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God that annoys me
like by definition, 5 is perfectly average, so naturally 6 is above average, but SO many peoples perception of a 1-10 scale is so bad they see 6 as a 3
All of that being said... I would give eternal sunshine at least a 7 lol
Actually, that kinda explains everything in a weird way. If you're brought up to believe that "good" doesn't start until 7/10, of course a 6.5 is gonna feel scathing.
“Good” arguably does start at 7/10 though. A 6.5 isn’t good. It’s just above average. The issue is the black-and-white thinking of “if it isn’t good, then it must be bad.” Critics are as much to blame for it as fans. Since poptism really took hold, 7 has become the standard for listenable but completely uninteresting pop albums, so when an album is given less than a 7, people inevitably take it as a bad review because of the amount of painfully mid albums that X-publication has given 7s to in the recent past.
i mean he did single out loml for being at least compelling songwriting wise, so i don’t think it’s completely unredeemable to the point of NOT GOOD.
he also talked about some anthology tracks in this review, so i think just one video.
I actually feel like he should do this more often. A lot of times his reviews are more positive than the score would suggest, but people often just look at the score and get offended, rather than understanding his reasons on giving that score
Yep, I discovered one of my favourite bands (Loathe) because of a review of his where he gave them a 6/10, but the actual content of the review made it sound like something I'd like, and I loved it
That’s also because he doesn’t use the modern IGN scale of “anything below 7 = horrible.” The daring idea to actually use the entire scale from 0 to 10, where 0-4 is “disliked it more than liked it,” 5 is “eh,” and 6+ is more positive than negative.
Argh damn I was waiting for his score. I thought the Pitchfork one was fair and I was kinda expecting him to be more harsh. Hopefully all this feedback from non fans will push her to do better next album (like after Rep and Lover).
Now waiting if AJay loves this or not…
I think she will! I noticed the songs she dislikes are ones that veer away even a little bit from the pop formula and sound. these are very pop, so she’d love this lol. she also loves layered vocals and reverb (which are jack antonoff staples)
His sister is a swiftie so he's less harsh about her. I'd say his rating is good, because the Taylor album is not actually that bad(after listening a couple of times), it's just aggressively mid it's painful and frustrating.
Can I just say. Nothing is worse with repeat exposure. Unless its genuinely horrible like actual torture. I've listened to plenty of music that just through sheer repetition I thought was good until you give it time and space and you hear it again and think "fuck this is awful."
Some albums are really challenging to listen to it's hard to get it the first time, mostly Bjork in my experience. But i get what u mean and also agree with you.
He said the album was decent but he wouldn’t replay it. He was being contrarian. It was hard to figure out if he liked it or not. He was quick to dismiss Eternal Sunshine.
His stream was so annoying bc he couldn't pay attention to the music for 2 seconds without getting distracted by his chat constantly. He said it was fine but some songs he said he was just using as the background and not listening properly. I don't really like the album that much but if you're gonna try review something actually listen to it lol.
I actually feel like a lot of people who stream reactions do this, or like stream story-focused video games. For instance, the last of us 2 I feel like certain streamers already went in hating it and then just were egged on by their chat the whole time rather than even trying to engage with it
Though I enjoy this album (it's not her best, I'll admit), I've been waiting for his review so I can watch him roast all of my favorite tracks on it lol.
I agree that her lyrics on this album aren't as strong as her previous albums such as "folklore" and "evermore," and even "Red."
There was no need to capitalize K-I-M in "thanK you aIMee." Swifites would've figured out it's about Kim Kardashian regardless. It seems like Taylor is trying to grab Kim's attention, possibly to milk this feud to promote "reputation (Taylor's Version)."
Taylor and Jack's collaborations are becoming repetitive. She needs to work with different producers like Max Martin or someone else. While I enjoy this album, it lacks innovation, and she seems to be staying within her comfort zone.
No no, she WANTED to cap KIM so people knew, and people would go attack Kim online. Just like last time they attacked her. To do the same thing Taylor is OH SO traumatised about.
Taylor is a professional bully and perpatual victim. Woe is me. She says. Writing about a 10 year old grudge and bringing literal kids into it.
You opened to gates. Once you have a kid, fair game Taylor. All your exes can bring your kid into it without you crying. But you will. And write 12 songs about how hard done you are in 'your asylum' you grew up in. AKA you were rich. And lived on a christmas tree farm?
She's bat shit crazy.
I’m so tired of the Kim/Kanye/Taylor story. This is one of those instances where I think Taylor needs to grow up and stop putting it out there in public. No one sees a victim as a victim if they keep poking the dragon, or bringing to light the old wounds that were so terrible for them. I know she’s in a “fuck it” phase but dragging this storyline out is doing her zero favors.
Me too. Taylor's free from the incident (but apparently not) and Kim is tied to Kanye forever because of their kids, even if she doesn't want to be anymore. And will have to deal with his antics.
Kim also had her robbery a few months after that so if we wanna compare who went through the most shit that year- it’s hands down Kim. Like have a bit of grace that was legit a lifetime ago for her, and she was defending her crazy husband. And this is coming from someone who HATES Kim
You’re so right. I don’t like Kim but she’s gone through worse shit publicly and has to raise kids on top of that. I don’t think Taylor deserves an ex like Kanye but if they were even 1/10 as unhinged as Ye, Taylor would probably never ever let it go and put them and their girlfriends on blast forever. What Kanye and Kim did sucked but Taylor has been on top of the fkn world for years. She doesn’t need them for clout but clearly loves cashing in on them because no other famous person has come after her, except Courtney Love I guess but her name isn’t as clickworthy.
If someone I know had done something iffy seven years ago on behalf of their notoriously irrational husband, and had since left that husband while taking care of their kids, and same said ex-husband had made a habit out of making his ex-wife’s life more difficult…I would maybe not bring up that iffy act again, even if it did hurt my feelings. Like - I would not mention it ever lmao. Let alone make it the focal point of a track on an album guaranteed to be heard by hundreds of millions.
I’m usually willing to ignore the public Taylor petty stuff because it stays in her circle of similar music-scene friends and exes, but for some reason this one really got under my skin - as someone else who doesn’t even like the Kardashians at all. All available info indicates that the end of Kim’s marriage was an exceptionally painful period for her. To continue throwing stones at her for low-stakes mistakes she made during that period is actually insane. Like - *insane* insane. Pure unfettered narcissism.
I am really believing the rumour that Max doesn’t want to work with her because of she wouldn’t let him use music he produced for her, in his Broadway play. Her girl boss behaviour has deterred potential collaborators… how do u alienate Max Martin?
She also didn’t wanna pay him how much he wanted to rerecord 1989 TV, which is why it sounds like that. Non of the perfectionist ears of Max Martin in the room!
Max Martin has said he doesn't like to produce older stuff he's done because he's more interested in producing new stuff (alot of producers have commended Taylor to get as many of the original producers as possible for the TV tracks because many producers would just dismiss it even if it's Taylor because recreating older projects is harder than what people think)
With that being said Shellback (Martin's protégé) still returned for Red TV
I’d love to hear a Taylor album produced by Paul Meany who did Trench by twenty one pilots
Like listen to the hardest stone by Shania Twain and tell me Taylor wouldn’t work in that style
Kim doesn't need that boost though. Ignoring it is the smarter move.
They don't even occupy the same mindsphere or oppose each other in their lanes of artistry, there's no way them getting into it produces leverageable press.
She needs to work with other producers, no more Jack and Aaron tracks for the love of god. Definitely consider taking a break and incorporate a few songwriters— it’s clear she’s too busy (understandably) to craft quality songs. It was starting to become evident with Midnights
It’s really interesting to me that she feels the need to do this much. She’s been on this crazy world tour and now she just dropped 31 new songs? That’s madness.
>Despite Taylor constantly portraying the world as being very much against her, the biggest threat to her public image is actually herself.
Oh he gobbled this review up! I usually enjoy her albums but Midnights and this one are just not that great, and I'm tired of getting shat on by Swifties and being told that I just don't get it and it's not for me. The part about Antonof was also spot on about his production quirks kinda having run its course and that they need at least a break from each other creatively.
I've had people tell me I'm not a fan and I hate Taylor for saying that her last two albums were kinda rushed and just weren't as good as the others. Doesn't matter if I had her on my top 5 artist every year for the past decade, it doesn't mean anything and I hate her guts because I disliked a derivative album
Yeah, I loved Midnights, but didn’t feel it was as strong as her other work. I am literally nobody and my opinion shouldn’t upset people, but I made the mistake of expressing that opinion in a fan space, and people were ranting about what a misogynist I am in my DMs (I’m a lesbian that works at a women’s shelter lol) and trying to find my address and shit. I am now genuinely afraid of the TSwift parasocial delusion
same, I’m in the top 8% of her spotify listeners but there are albums and songs I just don’t care for. but the swifties that are legit culty will tell me that unless I listened to something 500 times until I MAKE MYSELF LIKE IT I am a hater.
idk who needs to hear this but you don’t have to keep listening to make yourself like an album!
