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Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
I dont know about everyone but I can speak for myself when I say that Gavin has a unique gift for writing. I myself am a writer of sorts and have been trying to master the craft for about 15years now. All I can do is be overtaken by the placement of his action in words in the lyrics. They blend universal reality with undying questions and well thought out rhymes. I cant even think of another recent artists who can baffle me with phrases or decipher such power from a simple chorus. But maybe you can? I am pretty new Dredg fan (2 years) and I want to know if anyother members out their can find an equal comparison to Gavin.
Well thanks for your time and cant wait to see the show on the 28th,
Replies to This Posting
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Jon
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
I am not a writer - in fact I typically mangle the English language in prose and speech - but I do gain great satisfaction listening to and deciphering the lyrics to the following:
1. MJK, Tool - powerful voice and interesting lyrics. Both he and Gavin sound great live and have a unique way of conveying messages. I actually prefer a lot of MJK's lyrical work with A Perfect Circle over that of Tool's. I know Tool fans get a bad rap in this area, but I do think MJK has crafted some of the best lyrics around . . . since '92 ; )
The next two may surprise . . .
2. Brandon Boyd - I like Incubus a lot. Not as much as Dredg, Tool or Metallica, but a lot. I think Boyd has a great knack for weaving lyrical tapestries a la Gavin. Brandon also has a great, powerful voice that sounds great live. I do give the edge to Gavin for his overall lyrical concepts.
3. James Hetfield - definitely not as powerful or smooth as many singers (especially the above two), but for me, James has a great talent for one-liners. Not exactly what your topic is, but I just think that James doesn't get a lot of credit for his thoughtful lyrics (especially from Load on). -
AnewKINDofFEELIN
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Shannon Hoon - I can't think of another singer who brought out his demons on paper better than Shannon. There are a couple songs that I can't listen to without crying. New Life really stands out.
Suddenly everything is fading
I've been falling from a broken ladder's rung
There's a jolt exhilarating from the phone I'm holding
I hear the words of what I'll become
How eager the hands that reach for love
Because there's a new life to behold
And it's the biggest part of my life to unfold
Because now shes telling me she'll have my baby
And a faithful father I am to be
When I'm looking into the eyes of our own baby
Will it bring new life into me?
Deep inside must defy arrangement
I've been a stumblin from the startin' blocks 'til now
And I'll always try to justify the way I have been behaving
Should I teach one not to know how?
How to live in the world we live in now
Because there's a beautiful life to behold
And it's the biggest part of my life to unfold
Because now shes telling me she'll have my baby
And a father figure I am to be
When I look into the eyes of my new baby
Will it bring new life into me?
Oh please
Oh please
Oh please
Bring new life
Bring new life
Bring new life into me
Change:
I don't feel the sun's comin' out today
Its staying in, its gonna find another way.
As I sit here in this misery,
I don't think I'll ever, no lord, see the sun from here.
And oh as I fade away,
They'll all look at me and say, and they'll say,
"Hey look at him! I'll never live that way."
But that's okay
They're just afraid of change.
When you feel your life ain't worth living
You've got to stand up and take a look around you then a look up way to the sky.
And when your deepest thoughts are broken,
Keep on dreaming boy, 'cause when you stop dreamin it's time to die.
And as we all play parts of tomorrow,
Some ways we'll work and other ways we'll play.
But I know we can't all stay here forever,
So I'm gonna write my words on the face of today.
And they'll paint it
And oh as I fade away,
They'll all look at me and they'll say,
"Hey look at him and where he is these days."
When life is hard, you have to change. -
Master B
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Maynard (Tool), Brandon Boyd (Incubus), Matthew Bellamy (Muse), Pete Loeffler (Chevelle), Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Trent Reznor (NIN), and Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson (Sigur Rós) to name a few besides Gavin are great lyricists and singers and most of them for very different reasons. They all have their own style and they all know how to write deep meaningful lyrics that pull you in as a listener. Hell I can't even understand or translate Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson's lyrics, but just the way he sings them digs deep at my soul. Actually none of my favorite bands have a lead singer that can't write compelling lyrics or can't sing their asses off. Vocals are a very key component in my opinion to making an epic band.
