Possibly my favourite song from London Grammar's début album, If You Wait, has been given the video treatment. Hooray for Nightcall!
The original Nightcall was record by Kavinsky and was a synth-pop extravaganza that notably featured a distorted, robotic main vocal. With a voice like Hannah Reid's it was no surprise London Grammar chose to forgo this effect on their cover. They also "naturalised" the production somewhat, substituting most of the electronica for live instrumentation. The result is a melancholy and brooding ballad that fits perfectly within the trio's catalouge.
Take a listen to it, and the original, below!
Thoughts?
I liked both versions. The original from Kavinsky was featured on the movie 'Drive'. I didn't know this trio, I'm gonna check now thanks DD!
ReplyDeleteI adore this group. Her voice is stunning, haunting. I find it to be a bit of a cross between Sia and Florence, but distinctly different from both. Fell in love from the second I heard "Strong".
ReplyDeleteAlso, isn't she beautiful, haha? I think she looks like a cross between a young Jessica Simpson and Ali Larter, but also different from both.
I'm really loving the comparisons today... Haha.
Aretha could "get down" but always kept an open throat, she didn't simply scream and hoped something came out. Are you actually familiar with real blues and soul singers? Big Mama Thorton could belt out to Eb6 and it was effortless, Aretha could sing up to Ab5 in mixed voice and it was effortless. They were rough at times, but never to the point of the voice sounding so distorted as it happens to Christina.
ReplyDeleteI suggest if you are gonna discuss music theory with someone, don't do it with me...because I'll rip you apart if you don't know your music theory really well :)
ReplyDeleteThe original by Aretha is not in B-flat, not even close to B-flat. It is in C minor/Eb major, alternating between these two relative keys.
Now, after re-listening to Christina's rendition of it, she is actually in the same key as Aretha's, but they never get to the bridge (where the Ab5 are in Aretha's version). Aretha sings lots of C5's and Eb5's effortlessly in the verses and chorus though, all of which Christina struggles with immensely. Yes, Christina used a bigger range, going down to Eb3 and up to Eb6 in her performance, but in the middle - where the voice matters the most - a complete mess.
1- Singing with a microphone doesn't put the amount of stress on a voice as projecting a voice operatically over a 40 piece orchestra.
ReplyDelete2- Large voice, even medium voices such as a lyric voice, don't become so distorted as Christina's does. Take for example a voice like Lara Fabian's or Barbra's, both lyric voices (soprano and mezzo) and they could belt with a lot more ease and beauty than Christina ever has done.
Oh poor creature, I am bored of you now. Bye.
ReplyDeleteBecause that's extremely common :) even the best aren't as good live as on the studio. And if they are, it is very rare.
ReplyDeleteAs I pointed out, even Whitney used to take her songs a couple of steps down and talk her way through them sometimes.
Yes, But Aretha tends to throat it at times and she shrills... I love her though, Techniques don't matter much to me at all, if it sounds good to me it's good. I'm not strict on vocal technicalities. But I am just saying she was not a the best technical singers. However Ella was one of the best. Mama T. also had technique issues, and she was known to smoke, but that's what gave her that gravel in her voice. I love her too. WE love her.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVxHMMgh1MU
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00aSm6nyxw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNXML9ORKNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPcbBFRhNaE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NitSAOE3ly4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ5lVIDNj3Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4P9ab9ayOQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3989jHX3sMQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWVtc3nO01A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX0b1BvE9Yw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kShDmkSHjAo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S5psVcA2u4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cdnF3NUSCY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ekMBOrMyF0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dQDPofHLp0
She doesnt have flaw neither ease....she pushes her voice TOOOOOOO much.
ReplyDeleteWhat????You can hear her voice breaking in most of the live vocal runs she does and she pushes her voice too much...
ReplyDeleteI think it was sarcasm
ReplyDeleteCommon doesn't mean 'norrmal'. And "the best aren't as good live as in the studio" is not really a rule either. Even poor singers like my fave, Taylor Swift, sometimes have better live recordings of certain songs than the studio ones (albeit a few in my fave's case).
ReplyDeleteif you think so. :) have a nice day. and try to stay positiv^^
ReplyDeletethat kinda hurt to read but its the truth. :D
ReplyDeleteNah, I think you just have rocks in your ears. That's just skill right thur cuz Ms Christina "THE VOICE" Aguilera is perhaps one of, if not, the best singer in the world. And where it stands today? The Voice of Our Generation, so you better get your ears checked because she's a FLAWLESS vocalist, and don't you forget it.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Those characteristics have always been evident, despite how much she attempts to alter the innate qualities of her voice. I just laugh at Spinto, though. How do people argue Spinto or even Light Lyric Soprano? Even NOW, people still see her as one or the other. Even funnier, Dramatic lol
ReplyDeleteYes I am aware of all that you said. Also the fact that a pop voice is completely different from a classical voice and the pop music is very unnatural any way.
