Unfortified Castle

*deep breath* This is a pretty personal piece, but that's because of what this song means and has meant to me.

I was first drawn to this Smiths track by its odd form, but with every listen, I feel a deeper connection to the lyrics and their setting.

It's a powerful reminder of the wide-ranging consequences of not taking care of oneself.

In a thousand-yard stare of a song, CCR — contrary to many other artists — reflect on how darkness can always penetrate the light.

With a more restrained, yet emotive break, ODESZA reminded me that nothing is to be gained from wallowing in one's pessimism.

Jakob Dylan and company paint the end of youthful innocence as a time for reaffirming oneself and continuing to move forward.

A quarter-century after its release, Björk's ethereal dream sequence song still sounds like it's ahead of our current musical era.

AJR present a quite positive, but easily embraceable lens on present-day living in one of the year's best pop tracks.

Nick Drake presents the difficulty of looking past the negativity that lies on the world's surface.