10 songs that feel like Silence
Matched to Silence by Portishead on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.
A 95% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (82/100).
91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 71/100. Same layered texture.
Keeps the same intense pull — runs a little hotter at 86/100. Measured 91% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).
Measures 91% the same. It runs a little hotter at 86/100. Same layered texture.
A 91% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and runs a little hotter at 86/100.
91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 70/100. Same layered texture.
Keeps the same intense pull — runs a little hotter at 85/100. Measured 91% alike.
Measures 91% the same. It runs a little hotter at 85/100. Same layered texture.
A 91% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and runs a little hotter at 85/100.
90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 88/100. Same layered texture.
…and if you want it calmer
Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Silence is more than you want right now.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 54/100, down from 79. Nearly the same tempo, too.
It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.
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 7. Reads 13/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 46/100, versus the original's 79.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 46/100, down from 79. Nearly the same tempo, too.
It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 46/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 47/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 46/100, versus the original's 79. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Frequently asked
What songs sound like “Silence” by Portishead?
The closest feel-matches we measure are “White Elephant” by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, “Megalomaniac” by Incubus, “Let It Die” by Foo Fighters — 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 “Silence” but calmer?
“Nylon Smile” by Portishead, “Hunter” by Portishead, “Lebanese Blonde” by Thievery Corporation keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.
How intense is “Silence”?
It measures 79/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, extreme sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 95 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 is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 94% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 79/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, extreme shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 94% 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
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 7/10, 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
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?
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