Well, it's definitely more of a country-driven record than his previous work, so I guess I get hearing it more. It neither stands out to me nor bothers me, though. I've always loved his voice and this sounds exactly like him to me. His inflection across the board also sounds very much like his speaking voice sounds. And knowing that he completely left the vocals alone on both the Brian Fallon and Frank Turner records, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't even any autotune or effects on the vocals here. With that in mind, they're probably some of the most natural vocals on a record this year, actually. Anyway, bummed you didn't dig it, but I guess you're just not destined to be a Butch fan! Glad you gave it a try, at least.
Yeah, I wish I could get into him too. Afraid of Ghosts remains his only album that I'd say I actually enjoy.
He was INCREDIBLE last night. Suzanne Santo is totally totally amazing. He comes out into the middle of the crowd during "Hot Girls," so be near the middle of the floor if you want to be right next to him
I think that was the best I've ever seen him. He and the band sounded fantastic last night. To be fair, I probably would have said the same thing after any of the other Butch shows I've seen.
Band sounded kinda muted at first or something. But they've definitely balanced out the sound by the time they get to Descending. Also, Bed on Fire is just an incredible song, especially live.
He's definitely the best. Closest Thing to You I'm Gonna Find and Summer of '89 also both just absolutely kill it live. And Suzanne sounds amazing, especially during Best Thing You Never Had. Even though I missed hearing a bunch of the ballads this time around, I'm glad he decided to just rock the fuck out for 2 hours instead.
Glad to see that when people on chorus attempt that ganging-up-on-differing-opinions, hive mind bullshit that was so prevalent on AP it gets shut down. Also, I agree that 'forced twang' is a very self-explanatory phrase and to claim you don't get it is just being purposefully obtuse. That being said, it doesn't bother me here, even though that is something that usually does. I'd say Butch doesn't really do it, especially not nearly as bad as some country artists.
Agree to disagree. I don't like jumping to conclusions about what is or is not a person's natural singing voice, unless there is obvious over-emoting or excessive melisma. This is especially true for a singer that sounds more or less the same from one album to the next, as Butch does. Faking something in your voice for years at a time is usually quite difficult because doing so is also usually unhealthy.
Seems a little unnecessary to stir the pot on something that's two days old. Just sayin... I find it odd that you're calling people obtuse for not understanding what was meant by forced twang. When I hear someone say something is forced it means fake, adding something that isn't typically there. None of that is true about Butch. He speaks with an accent and he sings with an accent that tends to prevail at times. If you don't like his accent, I can understand that. Implying that he is faking it, I cannot.
The only gripe I have with this current setlist is that he almost completely ignores the back half of this record. I get wanting to play a good mix of old and new, but those songs sound like they would be dynamite live.
This list is insanely wrong, but I'm glad it exists if it gets more people to listen. The Best 21 Songs By Butch Walker Are you familiar with Santo's band, HoneyHoney? Really recommend their record from last year if you haven't checked it out yet.
Things I take issue with: 1) No "Don't Move." 2) No "State Line." Really?! 3) "Synthesizers" could fairly make a list of "best Butch Walker songs," but "Best Songs by Butch Walker" implies that he had a hand in writing it, which he didn't. 4) Wtf is that top five?