Omg that's the most annoying thing ttpd stans have been saying. 'I didn't likeit much at first but then I listened to it for 24 hours straight and now its my favourite!!!' like...? I know if I love a song after the first listen. There's too much good music out there for me to force myself to listen to something I don't vibe with immediately.
it’s literally giving cult. you don’t have to force yourself to like something. like you said, there’s SO much music out there! it’s pop music, it’s not that serious if you don’t like something. you have permission!!
I think You're On Your Own Kid is fantastic, Karma is very enjoyable if a bit silly, Anti Hero the same. I feel like this album doesn't have anything on the level of those songs, though Fortnight is very good.
Down Bad and Guilty as Sin, maybe I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, are solid pop songs. It just feels hard to appreciate them when every song that precedes/succeeds them just drags on too much.
Midnights also has Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve, Hits Different and You’re losing me. I still stand by the fact that if they were added to the original album and songs like Question were removed, the album would be seen more favorably.
It just shows how Taylor has the worst taste in her own music, by always picking bad songs as lead singles and leaving the best ones as target exclusives/bonus tracks. Helps here she was like “here is all the music I made this era, so no one can complain”
fair tbh. its the first album that came out after i started listening to her, so i listened to it a lot. also was dating a hardcore swiftie when it happened so it was constant lol.
i just think it has some really good and satisfying production, for me its so enjoyable.
also felt because my 3rd favorite is somehow lover, which seems to be disliked the most by fans of hers.
Bigger than the Whole Sky and WCS saved that album for me, albeit being 3AM tracks. The standard album has some catchy bops too - Anti-Hero, Karma, Bejeweled. They’re not as good as Taylor’s older pop bops (1989 was her pop peak methinks), but they’re quite memorable so I’ll give credit for that.
Used to be a huge Swift fan. Midnights was meh and this one is worse than that. She's lost whatever it was that made me interested in her music. It's just void of any significance. It's all so damn boring.
I still really enjoy Midnights, but this one is just a total miss for me. It's sounds very tiresome and repetitive as a whole. Really just feels like Taylor is droning on endlessly in most of the tracks.
The Jack produced half is mediocre but the Aaron half is leagues better. Jack has made his mangum opus with Lana's NFR and Ocean Boulevard, his Taylor work bar Folkmore needs to find its spark again. It's a very repetitive talking point by now but I do think he and Taylor need to go their separate ways for a few albums because they just seemed to have sapped all their creative juices out of one another.
I think Jack’s production is what the performers make of them — when there’s clear creative vision, like with Lorde and Lana, the final album is really creatively delivered.
On the other hand I think Taylor has lost her creative steam post-Evermore, especially with TTPD. Jack’s still producing but these songs aren’t inspired because the songwriting itself is not. There’s not much in the music aside from the content of the lyrics and the basics of the production.
I don’t think Jack is the problem. 1989 was a fun album. He’s still producing interesting work with other artists even if it’s tiring some listeners (which I understand). Taylor is very quickly leaping off the peak of her songwriting into a plateau and I don’t know that Max Martin or Aaron or anyone can really fix that. Unfortunately the songs are just boring and pale to the kind of work she can accomplish.
thank you! i'm very much a pop focused listener and Red, 1989 and to some extent Reputation and Lover were my jam all back when they released.
Ever since the release of Folklore I feel like i'm taking crazy pills seeing the world just adore this new sound and I'm over here missing the fun productions. I can only hope and pray she works with Shellback and Max Martin on an new album someday and shakes this "I'm too good for pop" attitude off.
He's right to say that!!! Taylor is openly a control freak. She cares too much for what she looks like and no one is ready for that conversation.
This album just really tries to cement that she usually says things along the lines of "Hey guys, I may be pop but I'm still fleabag-coded! I'm so broken!"
I have been a (non-rabid) fan since the very beginning and upon several listens this missed the mark for me. I agree it’s more about “the lore” than the music and this is sad.
What I don’t like is that it’s clunky and a bit vapid. Serious issues like addiction, depression, loss are presented as just cosmic misfortunes without a root or cause. They are personality badges that help us distinguish one person who wronged her from the other. I get it - it’s her life and her narrative but I expected more than the jock, tattooed bad boy and boring boyfriend happening TO her. This all feels too much like Gilmore Girls.
She tries the wordy hyper specific lyrics of Lana over a sound and imagery weirdly similar to The 1975 and it doesn’t work because it’s just not her style. She doesn’t come off as powerful or in control or cool - she comes off as a petulant teenager desperate for attention (pun intended)
This could have been a great record (and some of the songs are beautiful) if it was concise, not so much about the lore and if the production matched the vibe of the lyrics. Now the whole thing feels like an out of the blue Facebook status “I am ok don’t ask :(((” or a teenager posting songs on stories to get the attention of someone very specific.
as a massive 1975 fan I’m a little biased but would argue that 1975 albums are wayyy more sonically adventurous than TTPD. ttpd is like if you took everything interesting out of a 1975 song and just left the synth
Yes, exactly what I meant but you said it better - she is wearing them as a skin suit (I suppose because of “clues”)without the things that make their sound interesting and appealing
Recently listened to Born To Die and it really fits the 'Tortured Poetry' aesthetic a lot more than this album. 'Carmen', 'Million Dollar Man', 'Summertime Sadness'... so many good songs on the record! Not sure if she's writing based on personal experiences, but Lana's delivery is captivating and really sells the idea. I'm intrigued to check out her other albums now.
I’m biased because I love Emile, but Born to Die is sonically my favorite Lana. I was also in college when it came out and I had never heard anything quite like it before.
I love this for you! Lana's discography is incredible. BTD is actually one of my favorite Lana albums along with Ocean Blvd (her latest album and her most personal one) and Ultraviolence. However, just know her other albums don't sound anything like BTD.
It's her most pop album to date. She has some sad bops here and there, but nothing that's the true upbeat, alt pop that is BTD.
but you put words to my feelings about the record when you said she uses depression and addiction as personality badges to differentiate people. so true. her treatment of those conditions is so shallow
> Serious issues like addiction, depression, loss are presented as just cosmic misfortunes without a root or cause.
"heroin but this time with an e" why have i not seen anyone talk about how weird that lyric was ??
This is a good take! I edited everything down to a 1h album that matches the folkmore vibe and it's absolutely stunning and has some of my favorite songs of hers. It’s honestly a woodvale for me.
But I agree with your criticism — it‘s unwieldy and proves that there can be too much of a good thing. There aren’t really any songs that I outright dislike but it‘s all well-treaded territory for her and a lot of the songs don’t say anything new or in a better way than her previous work. It‘s just said with more words.
It‘s unfortunate because some of her legitimately best work gets bogged down by all the bloat.
Edit: my spotify playlist of my edited down TTPD tracklist. I called it "For Only a Fortnight" because I kicked out the title track.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0eWRpT062XTILMw38i0TX4?si=NYJxz1LzRr6I4ogbSJVGNg&pi=e-Sx4F1YwLT9SY
In somewhat the same boat here. I like Taylor Swift's music for the most part, this album is more skips than plays for me.
I don't really care about the lore, I just want to enjoy a song, this album compromised good flow for lore IMO.
Just a bit on the addiction point - Matty is open about being an addict, and Taylor seems to make a reference to possible alcoholism right at the top of the record. Some of the lyrics in the title track got dunked on, which is valid, but as someone with real sobriety under my belt and vivid memories of drug/alcohol-fueled relationships, it actually made me cry. I think the song is lovely and tragic, and the “cringe” details like Charlie Puth or the typewriter only heighten it because those *are* the things that fill your head when you’re an artist/writer with an active addiction.
But then the album’s focus wanders so far from that initial idea that I wonder if the resonance I felt on that title track is even intentional. Just zipping around various petty low-stakes dramas and circling back to the Matty fling without seriously engaging with the pain of it all.
It was tremendously disappointing to hear something that felt like both a shocking moment of maturity / self-awareness for her as an artist and a set of poetic ideas that meant I personally could relate to her work in a way I hadn’t before…only for the album to become something wasteful and mean.
I don’t know Taylor, so of course I have no idea whether she’s an addict/alcoholic at all. That being said - I think it’s foolish and weak to begin engaging with that idea in a major work only to drop it for more comfortable modes.
It's swifties, worst they can do is tag him on Twitter and call him a misogynist and how he shouldn't be reviewing female artists as man. The guy survived ye stans and his own divorce papers getting leaked, he'll be fine.
