The Key (Became the Important Thing [and Then Just Faded Away]) by Chris Corsano

Instead of highlighting wild woodwind solos or wonky guitar riffs, the krautrock of The Key (Became the Important Thing [and Then Just Faded Away]) by Chris Corsano focuses on an element that often gets taken for granted in the genre: the drums. After starting our journey in a more traditional instrumental setting for this style, Corsano strips out layer after layer of ornamentation, eventually leaving nothing more than the drums. Running counter to this trimming, we see a continuous increase in rhythmic intensity in the drum parts, sending us on the trail towards a monumental emotional peak without our familiar guardrails of melody and harmony. Intuitively, we visualize this intensity as a pure release of kinetic energy, a visceral conversion of our least comprehensible drives and desires into physical movement growing more frantic and less organized with each step away from rationality. Catharsis washes over us in its purest form, cleansing us of our scrupulous anxiety, clearing our only real path to satisfaction.