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10 songs that feel like Melancholia

Matched to Melancholia by William Basinski 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
Melancholia
William Basinski
safe 21/100 intensity 60 BPM
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El Lago — Labradford safe 60 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same calm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (21/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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David — Labradford safe 70 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (22/100). Same layered texture.

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Strictly for the Dextroamphetamine Fiend — Stars of the Lid safe 60 BPM

Keeps the same calm pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (21/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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In Dark Trees — Brian Eno safe 60 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (17/100). Same layered texture.

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Zawinul Lava — Brian Eno safe 60 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same calm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (17/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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Pico — Labradford safe 60 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (17/100). Same layered texture.

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Trio Sonata — Max Richter safe 60 BPM

Keeps the same calm pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (17/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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Horizon — Tycho safe 90 BPM

Measures 93% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (20/100). Same layered texture.

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Sugar for the Pill — Slowdive safe 60 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same calm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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Canon in D — Johann Pachelbel safe 65 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (18/100). Same layered texture.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Melancholia” by William Basinski?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “El Lago” by Labradford, “David” by Labradford, “Strictly for the Dextroamphetamine Fiend” by Stars of the Lid — 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.

How intense is “Melancholia”?

It measures 21/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, no sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 60 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 87% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 21/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, no sudden 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 a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 100% 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

Sleep9/10
Focus10/10
Workout1/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype1/10

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

2019 in context

The 448 songs we’ve measured from 2019 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. 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

Intensity21
Dynamics44
Tempo11
Surprise0
Density33
Predictability0
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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