vocalists with the best emotional intensity
 

Who do you think has very emotionally intense vocals?

I nominate Micheal Gira of Swans. On the early albums, he sounds like he's being tortured, yet is mocking the torturer the entire time, saying "Is that all you can do?! Come on you Chicken-shit!!!" (his vocals on Beautiful Child sum it up perfectly for me)

Thom Yorke has his moments

Chan Marshall
Christina Carter
Kim Gordon
Carrie Brownstein
Michael Stipe
Lou Barlow

John Cale

listen to his cover of Heartbreak Hotel.

Joe Cocker. On the sole basis of his cover of With a Little Help from my Friends.

Oh, also Janis and Joni Mitchell

Nick Cave from his Birthday Party days, and perhaps some early Bad Seeds stuff. That B-Day stuff is just no-holds-barred crazy. One of the coolest vocal moments, for me, is Junkyard, where on "Honey, honey honey honey honey honey come on, kiss meeeeeeeEEEEEEEEE!!!!" he slowly glissandos up on the "meeeeee" part, but he does it so forcefully, like he's battling off all the crazy noise around him. It's barely noticeable actually but, I dunno, I guess it leaves an impression once picked up upon.

Stephen Hawking

Me, in the shower.

Ian Curtis

I would also nominate Nick Cave

Obviously Joni

CHAN MARSHALL.

Hands fucking down.

nick cave, mjk, sufjan stevens

I was thinking Thom Yorke, and Tom Waits on songs like Anywhere I Lay My Head.

masonna.

William Bennett and Philip Best of Whitehouse
David Yow of Jesus Lizard
John Brannon of Negative Approach
Michael Gira
Burzum on Filosophem

Yeah I seen Consumer Electronics support Wolf Eyes, i cant believe i missed out on such a great thing for so long. I'm a huge fan now. I'm making it my lifes work to never miss a CE show when they come to town.

A few Vocalists come to mind:

Thom Yorke
Lou Reed (in a very strange way)
Nico
John Lennon
Kim Gordon
Ozzy Osbourne
Billy Corgan (yes I said it....)

SIMON FINN

Chan Marshall
Nick Cave
Saxie Russell
Thom Yorke (at times)
Cotton Casino

antony

YEAH.

Issac Brock
best vocals ever, no ones better

What the fuck?! No mention of Jamie Stewart?
Well, him!
EFRIM MENUCK
Win Butler from the Arcade Fire
Thom Yorke
Anni Rossi
Tim Kasher
Emily Haines
Robert Smith
Conor Oberst

That is what I was gonna say.

Diamanda Gals
Nina Simone

nico

Will Smith?








...sorry

Tunde Adebimpe of TV On the Radio.

Leonard Cohen
Tim Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Beth Gibbons

Linda Sharrock
Patty Waters

you forgot Perry Farrell

Stuart Murdoch

Steve Albini
Guy Picciotto (especially in Rites of Spring)
Rivers Cuomo on Pinkerton, his screams on Tired of Sex blow me away.

I failed to mention her, but she is intensity itself. Kurt Cobain.

Damn! I forgot about him.

Al Green

Kim G, yo
Michael Stipe
Leonard Cohen
Nico
Elliot Smith
HR
Jonathan Richman
Kim Deal
Maynard

Was listening to Janis Joplin today. Would have to say that she's pretty intense. What's so cool though is the way she can do the most strained, vulnerable changes into near silence. The lack of technique and sheer emotion makes it chillingly cool.

Patti Smith as well, but she doesn't have that Joplin range. That said, her cover of My Generation totally destroys.

The free jazz vocals of Abbie Lincoln

Dave Thomas of Pere Ubu

Greg Sage of the Wipers

Eva, a.k.a. Inca Ore

Zach Condon - Beirut

Tim Kinsella, for sure.