I’m increasingly full of the joys of harmonizing, and it seems that any time I run into a brick wall in arranging (I.e. I’m burying a good song under my shortcomings), harmonies, usually falsetto, are my default rescue option. Luckily, songwriter extraordinaire Ben Walker has conclusively proven that multipart falsetto harmonies are the way forward:

In all seriousness, I worry that having “default solutions” to problems might lead to “default songwriting”; but in this case I rather like the results. It’s called Every Single One and will feature in this month’s podcast, but here it is in preview:

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Weirdly, I’ve never been a massive fan of the Beatles or The Beach Boys, the classic harmonizers (although I own and enjoy albums by both); though I do like Ben Folds Five a lot and the Fleet Foxes record grew on me after my initially not giving a shit.

It turns out harmonies are pretty uncontroversial, right? Apparently not. One listener thought Centralia, PA

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which features various vocal overdubs, “sounded like a boyband”. If anyone can find a boyband using that lyrical structure, I’ll give them a parsnip. I’ll agree, though, that harmonies can sound pretty twee, which is presumably why early Belle and Sebastian used them so much. That and the recorder.

Ok, so my corresponding pet hate: male/female duets. I mean you, any duet on any Tindersticks album, any Johnny Cash duet not with his wife, and most of One From the Heart. The usual trick is to get a “distinctive” male voice and a “sweet” female voice in order to create “contrast”; the result is that the man sounds out of tune and the woman insipid. Dylan and Baez, see me after class.

There are few exceptions; here are the only I can think of off the top if my head. Tell me if you think of any others.

Stan (Eminem and Dido) Not sure it’s technically a duet, but disproves the adage that two wrongs don’t make a right. And proves the adage that even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day.

Anything by Simon and Garfunkel You mean Art is a man’s name? With a voice like that?

Anyone Else But You by Moldy Peaches. Unbearably sweet-natured, and the only I can think of to have been covered (badly) by Carla Bruni, the first lady of France. No, really.

Btw, for anyone thinking of going for a pervy Serge Gainsborough duet: Yawn. Kiddie fiddling is not cool or controversial or big or clever. And I hate Frank Sinatra. Any duet with him in will be at least 50% shit. Unless it’s with Dido or Eminem…