first of all, it's funny how perspective is shaped by recent experience, providing a one-of-a-kind frame of reference for the person. the way you appreciate something is shaped by something else you experienced recently.

i've been a fan of layered vocals for a long time. i really respect the extra effort put into recording doubled and tripled vocals and writing harmony parts. i remember making a topic asking about marvin gaye's vocal influences because i was just amazed at his technique. likewise, i got a lot of mileage out of liz fraser's incredibly intricate vocal parts on cocteau twins' 'heaven or las vegas' album last year (i've listened to their albums out of order over the course of the last decade... it happens). lately i've been bumpin' dat mountain man album (props to lonesome_d). as spare as it is, there's plenty to listen for in the way these women harmonize. today i watched the making of nirvana's 'nevermind' album in the "classic albums" series (http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=2708327&mesg_id=2708327&page=7), which was great. i took a keen interest in butch vig breaking down the separate tracks of each song, including those background vocals. i've heard the singles on this album probably hundreds of times, so for me to get something new out of them is significant. lately i have been obsessing over the background vocals on tori amos' 'scarlet's walk' album (http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=2605317&mesg_id=2605317&listing_type=search). for her to conceive of those disparate but complexly intertwining parts and record them all herself with such range and emotion just blows me away.

conversely, giving this amount of attention to appreciating additional vocal parts, i can also appreciate the rawness and directness of not having them. "even when i say nothing, it's a beautiful use of negative space."