A Fortnight on... how are we feeling about this?
My first two full listens (all 31 tracks) were intense... certainly the first one I didn't feel I could enjoy it as much as it was new, the subject matter throughout is intense and it's hard to ignore that right? As much as you don't necessarily
care who the subject matters are it is really hard not to escape it or allow your mind to draw conclusions. Her prologue kind of set that up too - I was expecting a really sad album about the breakup of a 6-7 year relationship and instead we mainly got an album about a two week period of her life that most of her fans/some of the world was watching, thinking 'wtf Taylor'. I do think the subject matter perhaps contributes to the people who find it a bit monotonous and lacking diversity of subject, which is understandable.
I will say - I have just listened to the album in order. I haven't skipped anything yet, or done any repeats. I am just picking up from where I left off so I feel like after 2 weeks, I have got enough familiarity with it to know what I like/don't like. From the 3rd listen I have kept a note on my phone of every song title and my mark out of 10 and have changed it as/when I feel different. I haven't changed too much wildly and I haven't really changed anything for a good few days. I do have it on vinyl so when I put that on, I keep to the order and try and play it fully so I keep my sequencing.
Long story short? I absolutely LOVE the second half of the album - much prefer it to the first half. I think the second half of the album has some of the best stuff she has ever done and most of my favourite tracks are the Taylor/Aaron collaborations.
I think one of the biggest surprises for me is just how slow it all starts, which doesn't feel like a TS start. The tempo feels really slow and I am not sure if that's to get across her voice or lyrics but the music definitely feels secondary. The production I don't mind and I don't get the strong feelings people have on Jack Antonoff and her. But the slow start is different and I can understand why on only 1 or 2 listens, people think it sounds the same. I think once you get more familar with that, the production comes out a lot more and there's nothing really similar about them, except maybe the pacing/tempo?
I have always loved her honesty and ability to just tell you how she's feeling. That has always been there and I think there have been criticisms of that? People complaining about her singing about her feelings or 'giving too much away' - that's nothing new and won't ever change. And I would hate it if it did. Even the title track, #2 on the album, is just raw with insight. Definitely part of her appeal to many fans.
#5 are generally her most vulnerable/personal/saddest song on all of her albums so it's interesting the subject in this one appears to be different from most of the other songs. Says a lot. Hindsight is great, but Midnights did have a vibe of a break-up album. I think that makes more sense now looking back.
#6 'But Daddy I Love Him' is classic TS. One of those fountain pen songs with a CLASSIC TS bridge. I love this one. Funny too. Bit of a country throwback. Not afraid to throw shade at her fans. This was always one of my favourites from early listens.
#12 'loml' - Straight up ballad and one of all-time favourite TS songs already. Anything with her and a piano is going to be special for me and when you add in Aaron, I'm not sure how she can fail. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, outro - classic. People sniggered at the title when the track names were released but the lyrics are great and it's her ability to put you into the situation she is describing that helps make her great. I will never not adore this song.
#14 -'Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' - hahahaha! Mark it up there with Dear John and All Too Well but perhaps more scathing. Love this track too - she does this kind of song so well.
#17 - 'The Black Dog' - when it came to pre-ordering my vinyl (there were 4 available, all the standard 16 songs and 1 bonus song) I opted for this one based on the name and aesthetics of this version and I am so happy I did. Again, she just takes you and puts you in a place. And you can feel it.
#20 and #21 - 'Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcu' and 'How Did It End?' - two great sad songs back-to-back. I think these are easily some of her best and saddest works.
The end run of 'The Prophecy', 'Cassandra', 'Peter', 'The Bolter', 'Robin' and 'the Manuscript' is insane. 'Peter' might be my favourite off the entire thing. And was probably my first inkling that maybe folklore/evermore needs to be revisited in terms of subject matters because the instant parallel and callbacks with Cardigan is startling. And I am not sure I want to think about him as a central figure in those two masterpieces (urgh) - Cowboy Like Me worries me too in that sense.
The Manuscript felt like a proper album closer and maybe (maybe!) a sense of her closing several chapters of her life and moving forward and into a new relationship/era. It did feel like a seminal drawing of the line under a lot of things. Though the re-records left might make that difficult.
The second half of this album is probably another example of how many great songs she keeps off standard editions of albums. I'm not sure how some of those second-half songs don't make the standard.
If we are judging this on the first 16 songs of the album, I am not sure where it fits into my ranking of TS albums. Red, folklore, evermore will always be the holy trinity for me but god, that second half of the album... if we are judging it as one album (all 31 songs) then it's definitely 4th on my list.
I do enjoy the first half of the album and I can see why some of those songs are on there as they would appeal to the masses, but the strongest stuff is definitely second half. Maybe there's something she wants to achieve chronologically, or their importance for telling the story. It's definitely something that needs more than 1 or 2 listens. My opinion now is very different to how it was on that 1st listen.
I do think she could have played it so safe and capitalised on her level of fame and the success she has had recently, but I do admire how she has taken an uncomfortable subject/period of time and laid it all out - bare bones. In a style that is different for her. I get the feeling the next album won't be so unhappy!
Favourite songs:
But Daddy I love Him
loml
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
The Black Dog
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
How Did It End
Peter
The Bolter
Regular TS listeners/fans - where are you at?