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Jon
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Great choices and points Master B . . . I am a huge Sigur Ros fan and admit that although I can't understand a word he is singing I feel the emotion. I bought an E-bow just to play along with their songs : )
I'm going to add a new one: Casey from The Dear Hunter. Ars recommended them on the "You should be listening to" thread and I cannot not stop listening to the three albums. Powerful singer, interesting lines. -
Lionhunter1984
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
ok...this is my kind of topic! But i like lists so heres mine (no particular order either)
1) Cedric Bixler-Zavala - Mars Volta/At the Drive-in
come on..you cant tell me you didnt see that one coming. You need wikipedia, a dictionary and maybe some fortune tellers to decipher half the stuff this guy says!
2) Anthony Green - Circa Survive/The sounds of animals fighting/saosin
another amazing lyricist walking among us on this earth. He has this very metaphorical way of approaching a lot of his lyrics and has a lot great lines to boot as well.
3) Claudio Sanchez - Coheed and Cambria
this guy has an awesome voice and great lyrics as well. They are very fictional since most of their lyrics are based around the characters that they created named of course "Coheed" and "Cambria"
4) Chino Moreno - Deftones/Team sleep
Its Chino from Deftones.....enough said!
5) Marshall Mathers - Eminem
say what you want about this guy..but he has got some really emotional shit on his plate. This guy can rip just about anyone and make it just sound so damn sick and awesome all at the same time. You gotta love Eminem man!
6) Fat Mike - NoFX
Fat Mike to me is the do it all guy... He sings about everything from dinosaurs, drugs, masturbation and about plain nothing at times (has anyone ever heard juice head?!?!?!?) This guy can make a song about waffles and pop tarts and it sounds like freakin gold. You can probably throw out 24 words at him and he'll write you a song with those words alone (A la Dr. Seuss)
7) David Gilmour - Pink Floyd
Its freakin David Gilmour....we all grew up listening to his stuff (I dont care if you 10 right now you have definitely heard a floyd song more than 334 times already and you don't even know it yet) With such great memorable lyrics to awesome songs such as "Us and Them" and "The Division Bell" how could you not love the sound of his voice (Even if Roger Waters did write most of the lyrics on "The Wall") every time he sings. Theres emotion and love in every flowing word!
ok thats enough for now....im tired! -
Andler
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Vocals that set themselves apart from the normal mainstream radio blend is what draws me to a band. Over the years I have grown to love Dredg and their sound, opening my world to the music that is out there beyond these thin walls of radio. Here are some of my favorite vocal talents;
Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson - Sigur Ros
Jamie Stem - Sinch
Matthew Bellamy - Muse
Cedric Bixler-Zavala - The Mars Volta
Thom Yorke - Radiohead
Isaac Brock - Modest Mouse
Paul Banks - Interpol
Caleb Followill -The Kings of Leon
Zachary Francis Condon -Beirut
I know, not very similar to Gavin Hayes :) -
AnewKINDofFEELIN
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
I'll give you some more:
Neil Peart (Rush) - just listen to Natural Science
Roger Waters - The Wall is all you need.
Zack de la Rocha (RATM) - check out Settle for Nothing
Tupac Shakur - I don't need to say anything here. He was a true poet.
Matt Talbot (Hum) - Dude sings about binary and makes it work. He's probably my favorite lyricist ever.
check out The Inuit Promise, Afternoon with the Axolotls, The Pod, Stars
Fiona Apple - Totally different style, but I love her lyrics. Pretty much the entire last album, Extraordinary Machine, is heavenly.
Adam Turla (Murder by Death) - He tells great stories. You almost need to listen to all of Red of Tooth and Claw or Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?
I don't get the fascination with Maynard. He has a great voice, but his lyrics just don't move me at all. I'm a huge lyrics guy, as bad lyrics can completely ruin an otherwise good song for me. I don't mind Maynard, but I just don't understand the fascination.
Also, just for the record:
"May I have your attention please?
May I have your attention please?
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
I repeat, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
We're gonna have a problem here..
Y'all act like you never seen a white person before
Jaws all on the floor like Pam, like Tommy just burst in the door
and started whoopin her ass worse than before
they first were divorce, throwin her over furniture (Ahh!)
