Folklore - Beige Vinyl

Taylor Swift is a major talent, always capable of turning out an exceptional tune. But the more she drops down the pop/dance rabbit hole the less she floats my own boat. Until now. Folklore is going to be on the seminal albums of the year, quite probably this bumpy decade. Created under lockdown and a Swift turnaround (pun fully intended) from her last release, the concept intrigued me and does not disappoint. Lots of piano, muted beats and bright splashes of guitar with Swift’s voice floating over, sometimes huskily, sometimes intently sometimes soaring. Cardigan is lodged in my head and will not leave, other tracks make me smile, chill, or feel the intense pleasure and pain of love. Special mention goes to Betty where Swift is successfully channelling great American singer- story tellers, such as Paul Simon and Don McLean.Not quite every track is stratospheric and it can get samey at times, but I feel that is the point of the groundhog, lockdown vibe. This really is a record of its times, in every sense. Vocals in LA, most of the music and production in New York State, some of the orchestration coming out of France.These are not songs to be played at the back of a bus, busting out of a phone in isolation, but a mature album to fall into on the sofa, as the light fades. And despite being dropped out of the Covid blue onto the internet, Folklore is a champion for physical product. Not exactly a glance back at her Nashville recording roots but it is the kind of album I wish Tori Amos was still making; and that will very much do for me.

Well, here's an admission. I had heard the first album, all teen twangy C&W - ish music when she was sixteen. It was nice, throwaway stuff and I thought no more about her! Since then, I had thought that she was an absolute beauty to look at, but her music just didn't appeal.I knew about her songs, her collaborations but really didn't notice anything until I looked at the sticker which said "EXPLICIT CONTENT" and I thought ... hmm. Has she sold out and gone down the road of almost everyone else and started singing dirty?Well, to be honest, she uses two four-letter words a couple of times on a couple of tracks each, but she's no Joni Mitchell, who has always expressed herself in similar ways. However, it did pique my interest, so I took a listen to this.OK, I am a convert based on this album. Those of you who want her to sound the same every album should realise that she is still evolving even if she has now released eight albums. One thing I like is that it is so different from other albums - yes, I've been catching up. This is unlike 'Lover', the previous album which I also bought - and, incidentally, I like very much.Not a bad track on this album, sultry, sincere, serious, great singing, very folky but with a modern twist. Others have suggested this is her 'reference point' album (my words) similar to Joni's "Blue" album or "OK Computer". Perhaps, for me, it's more like Joni's "For the Roses" or "Court and Spark", landmark albums ("Blue" was too early in Joni's career). I agree simply because this is such a change to the cheerful, poppy material previously released - more subtle, more adult, more articulate, more reflective.YES, I am a convert and need to go back through her catalogue (I can't believe I've just written that.... ). I have 1989 and Reputation to listen to, but this is pretty wonderful.In fact, this is MAGNIFICENT!!!

Excellent vinyl, amazing colour and sounds incredible

I have long noted that folks confuse 'listening' and 'hearing', not to mention 'knowing' when they talk about music. You don't actually know a piece of music until you can remember it. Sometimes this takes a long time. The best music often falls into that area. Easy music is quickly boring - like eating chocolate - you just want more chocolate rather than actual nourishment. I had always placed Taylor Swift into that category - big hat Nashville productions, a pretty face and chirpy lyrics. I had never tried listening to her music but had heard it here and there many times.This record is quite different. She has co written with Aaron Dessner and the arrangements and mixes that he adds give this album massive depth. I listen to a wide range of music from Miles to Mahler to Hank Williams to Kraftwerk et al and these arrangements and settings flow from the same sense of the density of musical language. There is much debate around digital vs analogue formats and this recording in CD form is a massive step up the sonic ladder from the MP3. I look forward to the vinyl version which I note has sold out before its release. It is also music that needs to be heard on decent speakers or headphones which will unfold the detail within.I cannot recall a record which has so got in to my head since Carrie and Lowell. I began by thinking that the first three songs were OK and have moved further into the other songs over several months of listening to the MP3 stream on Amazon music. and yes I can remember these songs (initially almost despite my "Taylor Swift" prejudice).And then there's the lyrics. Her observations of how emotions and relationships and memory work together to represent complex human behaviour (is there any other kind ?) are subtle, detailed and various . Like all great lyrics these pass into one's own memories of the same things - creative empathy has always been the key to the relationship between artist and audience. Worth a read, as they say.You may yet be thinking of a different artist called Taylor Swift. Whoever she was before she's her own person now and this music puts her into an entirely other level. Listen without prejudice. Even Rod Liddle gave this record a rave review in the Speccie - she really has crossed some boundaries. ...

Cd played perfect but it was a shame the case came cracked as it was a Christmas gift