Dillon
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Post by Dillon on May 7, 2024 0:34:16 GMT
I had been listening to the album (both halves) consistently since it released and this past weekend I needed a break! I was so fatigued from it!
Every song started to bother me and suddenly I couldn’t get into them. I think i just over did it and played the album too much in too short of a time period trying to absorb all the songs and trying to process the album. It just turned out detrimental. I’m going to continue to take a break from the album this week and listen to some other music. Probably listen to other Taylor albums too, just NOT ttpd! I think a short break from the album and going back to it later will help me get back into the songs again and allow the songs to not sound overplayed.
I am looking forward to her returning to tour though and I’ll be checking out livestreams on Thursday to see if/how the set list changes.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on May 4, 2024 21:06:31 GMT
I don’t think the surprise drop of additional songs will become the new norm for her. At least not as we’ve seen it so far. Because we know she never does something quite the same way twice. For Midnights it was an extended deluxe edition, the longest she had done to date (consisting of new songs and not remixes). The closest she had done to this in the past was with Fearless with the Platinum Edition back in 2009 which featured 5 brand new songs and 1 re-working piano recording of a song that fell in the calendar year after following the standard album release. So for Midnights, the 7 deluxe tracks getting released alongside the standard edition (aside from 3 hours) was unimaginable. It was a wild ride to be honest. Taylor always keeps us guessing.
And then for TTPD, although the drop of additional songs without prior warning wasn’t new, everything else was. An entire second album’s worth of songs being added to the album (deemed a “double album” because of the track amount and amount of space it would require on physical media) is obviously something Taylor hasn’t done in the past.
While some albums have the same standard track list length, including the deluxe tracks, Taylor doesn’t have a pattern she follows. No album has been the same in this sense. Over time it does seem like Taylor is fine tuning how she can fuel the charts and set new records with the track exclusive physical editions of the albums of Midnights, 1989tv and TTPD paired with digital exclusive deluxe editions. So unfortunately I think we’ll continue to see multiple editions of albums in the future without getting every track from an album on one physical release. But at least with the surprise dropping songs thing after the album… I think Taylor doesn’t like being too predictable, so I could see her steering away from that.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Apr 28, 2024 2:10:43 GMT
.. still a lot of songs about Matty while it didn’t lasted that long.. that’s a bit weird. It seems so weird in context now with her coming from a 6 year relationship, but this is actually a theme for her. All of her most famous past relationships that got got a lot of songs (for most part entire albums): Joe Jonas with Fearless, John Mayer with Speak Now, Jake Gyllenhaal with Red, Harry Styles with 1989. All of those relationships, despite some of them having an on-again/off-again aspect did not last long yet resulted in a lot of music. Her longest relationship prior to Joe Alwyn was Calvin, which was 1 year I think? And coming out of that relationship, she did the same thing. Said just about nothing concerning Calvin, and wrote about Tom and Joe on reputation instead. So maybe the takeaway is that for her longer term relationships she has a tendency to want to share less depth and detail?
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Apr 28, 2024 1:06:24 GMT
Songs I see being cut:
The Archer -‘Tis The Damn Season - Willow always made more sense as an opener for the set anyway -Illicit Affairs (possibly because it’s just so short like Wildest Dreams) -Cardigan -Wildest Dreams -Mastermind -Midnight Rain or Vigilante Shit (I see 2 Midnights songs getting cut, I’m just not sure what the second one will be). If Midnight Rain is cut, I think she could easily create a new transition for taking off her shirt dress before going into Bejeweled. + 1 additional song from one of the longer eras that I can’t make my mind up on.
As Midnights got 7 songs when it was the newest album, I think TTPD will get the same. And if Illicit Affairs gets cut, that combined with Wildest Dreams almost equals a whole song length which would equal 7 songs removed from the set list giving space for seven new songs.
