Caroline Polachek (7,841 views)

[Zedd Squared]

Associated Acts: Chairlift (2005-2017), Ramona Lisa (2013-present), CEP (2016-present)
Voice Type: Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: G♯2-F6

High Notes:

F6 ("Tears" El Rey Theatre 2018)
E6 ("Get Real")
E♭6 ("Pang")
D6 ("I Belong in Your Arms", "Make Your Mind Up")
C6 ("Don't Give a Damn", "Evident Utensil", "So Cold You're Hurting My Feelings")
B5 ("Everything Is Spoilt By Use", "Hit Me Where It Hurts", "Long Road Home", "Moth to the Flame", "Pang")
B♭5 ("Door", "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings")
A5 ("Chosen", "Make Your Mind Up", "Marzipan", "Ocean of Tears", "Parachute", "Show U Off", "Simmer" Caroline Polachek Remix)
G♯5 ("A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party", "Big Bills", "Caroline Shut Up", "Everything Is Spoilt By Use", "Insomnia", "Izzit True What They Tell Me" Album Version + Piano Version, "Parachute", "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings")
G5 ("Ch-Ching", "Dixie Gypsy", "Don't Give a Damn", "Door", "Evident Utensil", "The Gate", "Love on the Brain" live Grindr 2020, "Ottawa to Osaka", "Party" live at Triple J 2012, "Polymorphing", "Tears", "Unhold", "Walking in the Cemetery", "Wings of the Parapets")
F♯5 ("Breathless", "Ghost Tonight", "La Vita Nuova", "Ocean of Tears", "Sidewalk Safari", "Territory")
F5 ("Backwards and Upwards", "Billions", "Do You Think About Us?", "Handel", "I Belong in Your Arms")
E5 ("Amanaemonesia", "Arcadia Reprise", "Avenues", "Backwards and Upwards", "Bruises", "Bunny Is a Rider", "Crying in Public", "Dixie Gypsy", "Dominic", "Don't Give a Damn", "Get Real", "Handel", "Hey Big Eyes", "Hit Me Where It Hurts", "I Give Up", "I Know, I Hear", "In the Crew of Tea Time", "Izzit True What They Tell Me" Album Version + Piano Version, "Long Road Home", "Look At Me Now", "Love on the Brain" live Grindr 2020, "Make Your Mind Up", "Moth to the Flame", "No Such Thing as Illusion", "Parachute", "Polymorphing", "Show U Off", "Simmer" Caroline Polachek Remix, "Tears", "Territory", "Trophy Queen", "Unfinished Business", "Unhold", "You and I")
E♭5 ("Amanaemonesia", "Chamakay", "Cool as a Fire", "Izzit True What They Tell Me", "L'Homme", "Look Away", "Party" live at Triple J 2012, "Turning", "Walking in the Cemetery")
D5 ("Always Crashing in the Same Car", "Ashes of Love", "Backwards and Upwards", "Ch-Ching", "Dixie  Gypsy", "Door", "Evident Utensil", "Frigid Spring", "Get Real", "Getaway Ride", "Ghost Tonight", "Go as a Dream" live KEXP 2019, "Grown Up Blues", "Hey Big Eyes", "I Belong in Your Arms", "I Give Up", "In the Crew of Tea Time", "La Vita Nuova", "Lady's Got Gills", "Marzipan", "Met Before", "Moth to the Flame", "No Such Thing as Illusion", "Ottawa to Osaka", "Party" live at Triple J 2012, "Take it Out On Me", "Territory", "Trophy Queen", "Unhold", "Wings of the Parapets")
C♯5 ("Amanaemonesia", "Arcadia", "Bunny Is a Rider", "Caroline Shut Up", "Chamakay", "Frigid Spring", "Getaway Ride", "Go as a Dream", "Hit Me Where It Hurts", "Izzit True What They Tell Me", "Look At Me Now", "No Tears Left to Cry" Instagram 2020, "Romeo", "Show U Off", "Sidewalk Safari", "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings", "Some Small Hope", "Turning", "Wrong Opinion")
C5 ("Always Crashing in the Same Car", "Arcadia", "Billions", "Bruises", "Cool as a Fire", "Do You Think About Us?", "Dominic", "Evident Utensil", "Get Real", "Grown Up Blues", "Hey Big Eyes", "I Belong in Your Arms", "I Know, I Hear", "In the Crew of Tea Time", "Insomnia", "Lady's Got Gills", "Le Flying Saucer Hat", "Look Up", "Ottawa to Osaka", "Polymorphing", "Simmer" Caroline Polachek Remix, "Take it Out On Me", "Tears", "Togetherness", "Turning", "Walking in the Cemetery")
B4 ("Answers", "Ashes of Love", "Avenues", "Breathless", "Chamakay", "Dominic", "Earwig Town", "Everything Is Spoilt By Use", "Frigid Spring", "Full Mental Erase", "Ghost Tonight", "Long Road Home", "Love on the Brain" live Grindr 2020, "Met Before", "Missing", "Moth to the Flame", "New Normal", "Ocean of Tears", "Pang", "Romeo", "Sidewalk Safari", "Somewhere Around Here", "Thunder" live Rare Book Room 2010, "Unfinished Business", "Unhold", "Wrong Opinion", "You and I")

