Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Apr 20, 2024 18:12:42 GMT
I stayed up at midnight to listen to the album. Upon first listen, Fortnight was just alright and I think it’s because there’s so much anticipation for a new Taylor Swift album but absolutely no expectation of what it will sound like. Plus I think opening tracks have a lot of pressure compared to the other songs because they’re what start an album.
Immediately with track 2 and on, I instantly loved every track. I couldn’t believe it! Typically with a new Taylor album, for me there are a few standout tracks that I love right away, most tracks being growers upon further listens, and one or two tracks that feel like skips that become long haul growers. But the standard version of this album truly blew me away upon the first listen.
With that said… So Long, London was a bit underwhelming for a track 5. I think the tempo should have been slower and the rolling kick drum removed. It’s like if The Archer got remixed with You’re On Your Own Kid, production wise. And those are two of my lower ranked track 5s. But just like an album opener, there’s a lot of anticipation for the track 5 of a new album. And we instantly compare it to the track 5s of past albums which isn’t necessarily fair?
The only other song that was just a bit underwhelming for me was I Can Fix Him. It’s good. But it feels like almost like a rehashed version of Glitch with a folksy/western-y sound that just doesn’t do as well of a job as Glitch.
I knew there was speculation of something happening at 2am, so I stayed up and listened to the standard 16 songs again waiting for 2am to come. And on the second listen, Fortnight had already gotten better now that I had sonic context of the rest of the album. I knew what I was going in for. I do really wish the song featured more of Post Malone. I’m disappointed he kind of got the Snow On The Beach treatment.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Apr 20, 2024 18:35:59 GMT
Giving the Anthology its own post. So after getting through the standard album a second time, 2am had come and that’s when Taylor had announced the full extended double album Anthology version. I literally said out loud that I couldn’t handle 15 more songs! But I persevered! With the first song The Black Dog I could tell The Anthology would most likely be less pop than the first 16 songs. And that ended up being true. I really love Taylor’s pop stuff and was coming off the high of the first 16 songs (which did feature non-pop elements), so there were moments I felt disappointed in the songs on The Anthology, but nonetheless I still was still loving every song on first listen. I couldn’t consider any song a skip or a grower. I loved every one. But as I got closer to 2:30am and halfway through the songs, I was struggling to stay awake. A few times I fell out, had to back up and repeat songs because I missed them. And this made my first listen of the Anthology feel like the song were too samesy and I think that’s because I was overloaded from the first 16 songs and so tired and unable to process everything. I finally got through the Manuscript and went to bed. When I woke up hours later, I gave the Anthology a second listen. This time being rested and mentally prepared I was able to differentiate the songs. They no longer felt too samesy. And my second listen confirmed that my first listen was true in the fact that I instantly loved each song. The only song on the Anthology that slightly underwhelmed me was Cassandra. Part of it I think is because the song still confuses me. And it also reminds me heavily reminds me of Mad Woman which is not a favorite track of mine. However, I love sonic and melodic parallels between Taylor’s songs, so that’s what elevates it for me and makes me love it. If we choose to think The Anthology also has a track 5 even though it’s “technically track 21”… How Did It End is high on my track 5 rankings. I like it much more than So Long London. And a funny thing. Before hearing and reading the lyrics, I thought the title said “thank you ALMEE”
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katy
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Post by katy on Apr 20, 2024 20:17:07 GMT
lol @dillon I thought it was ALmee at first too! I was like what’s she on about lol what or who is almee 😂
That's interesting though. I downloaded it all just before getting on a plane so I listened to it all the way through on the flight and i REALLY struggled with the second lot of tracks. Some songs I skipped through a bit because I was thinking this just all sounds the same. I haven’t had chance to listen to it all again yet as I’m away but I’m definitely going to give The Anthology its own listen when I’m home to separate the two a little. I’ve listened to a handful of tracks from TTPD a second time and as standalone songs i liked them a lot more. I’m excited to give it all another listen when I’m back home. She never released an album I haven’t throughly enjoyed so I’m hoping this one grows with a few more plays.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2024 21:00:40 GMT
I really like the album a lot but
I NEED MORE TRAVIS SONGS LIKE SO HIGH SCHOOL I LOVE IT 😭😭😭 So High School is one of her best love song ever no anxiety just pure love and I need more of it. TS12 is gonna eat so hard omg I love them
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Apr 21, 2024 1:58:25 GMT
