Lisa's speaking voice???

[ahnmin]

has anyone ever heard Lisa actually talk???

it's killing me, i want to know what her speaking voice sounds like. is it deep like her singing voice or higher pitched?

this sounds awfully obsessive...

oh well, someone help me out here.

[flyaway]

Theres some sound clips of her speaking about somewhere.
There's been a thread on this before.
Sorry. I am terribly vague.

[Timeé]

she spoke when correcting damien on the title of the song "be my husband" it goes simply
Radio DJ: whats it called what you gonna play which one?
Damien: i dunno its called daddy...love me...
Lisa: *interrupts* its called be my husband

[Bumpman]

She's been known to have conversations with people too, she says such classic Lisa catchphrases as "Hello", and "How are you".

[flyaway]

Originally Posted by Bumpman

She's been known to have conversations with people too, she says such classic Lisa catchphrases as "Hello", and "How are you".

If I do remember correctly you made a witty comment like this in the previous Lisa's voice thread.

[Spamlet]

Originally Posted by Timeé

she spoke when correcting damien on the title of the song "be my husband" it goes simply
Radio DJ: whats it called what you gonna play which one?
Damien: i dunno its called daddy love me good...
Lisa: *interrupts* its called be my husband

Yeah, that's in a stunning earlier KCRW show (that song is played 6th) which you can find here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH5Ulp4bxCY

[eamo_rice]

That is a great show, but she doenst say anything in this one before Be My Husband- this was talked about a while back, and I don't want to open any old arguments cos it got a bit heated to say the least...

The version of Be My Husband she speaks on was on FM104 in Dublin. i thought i had it somewhere, but don't.

[flyaway]

Hahaha I remember that argument. It was an eskimo argument of legends, merely because there's two lots of the same song that sound very similar.
But I can die happy now, because Spamlet was wrong.

[Spamlet]

Eamo,

I apparently missed that particualr legendary argument. I knew they'd played it here but not on any other radio show.

Originally Posted by flyaway

Hahaha I remember that argument. It was an eskimo argument of legends, merely because there's two lots of the same song that sound very similar.
But I can die happy now, because Spamlet was wrong.

Bah, no special occasion there!
Spamlet is frequently wrong about all manner of things.



In fact, for years I was told to stop apologizing for it all the time. You'll still notice me saying "sorry" for my oversights, misunderstandings of intended humor that weren't recognized as such, and, of course, general moronitude. This one makes at least 3x here this week!

However, luckily for ahnmins listening pleasure she does say about six other words on this broadcast. So I was wrong in a good way for once I guess. I'd probably describe it as a gravelly, lowish, whisper. Much like her singing.

[PEIeskimo]

dear lisa, your voice makes me smile.

[Delonelyman]

Originally Posted by PEIeskimo

dear lisa, your voice makes me smile.

dear Lisa,..i love your voice,..and i love too

[eamo_rice]

Originally Posted by Spamlet

However, luckily for ahnmins listening pleasure she does say about six other words on this broadcast. So I was wrong in a good way for once I guess. I'd probably describe it as a gravelly, lowish, whisper. Much like her singing.

I take it you're not a fan? lol. I remember you wrote elsewhere that you wanted her voice removed from a couple of the 9 album tracks?

[cille]

Wow, i would have liked to hear her MORE on 9, but then maybe i would just like to hear a solo album some time soon.

So have we established she actually does talk?

[eamo_rice]

Possibly only to people that matter! she didn't say one word during her EP set, which I thought was a bit odd.

[cille]

she has an EP?

[eamo_rice]

No, sorry, EP as in Electric Picnic. she did a 4/5 song set on the sunday afternoon, but barely nodded in the audience's general direction. she is one shy performer!

[cille]

yeah i think she's shy.

[Delonelyman]

yeah,...a solo album,..will be nice,...sweet,...

[Spamlet]

Originally Posted by eamo_rice

I take it you're not a fan? lol. I remember you wrote elsewhere that you wanted her voice removed from a couple of the 9 album tracks?

Quite the opposite. I adore her work on "O" and in most all live performances. I think she has a gorgeous, raw voice. Not highly trained to judge by much of her diction but certainly soulful which is far more important. In the case of "9" I just don't feel like she's been utilized all that well. It's really my only major quibble with the record. Her role is relegated to brief backing work for a lot of it and, of that, the effect to me usually sounds out of synch, tentative and/or emotionally arbitrary, as though she was thrown in without even practicing with them first or something.

That's how "Elephant" feels to me and having her in the bridge overcrowds it and weakens his explosion's climax. On the proper duets, conversely, she sounds comfortable and assured like her old self since she can take center stage and not worry about where she's got to fit in. Imagine taking a huge movie star like Julia Roberts or whoever and asking them to stay in the background trying not to draw any attention to themself for 90% of a movie's running time. Their nature will cause them to try to make us notice them. They need the spotlight. They're so used to it. Is it any wonder Lisa pulls out a showboaty, uninvested "Whoaaaa!" during her moment to participate? It doesn't sound organic to me but instead it sounds like a desperate bid for attention to be paid. Not to her character either (which would've made it awesome) but to Lisa Hannigan a wonderful singer who's been asked to sit the dance out up til the last minute. I don't blame her but I can't condone it either.

