Taylor Swift - folklore (July 24, 2020) Album • Page 70

i've said it before but for how many albums you have a wild, encyclopedic knowledge for, Chris, your blindspots always leave me a little shook

 

Taylor could release a pop-punk album next and it'd easily be the best thing since 2005

 

I think I said a less developed version of this thought, but I love how clearly I can trace the roots of "betty" & "seven" back to songs like "Fearless," "Fifteen," & "The Best Day." Love how she's grown as a songwriter through the years, maturing & expanding, but also kept a certain spark through it all.

From her teenage songwriter days, through all the pop music (heard a lot of it when I finally listened to the back half of Reputation yesterday for the first time), to this current project, she's been consistently adept at observing real life & giving it an almost fairy tale feeling without losing a bit of the honesty. Whether she singing from the perspective of her youth, her adulthood, or another's point of view, it's always so fanciful, yet so grounded.

"Folklore" really is such a perfect title/idea for a Taylor Swift album, regardless of the sound.

 

This absolutely feels like her discography's companion to Red. There are so many well-crafted lines in folklore that even after 3 full listens I'm still struggling to recall even the ones that stood out to me most. The thing I love most about this album so far is that the subject matter is so much more broad than her recent albums. She seemed to have been a little stuck in self-referential mode which is fine because of course that's where most of her inspiration will come from. However, this album seems to have transcended that and become something new entirely. What a beautiful album dropping during a really tough time for most of those who will listen to it. And, as others have mentioned, her lower voice is amazing in some of these songs which is something I don't think we've heard much from her before. Don't Blame Me is the last example I can think of where she used it.

 

It gets me out of bed in the morning to know there are still great albums left to hear, tbh. It’s why I don’t sprint to fill in every blind spot.

Will I like Sonic Youth? I’m excited to someday find out.

 

you probably will not, but they're great haha

 

My tears ricochet is too gorgeous

 

Anyone have a count yet on how many songs on this use fire/ash imagery?

 

Or blood, for that matter...

 

So my first listen this morning was in my living room TV through my soundbar with lyrics videos on the TV. That worked great for a first listen. Then I had it on in the car driving around With my wife for errands, and it is not the space for this album. Now I’m listening with headphones and it hits on another level. Definition of a headphone record, IMO. So many subtle percussive decisions and flourishing touches throughout.

Also, the whole debate about Taylor pivoting to indie or whatever: this really isn’t that different from her 1989 and on stuff? Like, she took the same type of hooks and made a deliberate decision to keep things quieter, but I imagine most of the skeletons of these songs are extremely similar to how she’s written for the last 3 albums.

 

Justin's voice coming in at the start of exile has caught me off guard each time

 

My wife is a casual Bon Iver fan, and when he started singing, she was like, “That’s Bon Iver?” Once the middle part of the song started she gave me a “ah yeah, that’s more like it.”

 

As a JV historian I can say with confidence that there's only ONE time in his entire 20+ year catalog where he goes lower than he goes at 0:53 on exile. It's so. god. damn. looooow.

and it's 1 or 2 points in this track

 

Were people mad about Hayley Williams pivoting to “indie”? That record is wayyyy more out of the comforts of the artist than this is. We all knew Taylor could write an album like this and it would rule, I think less people had confidence Hayley could until we started hearing the singles.

 

One of my absolute favorites on folklore

 

2020 was already a great music year at mid-year, and the past two weeks of releases/album announcements have made it probably my favorite music year since 2015. Thanks Taylor!

 

just caught it and I need this to be the case

 

It's been said multiple times already but you really do just hear new little things going on in the background every time you listen and it's so rewarding every time

 

Mad Woman electric guitar flourishes, man that’s good stuff

 

Yeah anyone who says this year has been lackluster in terms of good releases clearly hasn't been paying attention, lots of good stuff came out this year.

 

100%. This is a weird comparison maybe, but this is how the last two Foxing albums have been. SO MUCH more rewarding in a dedicated headphone listen. They just can’t be background music.

 

bruh, hayley williams is so punk and cool man, she earned her indie cred man! taylor is such a pop poser country loser bro!

 

dreaming of taylor playing a homecoming if the national ever get to throw one of those again

 

it’s been a while since a song hit me as hard as exile does

 

They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential