folklore - Taylor Swift: Review
is a Nashville based pop superstar who began early on in her career fusing country into contemporary pop music before slowly transitioning to a more synthetic pop sound over the next decade. Less than a year after her 7th studio album Lover she surprised announced and then dropped without any singles her 8th record, folklore.
Review By Lavender:
I was worried about this record. I have never been a big Taylor Swift fan but even after her first three records nauseated me I thought she was improving leading up to my favorite of her projects 2017's Reputation. The improvement slowed to a halt however on last year's Lover which wasn't a total disaster of a record but featured far more misses than hits. The 2nd thing that worried me was that Aaron Dessner, the man responsible for two of the 2010's most boring indie records (The National's Trouble Will Find Me and I Am Easy To Find) was responsible for much of the songwriting and production on the album. The 3rd and final thing that worried me was the fact that this record is 16 tracks and over an hour long. As it turns out folklore isn't perfect but it could have been much MUCH worse, and I think it's the best Taylor Swift record yet, even if its the best of a mediocre bunch.
So yeah there are some real highlights across the record and they get started from the very first pair of songs. the 1 is the opener which features a lax piano led instrumental and if you can overlook a cringey lyric or two the songs sentiment comes across pretty well. The sultry dance of lost love sets up so much of the record thematically, as does the squeaky clean instrumental. cardigan is one of my favorite songs on the entire record with a lyrical approach much bolder than Swift's normal pen game but a sweeter vocal performance that meshes really well with the muted keys and hazy atmosphere. Even though the song is a small risk in the grander scheme of things it's a risk that pays off. Exile is the records longest song but despite an often insultingly simple instrumental the Bon Iver and Taylor duet works way better than I thought it would. The changing vocal performances particularly Justin's keep the song fresh and enjoyable throughout.
my tears ricochet is Jack Antonoff's first production credit on the record but you can't really tell because it blends in pretty well with the rest of the tracks here. The song manages to maintain its fragile beauty even through two really distinct rises in energy which results in a good song. august is one of the records best attempts at a slightly more uptempo track and it features touchy strings that are a much better compliment for the style than some of the other instrumentals here. this is me trying is a good song if you can ignore the lyric "I was so ahead of the curve it became a sphere". The dreamy instrumental is enjoyable and the song has a great final hook and bridge. mad woman has more edge in its first verse than Taylor's entire discography up to this point had combined. I really like the story of the mad woman and I think this is the closest the record gets to mirroring The National's best songs.
The trio of songs that close off the record are also pretty great. betty has been the most talked about song since the record came out and it isn't just because of what Taylor may be implying lyrically. The song features great storytelling and a very mature approach to folk music that feels like the kind of song Taylor has been working towards being able to write for her entire career. peace certainly doesn't blend in with much else on the record but once again it works well. The extra instrumental flourishes do a lot for the song but the real highlight is the improved sense of songwriting and dynamic performance Taylor brings to it. hoax may have been a little forgettable in the middle of the tracklist but it's a good closer. It's a slow burner ballad with moments so sweet I can't help but get lost in them as the record morphs slowly out of its final phrase.
There are a couple of okay songs here and there that have decent elements but are let down by production or vocals like mirrorball and illicit affairs. This is the point where many major publications dishing out positive scores will end their reviews off but here at Music Corner we are committed to bringing you the entire album experience even the lows, and this record definitely has some.
the last great american dynasty is a painfully halfh-hearted attempt at pumping a song full of generic folk and Americans tropes while still wanting to make it a radio grade pop ballad. When you pair a weak attempt at a Lana Del Rey hook with a Postal Service B-Side beat this is what you get. seven is another miss but its much more Aaron's fault then Taylors. The songwriting here is decent and has a strong pop music sentiment but it sounds incredibly awkward alongside Dessner's smokey almost completely barren piano work making for a song that never really has a chance. invisible string is the quickest skip on the entire record for me as it dials it back to the most nauseating era of Taylor Swift's career with all the horrible implications that come with that. epiphany is nearly five minutes long and I can't come up with one good reason why. The slow dry keys don't stay fresh and the dreamy production was never compelling in the first place. The songwriting doesn't make up for it, in fact it makes it worse a few times with its most spacious and patience testing moments.
folklore isn't the first time a pop star has ever tried to dip their toes in the world of alternative music, but it definitely isn't the worst. With some of her best songwriting and least offensive instrumentals to date Taylor pens a number of her best tunes. While the record is still not nearly adventurous and way too long to be truly great I am once again in anticipation of what Taylor could potentially do to grow from here. 6.5/10
Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson: Coming from her previous record, Lover, whose cover was taken by the talented Valheria Rocha, this is a huge change in style. It is something different for the usually lighthearted visuals that has accompanied Swift's records (apart from Reputation). I love the composition of the cover, and I can only hope that the image is actually taken on film and not a digital manipulation. This feels more grown up and thoughtful than any other visual she has put out. There is also a Snapchat filter accompanying the album and that is a horrible sepia travesty but the cover itself is good. 6.5/10
For more pop check out my review of The Chick's Gaslighter here
