New Music: folklore by Taylor Swift

By Dylan Shulman

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Taylor Swift is no stranger to change. She's morphed her sound from country into pop, almost hiphop, and now into indie folk. "I'm still trying everything to keep you looking at me," she sings on the sixth track of the album, which is a great line to describe her musical career. However, she's never failed. She's tried her hand in these different genres and has come out successful each time. She even says her first ever lyrical f-bomb on this project, and five songs are explicit which is a big change considering her discography. Still, this album maintains the pattern of triumph and I have no doubt of its commercial success. Her vocals fit naturally over the largely acoustic instrumentals, and she's back with her iconic romance lyrics. Hits include "mirrorball," "august," and "invisible strings," the latter of which grants a desperately needed exciting instrumental. Her songwriting is really special, with lyrics on the same tried-and-true failed romances, historical figures, and Japanese myths. In spite of the hits there are some pretty lackluster tracks on the project and I do think the instrumentals are lacking overall. Her vocals are doing all the work and I really wasn't wowed by the production on any of the record.

Many of the songs suffer from lack of uniqueness and fluidity. Not only do many sound the same, but internally there is little differentiation between verses and choruses, even in the chords. She relies mostly on orchestral support in order to dynamically build the choruses, but that's not enough. Many of the tracks don't employ percussion, which is doable in folk rock, but there are little changes in tempo and range throughout the album as well. I would have a hard time telling the difference between one song and another if it weren't for her vocals. "betty" and "peace" begin to reach further as far as instrumentation and I think they really pay off. Even her vocal performances are just okay, nothing really stunning or new. The album is carried by her songwriting. She employs great poeticism, using allusions and metaphors to tell stories very effectively. "the last great american dynasty" is a peek at the life of Rebekah Harkness and Swift really puts the listener into her world. "august" is about a failed summer fling with a great catchy hook and plenty of nostalgia. The duet with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver was beautiful and nicely executed, giving the album something that stuck out. "mirrorball" sounds as if Clairo was really trying to shush you and I'll be honest I like it. All in all the lyrics are held back by rigid background tracks and lack of variety.

This is a dark and haunting album from a country sweetheart. It's different, and it's not too bad. There is great creativity here although I see little replay value unless I want to cry and don't want to listen to any number of better sad projects. This is an interesting look at yet another change of direction on the winding road of Taylor Swift's discography.

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Rating:

5.5/10