Taylor Swift

[Stadler]

It's funny; then when The White Album came out, and they did sort of go back to the "beginning", it was all "these guys are a mess!  Where's Strawberry Fields?!?"   

I think the lesson is, people like what they like.

[Zantera]

Considering how heavily she relies on co-songwriters I think a lot of the criticisms towards her becoming boring or uninspiring might sound like huge hits on her, but realistically it might just be time to change things up with who she works with. I personally think Antonoff is boring beyond belief and I'd struggle to enjoy his work even if it was with a band or artist that I already love. The Dessner connection seemed to really work for her with Folklore and Evermore but funny enough for me as a fan of The National, I feel like they have been on their own decline for a few years now so it's not particularly exciting either.

I'm obviously coming from a different perspective since I'm not really a fan but I've felt some of her previous work that I have stumbled upon felt more colorful, vibrant and even if I didn't love it, I could see why someone would. This new album to me sounds like very inoffensive dull background music you would hear at a clothing store. Something that kinda fills the void by adding some music but nothing that makes you turn your head and pay more attention. But again, at this point I don't know how much of my criticism should be aimed towards her or if she takes the backseat and lets Antonoff drive the wheel. Maybe making an album with someone else would be at least remotely interesting. 

[Stadler]

I can't stand Jack Antonoff, so if she moved on from him, fine with me.

[nobloodyname]

Every Taylor Swift song....


https://www.facebook.com/reel/952759922923008

Oh, that's good

[nobloodyname]

Considering how heavily she relies on co-songwriters I think a lot of the criticisms towards her becoming boring or uninspiring might sound like huge hits on her, but realistically it might just be time to change things up with who she works with. I personally think Antonoff is boring beyond belief and I'd struggle to enjoy his work even if it was with a band or artist that I already love. The Dessner connection seemed to really work for her with Folklore and Evermore but funny enough for me as a fan of The National, I feel like they have been on their own decline for a few years now so it's not particularly exciting either.

A thousand million times 'yes' on this! Folklore was enough and now we have four or five (depending on your perspective) albums of it.

Again, I'm not saying the music is 'bad', I really don't think it is, but I can't even tell where one song ends and another begins at this point. Even The Astonishing sounds more varied.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

yeah, Jack Antonoff clearly has enough dud albums under his production belt (thinking the Lorde album, that really bad LDR album Blue Banisters, and the more recent TS albums since Folklore/Evermore) that it's clear that anytime he is on something that IS good (like Folklore, or NFR!, etc.) it's because of the other people involved and not him. Him and his Bruce Springsteen ripoff band Bleachers suck so bad lol, and his production chops are overblown

[KevShmev]

I can't stand Jack Antonoff, so if she moved on from him, fine with me.

Care to unpack that? I am genuinely curious.

Personally, any favorable opinions I have of him can be 99.999% attributed to his producing work with Taylor and Lana.  He was in that band Fun, who had that fun little song Some Nights, which I like.  I think I've heard a handful of Bleachers song now, one of which I thought was pretty good (the one where his wife dances the whole video); the others all seemed pretty bland. 

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

If you want a really great example of Jack Antonoff ruining an album, check out Lorde's most recent album, Solar Power. Her first two records are nearly perfect and then that one.....yikes

[Zook]

I guess if there's one positive thing I can say about this album it's that I haven't heard anything cringworthy yet. I'm not even sure I've heard the whole thing though. I've never been the biggest fan of acoustic songs (ironically the only Nirvana song I like is an acoustic cover song) but if written more upbeat, they can be really great. If Thank you aiMe had different drums I'd definitely like it more. As is it just sounds like the rest of them. Definitely better than Lana Del Rey, but still so boring. I suppose she'll never go back to the fun pure pop of 1989, but I wish she'd write catchy tunes again. Blue balls, and "what was that?" and "oh my god this is awful!" and "where's the hook?" and "why is this a song?" are all it is for me with Taylor Swift anymore.

Weather Systems and Distant Satellites are how you write this type of music. I don't mind slower music. Not everything has to be upbeat or fast or balls and chunk for me. I think Taylor Swift has lost the plot and really needs to take a break and regroup. Take a few years off, and really let the creative juices build up. She writes so many damn songs that they all sound the same, and of course my opinion is subjective and a minority one, but that's how I feel.

If we're all still here in 2 years, I'll let you all know how much my wife is torturing me with the newest Taylor Swift album.  Or maybe she'll actually do something different for a change. Both my wife in listening to something else and Taylor for writing music I actually enjoy.

[soupytwist]

yeah, Jack Antonoff clearly has enough dud albums under his production belt (thinking the Lorde album, that really bad LDR album Blue Banisters, and the more recent TS albums since Folklore/Evermore) that it's clear that anytime he is on something that IS good (like Folklore, or NFR!, etc.) it's because of the other people involved and not him. Him and his Bruce Springsteen ripoff band Bleachers suck so bad lol, and his production chops are overblown

Blue Banisters is her only album since Lust for Life that has nothing to do with Jack.  No production or songwriting credits at all, mainly because most of the songs on that album were written ages ago.

[nobloodyname]

Blue balls, and "what was that?" and "oh my god this is awful!" and "where's the hook?" and "why is this a song?" are all it is for me with Taylor Swift anymore.

I've spent quite a bit of time (well, at least 20 seconds) pondering this point myself. You could say it about any song, of course; it just seems particularly relevant here.

[KevShmev]

Like Stadler said, we all like what we like, but the whole "every song sounds the same" criticism is always such a lazy one to me, with regards to most artists, not just Swift.  I have seen it said about Dream Theater as well (OMG, almost every song has excessive noodling, it all sounds the same!!).  Unless your AC/DC and maybe Foo Fighers to a lesser extent, I cannot think of a popular artist where that criticism/observation, generally speaking, really applies.  I guess maybe if you have only listen to TTPD once or in passing, it would be easy to think that, as I myself felt like parts of the album were a blur to me at first, but I cannot imagine getting used to the album and thinking that songs like Down Bad, The Manuscript, I Can Do it with a Broken Heart, So High School and The Prophecy all sound the same.  To each their own, however. 

[MirrorMask]

Anyway, gotta love TayTay:

"And maybe you've reframed it
And in your mind, you never beat my spirit black and blue
I don't think you've changed much
And so I changed your name and any real defining clues"

.....in a song whose title was deliberately and specifically altered in its capitalization to spell out the name of the person the song is addressed to 

[KevShmev]

Allegedly.

The best is the next part:

"And one day, your kid comes home singing
A song that only us two is gonna know is about you..."

That is hilarious since North West (the daughter of KK and KW) is apparently a huge fan of Taylor's music and is always singing her songs around the house.