"we were like the mall before the internet / it was the one place to be" is one of those classic t swift lyrics that is pretty corny but uniquely her and few else could pull off without it feeling forced
idk how much this has been written about/discussed but one of the best things about this album and folklore to me is how much she's chosen to use her lower register which is one of the stronger parts of her range as she's matured as a vocalist not to get all choir boy but it feels like on a lot of the more pop forward stuff she pushes beyond her natural alto range and she's taylor so she pulls it off ofc but it's nice to hear her really in her sweet spot for 30+ songs
Okay, looking at all the credits at once, it is odd that there are only two Jack songs, Gold Rush and Ivy, and with those being two of the best, I can understand wanting more collab on this album.
I've never wanted to be depressed and lonely at a place I've never visited before, but TS & Matt have done this to me.
I figured out, after getting the vinyl, that this is true for me on SIDE C which is - Illicit Affairs, Invisible String, Mad Woman, Epiphany. Invisible string is my top 5 off the album, but the other three are the only tracks where I don't go "Oh Boy!"
"'Tis the Damn Season" is my immediate favorite, but this was a really great first listen all the way through. I'm happy to hear the country elements coming through again. It's awesome how she's tapped into this collaboration with Aaron Dessner and just keeps building on it by pulling in more people from his circles.
“There’ll be happiness after you But there was happiness because of you Both of these things can be true” ....is my favorite thing she has ever written.
That’s definitely the weak spot for me too, especially because SIDE B is a perfect run if songs. Excited to spend more time with the songs on evermore that didn’t capture me on first listen.
I interspliced the two records together on a playlist for my day at work (ie the 1 into willow into cardigan etc). Lord know she's probably hidden a few easter eggs this way.
For folklore, all of the songs themselves lend me to say “wowowow” but there’s something about the pacing that’s a little clunky and not cohesive. You can really tell when it’s a Jack song or an Aaron song and the flip flopping whips my head a bit
Now at every National show for the rest of our lives we will get to spread rumors in the crowd like “I heard Taylor might be here, maybe they’ll play Coney Island”
Yup - I love those first two songs, but Mad Woman and Epiphany, while both fine in their own right, are the other slow spot for me.
Willow and Cardigan are the perfect mix of pop/indie for my tastes, and I just want to live in that style forever.