10 songs that feel like The Fool
Matched to The Fool by Neutral Milk Hotel on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.
A 93% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (29/100).
96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (28/100). Same layered texture.
Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (26/100). Measured 90% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (72 BPM).
Measures 90% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (26/100). Same layered texture.
A 90% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (25/100).
89% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 30/100. Same layered texture.
Keeps the same contemplative pull — runs a little hotter at 31/100. Measured 89% alike.
Measures 89% the same. It runs a little hotter at 31/100. Same layered texture.
A 89% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and runs a little hotter at 31/100.
89% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 13/100. Same layered texture.
…and if you want it calmer
Same feeling, measured gentler — for when The Fool is more than you want right now.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 12/100, down from 24. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 14/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 23/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 21/100, versus the original's 24. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 12/100, down from 24. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 11/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 11/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 11/100, versus the original's 24. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Frequently asked
What songs sound like “The Fool” by Neutral Milk Hotel?
The closest feel-matches we measure are “Reach for the Dead” by Boards of Canada, “Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115” by Johannes Brahms, “The Ultracheese” by Arctic Monkeys — the top match scores 93% 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 “The Fool” but calmer?
“Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, “What Was I Made For” by Billie Eilish, “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 “The Fool”?
It measures 24/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 4/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 70 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
This sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 84% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 24/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 97% 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
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 4/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?
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