Popular band The Decemberists has a lead singer, Colin Meloy, who affects an extremely strange singing voice. It is like nothing I’ve heard before. It’s sort of like a combination of an English accent with someone’s imitation of a New York Jew. Extremely nasal, and puts some really weird ending sounds on certain words, like “familiar” which he pronounces as “familioye”. The guy is from Portland, Oregon, so this is clearly not a learned accent. It seems obvious that he is trying to sound like something else - so what is it exactly?
Also, he’s originally from Montana, so it’s a midwest + northwest + fake British accent.
Now that I think of it, there’s a little bit of Michael Stipe thrown in there as well. Seriously, listen to “We Both Go Down Together” and “Losing My Religion” back to back.
A couple years ago, I put the first 30 seconds of those songs together.
Sheesh. I always thought he was from Ireland.
I’m also from Montana and I can hear it in his speaking and singing voice.