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10 songs that feel like Some Alternatives

Matched to Some Alternatives by Tortoise 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
Some Alternatives
Tortoise
moderate 41/100 intensity 100 BPM
Alfie's Theme — Sonny Rollins moderate 90 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100).

More Than Steroids — Ryuichi Sakamoto moderate 90 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

What Does Your Soul Look Like — DJ Shadow moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Measured 98% alike.

Fixed Income — DJ Shadow moderate 90 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

MKII — DJ Shadow moderate 90 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100).

Chamber Music — Amon Tobin moderate 90 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

Slowly — Amon Tobin moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Measured 97% alike.

My Foolish Heart — Bill Evans moderate 120 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

Yulquen — Autechre moderate 120 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100).

Bike — Autechre moderate 120 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
Kind of Blue — Miles Davis safe 90 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 22/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino by Arctic Monkeys
Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino — Arctic Monkeys safe 85 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 13/100.

Mr. Schwartz by Arctic Monkeys
Mr. Schwartz — Arctic Monkeys safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 16/100, versus the original's 41.

People's Parties by Joni Mitchell
People's Parties — Joni Mitchell safe 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Man on the Moon by R.E.M.
Man on the Moon — R.E.M. safe 115 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge.

New Test Leper by R.E.M.
New Test Leper — R.E.M. safe 110 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Überlin by R.E.M.
Überlin — R.E.M. safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 17/100, versus the original's 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Some Alternatives” by Tortoise?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Alfie's Theme” by Sonny Rollins, “More Than Steroids” by Ryuichi Sakamoto, “What Does Your Soul Look Like” by DJ Shadow — the top match scores 98% 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 “Some Alternatives” but calmer?

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis, “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino” by Arctic Monkeys keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Some Alternatives”?

It measures 41/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 100 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 35% of songs, calmer than the other 65%. Its intensity reading of 41/100 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 deep calm: more extreme on that axis than 65% 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

Intensity41
Dynamics67
Tempo33
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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