Taylor Swift - Midnights

"Midnights" is the 10th album by US country/pop sensation Taylor Swift.   I have been a fan of Taylor since she released 2nd album "Fearless" way back in 2008.  Her career trajectory since has been nothing short of phenomenal.  Winning loads of awards and selling millions and millions of records.  Even if she did have, in my opinion, the occasional blip in her discography.  Those being "Reputation" and "Lover".  But the rest of the albums feel flawless.

"Midnights" was an unexpected album as many thought Taylor would continue with her reissues but in October 2022 this album dropped without even a single to promote it.  When the album was announced she didn't even announce the track names and it actually led me to think each track was called "Track 1, track 2...track 3" etc.  As that is what it said on the CD sleave artwork.  But if you have Tik tok you will know she gradually unveiled the track listing in the run up to the album being released.  

I decided to by the deluxe edition of the album on CD.   I found it strange that it was kind of hidden away on her website while all the different colour vinyls were pushed more.  The deluxe edition contained two remixes and an extra track but you didn't know this till you got the CD.  But that is not the most annoying part.  Three days after release she released a 3am edition of the album with 7 extra tracks on streaming services.  Which is great now you know this but at the time for me it was infuriating.

I do, however, have to give credit to Swift for Midnights.  She has once again plunged herself into a new space in her music. Giving us a full blown synth pop album which has a completely different vibe to what has come before.  The way she does this is like nothing no one else does in her field.   And everything she does, whether I like it or not, seems to turn to gold too.  Some of these songs already have over 300 million plays on Spotify and it's only been out a few months.  

It does have a very chill out feel about the album, apart from maybe "Vigilante S*&t" which shows off Taylor's angsty side which reminds me of "Bad Blood" off "1989".  "Karma" and "Anti-Hero" are probably my favourite songs off the album. "Karma" is the most upbeat song off the album and "Anti-Hero" the biggest hit.  The thing I find with this album is that if you strip out the vocals, I think would be a pretty bland album as for a lot of it, it is just the same beat running through it.  Taylor's vocals very much carry the album, and her lyrics also get a lot of attention.  For that reason, I don't think this is an album I will be going back to that much as I prefer more imagination in the instrumentation part as well as good vocals.

Overall, though this is a decent album and I have to give kudos to Taylor for going in yet another direction with her music.  This album does have some great songs on it. Sometimes it does feel like it is too samey, and some songs blend into each other. But since it’s so different to what she has done before we can let her off with that.  I do notice though that the tour she announced is an "Eras" tour which is basically a best of tour rather than a "Midnights" tour.  Now there is the argument that she hasn't really toured the last 4 albums (including "Midnights").  However maybe it's also because a lot of "Midnights" and "Folklore" and "Evermore" weren't really built for stadiums.  And maybe there is not enough big hits on these albums to justify it.

 

Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor's Version)

 "Red" is the 4th album by country pop sensation Taylor Swift.  Originally released in 2012, fast forward 9 years to 2021 and she is re-releasing it as "Taylor's version".  This is the second album to get this treatment with her second album "Fearless" being the first back in April 2021.  Interestingly she didn't release any singles off "Red" in the run up to the release. Like she did for "Fearless" when she released "Mr Perfectly Fine".   But what she did release in the run up was "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" which is on "1989" which I saw as I very strange decision.  I think it was down to fan demand, but you would have thought she would release something off the album which was due out first.  

I'm not going to lie, athough I am a big Taylor Swift fan and have been for a long time.  When Taylor's version of "Fearless" came out it was exciting to get all these tracks that I hadn't heard from before.  And don't get me wrong when this release came out, I was again looking forward to all the new tracks again.  But at the same time, I am getting a wee bit more sceptical of the whole thing.  I get that she fell out with her old label and is doing this, so she has all the master recordings of the tracks.  But what this could mean in the future doesn't seem good for the music industry in general.  What if all the big acts start re-releasing their albums every 6 months.  It would make it harder and harder for new acts to breakthrough as big acts stay at the top by giving people slightly different versions of what they are familiar with.  And we all know these fans can be very loyal to big artists.

