I hope “So High School” will eventually make it onto the list of songs you enjoy. I could go for a whole album in the vein of it and “Hits Different”.
You're welcome! I played the entire 31-track album at my workplace earlier this week and people were finding that the entire day dragged, but yesterday I trimmed it back to the 13-track selection and the feedback was much better and everyone was in a good mood and the day went really well. This is the kind-of situation bear in mind that the best music that goes down well and has everyone singing, is the Bee Gees, ABBA, Boney M and Bob Marley. So for the new Taylor Swift songs to be right up there with people's favourite classic hits is heartening.
Lyrics to "So High School" are among the worst I've ever heard from a mega-artists. Just absolutely dire. Makes Toto's "Africa" seem like Leonard Cohen by comparison (and at least I like the music to "Africa").
You are assailing her character and claiming she is demeaning X users who may not like her lp and basing your conclusion on the fact her pr only posts positive reviews? 1 It is likely her 'people' doing it 2 Who would do PR with negative reviews? 3 the reception must be alright she sold 1.4 million lp's in 1 day 4 she likely does not care, this ain't her first rodeo
I actually think she cares. Remember the backlash about „ME!“ and which album she released after Lover
Oh yeah it is super strange that Taylor isn't publicly re-posting and sharing negative reviews of her album on her own page. What a weirdo
It is standard practice of any social media page for whoever is running it for an artist, to post positive reviews of the albums as part of the page's story/main feed so marketing-wise you will always have new activity on the page to read, and thus more hype via clicks/views/retweets/etc. during the prime time of an album's fresh release I think you are reading a bit too much into it, mistaking standard social media practices for Taylor herself going on her socials and sharing positive reviews because she is so shaken by the negative reviews
If she did repost negative reviews—which, again, is a thing nobody ever does—people would complain that she’s doing it to activate her fans to target the reviewer for retribution. That’s NOT better.
I am a noted non-fan of Swift (don't overthink this, it's a very mild position I hold) and will hold extremely firm in my knowledge. This is a ludicrous assumption with zero basis in fact. There is no way on Allah's green earth she is on social media herself. You are watching a bot or an intern. It's also bad form to use this as some kind of insight into her, as a person. She as a human being is off limits, no matter how much you feel she may inject herself into your world. Her art is the only thing measurable here. Keep it civil and keep it sane. This is also something exceptionally routine. Have you never seen a movie poster a snapshot of a positive review? Often the full review was a lot more middling. And in music, that's being going on forever. It's just a form of advertising. To me it's sort of a pointless endeavor cause I presume you wouldn't be on the fence if you're actively hanging on the business account's every word. Not going to dignify this with shooting it down. I find it dispiriting you have to invent malicious stories about this artist in order to criticise them. Not when the music is right there.
Back to the album for second, I have been listening on headphones (with ifi hi res dac) and on my main hifi with floor standers lately. I have been listening LOUD and it really comes to life. Of course, this is true for all music, but this album can definitely sound a bit 'meh' at low volumes. I am really enjoying it now. There's sooo much going on and I'm picking up more detail all the time. And Taylor's voice is gorgeous. I have split the 16 and 15 and am digesting them that way.
I haven't listened to the radio or a podcast for a week. And I'm watching the snooker on mute whilst listening to TTPD!
While it’s not visually the cover design I’d overall go for, I think when I pick up a copy the regular ‘The Manuscript’ LP seems the only one for me. That track as an epilogue is just too perfect to pass up.
I don't care about her, you seem to obsess over her. Creepy I own none of her music, if spinning the radio dial would likely skip over her, if I even knew it was her. But when I read the nonsense you spew I had to consider the source. Then I saw a person that loves photos of themselves while passing value judgements on others. She has accomplished a lot, and I can understand the jealousy and envy of other 'artists' but putting it in writing seems petty. She has done it by doing what she loves, making others happy, and harming no one. That seems to bother you. Go soothe your soul with a selfie. Even the 'stalking' nonsense is a reflection of you: you put a link and your name in your profile, then when someone looks at it you whine. Lol
That's a great point. I watched some playoff hockey the other night when the game on mute, TTPD playing, and with a little "help." I highly recommend listening to the latter 15 songs with similar type help (that is now legal in my state).