AT LAST I FINALLY had a chance to listen to the first half of the album! (I listened to the “standard” version first and will listen to the second half/Anthology version tomorrow maybe). I also went to Target tonight and bought The Albatross edition. Initial thoughts, I think this is a very good album! Maybe not as strong musically as folklore or something but lyrically definitely some of her strongest writing, and that’s really saying something since her writing is superb every album, but this is like another level. I was worried when I saw the comments about it being a boring album but outside of a few songs or songs that maybe dragged on longer than necessary, I thought there was good variety in tempo and it didn’t really feel boring to me at all. My top favorites: So Long, London (this was the first song that I really loved instantly and it was my favorite up to that point) Fresh Out the Slammer Guilty as Sin? loml Clara Bow I like the rest of them, the only duds for me are But Daddy I Love Him, Florida!!!, and I Can Fix Him (this was my least favorite overall). Otherwise I like all the rest or think they’re good, just not top favorites maybe. I did like the title track quite a bit but can’t decide if it belongs in the top favorites. Umm so can we talk about how GORGEOUS So Long, London is? ? Especially that intro, I’m excited to go back and play this one again. I agree with those that said loml should have been track 5 though. I’m getting married soon but this song got me choked up, maybe thinking about how I would feel if this happened to me and my fiancé. It tugged at my heartstrings so much and I nearly cried listening to this. I thought YLM was the saddest song she’d ever written (besides Ronan and SYGB), but I think this tops it as saddest breakup song she’s ever written. Can we also just talk about how brilliant she is for the self reference in Clara Bow? Like she compares herself to these stars of the past, knowing one day she’ll be the one the new girls get compared to. It’s like this bittersweet sadness, because on the one hand it means she’s a legend, on the other it means she’s a thing of the past and her time is done. JUST. SO. BRILLIANT!!!!!! I think I could sort of tell what songs were about Matty and which ones were about Joe, or some maybe about both. The Smallest Man is def about Matty and DAMN WHAT A TAKEDOWN. The fact it’s the last song on the album he gets just makes it even funnier lol I’m really glad Joe didn’t get roasted here, like a lot of fans thought or were hoping for. Most of his songs seem to be the sad ones and her discussing just being sad they didn’t work out, she wanted marriage and kids with him, but there’s otherwise nothing to say. Matty, on the other hand… oof. I’m glad he was the one who got all the roastings lol I am so so impressed with this album overall (outside of the second half since I haven’t listened yet), there’s quite a few songs I’m eager to go back and play again. Well done, Taylor! The Grammys NEED to give her SOTY already!!!
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eismann
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Post by eismann on Apr 21, 2024 15:02:30 GMT
Interesting. I found her writing pretty basic this time tbh (for her). To me it seems like she went a bit the Avril-way: Finding a cool word or phrase (e.g. "But Daddy I love him" / "I can fix him, really I can") and then kind of went with the first rhyme she came up with. Also a lot of repetitive words in the songs. The 2nd album is a bit more diverse but still. I prefer Folklore or Evermore cause her lyrics dive deeper into metaphors and follow them through the song.
I think putting out a double album was more of an economic choice than a creative one. Half of the songs could've been scrapped imo cause they sound very same-y.
Edit: I do like how she approaches topics through different lenses in her lyrics. Sometimes they are very much in your face, even breaking the 4th wall, sometimes they are more hidden, sometimes they have references to her previous work etc. So obviously her writing is still very good.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2024 15:44:23 GMT
Interesting. I found her writing pretty basic this time tbh (for her). To me it seems like she went a bit the Avril-way: Finding a cool word or phrase (e.g. "But Daddy I love him" / "I can fix him, really I can") and then kind of went with the first rhyme she came up with. Also a lot of repetitive words in the songs. The 2nd album is a bit more diverse but still. I prefer Folklore or Evermore cause her lyrics dive deeper into metaphors and follow them through the song. I think putting out a double album was more of an economic choice than a creative one. Half of the songs could've been scrapped imo cause they sound very same-y. That’s what I meant by saying it reminded me of Avril lmao
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Apr 22, 2024 0:42:47 GMT
I just finished listening to the rest of the album finally and I think the second half is a lot weaker than the standard album. The songs feel half baked and more same-y than the top half of the album, which received the same complaint, but I thought the songs felt distinct enough on the first half, not so much here. The melodies felt uninspired on many tracks like she was just trying to fit words into the song. A lot of the songs were just straight up boring. These feel like b-sides and most could have been left off and it wouldn't have mattered. The standard album on its own is good, this feels like some weird part 2 that is a lot lower in quality and underwhelming.
That being said, these were the ones that stood out to me that I liked the most:
So High School I Hate It Here The Prophecy Peter The Bolter The Manuscript
My favorite of this bunch is probably So High School or I Hate It Here, but I also really like Peter and The Manuscript. My overall favorite track from the entire album is still So Long, London though. Not sure what my least favorite is, there's quite a few that are just boring duds IMO. I think the standard album with a few bonus tracks would have been more than enough. It's like she just released every single song she wrote and not all of them are good or of the same quality. It's like they just released them all to increase the streaming numbers and it's quantity over quality.
