Taylor Swift - folklore [New Album]

"it's obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together" :D :disco:

09 The 1
08.5 Cardigan
09 The Last Great American Dynasty
05 Exile
07 My Tears Ricochet
07 Mirrorball
07 Seven
08 August
08 This Is Me Trying
08.5 Illicit Affairs
08 Invisible String
08 Mad Woman
 
Jark said:
May 2022
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TheRinger_TaylorSwift_Zalkus_300dpi.jpg
 
Mad Woman

Taylor Swift takes on a Virginia Woolf / Mad woman in the attic (Jane Eyre) / Sylvia Plath-type personal, channelling Tori circa Scarlet but truly - the song is still 100% 'TayTay' in essence. I have no choice but to stan.

This could have been my second 11/10 but we're only allowed one, so 10/10 it is.

08 The 1
09 Cardigan
08 The Last Great American Dynasty
07 Exile
10 My Tears Ricochet
09 Seven
08 August
11 This is me Trying
07 Illicit Affairs
06 Invisible String
10 Mad Woman
 
Epiphany just finished and I can't remember anything about it, but I think I liked it. Now Betty is on and I'm disappointed to find out it's not an acid-house cousin of Gaga's Alice. It's definitely more Lover-meets-Red particularly in terms of instrumentation. What a potty mouth she's developed :o

09 The 1
08.5 Cardigan
09 The Last Great American Dynasty
05 Exile
07 My Tears Ricochet
07 Mirrorball
07 Seven
08 August
08 This Is Me Trying
08.5 Illicit Affairs
08 Invisible String
08 Mad Woman
06 Epiphany
07.5 Betty
 
Just made some coffee but still listening to this stunning album naturally. Epiphany was absolutely fantastic, whilst Betty may at first glance seem like her earlier material but it's more Dylan (!) than early Swifty and not just because of the harmonica. She is such a great lyricist.

08 The 1
09 Cardigan
08 The Last Great American Dynasty
07 Exile
10 My Tears Ricochet
09 Seven
08 August
11 This is me Trying
07 Illicit Affairs
06 Invisible String
10 Mad Woman
08 Epiphany
08 Betty
 
"my coming of age has come and gone" - Taylor Swift in one lyric. Peace is just beautiful, a late highlight.

09 the 1
08.5 cardigan
09 the last great american dynasty
05 exile
07 my tears ricochet
07 mirrorball
07 seven
08 august
08 this is me trying
08.5 illicit affairs
08 invisible string
08 mad woman
06 epiphany
07.5 betty
08.5 peace
 
peace is wonderful. The Carole King nod is lovely but she turns it into something else altogether.

08 the 1
09 cardigan
08 the last great american dynasty
07 exile
10 my tears ricochet
09 seven
08 august
11 this is me trying
07 illicit affairs
06 invisible string
10 mad woman
08 epiphany
08 netty
09 peace
 
You know it still hurts underneath my stars
From when they pulled me apart
But what you did was just as dark

My only one
My kingdom come undone
My broken drum
You have beaten my heart

:(
 
08 the 1
09 cardigan
08 the last great american dynasty
07 exile
10 my tears ricochet
09 seven
08 august
11 this is me trying
07 illicit affairs
06 invisible string
10 mad woman
08 epiphany
08 netty
09 peace
09 hoax
 
09 the 1
08.5 cardigan
09 the last great american dynasty
05 exile
07 my tears ricochet
07 mirrorball
07 seven
08 august
08 this is me trying
08.5 illicit affairs
08 invisible string
08 mad woman
06 epiphany
07.5 betty
08.5 peace
07 hoax

a really strong album I'll obviously need a lot more time with. it feels like the birth of a new phase of artistry for her which I imagine will please a lot of people and allow her to straddle two worlds simultaneously - very smart to release this now, so soon after Lover, so she can go back to pop at some point but first satisfy and silence those who said she'd lost some of her innate artistry or had nothing left to say. I think the opening trio of songs was the strongest on first impression, interested to see how that develops!
 
