Benjamin Kassel
"Time in a Bottle" and the ephemerality of life
Jim Croce's ballad is never an easy listen for me, especially now as I think of major life changes coming in the short term.
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Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 5, 2022
- 4 min
"Mrs. Robinson": not (just) a film song
Simon & Garfunkel's hit from The Graduate is a reflection of their thoughts on mid-60s America.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 20, 2022
- 3 min
"The A Team"'s singular narrative makes me think deeply about the homelessness I see around Berkeley
Ed Sheeran's tale of one Angel grapples with connection, addiction, and its subject's all-too-likely fate.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 9, 2022
- 3 min
"California Dreamin'," as heard from a Californian's perspective
What can I say? It's a winter's day.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 3, 2022
- 4 min
"American Pie," a memorial to lost innocence as much as lost musicians
As Don McLean captured, "The Day the Music Died" was only the beginning of a period of sweeping cultural change in the United States.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 3, 2022
- 3 min
On "I Got You Babe," Groundhog Day, and diegetic music
No song is more appropriate for a musical discussion on February 2 (or 3).
Benjamin Kassel
- Jan 31, 2022
- 3 min
"Little Boxes": a warning against blind conformity
Malvina Reynolds' Daly City-inspired song seems to have been taken to heart soon after by students of her alma mater.
Benjamin Kassel
- Jan 28, 2022
- 4 min
In "Burning in the Sun," an early Coldplay-esque sound meets bluegrass influences
With the employment of a mandolin, Blue Merle gave a sound I love a twist I never expected, but one I thoroughly enjoy.
Benjamin Kassel
- Dec 21, 2021
- 3 min
"White Winter Hymnal" is an odd song to be associated with Christmas
A lyrical analysis displays why and then some.
Benjamin Kassel
- Nov 29, 2021
- 4 min
On "Losing My Religion," obsession, and self-reflection
R.E.M. portray a man whose hindsight reminds him of painful mistakes in love and trust.
Benjamin Kassel
- Nov 11, 2021
- 3 min
Remembering the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald through Gordon Lightfoot's haunting "Wreck"
Twenty-nine men and the ship with which they went down are memorialized each November 10, with this song serving as a backdrop.
Benjamin Kassel
- Oct 22, 2021
- 4 min
The soft but captivating "Wicked Game" set the stage for the modern 'love song'
Few songs haunt like Chris Isaak's signature hit and the unavoidable attraction it describes.
Benjamin Kassel
- Oct 17, 2021
- 4 min
"Hyperballad" stands the test of time... and honestly, we've yet to reach its time
A quarter-century after its release, Björk's ethereal dream sequence song still sounds like it's ahead of our current musical era.
Benjamin Kassel
- Oct 3, 2021
- 4 min
"Stuck in the Middle with You," a story of clowns, jokers, and an industry
"Trying to make sense of it all" (read: this tune) led me down some pretty interesting paths.
Benjamin Kassel
- Sep 23, 2021
- 4 min
"Fast Car" isn't the feel-good track some people think it is... or is it?
Tracy Chapman speaks of lost potential, but there might just be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Benjamin Kassel
- Sep 20, 2021
- 5 min
Is an everyman a "Parasite"?
Nick Drake presents the difficulty of looking past the negativity that lies on the world's surface.
Benjamin Kassel
- Sep 11, 2021
- 3 min
"All Things Must Pass," the life truth with which we all grapple
George Harrison's reflection on the ephemeral nature of life and the world takes on a more profound meaning on this day.
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