base talk The Tortured Poets Department Review Thread | MC - 76

[DLW]

5 hours ago, ttsmu said:

Im sure the OP is waiting for this thread to hit 84 pages to change the title.

I think it will be earlier when this thread hits 75pages

 

 

 

 

[patapon]

 Pitchfork has the chance do to the most evil thing and give this 3.6 as well. 

[eclipsed]

Comparing her to Adele? On what planet do these two artists have anything in common? The obvious thing is to point out their voices but their music isn't even remotely similar or directed toward the same audience. I wish each outlet had one music critic dedicated to all music or something rather then hiring fans, I mean RS giving her 100 and "Instant classic" when the writer is a massive swiftie and is writing a book about her.

 

 

 

 

The "open the schools" quote is wild but valid. She needs the lashings. She and her fans thanks to these critics enabling this have deluded themselves into believing mediocrity is genius. The good thing about this is I think she'll put in the work and make a better album next time, hopefully after at least a 2 year break with better producers and writers, the thing is if she keeps pushing albums out now shes gonna get lost like Ed Sheeran but take the time, come back stronger. I'm sure she can come back with an album that the critics will probably name the greatest album of all time but I think it will be genuinely good.

[Kool_Aid_King]

That review is extremely harsh but at the same time, it's evening it out with the stan reviews given by RS... Calling this album an instant classic is just embarrassing.

 

After listening to the 31 tracks, I'd give this a solid 5.5/10. It's not overwhelmingly bad, but it misses the mark a LOT. There's no growth, there's a lot of filler and she uses a lot of words to say something really simple. I agree with some users in saying she is resting on her laurels. Production is one note. This talk-singing is getting incredibly stale. The lyrics are interesting but some of the obvious click-baity ones stick out like a sore thumb.

 

I hope she gets snubbed at the Grammy's (She won't) so she really can take this seriously. 

[DLW]

One of the red reviews was removed from AOTY. 

Taylor Swift's new album is here, and it's proof she needs to take a break

 

Spoiler

https://amp.smh.com.au/culture/music/taylor-swift-s-new-album-is-here-and-it-s-proof-she-needs-to-take-a-break-20240418-p5fkx5.html

 

Sydney Morning Herald: "Taylor Swift's new album is here, and it's proof she needs to take a break"

By Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
April 19, 2024 — 2.01pm
Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department

(Note: This is a review of the 16 tracks first released on the album. Swift later released another 15 tracks in a collection called The Anthology)

At this stage, a Taylor Swift album release is a capital-E Event. She's the busiest woman in the world, with her record-breaking Eras Tour selling out stadiums around the globe – so it was a surprise when, in her Grammys acceptance speech in February, Swift announced that her 11th album would be released in April.

The anticipation has been strong, particularly given it is her first record since her split with Joe Alwyn, her actor partner of six-and-a-half years, this time last year. Was this going to be the big break-up album?

Swift's personal life is now inextricable from her music, and often dominates discussion of it. For 2020's folklore and evermore, she moved away from the diaristic style of writing, but it's back for The Tortured Poets Department – and the focus will likely be on the revelations within, far more than the music itself.

So let's talk about the music. Swift's two go-to co-writers are producers Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, each with their own distinctive sound. The Antonoff tracks here are by-the-numbers – his synth-pop is so immediately recognisable that it's wearing on predictable.

Dessner, who's also a member of indie rock band The National and came on board Team Swift for her pandemic albums, has a softer, often piano-led palette that brings out more emotional nuance. So Long, London is a highlight, beginning with a textured choral collage and blooming into Dessner's take on synth-pop.

Artist features are becoming more common on Swift albums. Opening track Fortnight relegates Post Malone almost to the background – the same treatment Lana Del Rey was given on Midnights′ Snow on the Beach, which is funny because the track sounds like a pretty good approximation of Del Rey's music. Florida!!! gives British artist Florence Welch space to shine; it's cinematic and sweeping, and the two singers' voices provide gorgeous foils to one another before blending for the chorus. Swift's voice is in fine form at points across the record, such as on the soaring chorus of Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?.

Sonically, this album is cohesive but not groundbreaking – we've heard much of this from Swift before. It slots neatly somewhere between 1989 and Midnights, with more than a bit of similarity with another Antonoff-produced band, The 1975, the singer of which, Matty Healy, much of this record seems to be about after a short-lived but highly publicised fling last year.

This is an album review, not a celebrity gossip column, but it's difficult not to speculate about this record's incredibly specific lyrics, particularly because puzzle-solving has become part and parcel of being a Taylor Swift fan.

