My subconscious is stewing on something, but I'm not sure what. However, I can tell it's mulling over something. So today I'm going to write about something that has been driving me nuts lately in music.
Why is everyone using voice effects lately? Ok, not everyone, but many people. Sure, pop music likes to use voice effects, many time to cover the inadequacies of the performer, but it's infiltrating rock also. To be clear, I'm not talking about the very obvious ones like voice boxes or megaphone affects, but more subtle affects where you have to listen close to catch.
The song that annoys me the most right now? Nickelback's Photograph. To me, the song takes on this weird quality where his voice almost sounds angry due to the effects placed on it, which doesn't match the feel of the song at all. Angry isn't really the right word, but it's very hard to describe. Maybe more like he's shouting the whole song, pushing too hard, when it's a relatively calm gentle song. I think this is a situation where a good producer should have stepped in and said, "hey, this effect doesn't match the song. I know it sounds cool, but you need to cut it." Because for me it completely ruins an otherwise good song.
This type of misguided enthusiasm for voice effects pops up all over the place. There are just some artists that shouldn't be allowed to produce themselves (Sheryl Crow) or be allowed to touch synthesizers (Melissa Etheridge). Now, there are people who utilize effects very well, like Sarah McLachlan. The electronics never take away from the feel of the song, which is the most important thing.
When my wife and I have our own studio, voice effects will be very few and far between. A good song, truthful and from the heart, will stand up without any extra gadgets. We want to produce music that retains all of the feel of the live performance, maintaining that connection between the artist and the audience. Can we do it? I don't know about me, but I have absolute faith that my wife can pull off anything she sets her mind to. And I believe she can make music that not only will we love, but that others will love too.
So that's my rant for the weekend. My copy of Home With God, the final book in the Conversations with God series should arrive tomorrow. Expect to see a series of posts where I attempt to make sense of the afterlife as I read this new perspective.
