History Main / PerishingAltRockVoice

* Both singers of TheXX have this, always.

This trope [[TropesAreTools is not necessarily a bad thing]] and this vocal style has provided quite a few [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome crowning moments of awesome]].

** New Order's previous incarnation Music/JoyDivision also has shades of this, particularly in the tracks recorded near the end of their lifespan. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in an ''extremely'' dark way, seeing as how Curtis was being eaten away by rapidly worsening depression and eventually [[DrivenSuicide hung himself,]] cutting the band's career as Joy Division short.

* {{Starflyer 59}} started off like this, as Jason tried to sing falsetto to imitate the shoegaze bands he liked, but wasn't able to put much volume behind it. Since switching to indie-pop, Jason's switched to a vocal range he's more comfortable with, so his volume has gradually increased, though he's still pretty monotone.

* Jason Pierce from {{Spiritualized}}.

* Music/WeirdAlYankovic's "Smells Like Nirvana" mocks this style of singing as a cause of UnintelligibleLyrics.

* OKGo tends towards this, but the level of "perishing" varies between songs. The most evident example is probably their cover of Music/TheCure's "The Lovecats," which is [[IntercourseWithYou fairly obviously]] of the "sexed-out bliss" variety.

* Music/NeilYoung does this in his very early recordings, e.g. "On The Way Home" and "After The Gold Rush", and heavily on the ''On The Beach'' and ''Tonight's The Night'' albums [[note]]Mostly because he was stoned and/or drunk off his ass during the recording of both.[[/note]]. Some fans consider him the TropeMaker.

* Music/NeilYoung does this in his very early recordings, e.g. "On The Way Home" and "After The Gold Rush". Some fans consider him the TropeMaker.

* Jonas Renske from Katatonia sings like he's permanently on the verge of having an emotional breakdown after being traumatized for years.

Basically, this trope is the difference between e.g.[[Music/SonicYouth Ciccone Youth's]] version [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUCLoPFvNKY "Into the groove"]] and {{Music/Madonna}}'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3wtH9aym0 original]].

** "The Distance" is actually not typical of John [=McCrea=]'s vocal style. He doesn't normally deliver the lyrics like a robot. Normally he sounds more like [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf8AiX-ELVY this]], using a vocal style called ''sprechgesang''.

* For the Music/VelvetUnderground, there's Lou's dry version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xcwt9mSbYE ) and Music/{{Nico}}'s Euro-dirge one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KiU5P4ihIQ ). John Cale also definitely qualifies, as does his replacement, Doug Yule. Velvet Underground may well be the {{Trope Maker}}s.

* Both singers of the xx have this, always.

* Mark Gardner of Music/{{Ride}}.

* NeilYoung does this in his very early recordings, e.g. "On The Way Home" and "After The Gold Rush". Some fans consider him the TropeMaker.

** As does Richard Patrick from Filter.

Basically, this trope is the difference between e.g.[[SonicYouth Ciccone Youth's]] version [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUCLoPFvNKY "Into the groove"]] and {{Music/Madonna}}'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3wtH9aym0 original]].

The PerishingAltRockVoice may be interspersed with {{Metal Scream}}s and Stuttering Wailing; it also frequently leads to {{Mondegreen}}s and IndecipherableLyrics, as well as SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein. A staple of {{Grunge}} and ShoeGazing, as well as the bread and butter of DreamPop, with a tendency to make surprise appearances in {{Industrial}}. May overlap in use with Emo Whispering and {{Yarling}}: while it's easy to sound perishing if you're singing nasally [[note]]because you're actually blocking the nose and thereby getting less air[[/note]], a lot of perishing singers (like Music/MyBloodyValentine, or Thom from {{Radiohead}}) aren't nasal at all, and (as per above) they're usually far from emoting overtly. Not infrequently crosses over into CreepyMonotone or DissonantSerenity. Related to ThreeChordsAndTheTruth, in that the more fanatical ones regard polished, full-bodied singing as fake and scratchy singing as authentic.

* Chino Moreno of {{Deftones}} alternates between this style and MetalScream.

* Ditto Ronnie Martin of JoyElectric. Perhaps he doesn't want to sound out of place among all those synthesizers.

* Anders Friden from InFlames, when he's not [[HarshVocals growling]], uses a vocal style that is very reminiscent of this trope despite InFlames being a MelodicDeathMetal band. (although their later work incorporates greater levels of AlternativeMetal.

* LisaGermano.

* Brian Molko of {{Placebo}}, moreso in earlier songs.
* The Wygal sisters of {{Splendora}} were queens of the alt-rock monotone, which is almost certainly why they got to do the theme song for ''{{Daria}}''.

* OKGo tends towards this, but the level of "perishing" varies between songs. The most evident example is probably their cover of TheCure's "The Lovecats," which is [[IntercourseWithYou fairly obviously]] of the "sexed-out bliss" variety.

* NickDrake may not be the TropeMaker (Lou Reed and John Cale probably have a heavier claim) but he could certainly qualify as one of the {{Trope Codifier}}s.

* Jack White with his Music/TheWhiteStripes, side project bands and solo careers. ''Especially'' live. One moment he's droning in monotones, the next he's screaming with the utmost control, the next moment he could ''start preaching to the crowd''. Also count his guitar; he's wrings out every note worthy of being in the song.

Basically, this trope is the difference between e.g.[[SonicYouth Ciccone Youth's]] version [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUCLoPFvNKY "Into the groove"]] and {{Madonna}}'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3wtH9aym0 original]].

* ''[[{{Gorillaz}} Windmill, windmill, for the land, turn forever hand-in-hand.]]''
** [[{{Gorillaz}} I ain't happy, I'm feeling' glad/I've got sunshine in a bag...]]

The PerishingAltRockVoice may be interspersed with {{Metal Scream}}s and Stuttering Wailing; it also frequently leads to {{Mondegreen}}s and IndecipherableLyrics, as well as SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein. A staple of {{Grunge}} and ShoeGazing, as well as the bread and butter of DreamPop, with a tendency to make surprise appearances in {{Industrial}}. May overlap in use with Emo Whispering and {{Yarling}}: while it's easy to sound perishing if you're singing nasally [[note]]because you're actually blocking the nose and thereby getting less air [[/note]], a lot of perishing singers (like Music/MyBloodyValentine, or Thom from {{Radiohead}}) aren't nasal at all, and (as per above) they're usually far from emoting overtly. Not infrequently crosses over into CreepyMonotone or DissonantSerenity. Related to ThreeChordsAndTheTruth, in that the more fanatical ones regard polished, full-bodied singing as fake and scratchy singing as authentic.