James Murphy (5,735 views)

[Gilad]

James Jeremiah Murphy
Associated Acts: LCD Soundsystem, Pony, Falling Man, Speedking
Vocal Range: E2 - B5

Significant High Notes:
B5 ("Dance Yrself Clean")
B♭5 ("Disco Infiltrator")
A5 ("Kick Out the Chairs", "Never as Tired as When I'm Waking Up")
G♯5 ("Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" London Sessions, "Disco Infiltrator", "The Last Walk", "Oh You (Christmas Blues)", "Thrills")
G5 ("Disco Infiltrator", "Freak Out/Starry Eyes", "On Repeat", "Pow Pow", "Tired", "Us v Them" London Sessions)
F♯5 ("Drunk Girls", "Oh You (Christmas Blues)", "Watch the Tapes")
F5 ("Kick Out the Chairs", "On Repeat", "Yr City's a Sucker")
E5 ("Daft Punk Is Playing at My House", "If You Need a Friend", "new body rhumba", "North American Scum", "Time to Get Away", "Tired", "tonite" Electric Lady Sessions)
E♭5 ("Dance Yrself Clean", "Disco Infiltrator")
D5 ("call the police", "Give It Up", "Losing My Edge", "Pow Pow", "tonite", "Watch the Tapes", "You Wanted a Hit")
C♯5 ("Beat Connection", "Christmas Will Break Your Heart", "Home", "I Can Change" London Sessions, "North American Scum")
C5 ("45:33", "american dream" Electric Lady Sessions, "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House", "Dear You", "how do you sleep?", "I Can Change", "The Last Walk", "new body rhumba", "Oh You (Christmas Blues)", "On Repeat", "Time to Get Away", "Us v Them" London Sessions)
B4 ("call the police", "Dance Yrself Clean" & "Dance Yrself Clean" live at Madison Square Garden, "Drunk Girls", "emotional haircut", "Give It Up", "i used to" Electric Lady Sessions, "Never as Tired as When I'm Waking Up", "North American Scum", "Tired")
B♭4 ("DoYaThing", "Kick Out the Chairs", "People", "Plenty of Time", "Yeah")
A4 ("All I Want", "All My Friends" London Sessions, "american dream", "Bye Bye Bayou", "call the police", "emotional haircut", "Gimme", "Great Release", "Home", "how do you sleep?", "i used to", "If You Need a Friend", "Movement", "Never as Tired as When I'm Waking Up", "new body rhumba", "Oh You (Christmas Blues)", "On Repeat", "other voices", "Please Don't Follow Me", "So Many Years", "Time to Get Away", "tonite", "Too Much Love", "Us v Them", "You Wanted a Hit", "Yr City's a Sucker")
G♯4 ("change yr mind", "Christmas Will Break Your Heart", "Dance Yrself Clean", "Drunk Girls", "Gimme", "I Can Change", "It's a Sin", "Without Thorns", "Yr City's a Sucker")
G4 ("american dream", "Bye Bye Bayou", "call the police", "emotional haircut", "Freak Out/Starry Eyes", "Get Innocuous!", "i used to", "Kick Out the Chairs", "Movement", "oh baby", "other voices", "People", "Please Don't Follow Me", "Pow Pow", "Someone Great", "Tired", "tonite", "You Wanted a Hit")
F♯4 ("All I Want", "All My Friends", "Beat Connection", "Dance Yrself Clean", "Give It Up", "Home", "If You Need a Friend", "Pow Pow", "Someone Great", "Tribulations")
F4 ("change yr mind", "A Christening", "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House", "The Horror…", "how do you sleep?", "I Can Change", "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down", "oh baby", "Requiem", "So Many Years", "Without Thorns", "Yeah")