It's not just that though, Taylor is getting appearances on TV shows and all over the music press for this album.  Again, she is getting all this attention for an album that has gotten all this attention already 9 years ago.  All this press she is getting could have been for artists who are bringing out new music now.  And the thing is Taylor still has 7 albums which could give this treatment to.  There is something about it which doesn't seem fair.   But I guess from a TV/music press point of view they see dollar signs with whatever Taylor does and it is in the public interest.  

In a way it may be slightly unfair to single Taylor out.  It's not her fault she is that big an artist.  And I know there are plenty of artists who re-release albums and celebrate anniversaries for albums.  For me it just seems unfair to take attention away from artists who are bringing out albums now.  
But what about this album.  For me the re-recordings need a bit of over analysis to compare them and it's not the way I like to listen to music.  I don't listen to one version of a song then listen to the other and detail the differences. I just don't see the point.  The point for me is that the core of these songs feels the same.  And whatever the intricate differences are "Red" is still a great album and was always a great album.

The extra tracks "From the vault", like the "Fearless" additions" are tracks I am glad she released, there are more country style tracks than I would expect as, after all, "Red" really was Taylor's pop album.  But there are still a few upbeat pop numbers which would have fit quite nicely on to album if it wasn't slammed with hits already.  "Message in a bottle" is my favourite track at the moment.

But in terms of what track has taken all the headlines from this re-release is "All Too Well" 10 minute version.  When I found out there would be a 10 minute version of this song on the album I have to admit I was hoping for a winding guitar solo or a nice piano section.  Afterall bands which do songs of this length that is what you usually get.  But Taylor is not your usual artist.  Taylor has transformed this song and added more versus and extended the outro.  But there are no long instrumental sections, far from it, this is Taylor going into more detail with a story.  With what we found out on "folklore" and "evermore", it's what she does best.

I think what makes the 10 minute version so good as that new versus fit into the song so well and so easily. It's no surprised that this is Taylor's top song on Spotify and has had over 75 million streams, compared to the second highest streaming off this version of red which is "Red" itself with 25 million streams.  I do hope that this has knocked down barriers with pop artists who will be encouraged to write longer songs now with seeing the success of this track.  Coldplay also did one of similar length with their latest album and it was also epic.  

Overall, "Red" to me, will always be a classic album. What she has done to it here has not changed my mind.  I refuse to analyse the differences and take it on the surface. It is essentially the same album with tweaks that don't alter it enough to force my opinion to change.  The extra tracks are most welcome and the 10 minute version of "All too Well" is the cherry on top.  In hindsight I wonder if she wishes she was brave enough to put the 10 minute version on the actual album in the first place.  Instead, now it’s basically listened to as a standalone track.  But I suppose it’s better that than not to see the light of day at all.

Taylor Swift - Fearless (Taylor's version)

 

Fearless was the second album by country/pop singer songwriter Taylor Swift.  The album sold 12 million copies worldwide after being released way back in late 2008. Fast forward 13 years and now Taylor has re-released it in order to own the master recordings of her own catalogue. So that means she has re-recorded the whole album.  But along with the original 13 songs that made up the album we are getting 7 tracks which were included in the platinum edition of the album and a further 6 tracks which were previously unreleased from that era.

I remember back to 2008 and hearing "Love Story" and being instantly captivated by Taylor. When the album was released, I listened to it most days for the best part a year and had it on in some form wherever I went be it the CD in the car or on my MP3 player while commuting to work.  Basically, I loved the album. To me it was an all-time classic.  One thing I didn't have was the platinum edition of the album so when the re-released album came out a few days ago it wasn't just the 6 unreleased songs that were new to me, it was the extra 13 songs.

In terms of the re-recorded version of the actual album minus the extra tracks the recording does have a certain freshness about it. But at the same time the core of the songs is the same.  Different production is probably the reason for this, and I have heard from various people that Taylor's voice has changed over the years giving the album that updated sound.  I think though I have listened to this album so much over the years that I won't be listening to the original album as much as I used to. Especially considering I listen to so much music by other artists as well now which is something I didn't do as much when this album came out.