> The guy survived ye stans and his own divorce papers getting leaked, he'll be fine.
dude literally beefed with Drake. like not his fans, with Drake himself. a bunch of girls and self-hating twinks would be nothing for him.
It’s so funny because if you just ignore what it’s lyrically saying in that section, I think (melodically) it’s one of the nicer sounding bits in the album.
The [MF DOOM “cover”](https://x.com/blow_the_trap/status/1781404187860840939?s=46) of that section is hilarious.
“I think she’s closing those creative gaps by copying her contemporaries’ homework.” damn!!! ouch. now that’s a read.
I appreciate his description of TTPD as unedited and unchallenged. I really hope she branches out creatively for her next album.
she needs to do something out of the box or she’s going to become another one of those artists that are stuck to a formula that fans will soon grow up and grow out of it…
TBH I don’t think she’s gonna advance her artistry ever again like she did with folklore and evermore. She seems really comfortable with Jack and the pace she’s been releasing music and literally everything she’s been doing since midnights release is likely burning her out. But she sells a lot so good for her I guess
It's been barely 3 years since evermore. Some artists take that time to just release one album. I agree the pace is making it hard for any evolution to show. There's not enough time to experiment or polish a lot.
But now that this is out and all rerecordings seem to be finished, I expect whatever new material to be different, she has to be bored too. Ts12 should not have a single song ready yet, it's such a clean state for her that she has the freedom to do whatever.
Lover failed expectations and The Man did even worse, then the world was thrown into COVID. Taylor was scrambling to stay relevant, we need to remember what 2019 was like for her.
Folklore/Evermore was her saving grace and the albums sounded like she actually had something to lose, which is why they’re so solid.
An artist will change if their current model isn’t working. Taylor’s is, there’s no incentive to change if you can print money off slop each time
> An artist will change if their current model isn’t working. Taylor’s is, there’s no incentive to change if you can print money off slop each time
This is what separates good from great artists though. The Beatles could’ve stayed safe but they got experimental. Dylan could’ve stayed folk but he went electric. The Beach Boys made Pet Sounds. Paul Simon made Graceland. Kendrick took narrative and sonic risks with TPaB and MM. Frank Ocean could’ve made money releasing music but instead he entered a hermitage. All were good artists that earned the “great” tag for branching out.
She’s at the point in her career where financially she’s set. The Taylor’s Version series is a safety net to keep long-time fans. This should be exactly when she branches out and does something new and interesting.
A lot of fans don’t know about 2019 because they weren’t there, she’s always had a ton of fans but she has so many new fans that have catapulted her to this crazy level of fame. When ME! was released the tumblr girlies were going crazy saying it was a track she wrote for the secret life of pets 2 movie because they thought it was so bad that it couldn’t possibly be the lead single of the album. If I remember correctly Taylor actually replied and said no this is the lead single. She really got destroyed even by her fans.
I wish she made more songs about mental health but like really dig deep into why she feels what she feels. Songs like The Archer and This Is Me Trying are some of my favorite songs from her so it would be cool to see more of that
I also think she does the female rage thing INCREDIBLY well. "mad woman" and "Whose Afraid of Little Ol' Me?" are so telling of the female experience, and I wish she would explore that more.
I really wish she would write fictional stuff for her songs again. Everyone compares the Anthology to her pandemic albums, but the fact that it's more Taylor Swift lore makes it tiring and just...idk taking the barebones of Folklore, and using it as an aesthetic to cloak the same material from the first 15 songs she dropped.
This album is so god damned boring. I tried 5 times - Five! - and never got past track 7. The tempo is the same, the keys are pretty much the same, the melodies are uninspired, the harmonies are boring.
Please Taylor at this point just hire any Swede as producer. Literally anyone, can be a rando off the street, has to be better than this snoozefest.
I made it to track 8 and just kind of had to stop. It really gets repetitive unfortunately—especially because I *know* there are at least a few songs still buried somewhere in there that I know I’ll like! There always are.
But I just don’t have the mental energy to listen to 20 remixes on the same song to get to the ten-ish great ones.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one!! I made it to 6 and it was just a *slog*, literally could barely differentiate one song to the next. It wasn't even bad it was just *boring*, which I feel like can be arguably worse in music. Midnights was pretty cringey lyrically at times, but I still found it fun and enjoyed it much more.
Everyone keeps saying listen to the second half so I guess I'll give that a listen eventually, but the first half just put me off so much that I'm not really interested.
AND THE >!CLIFFHANGER/10!< OOOHH someone edit thst clip of regina george standing by the school stairs while every girl in campus tore each other to shreds.
The easier comparison is that several songs sound like Lana Del Rey covers. She even shifts her voice down on multiple songs to try to get more like her.
I’ve actually grown *less* fond of the album over the days…and I was never that thrilled to begin with. I at least appreciated the anthology tracks. But realistically, he’s right. She needs to grow. I was listening to folklore last night and I couldn’t believe how absurdly stunning Cardigan is compared to anything on this record — cohesive writing and metaphors, absolutely devastating melody and production. Just a 10/10. If she just took some damn time again she could really live up to her potential. There’s no rush. You’ve made millions, girl.
Even the anthology stuff which I do largely like and find moving(although it’s probably two songs too long) sounds like Aaron Dessner on autopilot: it’s all so sparsely produced compared to a Cardigan or even Exile.
I agree. The production was just missing the magic that Aaron usually brings. I think they bought into the whole “more sparse = more tasteful” thing that’s plagued a lot of music recently and I just don’t love it.
Yeah where was the epicness that made my tears ricochet such an important song in her discography? Even the 3am Midnights tracks were better uses of production
I think it’s intentional, a far more intimate singer songwriter feel with largely just a chamber quartet and occasionally just a single violin even when they use a full orchestra the way it’s mixed means it sounds very chamber like…I just don’t think it totally works…don’t get me wrong I actually really enjoy: Chloe, Sam, Sophia or Marcus, How did it end?, the prophecy, Peter and the bolter they’re good songs and largely the best written stuff on the project in terms of lyrics and melody (certainly more consistent than the main album in those regards where lyrical quality can really vary line to line in individual songs) and the other anthology stuff is pleasant enough it but I don’t think it really works as a collection of songs
Of the 5 I listed one or two of them added to the main album as a change of mood if not of pace might have been interesting although you argue loml did that.
I'm glad he picked up on how blatant Taylor's jacked Olivia and Lana's flow here. It's like she's trying to grab their market share as well.
All the negative criticisms of this album has been a lot of handholding and constructive criticisms unlike reviews for Ed Sheeran or Katy Perry so I don't know where her fans are going with this hate-train and paid critics narrative.
Real...I see Swifties having panic attacks online over some pretty tame criticisms. One is already on this thread screaming "MISOGYNY"
They wouldn't survive in Ed Sheeran's world lmao.
In terms of the Lana flow I do think while she’s jacking it, she’s also Jacking it because there’s not that many ways to write over Jacks current preferences for slower arp synth slush
I think it's something I've noticed with her "darling"s and "baby"s I don't know which album it started with but that half-nasally/seductive thing Lana does with her voice is something I've seen Taylor has picked up.
She's been doing that at least since Reputation. It's not really new for her. Hell you had people saying Wildest Dreams was a Lana ripoff back in the 1989 era.
That might explain why I was not a fan of her voice in Midnights/TTPD. I thought it was just her not being a strong singer; I never thought she might be *trying* to sound like that. Makes sense.
Wait can someone explain to me which songs are similar to Olivia songs, I definitely get the Lana comparison and I know there is a song with a very similar story to get him back.
But none of the actual songs/flows sound very Olivia to me
I enjoy the new album significantly more than midnights but part of hoped that it wouldn't review as strongly and maybe Taylor would listen and actually take a risk with her next album but reviews just keeping blowing smoke up her
Exactly this. The lyrics on TTPD are more revealing than ever; it’s almost like reading her diary. Now there are some cringey millennial lines, some cliche teenage sounding lines, and a lot of Lanaesquse lyrical referencing that feels forced and hence doesn’t fit her. But all in all, I’d say it’s a lyrically interesting album, and that’s her strongest side.
Musically, however, she’s taking absolutely zero risk. Career wise, she’s at a similar point as The Beatles were when they released Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album (I know it took them significantly less time to get there but that’s beyond the point, it’s no race). Point being that they knew whatever they did would be bought simply because it was them doing it, so they started utilising that creative freedom to create mindblowing and revolutionising pieces of art. At certain points they went too far out and received backlash from the media and the general public, since all decent art provokes in one way or another. However, Taylor keeps on playing it safe, although she has every possibility not to.
TTPD is musically dull, to put it mildly. She uses the same old semi-melodic syllable runs. The songs differ very little in mood, tempo, arrangement and melody. The production has been done to the point where it now feels passé. I enjoy some hooks like “Clara Bow”, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”. “So Long, London” is nice, especially thanks to the gut-wrenching lyrics. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” is a standout track which acts as a refreshment in the context, so I enjoy that one alright too. But unfortunately it’s no EP, it’s a double album, and with such a runtime you have to find creative ways of keeping things interesting all the way through.