Significant Low Notes:
D3 ("All My Friends", "black screen", "Bye Bye Bayou", "emotional haircut", "Freak Out/Starry Eyes", "Get Innocuous!", "Great Release", "other voices", "Someone Great", "You Wanted a Hit")
C♯3 ("Dance Yrself Clean", "new body rhumba", "Photographs", "Seconds" Electric Lady Sessions)
C3 ("45:33", "All I Want", "Birthday Song", "change yr mind", "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House", "Get Innocuous!", "Great Release", "Kick Out the Chairs", "On Repeat", "Requiem", "Too Much Love", "Watch the Tapes", "Without Thorns", "Yeah", "Yr City's a Sucker")
B2 ("Christmas Will Break Your Heart", "Drunk Girls", "Losing My Edge", "Movement", "North American Scum", "Pow Pow", "Tribulations")
B♭2 ("A Christening", "Disco Infiltrator", "It's a Sin", "Kick Out the Chairs", "Losing My Edge", "One Touch", "Plenty of Time", "Requiem", "Too Much Love", "Without Thorns")
A2 ("On Repeat", "Photographs", "So Many Years", "tonite", "Tribulations", "Us v Them")
G♯2 ("Freak Out/Starry Eyes", "Thrills", "Yeah")
G2 ("Disco Infiltrator", "So Many Years", "Somebody's Calling Me", "Thrills")
F2 ("Dear You", "Somebody's Calling Me")
E2 ("Dear You", "Photographs")
.......................................................
Blue marks falsetto or whistle notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}B5 ("Never as Tired as When I'm Waking Up"[1])

F♯2 ("One Touch"[1], "Pow Pow"[1][3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges}LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem (2005): G2-A5-B♭5
Sound of Silver (2007): A2-E5-F♯5
This Is Happening (2010): F2-D5-B5
american dream (2017): A2-B4-D5

Falling Man
A Christening (1988): G2-G♯5

Solo
Greenberg Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2010): E2-G♯5

[fallenalien]

I've seen Murphy described as a baritone, but he seems like the quintessential low tenor to me, but I might be wrong.

I wonder what you would consider his best vocal performances besides "Dance Yrself Clean", which I assume is his best?


edit: some (questionable, i guess) low notes at 1:51

[Gilad]

I'd say James Murphy is a pretty clear cut baritone, he's just got a good mixed voice.
In terms of his best vocal performance, Dance Yrslf Clean is the obvious choice, but others I remember I found impressive were "Disco Infiltrator", "North American Scum" and "call the police". And "Pow Pow" for a bit more of an unconventional performance.

[Seb]

B♭2, G4s throughout, some falsetto yells up to A5

[fallenalien]

Dec 30, 2021 18:29:16 GMT Gilad said:

I'd say James Murphy is a pretty clear cut baritone, he's just got a good mixed voice.
In terms of his best vocal performance, Dance Yrslf Clean is the obvious choice, but others I remember I found impressive were "Disco Infiltrator", "North American Scum" and "call the police". And "Pow Pow" for a bit more of an unconventional performance.

Thanks. Was quite unsure about his placement, honestly. At first I thought I thought of him as higher baritone, but I wasn't quite sure his voice was "dark enough" for that.

[Baronessa]

Just a low larynx tenor to me. (:))

The way he belts is kind of unstable and tight, like a low larynx but still kind of yelled, and if a baritone were to do a similar kind of technique I would assume they wouldn't be doing it at the same pitches as James. His lows are also kind of squashed when he's not doing the cool darkened style.

[fallenalien]

Dec 30, 2021 20:25:24 GMT Baronessa said:

Just a low larynx tenor to me.

The way he belts is kind of unstable and tight, like a low larynx but still kind of yelled, and if a baritone were to do a similar kind of technique I would assume they wouldn't be doing it at the same pitches as James. His lows are also kind of squashed when he's not doing the cool darkened style.

He reminds me of some of the vocalists that are often thought to be baritones, but have been considered low tenors on this site like Morrissey, placement-wise.

[sylvia!!]

Dec 30, 2021 18:29:16 GMT Gilad said:

I'd say James Murphy is a pretty clear cut baritone, he's just got a good mixed voice.
In terms of his best vocal performance, Dance Yrslf Clean is the obvious choice, but others I remember I found impressive were "Disco Infiltrator", "North American Scum" and "call the police". And "Pow Pow" for a bit more of an unconventional performance.

this performance of north american scum kicks ass like its second nature 

[Seb]

New LCD Soundsystem track; sustained G4s and B♭4s, falsetto up to E5

[IhateMana]

ahh man did i miss a rare sanctioned vois type discource?

tenor, tenor, tenor

[sylvia!!]

yo just noticed the north american scum jools holland performance has an f#5

[Macca]

There's D3's in New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down