Benjamin Kassel
The contained emotion of "How Long"
Instrumental, lyrics, and video combine to present Tove Lo as a fragile narrator who tries to remain calm through her sorrow.
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Benjamin Kassel
Apr 3, 20223 min read
"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is Bacharach and David at their collaborative best
And Dionne Warwick's light, polished vocal performance takes the onetime show tune to the next level.
Benjamin Kassel
Apr 2, 20224 min read
"Love It If We Made It": a single point of light in the darkness of modernity
The chorus of the 1975’s nihilist 2018 lead single provides the only thought of relief… but how relieving is it?
Benjamin Kassel
Apr 1, 20223 min read
"Disco 2000" speaks beyond its titular year
Pulp’s song — framed around a future that’s become the past — makes me grapple with my understanding of time unlike any other.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 31, 20223 min read
"Never Gonna Give You Up": the perfect song for a worldwide day of pranks
Does it count as a rickroll if you’re told right away?
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 30, 20223 min read
"Galvanize" both pumps me up and gets me dancing
The Chemical Brothers' hit mixes elements from both sides of 2000 into one of the most recognizable songs of its time.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 29, 20224 min read
"Carry On Wayward Son": mega-hit motivation
I've felt down and out lately, but hearing Kansas on the radio got me mentally trending the right way to remedy that.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 28, 20223 min read
"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.
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.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 26, 20223 min read
"Where is the Love": seventies soul done right
Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway's duo is my favorite of the multiple songs with this title.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 25, 20223 min read
"Papercut": when I realized there was more to electronic music
Zedd's serene house-pop production featuring Troye Sivan was the first track of its kind that impressed me with the greater story it told.
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.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 23, 20223 min read
"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, 20223 min read
"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 21, 20223 min read
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 20, 20223 min read
"Tainted Love": a cover that defined the 80s sound
Soft Cell weren't the originators of this song, new wave, or synth-pop, but their take on Gloria Jones set the stage for a decade of music.
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.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 18, 20224 min read
"(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 17, 20223 min read
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, 20223 min read
What is the apocalypse in "Dance Apocalyptic"?
That's a question I've had recently as I've gotten to thinking about just one of Janelle Monáe's show-stopping numbers.
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