Who's the Boss? My top 5 bands with More Than One Lead Singer

Like variety? Here are my 5 favorite bands with more than one lead vocalist. Each group will include a song or songs featuring each lead singer (except Broken Social Scene, because there are so many).

1. Menomena
I know, I know, this blog so far has been Menomena-dominated, but it really deserves to be. They barely edge out Broken Social Scene for this list, but each member of this band contributes to lead vocals on songs. Admittedly, they are mostly Brent Knopf and Justin Harris, but Danny Seim leads on a couple, has a solo project, and contributes back-ups on many tracks. Seim's got a very low voice but he'll bring it up to a falsetto from time to time, Knopf's is more sweet, vibrato-dominated, and higher than the other two's voices, and Harris pushes his to intensity very well, but can also have a beautiful falsetto.Their styles are all unique, but fit the instrumentation amazingly.

"Trigga Hiccups" at Menomena.com (Knopf)
"Weird (Live)" at YouTube (Harris)
"Strongest Man in the World" at YouTube (Seim)

2. Broken Social Scene
Okay, we all know Broken Social Scene is Kevin Drew's band. He dominates the vocals for the most part. But the female leads know how to steal the spotlight as well. You can't help but fall in love with 2006's break-out star, Leslie Feist, when you hear her voice in these songs. I love her in BSS more than in Feist because for the most part her songs in Feist show off her sweet, beautiful side, but songs such as BSS's "Almost Crimes" (my favorite BSS song) allow her to belt it out, which I think is her most impressive aspect. She almost has a Robert Plant aspect when she sings the best part of the song: "Love and hate is the only way". But she's not the only other lead singer. Amy Millan and Emily Haines also contribute on tracks. Even K-Os has contributed. This spring, Brendan Canning will release Broken Social Scene's second "Presents..." album, and from seeing him in concert, it should prove to be an amazing Dinosaur Jr.-esque album.

"Almost Crimes" at YouTube (Drew and Feist)

3. Tegan & Sara
No, I'm not ashamed that I like Tegan & Sara. Every guy is allowed to like a maximum of five girly bands I believe. But I don't even believe they are a girly band. Would the White Stripes have a hit with a cover of a girly band? I don't think so. Tegan's songs are probably the ones people think of when they call them girly. Her voice is much more normal, the instrumentation on her song normally less intense. However, she can speed it up on occasion as evidenced with "Living Room", my favorite song of theirs. Sara's songs are unique, odd, and impossible not to love. Her voice is weird, but not annoying. Her songs are often repetative, but not boring (See "Walking with a Ghost"). Overall, the two girls' songs are totally different characters from one another. They split cd's, which is a must because both of these girls clearly love the spotlight and are jealous of eachother's talents. I love them for it.

"Living Room" at YouTube (Tegan)
"Walking with a Ghost at YouTube" (Sara)


4. Headlights
Headlights is he epitome of the pop-folk male-female bi-vocal happy-go-lucky indie band. Erin Fein's voice is so sweet and innocent, Tristan Wraight's is chill. They have a new album coming out on February 19th.

(Both sing backings on the other's songs)
"TV" at YouTube (Erin)
"Signs Point to Yes (Outlook Not So Good)" at YouTube (Tristan)



5. The Receiving End of Sirens (Between the Heart and the Synapse only)
Why do I say that? Not because the mixed vocals ended after that album. No, because after the debut album they lost Casey Crescenzo, the strongest part of the tri-vocal attack. Their second album, "The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi", left only Brendan Brown and Alex Bars to contribute weaker, uninspired vocals. Not only that, but it is clear Casey was a large part of the song-writing process, because his solo project "The Dear Hunter" now sounds more like The Receiving End of Sirens than the current Receiving End of Sirens does. Nevertheless, Between the Heart and the Synapse is a fantastic experimental rock record, one of the few albums I still listen to from my high school emo music phase, although I fail to see how this album falls under the emo genre. There's no whining, no talks of cutting oneself, etc. I guess you'll have to listen for yourself.

"Planning a Prison Break" at YouTube (All three)