Low Notes:

A3 ("Answers", "Arcadia", "Ashes of Love", "Avenues", "Billions", "Bruises", "Bunny Is a Rider", "Ceiling Wax", "Dominic", "Get Real", "Getaway Ride", "Grown Up Blues", "I Give Up", "I Know, I Hear", "In the Crew of Tea Time", "La Vita Nuova", "Look Away", "Make Your Mind Up", "Marzipan", "Missing", "Moth to the Flame", "Ocean of Tears", "Ottawa to Osaka", "Parachute", "Polymorphing", "Romeo", "Show U Off", "Some Small Hope", "Take it Out On Me", "Territory", "Unhold")
G♯3 ("Alibi Coast", "Breathless", "Caroline Shut Up", "Chamakay", "Guilty as Charged", "Izzit True What They Tell Me", "Long Road Home", "Look At Me Now", "No Tears Left to Cry" Instagram 2020, "Pang", "Thunder" live Rare Book Room 2010, "Turning", "You and I")
G3 ("Always Crashing in the Same Car", "Avenues", "Bruises", "Ceiling Wax", "Cool as a Fire", "Do You Think About Us?", "Dominic", "Door", "Evident Utensil", "Garbage", "Grown Up Blues", "Hey Big Eyes", "Insomnia", "Le Flying Saucer Hat", "Look Up", "New Normal", "No Such Thing as Illusion", "Parachute", "Planet Health", "Take it Out On Me", "Walking in the Cemetery")
F♯3 ("Alibi Coast", "Big Bills", "Bunny Is a Rider", "Chamakay", "Crying in Public", "Door" live KEXP 2019, "Guilty as Charged", "Hey Big Eyes", "Look At Me Now", "No Tears Left to Cry" Instagram 2020, "Ocean of Tears", "Show U Off", "Sidewalk Safari", "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings", "Thunder" live Rare Book Room 2010, "Wrong Opinion")
F3 ("Arcadia", "Billions", "Ch-Ching", "Do You Think About Us?", "Don't Give a Damn", "Garbage", "The Gate", "I Belong in Your Arms", "Party" live at Triple J 2012, "Take it Out On Me")
E3 ("Always Crashing in the Same Car", "Big Bills", "Bunny Is a Rider", "Crying in Public", "Earwig Town", "Everything Is Spoilt By Use", "Getaway Ride", "Hit Me Where It Hurts", "Izzit True What They Tell Me", "Lady's Got Gills", "Make Your Mind Up", "Met Before", "Missing", "New Normal", "No Such Thing as Illusion", "The Orchids", "Ottawa to Osaka", "Somewhere Around Here", "Unfinished Business", "Warm Collision")
E♭3 ("Amanaemonesia", "Go as a Dream", "Hit Me Where It Hurts", "I Love Our World")
D3 ("Do You Think About Us?", "Get Real", "I Give Up", "Love on the Brain" live Grindr 2020, "No Such Thing as Illusion", "Warm Collision")
C♯3 ("Amanaemonesia", "Long Road Home", "The Orchids", "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings")
C3 ("Billions")
B2 ("A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party", "The Orchids")
G♯2 ("A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party")

