Taylor swift

[GeezLouise]

I'm going to try save the bonus EP & the Target bonus track for a few weeks/months time I think. Although @WestCountryGirl is making me regret this decision based on the Would've love!

[Justcalledtosay]

5 hours ago, Justcalledtosay said:

6.5/10 on first run through.

Unfortunately its not Folklore. Maroon is a nice track

7.5 / 10 on second listen. Yeah good pop album.

[Rose-Colored Boy]

‘Good pop album’ is all she needs at this stage tbf. If she transitions into a legacy act then the setlists going forward will be banging, it’s a win-win. 

[Harmonic Prospector]

Just now, WestCountryGirl said:

Only just saw that Would've is a Swift&Dessner track. They can do no wrong.

Would've... is a clear favourite for me right now. Listened to the 3am Edition four times now, and like others have said, once you get your head around the chilled synth vibe of the album and the fact it's not full of party bangers or the Soft Rock/Stevie Nicks-inspired masterpiece a lot of people were hoping/expecting (myself included), its an incredibly strong set of songs that are unfurling and penetrating more and more with each listen. The few tracks that didn't really grab me the first time around have started to take hold and hook into my brain. It does help that I really liked it after the first listen as I was a little worried after the initial reviews started to drip through on here last night. 

I will always be a Folklore/Evermore fan more than any of the other 'eras' of her career, but the production throughout is outstanding and i'm glad we've got the EP/Vault tracks straight away as they are shaping up to be some of my favourites from the whole set. 

 

[Matt42]

51 minutes ago, jparx said:

Each to their own! Just a catchy, fun song for me. I don't get repulsed by individual song lyrics in that sense.

Karma is quite clearly her way of saying that the simple things in her life outweigh the drama / rivalries she’s been exposed to in the past. Best revenge is getting happy with Joey.

[NorthernSoul52]

6 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Boy said:

‘Good pop album’ is all she needs at this stage tbf. If she transitions into a legacy act then the setlists going forward will be banging, it’s a win-win. 

This. Make it so! (It won't happen.)

Standouts after two spins are Maroon, Anti-Hero, You're on Your Own, Kid and Mastermind. It is very Melodrama Pt. II when it comes to Jack Antonoff's work.

[Rose-Colored Boy]

 

1 minute ago, Matt42 said:

Karma is quite clearly her way of saying that the simple things in her life outweigh the drama / rivalries she’s been exposed to in the past. Best revenge is getting happy with Joey.

Speaking of Joey, I love that she’s still persisting with using his alias in the songwriting credits even after everyone busted that little ruse. 

[circus92]

2 minutes ago, Harmonic Prospector said:

Would've... is a clear favourite for me right now. Listened to the 3am Edition four times now, and like others have said, once you get your head around the chilled synth vibe of the album and the fact it's not full of party bangers or the Soft Rock/Stevie Nicks-inspired masterpiece a lot of people were hoping/expecting (myself included), its an incredibly strong set of songs that are unfurling and penetrating more and more with each listen. The few tracks that didn't really grab me the first time around have started to take hold and hook into my brain. It does help that I really liked it after the first listen as I was a little worried after the initial reviews started to drip through on here last night. 

I will always be a Folklore/Evermore fan more than any of the other 'eras' of her career, but the production throughout is outstanding and i'm glad we've got the EP/Vault tracks straight away as they are shaping up to be some of my favourites from the whole set. 

 

Very well put - completely agree.

I adore Folklore / Evermore, but for me nothing can beat 1989 / Rep so it has probably taken me a little bit longer than you to accept the more chilled vibe and lack of party bangers, but now I have it is a really strong album.  Started at a 6.5, but yeah it does hook into your brain with each listen and is now a very good 8/10 for me

[jparx]

I'm quite comfortable at this point in slapping on a strong 9/10 on this record. It's resonated with me big time, a number of the tunes have already been stuck in my head and I'm just discovering more on each listen. It was really quite jarring based on the initial rumours and it threw me a bit, but now we've settled in to this direction I think it's tremendous.

Lots of comparisons being drawn up to Lorde and Melodrama. For me it's not as good as that album, but if you slapped a Green Light on it then you're right in the ball park. I'm not in the camp of bemoaning bangers, Taylor already has more than enough in her catalogue and I'm happy to go along this journey of exploring new eras, but if you had a Cruel Summer/Green Light type belter on here it would just finish it off perfectly.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Swiftogeddon selectahs feeling the crunch when combing this one for big party tunes.

[Rose-Colored Boy]

Three albums in a row with no out and out party anthems. I think the combination of a settled personal life, and being on a label which is less reliant on ‘just her’ to survive, has probably ensured that those days are done. And that’s fine. As said above, there’s enough bangerz already in her arsenal that any more just means the old ones being pushed further out of setlist contention, which is not what anyone wants to see. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by Rose-Colored Boy

[Rose-Colored Boy]

Although that said, this album being played more or less in full in a stadium setting will be.. eh.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Rose-Colored Boy

[CaledonianGonzo]

That would be ill-advised.

Funnily enough, the adult sophisti-pop vibe has a little flavour of Roxy Music. Maybe we should have taken that hint from the album artwork.

[jparx]

3 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Boy said:

Three albums in a row with no out and out party anthems. I think the combination of a settled personal life, and being on a label which is less reliant on ‘just her’ to survive, has ensured that those days are done. And that’s fine. As said above, there’s enough bangerz already in her arsenal that any more just means the old ones being pushed further out of setlist contention, which is not what anyone wants to see. 

Agreed. If Midnights had a Green Light level banger, it would edge it closer to perfection for me. But equally it doesn't need that to still be a great album. And Folklore certainly didn't need a banger to be an absolute classic. 

