Is this disappearing as a talent? Is it because much of the popular acts these days are solo and it is difficult to do harmony by yourself? Or is it because it is a lot of work?
A 2012 study by researchers at the
Spanish National Research Council indicated that contemporary popular music has grown loud, predictable, and simpler than ever. The study found that, since the 1950s, there has been a decrease in the diversity of chords in a given song and in the number of novel transitions, or musical pathways, between them. While it is true that pop songs tend to be far more limited in their harmonic vocabularies when compared to a classical symphony, past decades saw more inventive ways of linking their harmonies together than we hear now.
The Beatles and The Beach Boys knew how to harmonize, and did it well. The Eagles, especially in "Seven Bridges Road" where the vocals just jump out and grab you from the start. Fortunately, groups like The Civil Wars, The Rescues, Beirut, The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons are just a few that keep harmonies alive. How Alison Krauss managed to wrap her harmonies around Robert Plant's voice on the Raising Sand album still amazes me.
More harmony, less noise...isn't that what we all really want in our lives?