Jark said:
a really strong album I'll obviously need a lot more time with. it feels like the birth of a new phase of artistry for her which I imagine will please a lot of people and allow her to straddle two worlds simultaneously - very smart to release this now, so soon after Lover, so she can go back to pop at some point but first satisfy and silence those who said she'd lost some of her innate artistry or had nothing left to say. I think the opening trio of songs was the strongest on first impression, interested to see how that develops!
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i agree 100% with your assessment in general. just had a look at the reviews after my first listen and it looks like the critics are loving it. i wonder how her fanbase will react but i think she has garnered enough of a strong following to be able to take risks and remain commercially viable.

this is definitely her best album in my opinion. i need to revisit lover.
 
Waiting for the right moment today when I know I’ll have zero distractions, before I listen to this OPUS. Pleased to see all the positive reactions!

@Suedey I think Lover doesn’t get enough love. It’s such a fantastic pop record. Even the “silly” singles are so well made I think. Try it again!
 
Sheena said:
Bear in mind one of them at this point of the thread is Jark for whom everything is the best album ever or a disaster and the other is Suedey, who will change his mind by Tuesday. And then back again by Wednesday.
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emphasis on back again! :disco:
 
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Oh my god the AUDACITY of those eight near identical album covers! God I cannot STAND her. :D/:evil:
 
This is all quite pleasant. I could actually see myself playing the album as a whole, which certainly hasn't been the case with her last two attempts.

Pingu said:
Oh my god the AUDACITY of those eight near identical album covers! God I cannot STAND her. :D/:evil:
Click to expand...

It's meant to reflect the 16 near identical songs on the album.
 
i was expecting this to be one long Bon Iver-inspired bore but after a few listens...

1. folklore 92
2. RED 90
3. reputation 89
4. 1989 88
5. Lover 80
6. Speak Now 75
7. Fearless 74
8. Taylor Swift 69

folklore is Taylor at her absolute best. it sounds like she took a fragmented ensemble of her best melancholic work (The Archer, Begin Again, All Too Well, Sad Beautiful Tragic, The Last Time) and put them in a blender. and the cardigan music video is just stunning. it's the first Taylor video that i have willingly watched twice. she has really reinvented herself this time. this is definitely her BEYONCÉ moment.
 
After the first listen, I think this is going to take a long time for me to appreciate. Yes, the lyrics are strong and her vocals are lovely. The melodies though...hmm. All very pretty, but unremarkable, and very little stands out on first listen. As I say though, it's a bit of an epic album and I think it'll take a lot of listens for it all to sink in properly. Looking forward to giving it lots of spins in the coming days!
 
joanne said:
i was expecting this to be one long Bon Iver-inspired bore but after a few listens...

1. folklore 92
2. RED 90
3. reputation 89
4. 1989 88
5. Lover 80
6. Speak Now 75
7. Fearless 74
8. Taylor Swift 69

folklore is Taylor at her absolute best. it sounds like she took a fragmented ensemble of her best melancholic work (The Archer, Begin Again, All Too Well, Sad Beautiful Tragic, The Last Time) and put them in a blender. and the cardigan music video is just stunning. it's the first Taylor video that i have willingly watched twice. she has really reinvented herself this time. this is definitely her BEYONCÉ moment.
Click to expand...
loving this format
 
Really need to spend more time with the album - on a first listen this morning they all just blurred into one.

Enjoying the money being spent on the Cardigan visuals, love her expensive taste.
 
It's all very...POLITE.

Her songwriting is her greatest asset. She's articulate and insightful. And I like that she's writing about more than just HERSELF.
But beyond that, this album bores me. The songs all sound the same and her voice just isn't good enough to make anything memorable.

But I get it. It's a good way to leverage the quarantine in her favor. Release a lowkey album that keeps her presence but doesn't need promo.
#IndoorMusic
 
First listen deemed this pleasant and merits more listens. I did think is that still on at one point. For me it would probably have worked better as three separate EPs over a period of time but I shall return to it.
 
straightorbroken said:
The glowing reviews are flushing through my facebook feed like a colonic. Colour me intrigued.
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To be honest, I’m a bit wary of any reviewer that could deliver a verdict of such a long album after just a few hours. I’m already seeing words like ‘masterpiece’ bandied about. How could anyone say that after a few hours with a 16-track album? For me, it’ll definitely take a lot longer anyway.
 
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