TTPD Songs I see as contenders for the set list: -Fortnight -The Tortured Poets Department -My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys -Down Bad -But Daddy I Love Him (abbreviated as the song is almost 6 minutes) -Fresh Out The Slammer (abbreviated, I think the song would end after the second chorus and the slowed part of the song would be cut and transitioned into another song) -Guilty As Sin? -Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me? -I Can Do It With A Broken Heart -Clara Bow
I don’t see TTPD replacing Midnights as the closing set for the show. I think Karma closes it perfectly. If she were to close the show with TTPD, the only songs that I think could sonically fit for the final song would be the title track because it stays upbeat through the very end of the song. Or I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (but she wouldn’t be able to do the iconic “I’m miserable… come for my job” part because the outro has to stay upbeat for the finale when she has the crowd cheer for the band and dancers. So the part in the song when she does that wouldn’t really be there. So that would be kind of a let down for people wanting that part of the song. Or if she said it anyway, I guess it would just sound drastically different
Where else in the set TTPD would fall I have no guesses for. But I think we can all agree that I won’t open the show haha.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Apr 24, 2024 2:35:54 GMT
It was pointed out how this album seems like it’s quantity over quality, but I think Taylor’s goal wasn’t pristine quality this time around. Maybe she didn’t want a tight-nip album. I get the impression that she just wanted to let loose. That she wanted to get together with her favorite collaborators - Jack and Aaron - pump out some songs and smack together an album that she liked. I’m sure there are still some songs she could’ve weeded out and left behind or maybe just song ideas that she decided not to finish for the album. But I think this was just supposed to be “her” album this time around - making it because she wanted to, making it because she could, making it because she was enjoying the process, and making it because she didn’t have to take it too seriously. At this point, I don’t think she cares if someone critiques a song that she puts out as “weak” or unsubstantial compared to her past work. I think she understands that she can’t keep topping herself. That she won’t always be doing A+ work if the bar keeps moving.
But if that was her approach with this album, only time will tell if she will return to trying to perfectly curate her future albums with tight tracklists and cohesion.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Apr 24, 2024 2:12:10 GMT
^ Yeah the crying at the gym line is probably just her attempt at trying to put it in perspective of an average person doing an everyday normal activity but that’s also true for herself.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Apr 23, 2024 22:51:34 GMT
I don’t believe the folklore love triangle theory being connected to Matty. It just doesn’t make sense.
I got the impression Down Bad was about Matty. Taylor said in a radio clip explaining the inspiration behind the song being abducted by an alien, basically being enamored by the experience and being left with despair after being put back on earth, discarded, and left stranded. And that doesn’t feel like an analogy that could be used for a 6 year relationship.
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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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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 Mar 10, 2024 21:14:38 GMT
A Target exclusive variant has been announced. It’s identical to the Manuscript version with the cover and bonus track, but features clear vinyls instead of the white vinyls that the original variant has.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Mar 4, 2024 0:00:00 GMT
I like the dark, but the cover itself with that photo is my least favorite so far. Even the bonus track, The Black Dog, is my least favorite track name so far.
Really surprised there’s not a fifth variant for target. Maybe Target said it could only be red colored and Taylor said no lol
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Feb 27, 2024 1:05:30 GMT
I think a big reason why Avril goes back to the drawing board and scraps songs/ideas so often is that it’s the music creation that she enjoys most. We all know she hates the promotion process and touring, she has a love/hate relationship with. So I don’t think she’s pressed about finishing her next album super quickly because she’s already feeling fulfilled by creating music even if a good portion of it gets shelved or is never intended for an album in the first place.
And while she’s about to go on this Greatest Hits tour, it’s not going to require much promotion, if any really. So she gets to skip her least favorite part. And without having a fresh new album, she has no pressure to be performing new songs that we all know she disliked having to learn new songs for tour.
She knows her peak days are behind her and that she’s financially stable without be an active, major artist who releases music/albums regularly. So I think she’s just enjoying making music with her friends and not doing much else on top of that. I think making the next new album gets less important to her with each album she puts out.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Feb 27, 2024 1:05:14 GMT
If Boy at the Rock Show is a rework/cover of the blink-182 song, then that’s really no different from her recording a version of Lauren Christy’s I Want What I Want during the HAW sessions.
I think it’s just her having fun in the studio and doing different things that she has no intention of doing anything with officially.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Feb 25, 2024 22:43:39 GMT
If there does end up being a Target vinyl, I just hope it’s not red colored. It would be so out of place with this album’s color scheme.
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Dillon
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Post by Dillon on Feb 25, 2024 17:21:11 GMT
I think The Albatross cover is my least favorite so far. It detracts from the theme created by the other covers which were centered around a bed while The Albatross appears to be in front of a body of water.
Perhaps the body of water is one of the lakes in the Lake District, a reference to the poets. So it may very well tie in well with the album, but visually it detracts from the first two covers and makes me not like it as much.
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