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10 songs that feel like Sax Rohmer #1

Matched to Sax Rohmer #1 by The Mountain Goats 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
Sax Rohmer #1
The Mountain Goats
moderate 51/100 intensity 140 BPM
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Distopian Dream Girl — Built to Spill moderate 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Box Elder — Pavement moderate 145 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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Away From Home — Drake moderate 140 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Long White Line — Sturgill Simpson moderate 140 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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Within Your Reach — The Replacements moderate 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Can't Get There from Here — R.E.M. moderate 126 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Trip Through Your Wires — U2 moderate 123 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Mykonos — Fleet Foxes moderate 135 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Ragged Wood — Fleet Foxes moderate 135 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

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Solo — Frank Ocean moderate 134 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Sax Rohmer #1 is more than you want right now.

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard by Paul Simon
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard — Paul Simon safe 130 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 42/100, down from 51. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Walkin' the Boogie by John Lee Hooker
Walkin' the Boogie — John Lee Hooker safe 140 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Roll On Buddy — Bill Monroe safe 140 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 29/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Telstar — The Ventures safe 132 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 36/100, versus the original's 51. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Back in the U.S.A. by Chuck Berry
Back in the U.S.A. — Chuck Berry safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 35/100, down from 51.

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Apache — The Ventures safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 35/100 — the pull without the edge.

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She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain — Traditional safe 120 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 19/100.

Last Girl by Soccer Mommy
Last Girl — Soccer Mommy safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 19/100, versus the original's 51.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Sax Rohmer #1” by The Mountain Goats?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Distopian Dream Girl” by Built to Spill, “Box Elder” by Pavement, “Away From Home” by Drake — 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 “Sax Rohmer #1” but calmer?

“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” by Paul Simon, “Walkin' the Boogie” by John Lee Hooker, “Roll On Buddy” by Bill Monroe keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Sax Rohmer #1”?

It measures 51/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 140 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 66% of songs, calmer than the other 34%. Its intensity reading of 51/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 90% 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.

2008 in context

The 259 songs we’ve measured from 2008 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity51
Dynamics56
Tempo56
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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