ReplyDeleteWell, her fans are aggressively proud of their ignorance :) even now they take pride on the fact she never took proper voice lessons.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm going by the original recording which is in C minor/E flat major. And no, Christina didn't do it a few steps higher, she interpolated a high E-flat and a low E-flat, but they are within the same tonality as the original song. And let me tell you, B-flat major is REALLY far from E-flat major.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you look up the sheet music of "Ain't no way" you'll find it in C minor/E-flat major. http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0111448&ref=google
Yes she did, they just failed lol
ReplyDeleteIs that an insult?Cause I can insult you all day long if you want....Christina should learn to sing and not scream and you should learn to state your opinion politely...
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure its still sarcasm, which is not their actual opinion, and the comment seems to be kind trying to be funny not hurtful. I think the second comment was trying to drive it home that they weren't serious.
ReplyDeleteTaking voice lessons once or twice makes no difference, it takes about 6 months to see a radical change. And old habits die hard.
ReplyDeleteMy school sheets states B♭
ReplyDeleteGoogled it now, more sources says the same...
http://www.karaoke-version.com/mp3-backingtrack/aretha-franklin/ain-t-no-way.html
I did not hear C minor- E flat. Nor have played it in that key, according to the sheet composed and written by Caroyln the original writer and composer written it in the key as I stated . So whoever changed it did not tell me. Because that was not the original key.
That's 100% E-flat, it is simply stated wrong. Do you know the notes in B-flat? they are Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A
ReplyDeleteThe song contains more than one A-flat, which means it CANNOT be in B-flat. It could be in B-flat minor, but the notes in B-flat minor are Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab so it's obviously not in B-flat minor either. We can safely assume the tonic is not B-flat.
So that keys contain Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, and Ab? if we re-arrange them, we would find there's two keys that do, EbM with the notes Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D and Cm which contains the notes C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb. Then if you play the recording by Aretha the very first note in the melody is E-flat, if a song were in B-flat it would most likely start in Bb, D or F, not in E-flat. Then if you go towards the end of the song the note that resolves the melody is (again) E-flat, not Bb, not even C, but E-flat. That leads me to believe the song is, and has always been, in E-flat.
Now, why would someone think it's in B-flat? besides a lack of musical skill, it might be because B-flat is the dominant in an E-flat scale, the second most important note in the scale, and it's the highest note in the note (sung by Whitney's mom), but the tonic returns OVER AND OVER AGAIN to E-flat.
Anyone who writes a comment should read it before to see if his intentions are shown correctly in the comment....In his comment I feel disrespect and a tone that isnt pleasant...so if you want try to pursuade me that he did what he did for those reasons but it won't work.....It's good to have SOME attitude but I don't like his.
ReplyDeleteI think its more so a difference of culture/ personality than anything I think the attitude is limited in these comments, but that is because, judging from his comments, we have similar sarcasm or I am used to his type of it. You probably aren't so it seems more aggressive than he actually meant.
ReplyDeleteObviously.
ReplyDeleteBut I didn't mean to start a war. I just wanted you to let me in =/
ReplyDeletethe published key is E flat major.
ReplyDelete6 a major sharps (3 sharps)
5 b flat majors (flats)
1 d major (2 sharps)
+ 2 f major ( 1 flat)
8 G major ( 1 sharp)
As I stated I may have heard e flat, but its on the major.
yeah she can! Love her voice in Strong too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDwmeT70e5c
ReplyDeleteHere it goes (sigh) live performances existed before recording studios. There was a time where vocal perfection most certainly existed, and a singer wouldn't dare take the stage unless she/he had completely perfected the art. The 20th century changed all that, but there are plenty of artists who are better live than they are in the studio.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how broad your taste in music is, but a lot of bands I listen to perform better live; the studio may be able to refine the sound, but the really good vocalists can outshine that computerized, fabricated version of their voices. Tyler Carter, Jonny Craig, Hayley Williams (they actually thinned out her voice on the recordings, while live, her voice is much more rich), Tillian Pearson (though his voice is an acquired taste), and the "hardest working woman in show business" Janelle Monáe (who is one of few singers who can sound exactly like she does in the studio), not to mention Chrisette Michele (in one concert, she actually says "Look, I can sound just like the album" in a sarcastic fashion before singing).
In the end, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I see perfection as truly capturing the essence of the song, while you see perfection as no flaws and a mechanical smoothening of the vocals.
Katy Perry's live vocals are just so rough and unpleasant, not to mention she lacks enough presence to command the sheer amount of stage theatrics going on around her. Maybe her vocal tone and sound isn't my taste, but if I had been in the live audience I would have been cringing.
ReplyDeleteHi Diva Devotee:
ReplyDeleteI agree that this live performance is one of her best ones, but she just sounded flat. I just wished that she could stand still and sing this song, maybe the quality of her voice would be much better. I mean, what's the use of this complicated choreographed songs if she can't sing it well? Anyways, she went off-key at some points of the song, if you'd listen closely. Not a fan of her and this live performance :p
the problem that I found with Katy Perry is, while her lyrics are meaningful but when they come out of her mouth, it just sounds like a jok. every song. I had to wait 'til Tessanne Chin on The Voice sang Unconditionally so I could entirely enjoy and get the meaning of the song.
