On "Cranes in the Sky" and attempting to break free from a cycle of distractions
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In trying to be productive post-heartbreak, Solange captures the difficulty in resolving to face our most pressing problems.
Benjamin Kassel
- Oct 13, 2021
- 4 min
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, 2021
- 5 min
"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, 2021
- 6 min
"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, 2021
- 5 min
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, 2021
- 4 min
"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, 2021
- 6 min
“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, 2021
- 4 min
"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, 2021
- 5 min
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, 2021
- 4 min
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, 2021
- 4 min
And so it begins, with "Feeling Good"
Where else to start but the beginning?
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