Benjamin Kassel
"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.
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Benjamin Kassel
Dec 25, 20213 min read
Ever-danceable hit "Roll With It" bridges the 60s, 70s, and 80s
Steve Winwood struck a balance between older R&B and soul and his own era's pop rock on one of his biggest songs.
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.
Benjamin Kassel
Nov 13, 20214 min read
The three-part artistic origin of "50 Ways to Say Goodbye"
I discuss a trio influences that lie behind one of my favorite songs from nearly a decade ago.
Benjamin Kassel
Oct 8, 20215 min read
"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
Oct 6, 20214 min read
I needed "O-o-h Child" and its unabashed optimism today
The simplest tracks sometimes hit you the hardest.
Benjamin Kassel
Sep 27, 20214 min read
"Spiderwebs" and the trouble of getting oneself free
This ska punk jam has one of the most unique origin stories for a track I've ever heard — one which makes me question my own life a bit.
Benjamin Kassel
Sep 22, 20214 min read
Happy on a Wednesday? At the very least, I'm "Way Less Sad"
AJR present a quite positive, but easily embraceable lens on present-day living in one of the year's best pop tracks.
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