Monday, March 28, 2005

Spotlight on duets

(The kids at Somesongs like "Distance." It currently has the highest rating of the week.)

Duets are of particular interest to us because we have two lead singers.

PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke - This Mess We're In (One of the best duets from the modern era. Notice how the two voices weave in and out of each other.)

The Beatles - We Can Work It Out (Aside from the vocal work, also notice the amazing time signature switch at the end of John's section.)

Blonde Redhead - (I Am Taking Out My Eurotrash) I Still Get Rocks Off (This is a typical exchange between Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace. It looks as dramatic as it sounds onstage.)

Pixies - Tony's Theme (Kim Deal is usually mixed as though she is a second lead singer, even when she's doing a harmony or countermelody. Yes, she says "This is a song about a superhero named Tony..." even during the live performance, which I think rocks.)

The Sugarcubes - Motor Crash (Einar's poor rapping tends to make Bjork sound even better than she does. Still, this song is a good example of how two lead singers can switch off: one of them [Bjork] starts scat singing, and the other takes over on words.)

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