ReplyDeleteI like Katy Perry as a person cause I think she's funny and warm and fun but as a singer I don't understand why people buy her music. She's a really good entertainer but she can't sing live. Literally she can't hold a single freaking note and all her song lyrics are cliched 'I've got the eye of the tiger'? Seriously? She's ripping off other people's music and turning more and more 'Hollywood-ized'. I liked her first album a lot because it was unique and kinda fun but now she just is cliched and can't sing. But she's fun to watch at interviews cause she's very amicable and humorous. Very nice girl who's a good entertainer...just can't, you know, sing.
ReplyDelete(And my expectations for her are really low. If she can stay in tune I'm pretty impressed).
That's why I can't get into her. I can get into Lana Del Rey, even though she is touted as being just as--if not more--"created" rather than natural because she writes at least interesting sounding music.
ReplyDeleteKaty to me uses common tropes and recycled lyrics. "Roar" was very cliched.
I don't mind a bit of off-pitch singing. It can be colorful, but her lyrics just don't make up for it.
I think she can sing; she just isn't Leona Lewis like she apparently thinks she is when she's in studio and belting out songs like "Firework" that she probably sings note by note, given how hard it is for her.
She just needs to lower it a tad.
True, but live performances are usually never as perfect as studio recordings, especially when involving complicated choreography and other elements - Not that Katy is much of a dancer though. But yes, I'd consider Katy more of a recording artist than a live singer. But even Mariah could be included in that category as she always seems terrified when singing live, and Whitney in the mid 90's was singing her songs at a fraction of the original speed and talking through them. So even the very best aren't totally perfect live. On the other hand, there are some vocalists such as Maureen McGovern who can give incredible live performances and in the studio they are underwhelming.
ReplyDeleteIt seems fairly Japanese to me...
ReplyDeleteShe's serving Memoirs of a Geisha realness!
ReplyDeleteCultural appropriation-my-ass. So people in Japan who like to dress in western clothing, or Asian artists that dye their hair light are stealing from American culture? LMAO.
Awwww, you're already stalking me :* Thanks babe.
ReplyDelete1 out of 4 children? Are you talking about America or India? LOL
Oh, yes, "The USDA's most direct measures of child hunger show that around 1 percent of families with children have a child who experienced hunger (skipping meals or not eating for a whole day) at least one day in the last 12 months.The USDA's figures for an incidence of child hunger on an average day show that one tenth of 1 percent of children were hungry on an average day. This adds up to two hungry children per ZIP code. ". Interesting statistic :)
No, I could point out your countries ridiculous obsession with oversexed everything, it's enormous racial problem and division even though most people are pretty mixed, your immense corruption level that - though a wealthy country - keeps most of the population in relative poverty, the fact people had to riot because they cannot even afford bus fare, the fact there's an overwhelming problem with child trafficking/prostitution, the fact that it is one of the countries with the highest percentage of violent crimes in the world...want me to continue? You live in a shit-hole, And you should be glad that whenever someone stereotypes Brazil they think of big butts, samba and futebol instead of poverty, child prostitution and other miseries.
ReplyDeleteThus speaks the dude with ASPD (or as it used to be called..the sociopath). However dude, I wasn't really asking for the worldviews of a sociopath.
ReplyDeleteI was simply demonstrating why a sociopath from the US looks doubly hypocritical criticizing the way the poor and minorities are treated in Brazil.
Now that I clarified my use of those statistics, I am going to do as I advised. Cheerio bud.
ReplyDeleteDepends on what your definition of poor singing is.
ReplyDeleteBtw "statistics"? That makes no sense at all. But of course my question was rhetorical. I know why you keep promoting that idea.
Meantime I can post a dozen links to good live singing from just the past month. Just not going to bother wasting such effort , minimum as it is, on you.
Honey, you seem upset? Yet it was you who shared that diagnoses with us a while back.
ReplyDeleteAnd you seemed quite proud of it as well. ( of course that does fit said diagnoses, lack of understanding it's not generally considered something to take pride in)
Are you suggesting you lied about it? It leads one to wonder..what other prideful boast were lies as well in that case???
I have no idea what a "fit of range" is. (lack of understanding why someone wouldn't trust a person who breaks confidence btw also understandably something a sociopath fails to understand. Yet another demo by you).
I also fail to see how middle aged and lesbian should be considered insults by a middle aged lesbian but I am sure in your disturbed mind it makes sense. :-)
Now were I indeed, as you so like to imagine,unemployed, lonely or dried out..each of those are easily solved. Unfortunately you are stuck being a sociopath for the rest of your life. Ain't no cure for that baby!
And I don't recall your real name being stated on your facebook profile either "primo".
Yeah ,I saw them in London a few months back! Was Awesome. I was kinda not as into them as the person I went with, but after watching them live, I was a full on convert!
ReplyDeleteWhy are you implying that it's normal/expected of live performances to be pitchy, have shouty belts and unnecessary and overwhelming visuals?
ReplyDeleteWell, at least you and I(and millions of others) know better Ahmed. :-)
ReplyDelete