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Apr 22, 2024 0:52:42 GMT
I think the other thought I had while listening is how many times is she going to revisit the same topics from previous albums? Another song about Kim? Another song revisiting her past relationships like John Mayer? She already did this with Midnights, the Kim/Kanye drama will come up again once rep TV is out. It's almost like she just doesn't have anything new to write about beyond breakups, love songs, fame, and old drama from the past that she claims to have moved on from and everyone involved has moved on from yet she is still writing songs about it all these years after the fact.
I don't know what her plans are but IMO I think after the Eras Tour ends and the remaining TVs are out, she should just take a long break from music and get reinspired with some new topics, maybe get new collaborators too besides always working with only Jack and Aaron. A main criticism I'm seeing even from die hard fans is that she is putting out too much music and it's all starting to sound the same because she keeps working with the same few people. I think Taylor would benefit from taking some time for herself out of the spotlight after the tour and just living a normal life for a while with Travis, maybe get reinspired with happy love songs again. I would love something like a Lover 2.0 after this kind of melancholy album. It feels like she just wants to keep churning out music to stay busy or to keep breaking records or to feed the fans, but realistically how long can she go on at this pace? She has been releasing albums steadily since 2019. I think even fans are starting to get "Taylor fatigue." Give us a chance to breathe and miss you please.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2024 10:43:32 GMT
I think the other thought I had while listening is how many times is she going to revisit the same topics from previous albums? Another song about Kim? Another song revisiting her past relationships like John Mayer? She already did this with Midnights, the Kim/Kanye drama will come up again once rep TV is out. It's almost like she just doesn't have anything new to write about beyond breakups, love songs, fame, and old drama from the past that she claims to have moved on from and everyone involved has moved on from yet she is still writing songs about it all these years after the fact. I don't know what her plans are but IMO I think after the Eras Tour ends and the remaining TVs are out, she should just take a long break from music and get reinspired with some new topics, maybe get new collaborators too besides always working with only Jack and Aaron. A main criticism I'm seeing even from die hard fans is that she is putting out too much music and it's all starting to sound the same because she keeps working with the same few people. I think Taylor would benefit from taking some time for herself out of the spotlight after the tour and just living a normal life for a while with Travis, maybe get reinspired with happy love songs again. I would love something like a Lover 2.0 after this kind of melancholy album. It feels like she just wants to keep churning out music to stay busy or to keep breaking records or to feed the fans, but realistically how long can she go on at this pace? She has been releasing albums steadily since 2019. I think even fans are starting to get "Taylor fatigue." Give us a chance to breathe and miss you please. I think its mainly cuz of these re records like shes still putting out new albums 1.5/2 years which is the schedule she has always had besides between 1989 and Rep, but it feels like more because of the re records which i feel like shes dragging out too much. Like i just want them to be done mainly. Like Rep idc about Rep TV that much because its gonna sound almost identical to regular version,. if she re recorded in 2022, thats 5/6 years after it came out her vocals didnt change that much. Debut though should be exciting. I think once Eras and Re records are done she wont really do much until the end of 2025. And about the spotlight Taylor fatigure related to outdoors i really blame the media theyre obsessed with her I dont think its her doing at all. I mean lets be fair with us and Avril, its only been 2 years since LS, 7 months since we had a new song from her with FAH, and here we are clamoring for new music. Also about the topics, the Kim/Kanye stuff and John Meyer probably still bother her alot. Also if she was writing this in the same time as Midnights or around then it mightve been on her mind. I mean that is what her life has been for the past year she just writes about it. Idk i dont have a problem with the topics at all
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katy
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Post by katy on Apr 22, 2024 16:21:05 GMT
Ok I’m home and I’ve listened to Tortured Poets again. I really like it, lol. Sorry I said it was boring Taylor. I think 31 songs at once on a flight was a bit much for my brain to take in
I haven’t done a second listen of The Anthology yet, I’m struggling to get more than a few songs into that one before I want to go back to songs on TP. I’m in the office tomorrow so gonna listen to that then. I’ve also realised what Guilty As Sin is about on my 2nd listen and I’m DYING 😂
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oneofthoseguys
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Post by oneofthoseguys on Apr 22, 2024 23:56:58 GMT
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Apr 23, 2024 1:36:26 GMT
I get what he’s saying but I think it’s quite clear Taylor has always exaggerated the dramatics in her songs. They wouldn’t be very interesting if she wrote them close to how they really happened. Ex: “You made me feel bad” —> “Your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones” She’s an artist and a poetic writer, she’s going to up the stakes in all her songs to take the listener on a journey with her the same way fiction writers do when world building and exaggerating events for the sake of storytelling. It’s why Taylor is praised as a great writer and why she’s so successful.
It’s more cringe she wrote a song like “but daddy I love him” defending dating a creep like Matty Healy and sounding like some teenager having a tantrum lol
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katy
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Post by katy on Apr 23, 2024 6:56:12 GMT
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? would make an insane music video
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Apr 23, 2024 11:57:58 GMT
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? would make an insane music video Yes, it’s very rep coded IMO
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