Remember a few years ago when she gave Right Said Fred a credit for using something from I’m Too Sexy? That came right out of the blue and must surely have been like a lottery win for them.
I don't agree that she should be denied the songwriter tab because she shares writing credits. Lennon-McCartney springs to mind.. So what U2, Radiohead... Plenty of bands and other artists don't have one sole writer and a group credit. That's worse by your logic? I usually would be on board with needing a team of writers = often a shorthand clue to the poorness of the music and or the inauthenticity I don't find it true for this artist. Indeed given the sameyness of the output I think it more likely the inverse: she's got a distinct clear voice and is now successful enough to get her way every time .... Does she have yes men? Or a figure to be a counterpoint? To a merit, artistically. I do not have more than a passing idea of her "circle" and don't wish to speculate. What is your actual criticism here? I find the music mawkish and samey, particularly in terms of production, and ascribe it to a canny business-friendly brand of rewarding fans for investing in the music. It's the brand. I cannot see that this music exists in a form the creator has not intended. It ain't for me, a 41 year old independent producer. And no, I'm not claiming it's Bad. It doesn't land for me. Ever. So you have stopped short to me, sir. If you have an argument that her writing team is in place for, why not post it? I do think she qualifies as a songwriter. Nothing special here, just a very boring grasp of copyright law. There are far worse culprits out there though again it needs to be qualified what the complaint actually is. Maybe you're a Taylor purist. Maybe you hate Antonoff. One can only speculate To wit: I understand she also sings! I do admire her spare use of autotune.
I’ve listened to the first few tracks of the album a few times now and really like them. But like I said a few days ago the album is too long for me, I was brought up on 40 minute albums and can’t change. So I know the first few track quite well and then I play something else. I have tried using shuffle play many time, but I like to hear an album and know what tracks come where. I will just have to start listening to the second half of the album only, and think of it like a double vinyl album. What I have realised reading this thread is what I always suspected, many people once they get a bit older discover new music and artists through their kids. A few people have mentioned that on here. The other thing is that people seem to listen to music when driving, either albums or just the radio, which seems a good way to do it. I don’t have kids and I don’t drive, so I mostly get into new music by reading about it or by recommendations on this site. I play music mostly to relax some evenings, but never in the daytimes. I can imagine this album would be a good listen on a long car journey with no distractions, well apart from trying not to crash the car.
Well, I think I might give this album a listen today... I've had to give myself time to get past my grumpiness over the physical release options. It really feels like she has taken the Garth Brooks route of releasing "product" over "art" and inflating sales numbers with various editions...and it seems to get worse with each album... It used to just be cover art or photo inserts, but lately it's been the music too. With Midnights I was waiting for the "Stayed up 'til Dawn trying to figure out how many times I'll have to buy this album to hear all the songs edition" Now four unique bonus tracks spread across four different releases, then after all the preorders, etc. a digital only release that includes those tracks and even more. Don't get me wrong, it is still art, the music is great. I still remember hearing "Tim McGraw" for the first time and thinking, "She is going to be something big." I obviously didn't anticipate this big, but I knew she was going to be more than a 1-2 album wonder... I've bought every album, usually on release day, though not recently as I wait for more options now before making my decisions due to these sales tactics. I fell in love again with Folklore which caused me to revisit some albums to which I hadn't listened in awhile and some in between that I didn't really fully explore in the first place. Alright, now that I've vented a bit, maybe I can listen with a bit more open mind and less negative emotions surrounding the tactics.
I had a similar experience. When listening in the contexts you described, the initial impression of "samey" completely disappeared.
Ok I literally don’t know much about Taylor. I hear her songs at the gym occasionally & sometimes on the radio at work but that’s it. I decided to listen to samples of her current album out of curiosity. Does she not do any kind of uptempo “Bob your head music”? I’ve got no opinion on the lyrics but is there anything that’s kind of fun with a great beat & some funky base? I’m a person that sometimes waits for the non singing parts where it’s all instrumental. Not knocking her music at all but what I’ve heard isn’t my taste. Just wondered if I’m missing something.
