 8, 2006
(also, while "Wreath Of Barbs" is a good song (and probably the best thing the big :W: put out), I don't really think it fits what geekhorde is looking for)
posted by kuperman at 4:55 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by kuperman at 4:55 AM on February 8, 2006
Another French band using the vocoder prominently is Air.
posted by XiBe at 5:15 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by XiBe at 5:15 AM on February 8, 2006
More Bounce to the Ounce, by Roger Troutman and Zapp.
Except, that song is pretty much the archetypal electro/funk tune.
posted by the cuban at 6:12 AM on February 8, 2006
Except, that song is pretty much the archetypal electro/funk tune.
posted by the cuban at 6:12 AM on February 8, 2006
I second Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek."
third. the whole albums pretty good.
posted by doctor_negative at 6:24 AM on February 8, 2006
third. the whole albums pretty good.
posted by doctor_negative at 6:24 AM on February 8, 2006
"You Can't Be Told It, You Must Behold It" by the Swirlies is one of the best vocoder songs ever.
"Beautiful World" by DEVO
"Your Retro Career Melted" and "The Conductor" by The Faint
Laurie Anderson's already been mentioned...
posted by kaseijin at 6:31 AM on February 8, 2006
"Beautiful World" by DEVO
"Your Retro Career Melted" and "The Conductor" by The Faint
Laurie Anderson's already been mentioned...
posted by kaseijin at 6:31 AM on February 8, 2006
Oh, and "Cut the Midrange, Drop the Bass" by Cylob
...and "Mobira" by Printed Circuit
posted by kaseijin at 6:32 AM on February 8, 2006
...and "Mobira" by Printed Circuit
posted by kaseijin at 6:32 AM on February 8, 2006
It's not their best record IMO, but Sunny Day Real Estate's The Rising Tide has vocoder vocals scattered throughout.
posted by Heminator at 6:39 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by Heminator at 6:39 AM on February 8, 2006
Ricardo Villalobos's Easy Lee from the Alcachofa CD is the track that brought vocoders back in style in the techno world, for better or worse. It's a relatively simple song and has the melancholy nailed. His newer stuff is more meandering and experimental (especially the excellent Achso EP) but has no vocorders.
posted by Hubajube at 7:28 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by Hubajube at 7:28 AM on February 8, 2006
daft punk - around the world
timbaland f/aaliyah - love me (this is one of the best uses of the vocoder ever)
posted by subtle-t at 7:33 AM on February 8, 2006
timbaland f/aaliyah - love me (this is one of the best uses of the vocoder ever)
posted by subtle-t at 7:33 AM on February 8, 2006
What, nobody's mentioned Bon Jovi yet?
posted by cosmicbandito at 7:38 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by cosmicbandito at 7:38 AM on February 8, 2006
I second Trans Am's Futureworld.
Emperor Penguin's There's a Disco Party in the Castle of Love Tonight (link has mp3's, look for the Damn EP.) They're usually instrumental, electronic and funky, but they rock out with a full band on 'Disco Party'. Full disclosure: friends of mine.
This page has a short list. This guy likes making Amazon lists. The rock pickings are slim, however.
How could we all have missed Styx's 'Mr. Roboto'? Here's a video link to a cover in Japanese.
posted by hydrophonic at 7:44 AM on February 8, 2006
Emperor Penguin's There's a Disco Party in the Castle of Love Tonight (link has mp3's, look for the Damn EP.) They're usually instrumental, electronic and funky, but they rock out with a full band on 'Disco Party'. Full disclosure: friends of mine.
This page has a short list. This guy likes making Amazon lists. The rock pickings are slim, however.
How could we all have missed Styx's 'Mr. Roboto'? Here's a video link to a cover in Japanese.
posted by hydrophonic at 7:44 AM on February 8, 2006
oh, oh! Seconding Emperor Penguin. That's a good song from a fun band.
posted by boo_radley at 7:55 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by boo_radley at 7:55 AM on February 8, 2006
ELO - Mister Bluesky
posted by ludwig_van at 8:34 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by ludwig_van at 8:34 AM on February 8, 2006
Add N to (X) uses vocoders on a lot of their stuff. I'm most familiar with "On the Wires of Our Nerves" and "Avant Hard". They're generally classified as "electronic", but there is a definite rock element to them (noisy, analog, real drums).
posted by hellbient at 8:55 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by hellbient at 8:55 AM on February 8, 2006
Mogwai's "happy songs for happy people". Experimental, spacey and melancholy.
posted by aisforal at 9:21 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by aisforal at 9:21 AM on February 8, 2006
Following up on aisforal’s suggestion, Mogwai’s audio page has downloadable MP3s of a track from Happy Songs and a live version of an excellent vocoder-featuring track from another album, “2 Rights Make 1 Wrong.”
posted by hilker at 11:17 AM on February 8, 2006
posted by hilker at 11:17 AM on February 8, 2006
Last.FM vocoder tag. (I'll be adding some of these, feel free to help.)
posted by dhartung at 10:47 PM on February 8, 2006
posted by dhartung at 10:47 PM on February 8, 2006
Sorry, that should be the Buzzcocks' "Different Kind of Tension", not "Money".
posted by hellbient at 2:22 PM on April 28, 2006
posted by hellbient at 2:22 PM on April 28, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:35 PM on February 7, 2006