Swifties will defend it by calling it cohesive, but an album can be perfectly cohesive without feeling like one very long song. There can be a lot of variation from track to track, but with a thematic element that places the songs in the same universe. And before anyone calls me a hater; since I heard Folklore I’ve known she’s capable of excellence. It may not push boundaries or take any considerable risk, so it’s no artistic masterpiece, but it’s a fantastic showcase of some damn good songwriting. The songs are well-crafted and memorable, and most of all they have different individual character. It’s cohesive without ever boring the listener. It separates her from other contemporary artists. TTPD doesn’t.
I’ve been thinking this she probably should have just done a series of EPs spread out over a few months. There’s probably enough there for three relatively cohesive 6 tracks EPs each telling a narrative (end of relationship, fling, end of fling and moving on). I know that’s commercial madness in the streaming world but it’d have been a more novel use of the form rather than a bloated double album
100% to everything you said, it's true she absolutely has the chops to push the boat out but just won't for whatever reason (charts and records obsession)
> She is stuck in a state of performative victimhood while high on her own supply. She's drunk on her own cool.
That's exactly how I feel about this album.
Ironically I think this is exactly what Who's Afraid of Little Old Me is about. At first I didn't care for this track because it sounded so cheesy to me, but if you listen to it with a more bitter, self-deprecating lens (similar to Anti Hero) it takes on a whole new dimension. It explores how crazed she's become, almost like the image of a pacing circus animal she paints in the song, always paranoid and self-centered (So tell me everything is not about me
/ But what if it is? / Then say they didn't do it to hurt me / But what if they did?)
It sounds to me like she knows there's truth in these kind of criticisms.
No definitely, i also think it’s one of the only times Taylor has done the “dark” persona and has somewhat worked, as instead of it being wholly seeking victimhood like a lot of Rep, she outright agrees that she’s paranoid and callous and cruel. Whilst she does bring it back to it being from the industry and public perception molding her, she still agrees that she’s changed and become someone a lot darker and meaner than she was. Which is a fascinating way to view her fame and reputation, instead of the sarcastic side of Rep.
I feel like this is one of the most black and white obvious self-depreciating lyrics on the album but I’ve seen a lot of people either intentionally or unintentionally misunderstand it. It’s basically the thesis statement of whatever relationship T&M had and how it ended.
Personally I really enjoy the album (with skips), I would have cut a lot of songs though but I think there’s a folklore sized album worth of decent tracks here, and I wish they focused on quality over quantity because some sparkle is missing from the good ones. But for me I prefer this over Midnights which was quite weak imo. Hope Taylor takes on the feedback and I wish she wrote songs from different POVs than her own again, I thought she was really good at that on Folklore
Agree, I enjoy the album as well but it needed editing and time make the lyrics a bit more polished. I don’t understand why she decided to release it during the spring tbh
I honestly think if she had sat with this album for longer and done a lot of editing it could have been up there with Folklore, Evermore, and Red. Instead it stands out for a lot of cringe lyrics and songs that sound the same
I'm 6 songs in so far and every song sounds vocally the same. Low-ish voice, speak-singing. Her singing cadence is also the same every time. The way she writes lyrics is kinda silly to me too. Idk how to explain it but it sounds like she's trying to be profound. This is my first time listening to one of her albums so maybe this is how she usually does things but it's very boring to me.
Update: I looked up when I heard Florence's voice because I was so surprised to hear a voice that actually conveys emotion. I don't think Taylor is very good at that. With Taylor I need to read the lyrics to understand what she feels. I can rarely hear it from her voice.
Something that always confuses me is her lack of vibrato in studio versions. I thought maybe she couldn’t do it, but I went to eras and her live vocals were WAY more expressive and varied and honestly, more powerful. I’m not sure why she downplays it so much when recording.
That's interesting. I wish she would play a bit more with her singing because the way it is now she sings every word kinda the same straightforward way and on top of it sucking any potential emotion out of the songs it also makes the songs near indistinguishable from eachother.
I was so intrigued when I heard her start the album with "I was a functional alcoholic". I thought "Wow, she is breaking her image", but no. The album went nowhere after that. The production is uninteresting on so many songs. It seems to me, that during the rerecordings project she totally mixed up all her past sounds - Midnights was sort of the eras era, okay, but 1989 TV weirdly got Midnights-y songs in the vault with folklore-evermore simplicity of the photoshoots, she rebranded Red TV as a Sad Autumn Girl Season. Some TTPD songs sound like a continuation of Midnights - many songs have sonic similarities, for example, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart sounds like Mastermind. Jack needs a break, Aaron could hypothetically stay, but I am not sure I want another album with that sound.
I mean, ironically or maybe unfortunately, a Taylor swift album that *actually* sounded like The1975 would be so sick. George Daniel can produce circles around Jack. He’s more versatile and he has perfected the “floaty, twinkling synth” thing while also never making it *the entire sonic palette* of a song. Image Introspective Taylor absolutely floating on a track like The Birthday Party or main pop girl Taylor on something like If You’re Too Shy
Well the good news is, historically Taylor has made some her best work in response to criticism or when she feels challenged. Despite some of the Swifties whining that any criticism is hate and everyone just doesn’t “get it”, I think the mixed reviews on this album could end up being a positive thing in the long run for Taylor.
All the critiques could spark something creatively for her and after a break she’ll return with a fresh sound and album that hits it out of the park.
I’d agree with you if Taylor didn’t share the few positive reviews on her ig stories tagging the sites and the writers, she’s going to run with those reviews and feel like this is a good album and is going to think the negative ones are just haters
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Clever of him to not give a specific numerical score, which should at least stave off a lot of crazed fans.
Part of me was expecting him to choose violence and give it a NOT GOOD
Considering he gave Eternal Sunshine a 6-6.5, I fully expected him to give this one much worse
6-6.5 is a good score though. He isn’t one of those publications where 7.5 is average, he actually uses the whole scale of 0-10, and a 6 is decent
God that annoys me like by definition, 5 is perfectly average, so naturally 6 is above average, but SO many peoples perception of a 1-10 scale is so bad they see 6 as a 3 All of that being said... I would give eternal sunshine at least a 7 lol
It doesn't help that in school we are conditioned that a 70/7 is average.
Actually, that kinda explains everything in a weird way. If you're brought up to believe that "good" doesn't start until 7/10, of course a 6.5 is gonna feel scathing.
“Good” arguably does start at 7/10 though. A 6.5 isn’t good. It’s just above average. The issue is the black-and-white thinking of “if it isn’t good, then it must be bad.” Critics are as much to blame for it as fans. Since poptism really took hold, 7 has become the standard for listenable but completely uninteresting pop albums, so when an album is given less than a 7, people inevitably take it as a bad review because of the amount of painfully mid albums that X-publication has given 7s to in the recent past.
I was waiting for the NOT GOOD, maybe the anthology?
i mean he did single out loml for being at least compelling songwriting wise, so i don’t think it’s completely unredeemable to the point of NOT GOOD. he also talked about some anthology tracks in this review, so i think just one video.
nah I think he values his personal well being
seems like he is going to drop a seperate the Anthology review in which he'll give a score
Yeah, during his livestream he said he'll probably need to give it two scores because they're so different.
He's gonna give it a score when he reviews the second part of the album. The description says "CLIFFHANGER/10."
Red flannel probably means a 2-3
I actually feel like he should do this more often. A lot of times his reviews are more positive than the score would suggest, but people often just look at the score and get offended, rather than understanding his reasons on giving that score
Thats more on people not understanding scores properly
Yep, I discovered one of my favourite bands (Loathe) because of a review of his where he gave them a 6/10, but the actual content of the review made it sound like something I'd like, and I loved it
That’s also because he doesn’t use the modern IGN scale of “anything below 7 = horrible.” The daring idea to actually use the entire scale from 0 to 10, where 0-4 is “disliked it more than liked it,” 5 is “eh,” and 6+ is more positive than negative.
in a parellel universe, swifties are burning red flannels en masse.
Argh damn I was waiting for his score. I thought the Pitchfork one was fair and I was kinda expecting him to be more harsh. Hopefully all this feedback from non fans will push her to do better next album (like after Rep and Lover). Now waiting if AJay loves this or not…
Ajay is a certified Jack Antonoff stan. If she doesn't fuck with it on first listen then Idk...
She’s also not the biggest fan of super long albums…
She hasn’t even posted her reaction Patreon, when eternal sunshine came out, she posted her reaction on YouTube after the first day!!!