The twinkling title track references a "tattooed golden retriever" and name-drops two friends in one of the worst lyrics on the album which hints at, and seemingly glorifies, a toxic relationship. "You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate/ We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist/ I scratch your head, you fall asleep like a tattooed golden retriever."

If that's the shot, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived is the chaser, a classic Dessner-sounding song that's full of pure Swiftian venom.

The pointed But Daddy I Love Him directly calls out her parasocial fans: "I'll tell you something about my good name: it's mine alone to disgrace / I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing / God save the most judgmental creeps who say they want what's best for me, sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see." Ouch.

These verbose lyrics are common across the album, largely at the expense of memorable hooks. These songs feel more like streams of consciousness or exorcisms, often with all the depth of an angsty teenager writing Tumblr poetry. In an accompanying written feature, Swift describes her "temporary insanity" from a "mutual manic phase", which might go some way to explaining some of her choices here.

The Tortured Poets Department will be divisive. It's different to what the teaser images suggested – there's less art and depth here than that – and much of it will be baffling to those who aren't deeply versed in Swift lore. There's no denying that Swift is a skilled songwriter, and some of these songs are slow-burn growers, but when she sings "I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it's an art" on I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, one can't help but wonder whether taking a break might be the best tonic of all.

Poor Gisele got 500 pizzas at home and family members are getting death threats. I hope she's fine 

 

[Cameltoe Chariot]

6 minutes ago, DLW said:

One of the red reviews was removed from AOTY. 

Taylor Swift's new album is here, and it's proof she needs to take a break

 

  Hide contents

https://amp.smh.com.au/culture/music/taylor-swift-s-new-album-is-here-and-it-s-proof-she-needs-to-take-a-break-20240418-p5fkx5.html

 

Sydney Morning Herald: "Taylor Swift's new album is here, and it's proof she needs to take a break"

By Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
April 19, 2024 — 2.01pm
Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department

(Note: This is a review of the 16 tracks first released on the album. Swift later released another 15 tracks in a collection called The Anthology)

At this stage, a Taylor Swift album release is a capital-E Event. She's the busiest woman in the world, with her record-breaking Eras Tour selling out stadiums around the globe – so it was a surprise when, in her Grammys acceptance speech in February, Swift announced that her 11th album would be released in April.

The anticipation has been strong, particularly given it is her first record since her split with Joe Alwyn, her actor partner of six-and-a-half years, this time last year. Was this going to be the big break-up album?

Swift's personal life is now inextricable from her music, and often dominates discussion of it. For 2020's folklore and evermore, she moved away from the diaristic style of writing, but it's back for The Tortured Poets Department – and the focus will likely be on the revelations within, far more than the music itself.

So let's talk about the music. Swift's two go-to co-writers are producers Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, each with their own distinctive sound. The Antonoff tracks here are by-the-numbers – his synth-pop is so immediately recognisable that it's wearing on predictable.

Dessner, who's also a member of indie rock band The National and came on board Team Swift for her pandemic albums, has a softer, often piano-led palette that brings out more emotional nuance. So Long, London is a highlight, beginning with a textured choral collage and blooming into Dessner's take on synth-pop.

Artist features are becoming more common on Swift albums. Opening track Fortnight relegates Post Malone almost to the background – the same treatment Lana Del Rey was given on Midnights′ Snow on the Beach, which is funny because the track sounds like a pretty good approximation of Del Rey's music. Florida!!! gives British artist Florence Welch space to shine; it's cinematic and sweeping, and the two singers' voices provide gorgeous foils to one another before blending for the chorus. Swift's voice is in fine form at points across the record, such as on the soaring chorus of Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?.

Sonically, this album is cohesive but not groundbreaking – we've heard much of this from Swift before. It slots neatly somewhere between 1989 and Midnights, with more than a bit of similarity with another Antonoff-produced band, The 1975, the singer of which, Matty Healy, much of this record seems to be about after a short-lived but highly publicised fling last year.

This is an album review, not a celebrity gossip column, but it's difficult not to speculate about this record's incredibly specific lyrics, particularly because puzzle-solving has become part and parcel of being a Taylor Swift fan.

The twinkling title track references a "tattooed golden retriever" and name-drops two friends in one of the worst lyrics on the album which hints at, and seemingly glorifies, a toxic relationship. "You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate/ We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist/ I scratch your head, you fall asleep like a tattooed golden retriever."

