Taylor Swift

[Stadler]

And, in keeping with Springsteen (and other "real" artists, like Dylan and Neil Young for two, there are others) isn't she entitled to do that?   If you are a fan of the ANTHEMIC Springsteen, you are not satisfied by being a first-day purchaser of everything he releases.  He's at the stage now where he has "pockets" of albums, and they cycle. 

This is his "major release" list since 1984 (almost FORTY YEARS):

Born in the U.S.A. (1984) - EPIC, traditional "E Street Band" album
Tunnel of Love (1987) - Stripped back, no E Street Band, and, according to some critics, was him "turning inward" in response to his FAILED MARRIAGE to Julienne Phillips (quotes from wikipedia, caps mine)
Human Touch/Lucky Town (1992) - Much maligned, much more positive (happy) songs, these two albums are not high points in the fandom.
The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995) - Complete left turn, an acoustic folk album.
The Rising (2002) - A return to "Springsteen^TM", the EPIC statement album with the E Street Band (in response to 9/11)
Devils & Dust (2005) - Oops, not so fast!  Back to the solo-ish acoustic record!
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006) - Vanity project, celebrating both his roots and his now status as American spokesperson in the folk tradition.
Magic (2007) - Back to the EPIC!
Working on a Dream (2009) - Third of an unofficial trilogy of EPICS!
Wrecking Ball (2012) - Hodge-podge of sort of the epic, but not really, and the Seeger sessions; maybe call this his 'personal version of the vanity project'.  Not your traditional Springsteen record.
High Hopes (2014) - Not really a "new" album per se, with outtakes, re-recordings and cover songs.
Western Stars (2019) - Soundtrack to an imaginary western!!!
Letter to You (2020) - I don't know; the evolution of the "EPIC"?  The "EPIC at 70"?  The "COVID EPIC"?   
Only the Strong Survive (2022) - Covers and homage album


I think this record may be Taylor's Tunnel Of Love.  We won't know until it all pans out. I do think that reports of her demise are greatly exaggerated. 

[soupytwist]

I think it's her Load/Reload, 21 Century Breakdown,  Be Here Now,  Erotica,  Monster,  Hail to the Thief,  Tusk etc...   An album released at near peak populatity that will in time be regarded as a somewhat middling release - so yeah I agree with Stads on Tunnel of Love.

[Zook]

Now that I've heard this album a gazillion times, and the songs have their own identity, I can say it's better than Midnights, but that isn't saying much. Honestly I don't know if I've heard every song but it seems that way. Guilty as Sin is still the best one I've heard, and it's miles above Anti Hero. Why it wasn't the first single or a single at all is baffling. Down Bad is pretty bad though. Not Bad Blood bad, but just another Taylor trying to be edgy with the swearing songs. Does this album have a parental advisory sticker because I'm pretty sure there are more than 11 f-bombs which I believe is the minimum before they slap the sticker on.

[MirrorMask]

Any artist, in the end, reaches a plateau where new albums, no matter how good, don't make their mark like they used to.

I was never really a fan of U2, but if I take a look at their discography, in the earlier albums there's always a song or two that I recognize, if only by name. From Zooropa onwards, I look at the tracklists of their albums an there's nothing I recognize.

Heck, even Lady Gaga, the other pop artist that could have somehow drawn me to her music, the last I've heard of her was the Joanne album and that's just because it's not so dance-y, I know quite some songs from that album, but after? I know she made an album after that, but I never heard a song from it and I couldn't tell you in which year it came out. In comparison, it was impossible to escape Paparazzi or Bad Romance. What's the latest and most recent "it's impossible you never heard it" song from Lady Gaga?

Up until the Folklore / Evermore albums my general perception is that Taylor was churning out milestone after milestone, classic album after classic album. Now the gut feeling is that The Tortured Poets Department won't be able to give to the world that one song that "everybody" knows. I don't think there's even an Anti-hero on this album has it has been discussed above.

Overall I like the album, so I'm not criticizing the album itself, but I think Taylor might have reached that moment in her carreer where, no matter how big you are, the super mega classic albums with that famous song "everybody" knows are past behind her. Again, not a critic, it happens to everyone sooner or later, my understanding is that most of the folks here like the reunion era of Iron Maiden, but post Brave New World, what's the song that had the relative crossover success of The Wicker Man? forget Fear of the Dark or even the '80s classics, which song from Iron Maiden after The Wicker Man was bigger than that? I daresay no one, which, again, doesn't take away from the quality of the later albums, but nobody manages to churn out instant classics, setlist staples, everybody-knows-them songs for an infinite amount of time.

[HOF]

We’re listening to it now in the car on a road trip. First time hearing most of it. Haven’t really picked up on anything interesting yet. Feels a bit like she had a bunch of lyrics to put out but not a lot of musical inspiration. Could see it being a grower maybe, but it’s certainly not immediate. Midnights I thought was pretty immediately catchy with several songs I liked off the bat.

[MoraWintersoul]

I think it's her Load/Reload, 21 Century Breakdown,  Be Here Now,  Erotica,  Monster,  Hail to the Thief,  Tusk etc...   An album released at near peak populatity that will in time be regarded as a somewhat middling release - so yeah I agree with Stads on Tunnel of Love.

Yeah, I agree with you on this one. I think the diehards will forget about this album more or less as soon as a new album comes out that has some elements of TTPD that they like and connect to, plus music that really hits. I don't remember if anyone here is a pre-Folklore Swiftie or Swiftie-adjacent, but I remember that when Lover came out people were clinging really hard to whatever aspects of it they actually liked and discussing only those ad nauseam, and then only after Folklore and Evermore came out they were like THANK GOD THAT ERA IS OVER. There is a bit of a reluctance to admit you don't vibe with the newest album that much and/or insisting it's a misunderstood masterpiece in these more mainstream music fanbases, we've seen that over and over with all of the pop girls; off the top of my head Gaga, Ariana, Miley all had "partial miss" albums like that. When every new album is a cultural moment, it hurts to stand a bit outside it, especially if you really like the artist and want to be a part. Not that this necessarily applies to everyone who likes the album, but the wider mood of the fanbase and the way they discuss it seems to point in that direction.

[KevShmev]

A lot of good points being made.

MoraWintersoul, fair points, and this goes back to the standard that applies to every band/artist, in that every album you make gets compared to your earlier ones, rather than being judged in a vaccum on its own.  Fair or not, it's just the way it is.  And with so many heavyweights in her catalogue prior, it's a tough standard to meet every single time out.

HOF, to reiterate, this album is a major grower. Some stuff hit me right away, but quite a bit of it took multiple listens for me to really get it. This is her anti-1989 (1989 is loaded with instantly catchy songs, this one not so much).

Bill/Stadler, I have heard that many Bruce fans have much affection for Tunnel of Love, but I have never heard that album outside of the title track, which is one of the Bruce songs I do like a lot, as a casual fan at the very best.  What other songs are notable from that record? (knowing that always gives me a good starting point)

MirrorMask, while I think much of that is fair, despite its lofty status now, Folklore seems to be remember now as a whole; it doesn't really have that one song either that "everyone" knows.  I still hear Willow from Evermore on the modern radio station at work, but it's been a long time since I've heard anything from Folklore get played. 

[MirrorMask]

As another Bruce fan, I consider Tougher than the Rest (especially the live versions which are generally slower) and Brilliant Disguise the higlights of Tunnel of Love.

[KevShmev]

I guess it shows how often I don't peruse through the Bruce songs in my iTunes, as I do have Brilliant Disguise already.  I gave it a fresh listen and dug it.  I'll check out Tougher Than the Rest as well!