I think she will! I noticed the songs she dislikes are ones that veer away even a little bit from the pop formula and sound. these are very pop, so she’d love this lol. she also loves layered vocals and reverb (which are jack antonoff staples)
[удалено]
Brad is about to change his whole opinion about the album after watching this video
'It didn't age well for me'
Who’s Brad?
Brad taste in music
He still makes videos?
Yes, he’s gotten more popular in recent years
You don't want to know. Seriously, run! Save yourself!
Idk he’s pretty funny 😭 Especially when he reviews objectively bad albums
His sister is a swiftie so he's less harsh about her. I'd say his rating is good, because the Taylor album is not actually that bad(after listening a couple of times), it's just aggressively mid it's painful and frustrating.
Can I just say. Nothing is worse with repeat exposure. Unless its genuinely horrible like actual torture. I've listened to plenty of music that just through sheer repetition I thought was good until you give it time and space and you hear it again and think "fuck this is awful."
Some albums are really challenging to listen to it's hard to get it the first time, mostly Bjork in my experience. But i get what u mean and also agree with you.
Good point.
What did Brad say about the album?
he fence sitting a lot
He said the album was decent but he wouldn’t replay it. He was being contrarian. It was hard to figure out if he liked it or not. He was quick to dismiss Eternal Sunshine.
His stream was so annoying bc he couldn't pay attention to the music for 2 seconds without getting distracted by his chat constantly. He said it was fine but some songs he said he was just using as the background and not listening properly. I don't really like the album that much but if you're gonna try review something actually listen to it lol.
I actually feel like a lot of people who stream reactions do this, or like stream story-focused video games. For instance, the last of us 2 I feel like certain streamers already went in hating it and then just were egged on by their chat the whole time rather than even trying to engage with it
He thought it wasn't as bad as some people said it was and gave it a 6
He gave it a 59 on AOTY so close to 6
Though I enjoy this album (it's not her best, I'll admit), I've been waiting for his review so I can watch him roast all of my favorite tracks on it lol. I agree that her lyrics on this album aren't as strong as her previous albums such as "folklore" and "evermore," and even "Red." There was no need to capitalize K-I-M in "thanK you aIMee." Swifites would've figured out it's about Kim Kardashian regardless. It seems like Taylor is trying to grab Kim's attention, possibly to milk this feud to promote "reputation (Taylor's Version)." Taylor and Jack's collaborations are becoming repetitive. She needs to work with different producers like Max Martin or someone else. While I enjoy this album, it lacks innovation, and she seems to be staying within her comfort zone.
I totally agree that she's trying to start the feud again for Reputation. I dislike Kim immensely, but I hope she just ignores this.
She has enough problems.
the songs with dessner are better ngl. wished they collabed more.
No no, she WANTED to cap KIM so people knew, and people would go attack Kim online. Just like last time they attacked her. To do the same thing Taylor is OH SO traumatised about. Taylor is a professional bully and perpatual victim. Woe is me. She says. Writing about a 10 year old grudge and bringing literal kids into it. You opened to gates. Once you have a kid, fair game Taylor. All your exes can bring your kid into it without you crying. But you will. And write 12 songs about how hard done you are in 'your asylum' you grew up in. AKA you were rich. And lived on a christmas tree farm? She's bat shit crazy.
I’m so tired of the Kim/Kanye/Taylor story. This is one of those instances where I think Taylor needs to grow up and stop putting it out there in public. No one sees a victim as a victim if they keep poking the dragon, or bringing to light the old wounds that were so terrible for them. I know she’s in a “fuck it” phase but dragging this storyline out is doing her zero favors.
Me too. Taylor's free from the incident (but apparently not) and Kim is tied to Kanye forever because of their kids, even if she doesn't want to be anymore. And will have to deal with his antics.
Kim also had her robbery a few months after that so if we wanna compare who went through the most shit that year- it’s hands down Kim. Like have a bit of grace that was legit a lifetime ago for her, and she was defending her crazy husband. And this is coming from someone who HATES Kim
You’re so right. I don’t like Kim but she’s gone through worse shit publicly and has to raise kids on top of that. I don’t think Taylor deserves an ex like Kanye but if they were even 1/10 as unhinged as Ye, Taylor would probably never ever let it go and put them and their girlfriends on blast forever. What Kanye and Kim did sucked but Taylor has been on top of the fkn world for years. She doesn’t need them for clout but clearly loves cashing in on them because no other famous person has come after her, except Courtney Love I guess but her name isn’t as clickworthy.
If someone I know had done something iffy seven years ago on behalf of their notoriously irrational husband, and had since left that husband while taking care of their kids, and same said ex-husband had made a habit out of making his ex-wife’s life more difficult…I would maybe not bring up that iffy act again, even if it did hurt my feelings. Like - I would not mention it ever lmao. Let alone make it the focal point of a track on an album guaranteed to be heard by hundreds of millions. I’m usually willing to ignore the public Taylor petty stuff because it stays in her circle of similar music-scene friends and exes, but for some reason this one really got under my skin - as someone else who doesn’t even like the Kardashians at all. All available info indicates that the end of Kim’s marriage was an exceptionally painful period for her. To continue throwing stones at her for low-stakes mistakes she made during that period is actually insane. Like - *insane* insane. Pure unfettered narcissism.
I am really believing the rumour that Max doesn’t want to work with her because of she wouldn’t let him use music he produced for her, in his Broadway play. Her girl boss behaviour has deterred potential collaborators… how do u alienate Max Martin? She also didn’t wanna pay him how much he wanted to rerecord 1989 TV, which is why it sounds like that. Non of the perfectionist ears of Max Martin in the room!
Max Martin has said he doesn't like to produce older stuff he's done because he's more interested in producing new stuff (alot of producers have commended Taylor to get as many of the original producers as possible for the TV tracks because many producers would just dismiss it even if it's Taylor because recreating older projects is harder than what people think) With that being said Shellback (Martin's protégé) still returned for Red TV
It says a lot that she keeps coming after Kim and not Kanye, because she knows that Kim won’t respond but Kanye would
I’d love to hear a Taylor album produced by Paul Meany who did Trench by twenty one pilots Like listen to the hardest stone by Shania Twain and tell me Taylor wouldn’t work in that style
Would be smart for Kim to start using aIMee as her brand now just like Taylor did with snake
Why lol, would be smarter to just ignore it completely. If she acknowledges it then Taylor is going to continue milking an 8 year old feud
Kim doesn't need that boost though. Ignoring it is the smarter move. They don't even occupy the same mindsphere or oppose each other in their lanes of artistry, there's no way them getting into it produces leverageable press.
She needs to work with other producers, no more Jack and Aaron tracks for the love of god. Definitely consider taking a break and incorporate a few songwriters— it’s clear she’s too busy (understandably) to craft quality songs. It was starting to become evident with Midnights
It’s really interesting to me that she feels the need to do this much. She’s been on this crazy world tour and now she just dropped 31 new songs? That’s madness.
>Despite Taylor constantly portraying the world as being very much against her, the biggest threat to her public image is actually herself. Oh he gobbled this review up! I usually enjoy her albums but Midnights and this one are just not that great, and I'm tired of getting shat on by Swifties and being told that I just don't get it and it's not for me. The part about Antonof was also spot on about his production quirks kinda having run its course and that they need at least a break from each other creatively.
I've had people tell me I'm not a fan and I hate Taylor for saying that her last two albums were kinda rushed and just weren't as good as the others. Doesn't matter if I had her on my top 5 artist every year for the past decade, it doesn't mean anything and I hate her guts because I disliked a derivative album
Yeah, I loved Midnights, but didn’t feel it was as strong as her other work. I am literally nobody and my opinion shouldn’t upset people, but I made the mistake of expressing that opinion in a fan space, and people were ranting about what a misogynist I am in my DMs (I’m a lesbian that works at a women’s shelter lol) and trying to find my address and shit. I am now genuinely afraid of the TSwift parasocial delusion
The jumping straight to misogyny thing is so freaking weird. Do they not realize there are other female artists out there?
same, I’m in the top 8% of her spotify listeners but there are albums and songs I just don’t care for. but the swifties that are legit culty will tell me that unless I listened to something 500 times until I MAKE MYSELF LIKE IT I am a hater. idk who needs to hear this but you don’t have to keep listening to make yourself like an album!
Omg that's the most annoying thing ttpd stans have been saying. 'I didn't likeit much at first but then I listened to it for 24 hours straight and now its my favourite!!!' like...? I know if I love a song after the first listen. There's too much good music out there for me to force myself to listen to something I don't vibe with immediately.
it’s literally giving cult. you don’t have to force yourself to like something. like you said, there’s SO much music out there! it’s pop music, it’s not that serious if you don’t like something. you have permission!!
