1990s

"Interstate Love Song": a familiar riff leads to introspection

Benjamin Kassel

Mar 27, 20223 min read

"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.

"Learn to Fly" takes on extra weight in the wake of Taylor Hawkins' death

Benjamin Kassel

Mar 24, 20224 min read

"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.

"Enjoy the Silence": fitting music for an ironic title

Benjamin Kassel

Mar 20, 20224 min read

"Enjoy the Silence": fitting music for an ironic title

Depeche Mode's most successful song is an inner monologue, formed in a moment when the outside world is quiet.

"Bulls on Parade" is timeless for the unsavory truths it tells

Benjamin Kassel

Mar 14, 20223 min read

"Bulls on Parade" is timeless for the unsavory truths it tells

...as is pretty much every Rage Against The Machine song.

Benjamin Kassel

Mar 11, 20223 min read

"Stars": searching for an answer

I reflect on a song I had trouble finding which itself asks a question of its lyrical subject in light of infatuation.

"California Love" was a perfect soundtrack to this year's Super Bowl Sunday

Benjamin Kassel

Feb 13, 20223 min read

"California Love" was a perfect soundtrack to this year's Super Bowl Sunday

...especially considering the halftime's West Coast hip hop theme perfectly matched the game's outcome.

With its throwback sound, "Walkin' on the Sun" is far deeper than I realized

Benjamin Kassel

Feb 9, 20223 min read

With its throwback sound, "Walkin' on the Sun" is far deeper than I realized

It's also just a plain good song from a band that, yes, isn't just a meme.

"Black Hole Sun" was my gateway into grunge

Benjamin Kassel

Jan 26, 20223 min read

"Black Hole Sun" was my gateway into grunge

Soundgarden's mainstream breakthrough served as a personal eye- (and ear-) opener, allowing me to appreciate a sound that defined the 90s.

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a Britpop hit unlike any other

Benjamin Kassel

Jan 21, 20224 min read

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a Britpop hit unlike any other

Between its sampling dispute, its distinctive vocal elements, and its point of view, the Verve's enduring anthem leaves a unique impression.

"Dreams" displays its title being (somewhat) realized

Benjamin Kassel

Jan 7, 20223 min read

"Dreams" displays its title being (somewhat) realized

A lighter entry early in the Cranberries' discography kept me in the right mood when I heard it for the first time today. Thank you,...

"Don't Look Back In Anger" is my New Year's Eve anthem

Benjamin Kassel

Dec 31, 20214 min read

"Don't Look Back In Anger" is my New Year's Eve anthem

Move over, "Imagine" — Oasis provide the perfect soundtrack to changing calendars.

Looking back on my adolescence through "1979"

Benjamin Kassel

Dec 21, 20214 min read

Looking back on my adolescence through "1979"

The nostalgia the Smashing Pumpkins evoke isn't rose-colored, but that's fine, if not good; it means their song helps me honestly reflect.

"Waterfalls" combines contemporary theming with morality

Benjamin Kassel

Dec 6, 20213 min read

"Waterfalls" combines contemporary theming with morality

TLC, fully immersed in the social world of the mid-90s, remind listeners they can find a way out of the darkness by being their own light.

On "Losing My Religion," obsession, and self-reflection

Benjamin Kassel

Nov 28, 20214 min read

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.

The whole of "Shook Ones, Pt. II" is far greater than the sum of its parts

Benjamin Kassel

Nov 16, 20214 min read

The whole of "Shook Ones, Pt. II" is far greater than the sum of its parts

From insane samples to hard-hitting rhymes and a splash of motivation, Mobb Deep's signature track is an all-time great rap cut.

With "One Headlight," the Wallflowers resolutely navigate toward better days

Benjamin Kassel

Nov 6, 20215 min read

With "One Headlight," the Wallflowers resolutely navigate toward better days

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

"Fantasy" is mid-90s pop bliss with an early 80s new wave skeleton

Benjamin Kassel

Nov 1, 20214 min read

"Fantasy" is mid-90s pop bliss with an early 80s new wave skeleton

The path between Talking Heads and Mariah Carey is surprisingly straight. And oh, isn't it fitting to talk about Mariah today of all days?

"Kiss from a Rose" yields a momentary, yet troubling warmth

Benjamin Kassel

Oct 25, 20214 min read

"Kiss from a Rose" yields a momentary, yet troubling warmth

Much more than a movie ballad, Seal's signature song deals with a duality between love and addiction for its entire duration.

"Hyperballad" stands the test of time... and honestly, we've yet to reach its time

Benjamin Kassel

Oct 17, 20214 min read

"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.

Fugees' cover of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" holds its own and then some

Benjamin Kassel

Oct 12, 20214 min read

Fugees' cover of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" holds its own and then some

In reinterpreting Roberta Flack's soul classic, Lauryn Hill does the heavy lifting, but she's also never alone.

Unfortified Castle

Music opinions thrown from a glass house.