2 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Boy said:

Although that said, this album being played more or less in full in a stadium setting will be.. eh 

I'd wait and see on that. She's not daft, she knows the audience and venues she'll be playing. Reputation was considered by some to be a nadir of sorts but the material was received really well live. Wouldn't surprise me if some of these tunes come across as much dancier/more energetic in a live setting. And you know the Swifties will be in to it regardless - it's festivals where it could be an issue (maybe that's why she might not be doing them..?)

[JoeyT]

22 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

Karma is quite clearly her way of saying that the simple things in her life outweigh the drama / rivalries she’s been exposed to in the past. Best revenge is getting happy with Joey.

Couldn't agree more.

[CaledonianGonzo]

24 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

Best revenge is getting happy with Joey.

[Rose-Colored Boy]

4 minutes ago, jparx said:

Agreed. If Midnights had a Green Light level banger, it would edge it closer to perfection for me. But equally it doesn't need that to still be a great album. And Folklore certainly didn't need a banger to be an absolute classic. 

I'd wait and see on that. She's not daft, she knows the audience and venues she'll be playing. Reputation was considered by some to be a nadir of sorts but the material was received really well live. Wouldn't surprise me if some of these tunes come across as much dancier/more energetic in a live setting. And you know the Swifties will be in to it regardless - it's festivals where it could be an issue (maybe that's why she might not be doing them..?)

Dunno. We live in hope obviously but it was very easy to see how the likes of Getaway Car and I Did Something Bad would work in stadium sized venues, and there’s almost nothing on here which really compares to those in spectacle and ‘Oomph’. If she made it a Lover/Folkmore/Midnights Mega Tour, with some anthems from the re-records sprinkled in, that’d work, but her usual setlist formula would bomb hard I fear. 

[jparx]

1 minute ago, Rose-Colored Boy said:

Dunno. We live in hope obviously but it was very easy to see how the likes of Getaway Car and I Did Something Bad would work in stadium sized venues, and there’s almost nothing on here which really compares to those in spectacle and ‘Oomph’. If she made it a Lover/Folkmore/Midnights Mega Tour, with some anthems from the re-records sprinkled in, that’d work, but her usual setlist formula would bomb hard I fear. 

Again it depends on the setting. Festivals - yes, 100% agree. Her own headline shows, which are likely going to sell out quickly after 5 years without touring, in front of a rabid Swifty audience? I'm not sure it's possible for her to bomb in that setting even if she played Endgame 20 times over on a penny whistle.

[Rose-Colored Boy]

1 minute ago, jparx said:

Again it depends on the setting. Festivals - yes, 100% agree. Her own headline shows, which are likely going to sell out quickly after 5 years without touring, in front of a rabid Swifty audience? I'm not sure it's possible for her to bomb in that setting even if she played Endgame 20 times over on a penny whistle.

😂😂😂

[circus92]

8 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Boy said:

Dunno. We live in hope obviously but it was very easy to see how the likes of Getaway Car and I Did Something Bad would work in stadium sized venues, and there’s almost nothing on here which really compares to those in spectacle and ‘Oomph’. If she made it a Lover/Folkmore/Midnights Mega Tour, with some anthems from the re-records sprinkled in, that’d work, but her usual setlist formula would bomb hard I fear. 

I would be quite happy for the usual formula for her Tour, and then Greatest Hits at Glasto.

[Hotchilidog]

2 minutes ago, circus92 said:

I would be quite happy for the usual formula for her Tour, and then Greatest Hits at Glasto.

I'd flipping love that!

[NorthernSoul52]

11 minutes ago, jparx said:

Endgame 20 times over on a penny whistle.

Sensational

17 minutes ago, Rose-Colored Boy said:

Dunno. We live in hope obviously but it was very easy to see how the likes of Getaway Car and I Did Something Bad would work in stadium sized venues, and there’s almost nothing on here which really compares to those in spectacle and ‘Oomph’. If she made it a Lover/Folkmore/Midnights Mega Tour, with some anthems from the re-records sprinkled in, that’d work, but her usual setlist formula would bomb hard I fear. 

With an album like 1989, the formula of the new record in full and a handful of old cuts worked - because it was maximum, singalong pop all the way to the bank.

There's a few tracks here where you can imagine them flying with a bombastic arrangement in stadiums - see Anti-Hero - but otherwise will concur, could do with a more judicious approach.

When I did my mock setlist a few pages back, tried to roughly balance those ideas for being hits-friendly. (See: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - and I was still missing big cuts like Blank Space off there.) If this cycle could represent the start of her playing old material as it sounds, with no tweaks, no mashups, I'd be elated.

But imagine she'll stick to the pop show formula. Prepare for most of this, a swathe of Lover, choice cuts from folklore and evermore, topped off with three or four old hits (one of which will definitely be All Too Well.)

[jparx]

I reckon she's doing a Midnights focussed tour next summer, then a greatest hits focussed tour either the year after or when the re-releases are finished, and that's when she honours the festival bookings.

[scatteredscreens]

4 minutes ago, jparx said:

I reckon she's doing a Midnights focussed tour next summer, then a greatest hits focussed tour either the year after or when the re-releases are finished, and that's when she honours the festival bookings.

if this is the case i really do feel for your Swift fans, potentially having her headline 4 years after she was supposed to is a real kicker.

[jparx]

Just now, scatteredscreens said:

if this is the case i really do feel for your Swift fans, potentially having her headline 4 years after she was supposed to is a real kicker.

Oh mate I'm desperately hoping she doesn't headline next year, I'm probably not going to be able to go!