Benjamin Kassel
"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.
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Benjamin Kassel
Mar 5, 20224 min read
"Mrs. Robinson": not (just) a film song
Simon & Garfunkel's hit from The Graduate is a reflection of their thoughts on mid-60s America.
Benjamin Kassel
Feb 19, 20223 min read
"The A Team"'s singular narrative makes me think deeply about the homelessness I see around Berkeley
Ed Sheeran's tale of one Angel grapples with connection, addiction, and its subject's all-too-likely fate.
Benjamin Kassel
Feb 8, 20223 min read
"California Dreamin'," as heard from a Californian's perspective
What can I say? It's a winter's day.
Benjamin Kassel
Feb 3, 20224 min read
"American Pie," a memorial to lost innocence as much as lost musicians
As Don McLean captured, "The Day the Music Died" was only the beginning of a period of sweeping cultural change in the United States.
Benjamin Kassel
Feb 2, 20223 min read
On "I Got You Babe," Groundhog Day, and diegetic music
No song is more appropriate for a musical discussion on February 2 (or 3).
Benjamin Kassel
Jan 30, 20223 min read
"Little Boxes": a warning against blind conformity
Malvina Reynolds' Daly City-inspired song seems to have been taken to heart soon after by students of her alma mater.
Benjamin Kassel
Jan 27, 20224 min read
In "Burning in the Sun," an early Coldplay-esque sound meets bluegrass influences
With the employment of a mandolin, Blue Merle gave a sound I love a twist I never expected, but one I thoroughly enjoy.
Benjamin Kassel
Dec 22, 20213 min read
Joni Mitchell's re-recording of "Both Sides, Now" fully captures its lyrical essence
I'm far too young to truly appreciate the meaning this song carries, but I'll take a stab at discussing it anyway.
Benjamin Kassel
Nov 29, 20214 min read
Shocking Blue's rocking "Venus" has a surprising country backstory
...and I only learned about it today.
Benjamin Kassel
Nov 10, 20213 min read
Remembering the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald through Gordon Lightfoot's haunting "Wreck"
Twenty-nine men and the ship with which they went down are memorialized each November 10, with this song serving as a backdrop.
Benjamin Kassel
Nov 2, 20214 min read
"The Weight": sonically genre-melding and restrained, but thematically heavy indeed
Upon a close listen, the load-bearing in the chorus leads to a reconfiguring of the entire narrative and outlook of the tune.
Benjamin Kassel
Oct 5, 20214 min read
"Don't Know Why" and the calmer, number side of heartbreak
In a way, Norah Jones presents an alternative perspective on lost love compared to yesterday's post.
Benjamin Kassel
Sep 26, 20214 min read
"She's Not There" combines various influences into a stirring pop rock hit
The title of the Zombies' jumpstart single is an answer, but it, along with the rest of the song, only breeds more questions.
Benjamin Kassel
Sep 23, 20214 min read
"Fast Car" isn't the feel-good track some people think it is... or is it?
Tracy Chapman speaks of lost potential, but there might just be a light at the end of the tunnel.
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