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10 songs that feel like A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left

Matched to A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left by Andrew Bird on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
The song you love
A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
Andrew Bird
moderate 34/100 intensity 85 BPM
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Heavy — Hovvdy moderate 80 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Garden — Dua Lipa moderate 92 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same layered texture.

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Bassackwards — Kurt Vile moderate 70 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (33/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Hjartað Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm) — Sigur Rós moderate 85 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

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Posing in Bondage — Japanese Breakfast moderate 85 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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End of the Affair — Ben Howard moderate 85 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

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Kid in a Cardboard Box — Andy Shauf moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Measured 94% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Is It Over Now — Taylor Swift moderate 80 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

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Drifting Away — Faithless moderate 90 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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Postcards — Faithless moderate 90 BPM

94% 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 A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left 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 5. Intensity 12/100, down from 34. 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. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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 nothing in it lurches or startles. 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 it stays in our safe band start to finish. 21/100, versus the original's 34.

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 5. Intensity 12/100, down from 34. 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 5, so it lands at 11/100 — the pull without the edge.

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In My Secret Life — Leonard Cohen safe 82 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 5. Reads 12/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
You Want It Darker — Leonard Cohen safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 16/100, versus the original's 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left” by Andrew Bird?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Heavy” by Hovvdy, “Garden” by Dua Lipa, “Bassackwards” by Kurt Vile — the top match scores 95% 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 “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left” 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 “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left”?

It measures 34/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 85 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 22% of songs, calmer than the other 78%. Its intensity reading of 34/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft vocals. 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 88% 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

Sleep7/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype2/10

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

2005 in context

The 363 songs we’ve measured from 2005 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. At 5/10, 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

Intensity34
Dynamics44
Tempo25
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
Trigger load38

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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