Am I the only one who thinks the Arcade Fire could use a better singer?

[RandomKoolzip]

I mean, don't get me wrong, the expanded line-up with the viloin and the accordian and keys and percussion and all that stuff is pretty cool for texture, but that schmuck they have out front singing the tunes is a fuckin' dog, jack. They'd probably be one of the best bands extant if they could jettison that yelping fop on the mic and hire Robert Pollard, for instance (I hear he's not doing much these days). Shit, the chick who plays keys has a cool voice - why not have her be the primary vocalist?

All I know is that when their songs come on, I keep hoping for something else in the vocal department to match how full and driving and luscious the band sounds, and never getting it.

Who's with me?

[mark414]

1. see, i'd rather listen to a bad singer with good music and lyrics

than a good singer with bad music and lyrics

it's why i like bob dylan so much...maybe i'm just not that picky about singers, being a terrible one myself

[RandomKoolzip]

2. Ah, the old Bob Dylan excuse.

I'm a HUGE Dylan fan (i gots bootlegs out the ass), but I'm tired of people using him as an excuse to be a poor vocalist. Plus, his voice, at least on his best material, matches the ragged-but-right musicianship of his bands. And he had a magical gift for rythmic phrasing (At the height of his powers as a singer, circa the Rolling Thunder tour, he was an undisputably GREAT singer by any sane standard), but this is all a dodge, really - I'm talking specifically about this dude from the Arcade Fire - do the vocals match the music? IMO, they don't. They sound out of place, or worse, like guide vocals for the REAL singer to follow. The band is incredible, but the singer's range is pathetic and he has none of the unique gifts Dylan possessed to offset that limitation.

AGain, this is my O.