To “yarl” is to sing melodramatically with a sort of barely suppressed letter “r” sound lurking beneath every other syllable. When I mention it, people always know exactly what I mean. Steve Turner describes it as singing as though your lower lip is stuck way out.
…
Who can we point the finger at today? The singer for Creed is the current expert. “Crahn yrou trake mree higharr” he yarls in their big radio song. Days of the New come to mind. Godsmack. There are plenty of others. The problem is that the current crop of yarlers are copping their shtick from our homeboys Layne and Eddie V, who are actually quite restrained at yarling; Eddie hardly did it at all after the first PJ album. Chris Cornell never did it, nor Arm. Lanegan and Cobain sure as hell didn’t need to. Nonetheless, it’s now “Seattle Singing” to some people. Sigh.Friends don’t let friends yarl. Please, stop the madness.