But I tell you what I am glad she re-released this with all the extra tracks as these are tracks which shouldn't be locked away, never to be heard.  Particular favourites include "Today was a fairy tale", "Mr Perfectly fine" and "Superstar".  But all the extra tracks deserve their place.   "My Perfectly fine" on paper sounds like a track where Taylor has found a man, she thinks is perfect.  But no this is your standard Taylor rant track about a guy who breaks her heart and who thinks he is totally above her.  It just wouldn't be a Taylor album without a track like this. 

Overall, Taylor had every right to re-release this. It remains a classic album and the extra tracks are the icing on the cake.  It must have been a hard decision to leave some of these off the actual album as some stand shoulder to shoulder with those that made it on to the album.  This is just the first of the re-recordings as well as Taylor is planning to do this with another 5 of her albums.  Hopefully, that will unearth some gems just like this one did.

Taylor Swift - evermore

Well who would have thought that this year we would get 1 new Taylor Swift album never mind 2 Taylor Swift albums.  It just shows someone who is completely in love with her craft.  "evermore" is Taylor Swift's 9th studio album. Considering she is only 31 that is a pretty impressive amount especially considering how successful they have been.  But not only that the difference and uniqueness in the albums can be seen as she keeps reinventing herself and pushing herself to make new and refreshing music.  That is until now. As "evermore" is more of a continuation from "folklore" as the sounds and general feel of the albums are generally speaking the same.  She said herself that she was just in a happy place and it just felt right to keep on recording songs after "folklore" and those songs became "evermore".

It's interesting looking back on "folklore" now.  I was so glad and surprised when it came out.  To me "Reputation" and "Lover" which were the albums that came before "folklore" were quite disappointing. The shift "folklore" took was wonderful and it was a really strong album just to kick back to.  However for me, while it is a good album, apart from "betty" its not an album I found I really go back to.  And believe me when I say during albums 2 to 5 I went through long phases of Taylor Swift. But with "folklore" I found that I had other albums out at the time I would rather listen to.  I think the reason for this is the type of album it was and the same goes for "evermore".  The main focus of the albums are storytelling so I think to truly appreciate and really get into these albums you need to appreciate lyrics and the stories these stories that Taylor is telling.

Now I would say on the whole I am just not a lyrics person.  I am much more focused on the instruments and how the vocals sound rather than what is actually being said.  Now that's not to say  the music isn't good on "evermore" because there are good tracks on this.  But in terms of listening to it a lot I think you need to be into the lyrics more.  I think its more down to the type of music.  These soft folky type songs are good but there are no anthems on these types of record.  They are not the type of songs you would sing along to at a concert. They are more the type you would go to an intimate, seated venue and would be sat in silence while being wowed by Taylor's talent.

Looking closer at the tracks in "evermore". Opener "willow" has some amazing vocals by Taylor especially the chorus which is particularly soothing.  Second track "champagne problems" is piano driven and another tender track.   "no body, no crime" is one of my favourite tracks of the album as she collaborates with old friends HAIM. Interestingly it appears it is just Taylor on vocals as it feels HAIM contribute more with their instruments rather than their vocals to this song.  I like the beat to it and one of the more interesting songs on the album.  Another cracker is "long story short" which to me is the "betty" of the album". Nice upbeat song.  There are a few songs which do feel a bit flat and pedestrian like "happiness".  It feels those tracks are like what I said earlier and focus on the storytelling rather than how they are sung and the tune behind it. Making them not really standout as much.  There is just not much vocal variation on songs like this.

Overall though this is another strong album by Taylor.  There are some forgettable moments but there are many moments of magic too which see Taylor at her best.  In terms of listening to this long term I don't think this will be an album I will go back to but that is down to the type of music it is rather than the actual quality of the output.  One thing is for sure is that Taylor has spoiled us this year and given us something refreshing and different in this difficult year, twice over.  Personally I would hope in the future she would go down more of the "betty" and "long story short" direction.  Just so we get that more upbeat direction which personally I prefer to listen to from her.

Taylor Swift - Folklore

Out of nowhere Taylor Swift returns with her 8th album "folklore". It was the 23rd July 2020 when she announced this album was coming out the very next day.  It was quite a refreshing in a way rather than drip feeding tracks for months prior to an album coming out.  To be honest her last few albums haven't been her best in my opinion especially when you compare them to her first 5. But one thing I have always respected and liked about Taylor, is that at least she tries different things even though sometimes she doesn't pull it off. Even on those albums though there were some gems; for example "Delicate" off "Reputation" and the self titled track off "Lover".

