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10 songs that feel like Nothing as It Seems

Matched to Nothing as It Seems by Pearl Jam on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Nothing as It Seems
The song you love
Nothing as It Seems
Pearl Jam
moderate 38/100 intensity 90 BPM
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Haiti — Arcade Fire moderate 90 BPM

A 99% 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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Secret Door — Arctic Monkeys moderate 90 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

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New Slang — The Shins moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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The Truth Untold — BTS moderate 85 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

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Gone Girl — SZA moderate 85 BPM

A 99% 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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Consequence — Incubus moderate 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

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Rose Parade — Elliott Smith moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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Heaven for the Sinner — Bonobo moderate 95 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

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Stay the Same — Bonobo safe 95 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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Father to a Sister of Thought — Pavement safe 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Nothing as It Seems is more than you want right now.

Thumbing My Way by Pearl Jam
Thumbing My Way — Pearl Jam safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 23/100, down from 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 12/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 28/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Marion by Bon Iver
Marion — Bon Iver safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. 12/100, versus the original's 38.

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In My Secret Life — Leonard Cohen safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 12/100, down from 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Überlin by R.E.M.
Überlin — R.E.M. safe 92 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 6. Reads 17/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Future Proof — Massive Attack safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. 12/100, versus the original's 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Nothing as It Seems” by Pearl Jam?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Haiti” by Arcade Fire, “Secret Door” by Arctic Monkeys, “New Slang” by The Shins — 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 “Nothing as It Seems” but calmer?

“Thumbing My Way” by Pearl Jam, “Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Nothing as It Seems”?

It measures 38/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 90 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 27% of songs, calmer than the other 73%. Its intensity reading of 38/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype2/10

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 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity38
Dynamics56
Tempo28
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
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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