What's the one thing indie rock bands Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, and the Flaming Lips have in common? You probably wouldn't want to hear their lead singers step up to the microphone on a karaoke night. Raspy, quavering, and pitchy, lead singers Win Butler, Isaac Brock, and Wayne Coyne just don't have world-class voices.
So who are the great lead singers in the world of indie rock? We thought we’d start with the following artists…
Fleet Foxes’ vocals are so good it almost sounds like they’re rubbing it in, so it wasn’t a surprise when they turned out to be last year’s biggest new indie band.
Neko Case’s voice is one in a million, and its appeal is universal: both you and your mom—if you're stuck in traffic—could enjoy listening to it. She’s like the perfect country singer for people who don’t generally like country music.
Being Scottish is almost like cheating—that accent can make anything sound good—but it also helps that Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison actually hits the notes he reaches for.
There aren’t very many low-voiced singers around these days—most of our pop stars are about 16 years old—so Stephin Merritt’s drowsy crooning is a beautiful change of pace.
Like Neko Case, Leslie Feist sounds great and seems to have the art of making awesome music videos down. We’ll buy as manyiPods as she says.
Not only can Andrew Bird sing and play guitar and violin like nobody’s business, he’s also a world-renowned whistler. Showoff.
Feel the sudden urge to work on your singing chops? You know where to go.
Topics: Music, Celebs & Stuff
Tags: indie rock, singing
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