But what about "folklore".  Just from the title of the album it gives you the impression that this will be a story telling album and musically stripped back.  And that is exactly what we have here.  No stadium sized pop songs that would get the crowd dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs.  It's just not that kind of album at all.  All credit to Taylor, she could have went down that route so easily. She probably has albums upon albums of that kind of song lined up and ready to go.  But she has chosen to go down her own path and create something which may be seen as slightly riskier.

The album very much reminded me of when Coldplay released "Ghost Stories" but with one difference.  That album was also mainly a stripped back album and something Coldplay hadn't done before.   But the difference is they put in a track "Sky full of stars" on it which is your big sing along anthem.  Its almost as if they were scared of releasing an album without a big hit attached. The irony is "Magic" was stripped back and did go on to be a hit anyway.  But all 16 songs on "folklore" although of course go through there ups and downs, none of them stand out as your big sing at the top of your lungs hit.  These 16 songs work in unison to create something even more special. An album which flows and the songs fit together like a jigsaw.

In terms of how this album will be played live it will be interesting.  There is so much demand for Taylor to play all over the world. Yet these songs are really built for intimate, seated venues.  Maybe lockdown happened at the right time and we'll get a live stream of a gig but its not quite the same as being there.

In terms of my favourite songs off the album so far I would say "the 1", "the last great american dynasty" and "betty".  I think "betty" in particular is a high point of the album.   But as I say it all flows so well and fits together so well.  Although I feel the last 2 Taylor albums were weaker, I do think this is a return to form and something very refreshing and imaginative on her part.  This has to be a contender for my top 10 albums of the year.

Taylor Swift - Reputation

For the last decade, Taylor Swift has managed to constantly stay in the limelight.  Her first self titled album put her on the map. Then her second album "Fearless" propelled her into stardom. Then "Speak now", "Red" and then "1989" just saw her getting bigger and bigger as she became a house hold name and ultimately one of the biggest stars on the planet.  Even when she was supposedly taking a break she delivered a hit single with One Direction's Zayn. However good her 6th album would be, as long as she didn't bring out a CD of just silence or even a hoover on for 60 minutes. It was going to sell and it was almost guaranteed to sell big. But is it actually any good?

As the singles started to trickle out in the build up to the release I wasn't so sure. "Look what you made me do" is possibly the most irritating song of the year especially the chorus. But when I first heard "Never getting back together" off "Red" I thought the same about that song. But "Red" itself I thought was excellent, even though I still hate that song. So I thought it could just be another situation where I hate the lead single but like the rest. So with an open mind I listened to the next single "Ready for it". This is a slightly better song with the positive being that this time she nails the chorus singing, "In the middle of the night, in my dreams....".  But the rest of the song she is basically rapping which I don't like at all.

So when the album came out I wasn't exactly as excited about it compared to I how I have been for her other albums. And to be honest after 4-5 listens I am still not excited about it. I have tried to get into it but it just is not happening. Normally when a Swift album comes out, and I am not exaggerating, I could listen to it for 100 plus times and that's going by play count on my mp3 software. She is easily one of my most played artists of the last 10 years. 

The singles may suggest that the album is full of her attempting to rap kind of R & B feel. Which it is to an extent with the likes of "End Game" (Featureing Ed Sheeran and Future) and "I did something bad".  But there are many lighter moments on the album such as "Delicate" and "Gorgeous" but for me they are just not very good songs. Even the songs which you could say are more from what she used to do such as "Getaway car" are just not up to the same standard as past records. One positive from the album is album closer "New year's day" which has a country feel to it and would fit perfectly onto one of her earlier albums.

Overall as you can guess, I would rank this as Taylor's worse release to date. You could argue that one of the reasons is that I'm not really into R & B/hiphop genre generally so maybe it's obvious I wouldn't like it. But there are songs which do fit the mould of what she used to do which I didn't particularly like either. As I say I have been a big Swift fan in the past but this album is disappointing. I do give her kudos though for trying something new even though for me it didn't really work.  But she has that big a fanbase now she is in the position where she can just do what she wants. Which is exactly what she is doing.