You should listen to “folklore”
On July 24, Taylor Swift released her new indie album “folklore,” (lowercase intended, like the rest of the album) and it is the best she has ever sounded. Instead of her repetitive pop music, her lyrics seemed honest and had meaning, and her vocals were not strained. It seems clear she should stick to indie style music.
The album was very much as she described, a whimsical fantasy. The songs all mostly contained piano, guitar, and various string instruments that sounded like a fairytale forest, adding to the appeal of the song’s more outgoing topics. The outgoing lyrics combined with the beautiful background music added a romantic feeling to the album, pulling us into her world.
The best song on the album by far was “my tears ricochet,” as it best showcased Swift’s talents. Not only were her vocals breathtaking, her lyrics were astounding. With lyrics like, “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace, and you’re the hero flying around saving face,” alongside my personal favorite, “And if I’m dead to you why are you at the wake?” really remind you that Swift is not just a singer. She’s a poet, and these are just in the chorus. It just seemed like a tale of a messy break-up that we can all relate to, set to angelic voices and a gentle piano.
Not only that, but there is speculation that this song could be about her difficult journey in trying to obtain her stolen masters from her previous recording company, or even her sexual assault case. This further provides meaning and a beautiful honesty to Swift’s work.
The only song that I didn’t fully enjoy was “mad woman.” Although the story and message was important, it sounded like a rich person problem. Yes, we shouldn’t harshly criticize Swift, a human being like us all, but come on, you have all the money in the world to make your problems go away.
“folklore” is a beautiful album to listen to, relaxing while enchanted by the musical poetry that our ears digest.
And come on, life is way too short to pretend to hate Taylor Swift.