Caroline Polachek is most known as the playful yet ethereal voice at the center of the indie pop group Chairlift. Her vocal stylings carry the hook driven sound of both Chairlift and her solo music quite prominently, often showcasing a smooth head voice technique as the core of her high range approach. This serves as an effective contrast to the darker tone of her low register, demonstrating a surprisingly wide range of vocal abilities for the indie pop world.
.......................................................
*Underlines mark notes in backing vocals or otherwise muffled/obscured in the mix.
*Blue marks especially disconnected sounding head voice/falsetto and whistle voice notes.
*Green marks harsh distorted notes.
*Boldface indicates notes that are notable examples of this singer's capabilities.
*Italics mark spoken notes.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}F6 ("Tears" ^[4])
E6 ("A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party" ^[4])
F♯5 ("Full Mental Erase" ^[2])

G3 ("L'Homme" ^[3])
F3 ("Chosen" ^[3], "Full Mental Erase" ^[2])
E♭3 ("No Tears Left to Cry" Instagram 2020 ^[1])
D3 ("Ottawa to Osaka" ^[4])
B♭2 ("Amanaemonesia" ^[1])
A2 ("I Give Up" ^[4])

.......................................................
[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}Chairlift

Does You Inspire You (2008): E3-G5-D6
Something (2012): C♯3-F♯5-D6
Moth (2016): D3-G5-B5

Ramona Lisa

Arcadia (2014): E♭3-E3-G5-G♯5
Dominic (2014): B2-G5

Caroline Polachek

Pang (2019): C♯3-E♭3-B♭5-B5-E♭6

[galaxyseal]

She just released a new song titled "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" and her new album Pang comes out October 18th!
C♯3, F♯3, C♯5, G♯5 and B♭5

[Zedd Squared]

Alright so this thread is updated now. I just added the main bolds that came to mind near the top/bottom of her range for now but please feel free to suggest any other bolds that come to mind.

[heirloom]

Thank you so much for this.

[Zedd Squared]

No problem, I'm glad to see that Polachek's getting more exposure with her new album. Previously this thread was pretty low traffic whereas now it seems to be providing a "service" for new fans lol.

[glo]

Just began listening to her via this thread a couple days ago! Splendid vocalist, songwriter, artist. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a full four octaves in her back pocket; her low notes are strong and weighty (“Amanaemonesia”!) and her high notes are endless and free, well up to Eb6 (“Pang”). Especially considering her songs tending to carry two octaves on their own, along with the weight of the A2 and the recurrence and quality of the F6 (beyond the turn to scream, yes I know they’re both questionable), there’s probably a bit more below and above that from her. The range given alone is impressive though; it’s easy to forget just how much work it takes to possess three quality octaves. Amazing vocalist, both edgy and sweet, reminds me of Imogen Heap and Sara Bareilles... I’m probably fangirling about range a little though :)

[Leimont]

Video of Caroline's set at AG Cook's album release Zoom party, don't know if anything from here it's even countable but it's worth watching at least lmao.
I think there are some B2's and even some A2's ( I'm not really sure ) around 4:02.

[Zedd Squared]

I've only skimmed that video thus far but wtf is going on there? I hear a solid G#2 (!) at 4:16 but I honestly can't tell if it's her natural voice at that point. Thoughts?

[Leimont]

I would say it is since the effect seems to only be reverb at that mark, but maybe put it on Questionable Notes until more people back it up?

[Zedd Squared]

Baronessa seemed to be in favor of the G#2 as being legit and I'm starting to lean more in that direction as well. I finally listened through the whole video and here is the general note breakdown I got from it:

0:19 C#3 spoiler C#6s 1:55 E6? 2:08 B4 2:30 D5 4:00 B2 4:16 G#2 7:36 G#5

0:19 - C#3
1:55 - E6?
4:00 - B2
4:16 - G#2
7:36 - G#5

Those are the notes I'd be inclined to count from the video. However, do we consider that E6 legit as well? And if so, would it be green? It's pretty abrasive but idk, admittedly my attempt to implement blue into this OP was kind of a mess already...

Also, on top of the notes: what title would this even be credited under in the OP? A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party maybe?