It's the return of the... "Ah, wait, no way, you're kidding,
he didn't just say what I think he did, did he?"
And Dr. Dre said... nothing you idiots!
Dr. Dre's dead, he's locked in my basement! (Ha-ha!)
Feminist women love Eminem
[*vocal turntable: chigga chigga chigga*]
"Slim Shady, I'm sick of him
Look at him, walkin around grabbin his you-know-what
Flippin the you-know-who," "Yeah, but he's so cute though!"
Yeah, I probably got a couple of screws up in my head loose
But no worse, than what's goin on in your parents' bedrooms
Sometimes, I wanna get on TV and just let loose, but can't
but it's cool for Tom Green to hump a dead moose
"My bum is on your lips, my bum is on your lips"
And if I'm lucky, you might just give it a little kiss
And that's the message that we deliver to little kids
And expect them not to know what a woman's clitoris is
Of course they gonna know what intercourse is
By the time they hit fourth grade
They got the Discovery Channel don't they?
"We ain't nothing but mammals.." Well, some of us cannibals
who cut other people open like cantaloupes [SLURP]
But if we can hump dead animals and antelopes
then there's no reason that a man and another man can't elope
[*EWWW!*] But if you feel like I feel, I got the antidote
Women wave your pantyhose, sing the chorus and it goes"
Eloquent. -
Jon
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
For me I find MJK's lyrics to be thoughtful and thought provoking. Like I mentioned in my first post, I know Tool fans get a really bad rap for being such MJK fanatics but I also believe that there is good reason for their fanaticism . . . the guy can sing and write great lyrics. Yeah you have to wade through some pretty (overly) dense stuff, but the payoff is worth it.
I'm big into imagery and I don't think there are many singers out there who do a better job of conveying images. I can listen to stuff off of Anemia today and still find new meaning(s) in the lyrics. -
rcknorcal425
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
i got to hug gavin's mom once... haha
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fast
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Hmm. I've always felt the lyrics hold Dredg back. They are maudlin at times and tend toward cliche/obvious metaphor. The cadence and vocalization of the lyrics usually makes up for this (or at least assuages the effect), but it doesn't make a great lyricist. Don't get me wrong: the ideas are there and often profound. But writing isn't primarily about ideas (or else we'd call it "thinking"); it is about the construction of words into a reality for the eyes of another (though, again, the amateur writer insists he/she writes for him/herself, but in fact it is a intrinsically communicative process); it is the detail of image, the subtlety of metaphor, and -- according to post-modern American writing -- the unadorned objects of our everydayness.
(Note: I have thought about this stuff a great deal... not just pulling it out of my ass. I am a Dredg fan (since Leitmotif!) and currently work as an Asst. Prof. of Writing in a university English Dept.) -
Daniele
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Why compare a singer with another? This post became like "Who's your favourite singer?"
I Think that Gavin and Dredg are wonderful in create song, from melodies to lyrics.
Good voice and metric for almost all the song.
I think other great singer are MJK, Pete Loeffler, Thom Yorke, and many more, if you consider their voice. COnsidering composing a song, I like MJK becouse Tool's song are not easy, but this is my opinion...
I wonder that nobody list MIKE PATTON, for me one of the most instelligent and wonderful voice in the world... -
Jon
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
But writing isn't primarily about ideas (or else we'd call it "thinking"); it is about the construction of words into a reality for the eyes of another (though, again, the amateur writer insists he/she writes for him/herself, but in fact it is a intrinsically communicative process); it is the detail of image, the subtlety of metaphor, and -- according to post-modern American writing -- the unadorned objects of our everydayness.
Interesting insight, although I disagree with your definition of writing as it relates to writing lyrics. I see the goal of lyrics as conveying ideas in order to provoke thought. I agree that at times Gavin's lyrics are (to me at least) as a little maudlin (nice word choice!). But overall I believe his lyrics to be better than most - not just song for song, but album for album.
Either way, very interesting thoughts and perspective. -
amrofni
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
I don't get the fascination with Maynard. He has a great voice, but his lyrics just don't move me at all. I'm a huge lyrics guy, as bad lyrics can completely ruin an otherwise good song for me. I don't mind Maynard, but I just don't understand the fascination.
