Word abuse: piercing wail

Oh, the "piercing wail" of rock singers, from Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Dolores O' Riordan of the Cranberries. Music writers love to rely on this old standby to relay enchantment with a lingering shriek that's supposedly so strong and compelling, it punctures our ears into bloody oblivion when we hear it. "An intense, piercing wail that soars emotively or shifts, at note's end, to a keen yelp." Let's not get melodramatic, shall we? "His voice ranged from a low, growly monotone to a pained, piercing wail." It. Just. Hurts. So. God. Damn. Much. "Voice swings from piercing wail to brow-furrowing growl." Ow. "Jim James of Kentucky's My Morning Jacket uncorked his trademark piercing wail" as this music writer uncorked his trademark lazy description of James' voice. "A piercing wail that would make Roger Daltrey drop a deuce." Actually, that's pretty funny. Lesson learned? Not yet? Maybe a visual explanation would work better.

This is your music article.

This is your music article on "piercing wail."

Any questions?