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Benjamin Kassel
Oct 18, 20214 min read
On "Cranes in the Sky" and attempting to break free from a cycle of distractions
In trying to be productive post-heartbreak, Solange captures the difficulty in resolving to face our most pressing problems.


Benjamin Kassel
Oct 13, 20214 min read
As we're often painfully reminded, "Time" only moves forward
Alan Parsons and company tenderly embrace this fact in a song that can soundtrack the end of many things.


Benjamin Kassel
Oct 8, 20215 min read
"Grazing in the Grass" has a heck of an origin story and a decade-defining sound
It doesn't get more 60s than how the Friends of Distinction spun an instrumental classic. And how do Zambia and Jim Brown each play a part?


Benjamin Kassel
Sep 25, 20216 min read
"Second Chance" shows the power of paying attention to the little things as much as the big picture
It sounds like a lot of tracks from its era, but its creators' attention to detail and its dramatic but relatable lyrics make it stand out.


Benjamin Kassel
Sep 17, 20215 min read
On "Love Rears Its Ugly Head," its opening sample, and the reading they provide together
A standout track of the early 90s is even more intriguing when one applies the context of its introduction to the rest of the track.


Benjamin Kassel
Sep 16, 20214 min read
"You've Got a Friend": Simple and heartfelt, as it should be
Sometimes it's best to say things as we feel them, because that's when they sound the most real and impactful.


Benjamin Kassel
Sep 14, 20216 min read
“Burn the Witch” soundtracks yet another harrowing election day in my mind
I hate that this beautiful song is the one that jumps out to me as fitting today’s mood, but that's how I'm feeling.


Benjamin Kassel
Sep 12, 20214 min read
"Lights" instantly threw me back a decade when I heard it, and I both did and didn't mind that
Sometimes you forget how much you love a song until you hear it for the first time in years. Thanks to autoplay, this is one of those songs.


Benjamin Kassel
Sep 9, 20215 min read
Silk Sonic "Skate" us back in time a half-century with buttery smoothness
In a pop scene inundated with 80s throwbacks, a tribute to the early 70s is a breath of fresh air and then some.


Benjamin Kassel
Aug 28, 20214 min read
A California soul writes about "California Soul"
A perfect encapsulation of the Golden State for its era... and not a Californian in sight on the production.


Benjamin Kassel
Aug 25, 20214 min read
And so it begins, with "Feeling Good"
Where else to start but the beginning?
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