Benjamin Kassel
"Hail to the King" has always wowed me... and now it also makes me think
The tap-filled anthem is one of my 21st-century rock favorites, but its lyrical theming didn't register with me until very recently.
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Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 28, 2022
- 3 min
"Interstate Love Song": a familiar riff leads to introspection
It's the end of my last break, and a song about being on the road soundtracks the way I feel underneath a calm exterior.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 25, 2022
- 4 min
"Learn to Fly" takes on extra weight in the wake of Taylor Hawkins' death
I'd been sitting on this song for a while, never imagining I'd write about it for this reason... but it painfully fits the moment.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 24, 2022
- 3 min
"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.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 23, 2022
- 3 min
"Evil Ways": the birth of Latin cool
Okay, how has it taken me this long to talk about Santana on here? That's borderline criminal — and I'm remedying that ASAP.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 22, 2022
- 3 min
OneRepublic's original cut of "Apologize" remains a sentimental favorite
My 210th Senior Year Soundtrack selection is a staple of 2000s pop... sort of.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 19, 2022
- 4 min
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is more than a meme
...but the meme's wide reach means that's how most think of the Blue Öyster Cult's classic tune.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 18, 2022
- 3 min
Tracking my changing relationship with "Hearts Burst Into Fire"
It's a fitting song to soundtrack my return home... but that's a pretty new way for me to approach it.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 16, 2022
- 4 min
"B.O.B": misunderstood frantic goodness
Outkast's magnum opus has taken on quite an interesting life since its 2000 release.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 15, 2022
- 3 min
"Bulls on Parade" is timeless for the unsavory truths it tells
...as is pretty much every Rage Against The Machine song.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 13, 2022
- 4 min
"It Gets Dark" is a welcome new release in multiple ways
It's an excellent pop track on its own, it came with an album announcement, and its message is welcome as I work through internal matters.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 11, 2022
- 3 min
"She Wants to Move": Hard for me to define, easy for me to love
Simply put, it's N.E.R.D — that says more than any genre label.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 6, 2022
- 3 min
"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is my top pick from the 2000s garage revival
The White Stripes' 2001 single showcases their unmistakable sound in my favorite ways.
Benjamin Kassel
- Mar 4, 2022
- 3 min
"Wild" is yet another success from Spoon
The ever-excellent band combine classic rock influences with their modern indie sound on a recent single.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 27, 2022
- 3 min
"I'm So Excited" has a lot going on under its surface
The Pointer Sisters' eternally catchy hit is more than meets the ear.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 22, 2022
- 3 min
"Ain't No Sunshine" is a clinic in musical succinctness
125 seconds. 26 "I know"s. Four chords. One perfectly short piece of art.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 21, 2022
- 3 min
"Undun," the Guess Who's jazzy warning against acid
One of the finest pop compositions of the 60s is very much embedded in its time.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 19, 2022
- 5 min
"Toxicity" exhibits masterful mediation of contrast
My old System of a Down favorite is extreme in its timbral changes, but musically consistent — a recipe for an intense, engaging listen.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 16, 2022
- 4 min
On "Dirt," Keane are true to themselves as they decry an all-too-familiar conflict
Their title track from last summer's EP has an unavoidable gravitas as it speaks to the fallout the innocent suffer from war.
Benjamin Kassel
- Feb 15, 2022
- 3 min
"Strawberry Letter 23" fits today's date
Is it cool? (Is it cool?) I don't know, but it's February 14, and it feels right.
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