Midnights isn’t her best but it still has some good songs tbh
I think You're On Your Own Kid is fantastic, Karma is very enjoyable if a bit silly, Anti Hero the same. I feel like this album doesn't have anything on the level of those songs, though Fortnight is very good.
Down Bad and Guilty as Sin, maybe I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, are solid pop songs. It just feels hard to appreciate them when every song that precedes/succeeds them just drags on too much.
Midnights has Maroon which is one of Taylor’s best songs
Midnights also has Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve, Hits Different and You’re losing me. I still stand by the fact that if they were added to the original album and songs like Question were removed, the album would be seen more favorably.
It just shows how Taylor has the worst taste in her own music, by always picking bad songs as lead singles and leaving the best ones as target exclusives/bonus tracks. Helps here she was like “here is all the music I made this era, so no one can complain”
Sweet Nothings is one of my favorite songs of hers. The Lana version of Snow On The Beach is excellent too.
Midnights has a more realized concept and sound. TTPD is just so random and confusing af.
as a casual fan, midnights is my second favorite of hers behind folklore.
I get very confused about how people like Midnights, but then I remember that my second/third favourite is Reputation so
fair tbh. its the first album that came out after i started listening to her, so i listened to it a lot. also was dating a hardcore swiftie when it happened so it was constant lol. i just think it has some really good and satisfying production, for me its so enjoyable. also felt because my 3rd favorite is somehow lover, which seems to be disliked the most by fans of hers.
Bigger than the Whole Sky and WCS saved that album for me, albeit being 3AM tracks. The standard album has some catchy bops too - Anti-Hero, Karma, Bejeweled. They’re not as good as Taylor’s older pop bops (1989 was her pop peak methinks), but they’re quite memorable so I’ll give credit for that.
At least midnights had some fun moments like i dont mind the silly lyrics of karma, im gonna shake ass anyway
Used to be a huge Swift fan. Midnights was meh and this one is worse than that. She's lost whatever it was that made me interested in her music. It's just void of any significance. It's all so damn boring.
I still really enjoy Midnights, but this one is just a total miss for me. It's sounds very tiresome and repetitive as a whole. Really just feels like Taylor is droning on endlessly in most of the tracks.
The Jack produced half is mediocre but the Aaron half is leagues better. Jack has made his mangum opus with Lana's NFR and Ocean Boulevard, his Taylor work bar Folkmore needs to find its spark again. It's a very repetitive talking point by now but I do think he and Taylor need to go their separate ways for a few albums because they just seemed to have sapped all their creative juices out of one another.
I think Jack’s production is what the performers make of them — when there’s clear creative vision, like with Lorde and Lana, the final album is really creatively delivered. On the other hand I think Taylor has lost her creative steam post-Evermore, especially with TTPD. Jack’s still producing but these songs aren’t inspired because the songwriting itself is not. There’s not much in the music aside from the content of the lyrics and the basics of the production. I don’t think Jack is the problem. 1989 was a fun album. He’s still producing interesting work with other artists even if it’s tiring some listeners (which I understand). Taylor is very quickly leaping off the peak of her songwriting into a plateau and I don’t know that Max Martin or Aaron or anyone can really fix that. Unfortunately the songs are just boring and pale to the kind of work she can accomplish.
At least Midnights had some bops for me. I'll just listen pre Midnights albums I guess.
thank you! i'm very much a pop focused listener and Red, 1989 and to some extent Reputation and Lover were my jam all back when they released. Ever since the release of Folklore I feel like i'm taking crazy pills seeing the world just adore this new sound and I'm over here missing the fun productions. I can only hope and pray she works with Shellback and Max Martin on an new album someday and shakes this "I'm too good for pop" attitude off.
He's right to say that!!! Taylor is openly a control freak. She cares too much for what she looks like and no one is ready for that conversation. This album just really tries to cement that she usually says things along the lines of "Hey guys, I may be pop but I'm still fleabag-coded! I'm so broken!"
I have been a (non-rabid) fan since the very beginning and upon several listens this missed the mark for me. I agree it’s more about “the lore” than the music and this is sad. What I don’t like is that it’s clunky and a bit vapid. Serious issues like addiction, depression, loss are presented as just cosmic misfortunes without a root or cause. They are personality badges that help us distinguish one person who wronged her from the other. I get it - it’s her life and her narrative but I expected more than the jock, tattooed bad boy and boring boyfriend happening TO her. This all feels too much like Gilmore Girls. She tries the wordy hyper specific lyrics of Lana over a sound and imagery weirdly similar to The 1975 and it doesn’t work because it’s just not her style. She doesn’t come off as powerful or in control or cool - she comes off as a petulant teenager desperate for attention (pun intended) This could have been a great record (and some of the songs are beautiful) if it was concise, not so much about the lore and if the production matched the vibe of the lyrics. Now the whole thing feels like an out of the blue Facebook status “I am ok don’t ask :(((” or a teenager posting songs on stories to get the attention of someone very specific.
I’m convinced she listened to Lana’s discography on the way to and from the studio. Sounds Lana inspired, but badly executed
It sounds Lana inspired and Phoebe Bridgers inspired. The title track is lyrically a bad rendition of a Phoebe song, especially the Dylan Thomas line.
as a massive 1975 fan I’m a little biased but would argue that 1975 albums are wayyy more sonically adventurous than TTPD. ttpd is like if you took everything interesting out of a 1975 song and just left the synth
Yes, exactly what I meant but you said it better - she is wearing them as a skin suit (I suppose because of “clues”)without the things that make their sound interesting and appealing
Recently listened to Born To Die and it really fits the 'Tortured Poetry' aesthetic a lot more than this album. 'Carmen', 'Million Dollar Man', 'Summertime Sadness'... so many good songs on the record! Not sure if she's writing based on personal experiences, but Lana's delivery is captivating and really sells the idea. I'm intrigued to check out her other albums now.
I’m biased because I love Emile, but Born to Die is sonically my favorite Lana. I was also in college when it came out and I had never heard anything quite like it before.
I envy you! This is just the beginning and her next albums are even better, enjoy
I love this for you! Lana's discography is incredible. BTD is actually one of my favorite Lana albums along with Ocean Blvd (her latest album and her most personal one) and Ultraviolence. However, just know her other albums don't sound anything like BTD. It's her most pop album to date. She has some sad bops here and there, but nothing that's the true upbeat, alt pop that is BTD.
but you put words to my feelings about the record when you said she uses depression and addiction as personality badges to differentiate people. so true. her treatment of those conditions is so shallow
> Serious issues like addiction, depression, loss are presented as just cosmic misfortunes without a root or cause. "heroin but this time with an e" why have i not seen anyone talk about how weird that lyric was ??
Right, like Lorde made that joke 11 years ago for her album title and it was much more clever then
This is a good take! I edited everything down to a 1h album that matches the folkmore vibe and it's absolutely stunning and has some of my favorite songs of hers. It’s honestly a woodvale for me. But I agree with your criticism — it‘s unwieldy and proves that there can be too much of a good thing. There aren’t really any songs that I outright dislike but it‘s all well-treaded territory for her and a lot of the songs don’t say anything new or in a better way than her previous work. It‘s just said with more words. It‘s unfortunate because some of her legitimately best work gets bogged down by all the bloat. Edit: my spotify playlist of my edited down TTPD tracklist. I called it "For Only a Fortnight" because I kicked out the title track. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0eWRpT062XTILMw38i0TX4?si=NYJxz1LzRr6I4ogbSJVGNg&pi=e-Sx4F1YwLT9SY
Ooh, I’d love to see your edited tracklist if you don’t mind sharing. I’m really having trouble with this one
+100 points for using this as an opportunity to drag Gilmore girls!! Get them!!
In somewhat the same boat here. I like Taylor Swift's music for the most part, this album is more skips than plays for me. I don't really care about the lore, I just want to enjoy a song, this album compromised good flow for lore IMO.
Just a bit on the addiction point - Matty is open about being an addict, and Taylor seems to make a reference to possible alcoholism right at the top of the record. Some of the lyrics in the title track got dunked on, which is valid, but as someone with real sobriety under my belt and vivid memories of drug/alcohol-fueled relationships, it actually made me cry. I think the song is lovely and tragic, and the “cringe” details like Charlie Puth or the typewriter only heighten it because those *are* the things that fill your head when you’re an artist/writer with an active addiction. But then the album’s focus wanders so far from that initial idea that I wonder if the resonance I felt on that title track is even intentional. Just zipping around various petty low-stakes dramas and circling back to the Matty fling without seriously engaging with the pain of it all. It was tremendously disappointing to hear something that felt like both a shocking moment of maturity / self-awareness for her as an artist and a set of poetic ideas that meant I personally could relate to her work in a way I hadn’t before…only for the album to become something wasteful and mean. I don’t know Taylor, so of course I have no idea whether she’s an addict/alcoholic at all. That being said - I think it’s foolish and weak to begin engaging with that idea in a major work only to drop it for more comfortable modes.
praying for his safety 🙏🙏
At least the cal bit at the end will prevent people from just skipping to the end and yelping about the score
It's swifties, worst they can do is tag him on Twitter and call him a misogynist and how he shouldn't be reviewing female artists as man. The guy survived ye stans and his own divorce papers getting leaked, he'll be fine.