[Leimont]

I actually forgot to reply.
The E6 is kind of short but at the same time on 1:49 she is hitting the note too so I think it's legit, and green seems logical to me, you already have the F6 (Which by the way she does something similar live in here youtu.be/X4CGiUFLHHg?t=87 ) on questionable notes in green and she also likes to do this type of vocals like at the start of Sidewalk Safari ( youtu.be/6HgwFOg6r0U , youtu.be/rjxBmv9dzm4?t=30 ) or at the end of Amanaemonesia.
" A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party " sound good to me too!

[glo]

Oh wow.

Those lows are full and continued. The only reason we dispute it is that she’s female and that it’s striking if they’re hers. Fair reason I suppose, but I don’t see any tricks bar reverb here

[IhateMana]

she hits a B2 at about 4:09 that's like on the bare minimum threshold of countable and then that reverb effect comes in and she magically gets a whole assload of tone

I would say it's a bigger hmmm than you're making it out to be

[Zedd Squared]

Perhaps but the 3:59-4:00 B2 is noticeably more solid and doesn't sound so far from her tone in that range on other tracks. Those overtone heavy screams referenced earlier to make the E6 seem less random make me more sure about not counting it tho tbh because those are some weirdass screams that don't settle on one pitch much.

[Baronessa]

Not much of that video I'd say stays on a consistent pitch, has great tone or is well-sung. I mean it's literally a bunch of random humming.

The only things I'd raise an eyebrow at not counting are the B2 and G♯5.

[Zedd Squared]

Alright well it seems to me pretty clear that the extremities of that video are too divisive to include in the OP so I've put them in the spoiler. What do people make of those other 6th octave notes Leimont linked? I feel like they're very likely also spoiler notes but should be mentioned somehow in the OP at least.

[Baronessa]

I'm hearing the "Sidewalk Safari" notes as 5th octave, to be honest, but unless I'm completely mishearing things there's a melodic and pretty uncontroversially countable F6 at around 1:38 in the Charli XCX video.

(Oh yeah, for the record I'm in favour of counting the G♯2 but it's up to you.)

[Zedd Squared]

Oh shit, at first I thought the F6 was an audience member but you're right. :O

I'm personally in favor of the G#2 as well but there seemed to be some divide there. I guess most of the votes have leaned towards counting it though so maybe time for some major range expansion to G#2-F6?

Also, should I just remove the blue from this OP? I feel like the distinction I'm trying to draw is somewhat splitting hairs for her. She does do a lot of overt flipping admittedly but from a tonal perspective there's not a lot to distinguish those notes from the ones that don't involve a flip.

[glo]

Found some B4s, E5s, and A5s in this remix:

[onemorelight17]

G♯2 ("A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party")

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}
G♯2 ("A.G. Cook Pre-release Zoom Party" [4])

LOL

[Zedd Squared]

Some notes simply must exist in two places at once!

Jk I forgot to remove the line from the spoiler. 

Gillian can you timestamp where those notes in the Simmer remix are? I listened to that remix and don't remember hearing any vocals from Polachek on it.

[glo]

I hear vocals that sound like Caroline at 0:38, 0:54, 1:06, 1:32, 1:44, 1:56, 2:06, 2:16, 2:24, 2:40, 2:51, 2:57, 3:03, and 3:11. It’s throughout... she wafts her voice around Hayley’s

[listeningcarefully]

Was delving through Chairlift’s discography and found two amazing high notes on ‘Get Real’:
youtu.be/zIE5Z7m_Ixk

She hits a D6 & E6 around the 2:07 mark.
This increases her studio range by a semitone and is probably the highest note she’s hit in a studio setting.
I’m new to this site so if someone more savvy than me could notate this I would really appreciate it.

EDIT:
Here’s a clip of her hitting the notes live:
youtu.be/-fVWGKnSqmw
Again, she hits them around 2:07
Here voice soars fearlessly here...
I hope she further explores this part of her range on her next record.

[Zedd Squared]

Dayum that's a great find! That's definitely her best 6th octave note so far so thanks for finding the new bold. There are also some very good D3s in that track, making it her widest ranging performance and therefore a rather unfortunate omission up to this point.

[glo]

D3 to G5: youtu.be/_d7lTBvyE4A