Both "Grey Room" and "BD2/Elephant" were two of my favorite live songs because I'd loved the way Damo sang them by himself. "GR" especially was so palpably painful and all-encompassing in its mood of his utter loneliness that when the electric guitar/drums roared unexpectedly to his aid I got shivers every time. It's the sound of a man finally bursting through his doubt and dependency to rediscover his will, hope and faith again. For me, Lisa dueting with him completely kills the power of that transformation.

Way back when Damo was still only just thinking conceptually he'd do an angry, loud second album I passionately made the case to please make room for "GR" (since it did eventually rock out quite rebelliously, right?) and he said "you know, I think I might after all". While I had his ear, I should have been far more specific in my request to explain what moved me so deeply about it (detailed above and restated below).

Sometimes the best thing for a sad song is to take it back down to the bare essentials of its probable genesis: in a silent room one man's solitude is so overwhelming that it begins to make him cry out like a wounded animal accompanied only by his own instrument. "Accidental Babies" perfectly demonstrates exactly what I mean.

[eamo_rice]

Wow, you make a good case! I agree completely with you that Lisa has been underused this album - and in the latest round of gigs and back in Vicar Street in August, she really seemed to take a back seat and it was heard to hear her voice over the others at times. I didnt know Grey Room orginally and didn't like it at the start, similarly with Elephant, I knew it but hated it completely. Both have really grown on me though, but Lisa does just sound like she's there to provide extra sound at the key moments. I think am i right in saying, that its only 9 crimes and SDW that could be classified as "duets"? I can't think of another song on the album where she plays an equal role to Damien.

and yes - her "arbitrary contributions" - when i first heard GR i thought it sounded unrehearsed and it was because of the fact that Lisa and Damo were completely out of sync at points and the whole vocal line sounded rather disjointed

[Nine]

spamlet - you just said everything that I couldn't be bothered to type.
x

[Spamlet]

Originally Posted by eamo_rice

I think am i right in saying, that its only 9 crimes and SDW that could be classified as "duets"? I can't think of another song on the album where she plays an equal role to Damien.

I'd say that technically you're probably correct. But that I would include "Grey Room", "Dogs" and "Coconut Skins" as places where she sings at least 50% of the song and in a position of far more vocal prominence than the rest of the album.

[PEIeskimo]

Originally Posted by Spamlet

That's how "Elephant" feels to me and having her in the bridge overcrowds it and weakens his explosion's climax. On the proper duets, conversely, she sounds comfortable and assured like her old self since she can take center stage and not worry about where she's got to fit in. Imagine taking a huge movie star like Julia Roberts or whoever and asking them to stay in the background trying not to draw any attention to themself for 90% of a movie's running time. Their nature will cause them to try to make us notice them. They need the spotlight. They're so used to it. Is it any wonder Lisa pulls out a showboaty, uninvested "Whoaaaa!" during her moment to participate? It doesn't sound organic to me but instead it sounds like a desperate bid for attention to be paid. Not to her character either (which would've made it awesome) but to Lisa Hannigan a wonderful singer who's been asked to sit the dance out up til the last minute. I don't blame her but I can't condone it either.

That's interesting. I never really got too attached to older live versions of BD2, especially versions that predated the bridge, so it was very easy for me to accept the album version. I think the bridge is the one piece of explosive energy on the album (besides MMYI) and frankly I think the album could use more of it (especially on 9 crimes, which kind of meanders at the end). While I do appreciate the sublime, there's nothing like some good ol fashioned screaming every now and then. I agree that Lisa's role on Elephant is not "organic", but I also don't think it's meant to really be an organic song. Catharsis, like bleeding oneself, isn't meant to be a natural occurence but rather, to the contrary, as an act against nature. Lisa's frenetic screaming is just part of the hemorrhage.

So yes, I defend Lisa's role in Elephant, and would not want my album any other way.

JMHO.

[Niko]

I doubt this will make any difference to anyone's opinion on the matter, but I like Lisa joining in for the bridge of Elephant. It is, after all, The Blower's Daughter, part two, and it provides a nice echo of her role in the original song - joining in for the bridge. Maybe I just have a thing for symmetry...

[cille]

Originally Posted by Spamlet

(..)
I think she has a gorgeous, raw voice. Not highly trained to judge by much of her diction
(...)

I actually percieve her as a fairly trained singer. Now I don't know what you mean exactly when you talk about her diction, are you thinking of how she pronounces vowels? Cause in many cases I percieve any non-'correct' pronounciation of hers as more of a case of singing technique than lack of attention to diction. 'Twisting' the pronounciation of a particular vowel can be a way of achieveing a certain sound that you couldn't achieve by singing the vowel in correct diction.
In that way, singing vocal training is different from actor's vocal training.

[Niko]

Not wishing for a second to speak for Spamlet, I think it's more to do with her consonants than her vowels, if anything. Sometimes it's just not that easy to hear what the blummin' woman is trying to say/sing!

[EDIT] Although obviously I think she is an amazing singer. You'd have to be pretty silly not to, really...