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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 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 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 9, 20224 min read
As a production, "Otis" has blown me away for more than a decade
You don't sample and rap over Otis Redding and get away with it... right?
Unless you're Ye and Jay.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 3, 20223 min read
"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 7, 20224 min read
Dissecting why I love "King Kunta"
Kendrick Lamar's funky 2015 single remains a personal favorite for a slew of reasons, many of which come back to what I like in older music.
Benjamin Kassel
Jan 31, 20224 min read
"Spinning Wheel" is a most unusual jazz fusion track... and I love it
This song is out there, but it's a good kind of out there because of how Blood, Sweat & Tears mediate all its intricacies and oddities.
Benjamin Kassel
Jan 20, 20224 min read
Early 2000s pop punk meets late 2010s future bass in "Good Things Fall Apart"
In hindsight, these styles are perfect for each other — unlike the former relationship the song describes. Bravo, ILLENIUM and Jon Bellion.
Benjamin Kassel
Dec 26, 20214 min read
Turning a critical ear to "good 4 u," one of 2021's standout pop tracks
In Olivia Rodrigo's smash summer hit, I hear what may be an inflection point for pop music in terms of sound and the business of crediting.
Benjamin Kassel
Dec 19, 20213 min read
"Am I Wrong" for having not looked into this hit in greater detail before?
Nico & Vinz were all over the radio in my early teens with this song, but only now did I finally put a closer lens to it.
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