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10 songs that feel like Rotten Flag

Matched to Rotten Flag by Dirty Three on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Rotten Flag
Dirty Three
moderate 39/100 intensity 80 BPM
Night Dreamer — Wayne Shorter moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

March — Nils Frahm safe 80 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

Ntsikana's Bell — Abdullah Ibrahim moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

Ishmael — Abdullah Ibrahim moderate 80 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

The Snow Goose — Camel moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

Spike Driver Blues — Rachel's moderate 80 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (36/100). Same layered texture.

Remember Me as a Time of Day — Explosions in the Sky safe 70 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Measured 98% alike.

Separation — Camel moderate 70 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Little Boy Lost — Abdullah Ibrahim moderate 80 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

Rhine and Courtesan — Rachel's moderate 70 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Rotten Flag is more than you want right now.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 12/100, down from 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 28/100 — the pull without the edge.

Thumbing My Way by Pearl Jam
Thumbing My Way — Pearl Jam safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 23/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

That's the Way by Led Zeppelin
That's the Way — Led Zeppelin safe 72 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 21/100, versus the original's 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Marion by Bon Iver
Marion — Bon Iver safe 75 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 12/100, down from 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

All Cats Are Grey by The Cure
All Cats Are Grey — The Cure safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 11/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sinking by The Cure
Sinking — The Cure safe 65 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 11/100.

We No Who U R — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds safe 65 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. 11/100, versus the original's 39.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Rotten Flag” by Dirty Three?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Night Dreamer” by Wayne Shorter, “March” by Nils Frahm, “Ntsikana's Bell” by Abdullah Ibrahim — the top match scores 99% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “Rotten Flag” but calmer?

“Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Thumbing My Way” by Pearl Jam keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Rotten Flag”?

It measures 39/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 80 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 32% of songs, calmer than the other 68%. Its intensity reading of 39/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 85% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep5/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

1998 in context

The 339 songs we’ve measured from 1998 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 7/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity39
Dynamics67
Tempo22
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load13

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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