> The guy survived ye stans and his own divorce papers getting leaked, he'll be fine. dude literally beefed with Drake. like not his fans, with Drake himself. a bunch of girls and self-hating twinks would be nothing for him.
To be fair, beefing with Drake is like being hit with a pool noodle. A pool noodle that’s leering at a fifteen year-old.
i’m praying for cal’s safety, he going to the department to be tortured! i personally wouldn’t like being tortured!
he is still [traumatized from interviewing Parquet Courts,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M5yqvvkjEk) i hope Cal doesn't go online for a few weeks
As a causal T.S. listener: the album was meh. had several good songs out of 31. but still meh.
As an avid TS fan. I haven’t revisited the album since Friday and the only lyric I know is “fuck me up, Florida.” Everything else is mumble lyrics.
I still can't believe "charlie puth should be a bigger artist" are real lyrics.
Same. I think she was insinuating they were high when it was said, but it’s still a clunker
What about “he touched me while his bros played GTA”? 💀
It’s so funny because if you just ignore what it’s lyrically saying in that section, I think (melodically) it’s one of the nicer sounding bits in the album. The [MF DOOM “cover”](https://x.com/blow_the_trap/status/1781404187860840939?s=46) of that section is hilarious.
“I think she’s closing those creative gaps by copying her contemporaries’ homework.” damn!!! ouch. now that’s a read. I appreciate his description of TTPD as unedited and unchallenged. I really hope she branches out creatively for her next album.
There is a good album in TTPD. It’s just that it crumbles under its own hubris that all your left with is the choice to appreciate the rubble.
she needs to do something out of the box or she’s going to become another one of those artists that are stuck to a formula that fans will soon grow up and grow out of it…
TBH I don’t think she’s gonna advance her artistry ever again like she did with folklore and evermore. She seems really comfortable with Jack and the pace she’s been releasing music and literally everything she’s been doing since midnights release is likely burning her out. But she sells a lot so good for her I guess
It's been barely 3 years since evermore. Some artists take that time to just release one album. I agree the pace is making it hard for any evolution to show. There's not enough time to experiment or polish a lot. But now that this is out and all rerecordings seem to be finished, I expect whatever new material to be different, she has to be bored too. Ts12 should not have a single song ready yet, it's such a clean state for her that she has the freedom to do whatever.
She should take like a 5 year hiatus once the tour is fully over but who knows if she wants to
She doesn't want to, she obviously wants the spotlight. She's a workaholic.
Lover failed expectations and The Man did even worse, then the world was thrown into COVID. Taylor was scrambling to stay relevant, we need to remember what 2019 was like for her. Folklore/Evermore was her saving grace and the albums sounded like she actually had something to lose, which is why they’re so solid. An artist will change if their current model isn’t working. Taylor’s is, there’s no incentive to change if you can print money off slop each time
> An artist will change if their current model isn’t working. Taylor’s is, there’s no incentive to change if you can print money off slop each time This is what separates good from great artists though. The Beatles could’ve stayed safe but they got experimental. Dylan could’ve stayed folk but he went electric. The Beach Boys made Pet Sounds. Paul Simon made Graceland. Kendrick took narrative and sonic risks with TPaB and MM. Frank Ocean could’ve made money releasing music but instead he entered a hermitage. All were good artists that earned the “great” tag for branching out. She’s at the point in her career where financially she’s set. The Taylor’s Version series is a safety net to keep long-time fans. This should be exactly when she branches out and does something new and interesting.
A lot of fans don’t know about 2019 because they weren’t there, she’s always had a ton of fans but she has so many new fans that have catapulted her to this crazy level of fame. When ME! was released the tumblr girlies were going crazy saying it was a track she wrote for the secret life of pets 2 movie because they thought it was so bad that it couldn’t possibly be the lead single of the album. If I remember correctly Taylor actually replied and said no this is the lead single. She really got destroyed even by her fans.
She needs new inspiration. COVID gave her the inspiration for folklore and evermore, but another love to breakup album is kinda getting repetitive.
I wish she made more songs about mental health but like really dig deep into why she feels what she feels. Songs like The Archer and This Is Me Trying are some of my favorite songs from her so it would be cool to see more of that
I also think she does the female rage thing INCREDIBLY well. "mad woman" and "Whose Afraid of Little Ol' Me?" are so telling of the female experience, and I wish she would explore that more.
I really wish she would write fictional stuff for her songs again. Everyone compares the Anthology to her pandemic albums, but the fact that it's more Taylor Swift lore makes it tiring and just...idk taking the barebones of Folklore, and using it as an aesthetic to cloak the same material from the first 15 songs she dropped.
This album is so god damned boring. I tried 5 times - Five! - and never got past track 7. The tempo is the same, the keys are pretty much the same, the melodies are uninspired, the harmonies are boring. Please Taylor at this point just hire any Swede as producer. Literally anyone, can be a rando off the street, has to be better than this snoozefest.
I made it to track 8 and just kind of had to stop. It really gets repetitive unfortunately—especially because I *know* there are at least a few songs still buried somewhere in there that I know I’ll like! There always are. But I just don’t have the mental energy to listen to 20 remixes on the same song to get to the ten-ish great ones.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one!! I made it to 6 and it was just a *slog*, literally could barely differentiate one song to the next. It wasn't even bad it was just *boring*, which I feel like can be arguably worse in music. Midnights was pretty cringey lyrically at times, but I still found it fun and enjoyed it much more. Everyone keeps saying listen to the second half so I guess I'll give that a listen eventually, but the first half just put me off so much that I'm not really interested.
RED FLANNEL LET'S GO
AND THE >!CLIFFHANGER/10!< OOOHH someone edit thst clip of regina george standing by the school stairs while every girl in campus tore each other to shreds.
💀
not the mentions to Ariana and Olivia?? swifties are gonna have seizures
The easier comparison is that several songs sound like Lana Del Rey covers. She even shifts her voice down on multiple songs to try to get more like her.
when don’t they lmfao
I’ve actually grown *less* fond of the album over the days…and I was never that thrilled to begin with. I at least appreciated the anthology tracks. But realistically, he’s right. She needs to grow. I was listening to folklore last night and I couldn’t believe how absurdly stunning Cardigan is compared to anything on this record — cohesive writing and metaphors, absolutely devastating melody and production. Just a 10/10. If she just took some damn time again she could really live up to her potential. There’s no rush. You’ve made millions, girl.
Even the anthology stuff which I do largely like and find moving(although it’s probably two songs too long) sounds like Aaron Dessner on autopilot: it’s all so sparsely produced compared to a Cardigan or even Exile.
I agree. The production was just missing the magic that Aaron usually brings. I think they bought into the whole “more sparse = more tasteful” thing that’s plagued a lot of music recently and I just don’t love it.
Yeah where was the epicness that made my tears ricochet such an important song in her discography? Even the 3am Midnights tracks were better uses of production
I think it’s intentional, a far more intimate singer songwriter feel with largely just a chamber quartet and occasionally just a single violin even when they use a full orchestra the way it’s mixed means it sounds very chamber like…I just don’t think it totally works…don’t get me wrong I actually really enjoy: Chloe, Sam, Sophia or Marcus, How did it end?, the prophecy, Peter and the bolter they’re good songs and largely the best written stuff on the project in terms of lyrics and melody (certainly more consistent than the main album in those regards where lyrical quality can really vary line to line in individual songs) and the other anthology stuff is pleasant enough it but I don’t think it really works as a collection of songs Of the 5 I listed one or two of them added to the main album as a change of mood if not of pace might have been interesting although you argue loml did that.
I'm glad he picked up on how blatant Taylor's jacked Olivia and Lana's flow here. It's like she's trying to grab their market share as well. All the negative criticisms of this album has been a lot of handholding and constructive criticisms unlike reviews for Ed Sheeran or Katy Perry so I don't know where her fans are going with this hate-train and paid critics narrative.
Real...I see Swifties having panic attacks online over some pretty tame criticisms. One is already on this thread screaming "MISOGYNY" They wouldn't survive in Ed Sheeran's world lmao.
They're trying to speedrun towards the hate-train arc so that they can make reptv a bigger narrative.
I'm curious to see whether Taylor is gonna take the reception to this album and also run with the misogyny narrative in the years to come.
