Screaming in Music

[lacktheknack]

What do you think of it? How much is appropriate? Do you have a favorite kind?

<spoiler=My take on it>I thought for a long time that all yelling was rubbish in music, as it just wrecked melody and generally ruined good music. But then Christopher Heral had to come along and make a song that simply wouldn't work without the lyrics being constantly howled from across the recording room.

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Almost immediately after, I was introduced to Project :wumpscut:, the best song of which had nothing but talking, buildup, and bloodcurdling howls.

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The final nail in the coffin of my resistance came in the form of Portishead's self-titled album, an album that I firmly place as the second best album of anything ever, and my favorite track on it, Half Day Closing. At first, it doesn't seem like that much of a track for screaming. Sure, the chorus is sung more intensely than the rest (marginally)... but then the end happens.

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Beth suddenly unleashes a twenty-second howl of pure anguish for no real reason other than "Just Because". It's my favorite moment of the song.

My favorite moment of my favorite track on my second-favorite album is an anguished howl.

I may as well accept it - I like screaming in music now (within reason).

What about you guys? If you like screaming, did you always like it, or were you eased into it as I was?

 

[Nouw]

While I haven't listened to many songs with screaming, I can enjoy it when done right. I suppose for me this is in the genre of symphonic and power metal.

0:48. I love Fabio's voice.

 

[staika]

I used to not like it but as I got into heavier metal I found myself liking Melodic Death Metal which had screaming in it. I didn't really like it at first but it grew on me and now I listen to much heavier metal and screamo metal. My favorite screams are the low growls that are mostly found in deathcore.

 

[repeating integers]

Screaming sometimes works, for me.

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That terrified, rage-filled, desperate NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO is one of my favourite parts of A Thousand Suns (which is excellent).

But it has to fit the song - when metal just throws in random screams (or, alternatively, doom-metal growls) for no apparent reason, it makes me cringe.

Of course, sometimes it's just hilarious.

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[Rawne1980]

The reason I dislike screaming in my music is because I sing in my car.

Imagine random joe, stuck in traffic next to a bloke screaming to himself.....

People will think i'm nucking futs.

 

[Launcelot111]

I don't really dig the super guttural metal stuff or the anguished screamo stuff. They're too unnatural and one of the few things that are unlistenable to me. My favorite screaming is Ian Mackaye from Minor Threat, because he's not going for effect as much as he's mad about something and he yells about it how a natural person yells

Spoiler: example

 

[Smooth Operator]

It has it's time and place, but like every element it needs to be used well.
But I really appreciated it more during my teenage angry years, that sort of unplugged lunacy just sat right with me at the time.

 

[Esotera]

That's my primary example for the sort of screaming I like. Basically anything that's quite distinct from usual music. Deep growls are awesome though...Opeth does that particularly well.

 

[LilithSlave]

You know, I'm quite surprised as to how little research there is to the psychological motivations to this sort of screaming in and outside of music. And how it isn't readily available.

Typical google searches into the manner of screaming for anger, alienation, catharsis, weltschmerz, depression, righteous indignation, and so forth, and how it as a music instrument have become popularized, yield pathetic results.

Instead, most good searches produce matter related to "fear scream" instead of anger or emotional catharsis related screaming. Or embarrassing footage of people yelling at their parents or something that have made it onto stream video services.

Instead of useful information about why we may have evolved to "scream", neurological maps of people who want to and during screaming, and so on and so forth. The scream and the motivation for it, is certainly worthy of plenty of sociobiological research.

I'm not the type of person who likes to pretend my tastes are law, and that I don't care about biases, "I just like good music and dislike bad music" or "I just like good video games and dislike bad ones". No, a human is a collection of biases, not a machine that detects expertise and effort. I listen to music, largely based upon what kind of emotional mood I'm in, and how music affects my mood in a positive way. As such, I like a lot of music with a lot of raw things like screaming involved, it feels like a pat on the back when you feel like you're screaming on the inside yourself.

Personally, musically, I like the "true screamo" stuff. Like this.
(By the way, if you're curious about Anomie, and what they're screaming about. It's basically feminist/socialist screamo)
Though most music that has screaming of some sort I like. There are different genres with different types of screaming for different moods. Electro-Industrial also has a great deal of nice screaming or "harsh vocals", as many prefer to call it.

 

[Jauffre]

I like screaming, it adds to the "brutality" and heaviness. At first I was a bit put off by it, but I really like it now after having listened to a lot of stuff with it.

 

[lRookiel]

I do appreciate some screaming in my music just as long as it's not !ONLY! screaming.

This song has some screaming near the end, it's a very gradual song so I think it fits perfectly.

 

[Zantos]

The reason I dislike screaming in my music is because I sing in my car.

Imagine random joe, stuck in traffic next to a bloke screaming to himself.....

People will think i'm nucking futs.

Stick your avatar in your back window, they'll figure it out before they've even seen you..

OT: I think it works on a case by case basis. I'm not a fan of bands that do it constantly, on the other hand when it works you can't doubt it. Has to be in moderation though.

 

[smithy_2045]

Good for impact, bad when the song is primarily screaming.

 

[SEXTON HALE]

Unlees its straight up norweigan black metal I will none of it.

 

[CruisingForBiddies]

Of course, sometimes it's just hilarious.

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I just wet myself. Words cannot describe how much I laughed.

 

[SoulSalmon]

"Screaming" as far as I'm concerned is that high pitched whiny crap people do on rollercoasters >.>
But most people seem to just mean 'harsh vocals' and it blanket covers all types of growling or yelling.

I'ma just leave some songs here to speak my opinion for me.

 

[Goofguy]

Good for impact, bad when the song is primarily screaming.

Pretty much this. I prefer clean vocals but if it adds power to part of the song, I'm ok with screaming.

 

[bobmus]

Of course, sometimes it's just hilarious.

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I just wet myself. Words cannot describe how much I laughed.

... I think I'm missing the joke. Muse aren't consistently good enough songwriters for me to accept that they're taking the piss here. Unless of course their first two albums were designed to be parodies as well...