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10 songs that feel like Strange

Matched to Strange by Built to Spill 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
Strange
Built to Spill
moderate 53/100 intensity 120 BPM
Getaway Car — Taylor Swift moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Taking Tiger Mountain — Brian Eno moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! — Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Measured 98% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

Illusion — Dua Lipa moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Glam Slam — Prince moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Highway 61 Revisited — Bob Dylan moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Uptight (Everything's Alright) — Stevie Wonder moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Luck Be a Lady — Frank Sinatra moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Fire on the Mountain — Grateful Dead moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Summertime Clothes — Animal Collective moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da — The Police safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Seymour Stein by Belle and Sebastian
Seymour Stein — Belle and Sebastian safe 118 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.

The Lady Don't Mind by Talking Heads
The Lady Don't Mind — Talking Heads safe 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 21/100, versus the original's 53.

Uncle John's Band — Grateful Dead safe 140 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 30/100, down from 53.

Doomsday by MF DOOM
Doomsday — MF DOOM safe 95 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 31/100 — the pull without the edge.

Way Out West by Sonny Rollins
Way Out West — Sonny Rollins safe 140 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 36/100.

Have You Heard by Pat Metheny Group
Have You Heard — Pat Metheny Group safe 140 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 36/100, versus the original's 53.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Strange” by Built to Spill?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Getaway Car” by Taylor Swift, “Taking Tiger Mountain” by Brian Eno, “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — 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 “Strange” but calmer?

“Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac, “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by The Police, “Seymour Stein” by Belle and Sebastian keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Strange”?

It measures 53/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 120 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 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 69% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1999 in context

The 304 songs we’ve measured from 1999 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

Intensity53
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
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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