Eloquent.
Just an example of my fascination with his lyrics:
I embrace my
Desire to
I embrace my
Desire to
Feel the rhythm, to
Feel connected
Enough to step aside and
Weep like a widow, to
Feel inspired, to
Fathom the power, to
Witness the beauty, to
Bathe in the fountain, to
Swing on the spiral, to
Swing on the spiral, to
Swing on the spiral of
Our divinity and
Still be a human
Don't know how you can be a fan of what Gavin writes and not thoroughly enjoy that. And if you're looking for examples of vocal talent i particularly like the live version of "Pushit" on Salival. This part always sends shivers up my spine:
If, when I say I may fade like a sigh if I stay,
You minimize my movement anyway,
I must persuade you another way.
As for other writers/vocalists, I have to agree with most of the ones already pointed out, and would just like to add Billy Corgan and Bjork to the list. -
onesidebadass
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
James Hetfield is an awesome lyric writer.... Hence Master of Puppets
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InfraredDream
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
The only one I can compare Gavin with is Chris DeGarmo, former Queensryche quitarist and song writter. From everything I listen to, these two guys are totally on a different level!
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fast
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Interesting insight, although I disagree with your definition of writing as it relates to writing lyrics. I see the goal of lyrics as conveying ideas in order to provoke thought. I agree that at times Gavin's lyrics are (to me at least) as a little maudlin (nice word choice!). But overall I believe his lyrics to be better than most - not just song for song, but album for album.
Either way, very interesting thoughts and perspective.
Thanks man...
To follow up: I'm not saying lyrics aren't about thought, I'm just saying its not about "conveying ideas" to express thought (that is what academic writing is for). Instead, it is about conveying concrete image to get the reader (or listener in this case) thinking (just as creative prose uses character, setting, etc.). As any good lit student should, let me give a quick example:
Idea: man's greatest struggle is internal (i.e. one with himself).
Gavin: "The only things surrounding you now,
Are the circular memories that infect your conscience,
They are the make up of your worries, regret, and doubts."
Now I LOVE this idea, because it seems both true and relevant. But the word choice is better suited for an essay than lyrics. On the other hand, here is what Jeff Tweedy (from Wilco) does with a similar idea:
"When the Devil came,
He was not Red;
He was Chrome... and he said:
Come with me."
These are the FIRST lines of the song (off Ghost is Born... can't recall the name) and the listener is immediately thrown into some wierd, casual hell with a precise visual image. At first the words seemed odd (like his "I am an American Aquarium drinker; I assassin down the avenue" from "I am trying to break your heart"), but after a few listens I realized that the devil was, in fact, a mirror. That he was me.
At any rate, I'm glad for the opportunity to talk about both writing and music in a single forum! -
Jon
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Ah, your point is much clearer . . . I suppose this exchange is what happens when you have a knowledgeable person (you) talking to a lay person - me : )
I see the technical difference (one I appreciate more fully now:). Comparing the examples above I find both equally intriguing. But again, this is from a person whose appreciation of lyrics is limited to my feelings and thoughts about the words themselves. For me, lyrics need to simply be thought provoking . . .
Thank you for taking the time to share this information/insight. I definitely gained a new level of lyrical awareness . . . -
Jeffero28
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
Gavin does have a gift for writing lyrics. But he also knows how to sing great melodies and has a great voice which is more important than the actual words. But it is nice to see him put both together. Not many popular singers out there right now that can say the same
Hear the sound of music drifting in the aisles
Elevator prozac stretching on for miles
The music of the future will not entertain
It's only meant to repress and neutralize your brain
Soul gets squeezed out, edges get blunt
Demographic gives what you want
Now the sound of music comes in silver pills
Engineered to suit you building cheaper thrills
The music of rebellion makes you wanna rage
But it's made by millionaires who are nearly twice your age
One of the wonders of the world is going down
It's going down I know
It's one of the blunders of the world that no-one cares
No-one cares enough
-Stephen Wilson, The sound of Muzak, from the album In Absentia -
Pariah
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
nobody i thnk...
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gone.
RE: Gavin Hayes Extremely Creative Writer/lyricists Compared to ?
nobody i thnk...
I totally agree.