Even though music is all about your taste, some people agree on who's a good or a bad singer. But some of us out there seem to enjoy listening to bad singers and their songs. Does it mean we have terrible taste, or that music is about many things and the quality of the voice doesn't necessarily have to be great? Bob Dylan is known to be a very polarizing artist: his voice being so particular throws off some people who put him in the "Awful singers" category, and yet he's one of the biggest singers of all time.
One of the genres best known for gathering a lot of these so called Bad singers is punk music and some of its subgenres. Today, I'm going to focus more on folk punk, a branch of punk music that is more chill than punk rock or crust punk, but carries even heavier subjects, often talking about mental health struggles, grief, finding your way in life or traumas.
To me, the questionable quality of folk punk artists' singing is a plus. It adds to the depth of their message. For example, the voice breaks in Rejoice by AJJ and the tone of voice in Post party depression by Days N Daze let us really feel and allow us to relate even more. Of course, great singing skills don't erase a songs' message, but painful topics and harsh realities come with a sadness in the voice that is very powerful and translates perfectly into music in my opinion.
Earlier, I compared folk punk to punk rock music, but they obviously have similarities. The biggest one I think is where they fall on the political compass. Radical left, very rebellious and angry at the different governments, both genres are very vocal about these topics. Boycott Me! by Mischief Brew is a rant to the F.O.P (Federal Order of Police) and their heavy censorship of opposing ideas. On another subject, we have Heterosexuality is a construct by Onsind, complaining about heterosexuality's over. Another political rant you can find is Urine speaks louder than words by the Wingsnut Dishwashers Union, who take time to sing about drug addictions and state racism. The common theme in these songs is how raw they sound (you could even say amateurish) and that, to me, adds intensity to the - already heavy - themes they tackle.
A very important thing to take into consideration here is how it puts music in a more reachable place. Your anger is enough, you just have to play the guitar and pretty much scream in a mic about how angry and sad you are. And as dull as it may seem, it is something that resonates with a lot of people (especially teenagers and - young - adults). The same way a sad film can be one's favourite because it resonates with them ans makes them feel represented, sad music can make you feel seen and heard, and more importantly, not alone in your struggles. Who cares about how good the singing is?
- Balthazar