Folklore Album Review
Taylor Swift has just dropped her surprise eighth studio album, Folklore. It was recorded entirely during quarantine. The reviews are pouring in, so it’s time for us to give our take.
C: Let’s begin. I think this could definitely be a change of pace for Taylor. She fully abandons her previous pop presence in favor of slower, stripped down indie cuts. One could certainly say there’s not one pop song on here (not to mention it’s her first ever truly explicit album).
L: The thing that struck me about this album is continuity. It’s tough to successfully strike an all- new tone for an entire album, but she did it flawlessly. You told me your favorite song on the album was august and I am with you on that. It’s feathery, as if she’s using a vocal paintbrush.
C: Yes! August, for me, is a highlight because it oozes summer and dappled sunlight. Everything about it is like a daydream.
L: I think the album opens very well. The 1 and cardigan are great snapshots for the whole of the album. It sets the mood and ambience perfectly.
C: Absolutely. To me, the 1 is like the ending of some other faraway storyline, and cardigan is the beginning of a new one.
C: Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the love triangle. It consists of cardigan, august and betty, from the perspectives of Betty, the unnamed summer lover, and James respectively. It’s a show of her lyricism that she can intertwine these three song as well as she does.
L: Specifically, betty is a lovely little song to drop in. It’s a sweet, self-contained story and I think it adds a little weight to the second half.
L: I feel like it gets pretty mellow beginning with exile, for my taste maybe a little too mellow, but it’s still fantastic.
C: In some ways, I can see that, But for me, it’s more in the two halves. The first half has more energy to me, and has plenty of standout tracks. The second half does blur a little bit in some parts with all of the melancholic production, but each track gets significantly more distinct with each listen.
L: The album, as a whole, is a little bit sad, which lends it some authenticity, given that we’re in the middle of a pandemic. No one is jumping for joy right now.
C: For sure. You can tell each song comes from a very personal place (excluding the obvious). The last great american dynasty tells the previous owner of her house’s life story, my tears ricochet details her struggles with Big Machine Records, and seven talks about a childhood friend with a rough upbringing.
L: I’m really glad you made me listen to Taylor Swift. This album was a great surprise.
C: Thank you! I’m so happy you like it as much I do. This is a great piece of work with some of her best lyrics, production and artistry ever. In my humble opinion, there really isn’t one bad song on here.
Ratings Scale: This is Taylor Swift’s best album ever.
C + L
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