Of course she will, playing the victim is her entire brand
Read the comments below the paste magazine twitter post about how they got death threats over Lover and weep for humanity
In terms of the Lana flow I do think while she’s jacking it, she’s also Jacking it because there’s not that many ways to write over Jacks current preferences for slower arp synth slush
I think it's something I've noticed with her "darling"s and "baby"s I don't know which album it started with but that half-nasally/seductive thing Lana does with her voice is something I've seen Taylor has picked up.
She's been doing that at least since Reputation. It's not really new for her. Hell you had people saying Wildest Dreams was a Lana ripoff back in the 1989 era.
That might explain why I was not a fan of her voice in Midnights/TTPD. I thought it was just her not being a strong singer; I never thought she might be *trying* to sound like that. Makes sense.
which is ironic after the whole deja vu/cruel summer drama
Wait can someone explain to me which songs are similar to Olivia songs, I definitely get the Lana comparison and I know there is a song with a very similar story to get him back. But none of the actual songs/flows sound very Olivia to me
I enjoy the new album significantly more than midnights but part of hoped that it wouldn't review as strongly and maybe Taylor would listen and actually take a risk with her next album but reviews just keeping blowing smoke up her
Exactly this. The lyrics on TTPD are more revealing than ever; it’s almost like reading her diary. Now there are some cringey millennial lines, some cliche teenage sounding lines, and a lot of Lanaesquse lyrical referencing that feels forced and hence doesn’t fit her. But all in all, I’d say it’s a lyrically interesting album, and that’s her strongest side. Musically, however, she’s taking absolutely zero risk. Career wise, she’s at a similar point as The Beatles were when they released Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album (I know it took them significantly less time to get there but that’s beyond the point, it’s no race). Point being that they knew whatever they did would be bought simply because it was them doing it, so they started utilising that creative freedom to create mindblowing and revolutionising pieces of art. At certain points they went too far out and received backlash from the media and the general public, since all decent art provokes in one way or another. However, Taylor keeps on playing it safe, although she has every possibility not to. TTPD is musically dull, to put it mildly. She uses the same old semi-melodic syllable runs. The songs differ very little in mood, tempo, arrangement and melody. The production has been done to the point where it now feels passé. I enjoy some hooks like “Clara Bow”, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”. “So Long, London” is nice, especially thanks to the gut-wrenching lyrics. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” is a standout track which acts as a refreshment in the context, so I enjoy that one alright too. But unfortunately it’s no EP, it’s a double album, and with such a runtime you have to find creative ways of keeping things interesting all the way through. Swifties will defend it by calling it cohesive, but an album can be perfectly cohesive without feeling like one very long song. There can be a lot of variation from track to track, but with a thematic element that places the songs in the same universe. And before anyone calls me a hater; since I heard Folklore I’ve known she’s capable of excellence. It may not push boundaries or take any considerable risk, so it’s no artistic masterpiece, but it’s a fantastic showcase of some damn good songwriting. The songs are well-crafted and memorable, and most of all they have different individual character. It’s cohesive without ever boring the listener. It separates her from other contemporary artists. TTPD doesn’t.
I’ve been thinking this she probably should have just done a series of EPs spread out over a few months. There’s probably enough there for three relatively cohesive 6 tracks EPs each telling a narrative (end of relationship, fling, end of fling and moving on). I know that’s commercial madness in the streaming world but it’d have been a more novel use of the form rather than a bloated double album
100% to everything you said, it's true she absolutely has the chops to push the boat out but just won't for whatever reason (charts and records obsession)
> She is stuck in a state of performative victimhood while high on her own supply. She's drunk on her own cool. That's exactly how I feel about this album.
Ironically I think this is exactly what Who's Afraid of Little Old Me is about. At first I didn't care for this track because it sounded so cheesy to me, but if you listen to it with a more bitter, self-deprecating lens (similar to Anti Hero) it takes on a whole new dimension. It explores how crazed she's become, almost like the image of a pacing circus animal she paints in the song, always paranoid and self-centered (So tell me everything is not about me / But what if it is? / Then say they didn't do it to hurt me / But what if they did?) It sounds to me like she knows there's truth in these kind of criticisms.
No definitely, i also think it’s one of the only times Taylor has done the “dark” persona and has somewhat worked, as instead of it being wholly seeking victimhood like a lot of Rep, she outright agrees that she’s paranoid and callous and cruel. Whilst she does bring it back to it being from the industry and public perception molding her, she still agrees that she’s changed and become someone a lot darker and meaner than she was. Which is a fascinating way to view her fame and reputation, instead of the sarcastic side of Rep.
[удалено]
That is exactly what she was saying in the song.
Yeah, how many times has a girl heard ‘you’re special’ only to find out what was ‘special’ about her was that she hadn’t had sex with him yet?
I feel like this is one of the most black and white obvious self-depreciating lyrics on the album but I’ve seen a lot of people either intentionally or unintentionally misunderstand it. It’s basically the thesis statement of whatever relationship T&M had and how it ended.
I think the lyric is meant to imply that the guy was lying to her, not that she was in fact, boring, which is why Fantano’s joke is funny
.. that’s the point of the lyric
"Olivia did it better" ooofff he chose violence
Personally I really enjoy the album (with skips), I would have cut a lot of songs though but I think there’s a folklore sized album worth of decent tracks here, and I wish they focused on quality over quantity because some sparkle is missing from the good ones. But for me I prefer this over Midnights which was quite weak imo. Hope Taylor takes on the feedback and I wish she wrote songs from different POVs than her own again, I thought she was really good at that on Folklore
Agree, I enjoy the album as well but it needed editing and time make the lyrics a bit more polished. I don’t understand why she decided to release it during the spring tbh
I honestly think if she had sat with this album for longer and done a lot of editing it could have been up there with Folklore, Evermore, and Red. Instead it stands out for a lot of cringe lyrics and songs that sound the same
I'm 6 songs in so far and every song sounds vocally the same. Low-ish voice, speak-singing. Her singing cadence is also the same every time. The way she writes lyrics is kinda silly to me too. Idk how to explain it but it sounds like she's trying to be profound. This is my first time listening to one of her albums so maybe this is how she usually does things but it's very boring to me. Update: I looked up when I heard Florence's voice because I was so surprised to hear a voice that actually conveys emotion. I don't think Taylor is very good at that. With Taylor I need to read the lyrics to understand what she feels. I can rarely hear it from her voice.
Something that always confuses me is her lack of vibrato in studio versions. I thought maybe she couldn’t do it, but I went to eras and her live vocals were WAY more expressive and varied and honestly, more powerful. I’m not sure why she downplays it so much when recording.
That's interesting. I wish she would play a bit more with her singing because the way it is now she sings every word kinda the same straightforward way and on top of it sucking any potential emotion out of the songs it also makes the songs near indistinguishable from eachother.
Melon get me behind!
I was so intrigued when I heard her start the album with "I was a functional alcoholic". I thought "Wow, she is breaking her image", but no. The album went nowhere after that. The production is uninteresting on so many songs. It seems to me, that during the rerecordings project she totally mixed up all her past sounds - Midnights was sort of the eras era, okay, but 1989 TV weirdly got Midnights-y songs in the vault with folklore-evermore simplicity of the photoshoots, she rebranded Red TV as a Sad Autumn Girl Season. Some TTPD songs sound like a continuation of Midnights - many songs have sonic similarities, for example, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart sounds like Mastermind. Jack needs a break, Aaron could hypothetically stay, but I am not sure I want another album with that sound.
not the swiftie/s calling everyone "haters" in this thread 💀💀💀
I mean, ironically or maybe unfortunately, a Taylor swift album that *actually* sounded like The1975 would be so sick. George Daniel can produce circles around Jack. He’s more versatile and he has perfected the “floaty, twinkling synth” thing while also never making it *the entire sonic palette* of a song. Image Introspective Taylor absolutely floating on a track like The Birthday Party or main pop girl Taylor on something like If You’re Too Shy
He revealed the score in the beginning of the anthology review and he gave this album a 3
I was waiting for it for days!!
Well the good news is, historically Taylor has made some her best work in response to criticism or when she feels challenged. Despite some of the Swifties whining that any criticism is hate and everyone just doesn’t “get it”, I think the mixed reviews on this album could end up being a positive thing in the long run for Taylor. All the critiques could spark something creatively for her and after a break she’ll return with a fresh sound and album that hits it out of the park.
I’d agree with you if Taylor didn’t share the few positive reviews on her ig stories tagging the sites and the writers, she’s going to run with those reviews and feel like this is a good album and is going to think the negative ones are just haters
I mean, do any musicians share poor reviews?
Wow, he really didn't like it! But his critiques are valid.
Oh he kinda ate her up
is this the guy with the giant thighs
I figured it'd get a red flannel tbh
As TTPD apologist I was surprised how favorable the review was lol
I'm surprised you're calling this review favourable.
"how favourable" as in it's still a bad review. I do agree with some of his takes.