If that's the shot, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived is the chaser, a classic Dessner-sounding song that's full of pure Swiftian venom.

The pointed But Daddy I Love Him directly calls out her parasocial fans: "I'll tell you something about my good name: it's mine alone to disgrace / I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing / God save the most judgmental creeps who say they want what's best for me, sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see." Ouch.

These verbose lyrics are common across the album, largely at the expense of memorable hooks. These songs feel more like streams of consciousness or exorcisms, often with all the depth of an angsty teenager writing Tumblr poetry. In an accompanying written feature, Swift describes her "temporary insanity" from a "mutual manic phase", which might go some way to explaining some of her choices here.

The Tortured Poets Department will be divisive. It's different to what the teaser images suggested – there's less art and depth here than that – and much of it will be baffling to those who aren't deeply versed in Swift lore. There's no denying that Swift is a skilled songwriter, and some of these songs are slow-burn growers, but when she sings "I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it's an art" on I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, one can't help but wonder whether taking a break might be the best tonic of all.

Poor Gisele got 500 pizzas at home and family members are getting death threats. I hope she's fine 

 

wait WHAT? Are you joking or did she really get dogpiled like that 

[Price of Fame]

amazing how the paste magazine and rolling stone reviews show exactly what's wrong with music journalism these days from opposite ends of the spectrum

[Wonderland]

37 minutes ago, DLW said:

Poor Gisele got 500 pizzas at home and family members are getting death threats. I hope she's fine 

 

Why am I not surprised it's a woman of colour they're going after

 

[Bey'Knight]

6 hours ago, kimberly said:

this is kinda how I feel. I come across as an OTH, but I'm really a hater of Swifties. I became a fan of Taylor in the Speak Now era (before some Swifties on this site were born, probably) and was mindlessly all-in on her music until folklore.

 

folklore really shifted things. 2020 was a big musical evolution year for me, and Taylor evolving to a new height with me was massive. I was floored.

 

then, it's been downhill for me. evermore, while good, feels like folklore leftovers at best. Taylor's Version albums are cheaply produced, with unacceptable errors in mixing and instrumentation. The vault tracks are mostly mediocre to bad, aside from a couple good ones like "Mr Perfectly Fine" and "Nothing New." Midnights was mostly a bore for me, a 7 out of 10 on a good day, and a 6/10 for the standard version. and TTPD (Standard) felt more like a 5/10 -- the only song I enjoyed actively was Florida, and it wasn't because of Taylor Swift. (haven't listened to the deluxe tracks yet -- I've been told I might like them more.)

 

her Lana Del Rey impression, Jack Antonoff's one note production, and the uninspired lyrical dumps sponsored by thesaurus dot com are getting old, very fast.

 

so yeah, 36 might be harsh, but anything above a 75 is too generous of a rating for this album.

Are you me? I became a casual fan with 1989. With folklore, my respect for her grew immensely.  I haven't paid much attention to the vault tracks. I feel like, as is with the bloat in her tracklisting in the last few years, they're just there for the stream count. She said in her interview during 1989 that she tries not to be presumptuous about the reception of her music so she can make the best art possible. That's clearly gone out of the window. It's never been more apparent than with TTPD. There's only one reason why Taylor has an album 31 tracks long. The worst part is she's the one artist is the world who needs that kinda gimmick the least. I hope when the initial hype fog clears, the dust settles, she's secure enough in her status to scrounge back some artistic integrity. I wouldn't bet on it though.  I get the impression that her lust for validation and commercial dominance is insatiable and has long surpassed the need to quality control her musical output. 

[Støned]

Uh oh, it's 84 (which is too high imho) at Metacritic now. Will this break her streak of critically acclaimed albums since Folklore?

[wantedyoutogrow]

if the lyric was "we declare Tinashe should be a bigger artist" none of this would be happening

[Letemtalk]

3 hours ago, Starshine said:

The hate bombing on albumoftheyear.  

 

I don't think this album deserves a 100, but that 36 score is just as ridiculous as Sputnik's score of 50 for CC trying to farm engagement. Edgy and probably bald!

Every artist gets reviews like that from time to time.

Someone like Taylor Swift should be getting more than 25 reviews, so it won't make a big difference in the long run.

 

1 hour ago, DLW said:

One of the red reviews was removed from AOTY. 

The Sydney Morning Herald review didn't have a published score which appears to be against the rules for including on the AOTY site.

[Kern]

they dragged her to hell but this is a very good written review that made some good points even if the score seems a bit too dramatic

 

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-strikes-out-looking-on-the-tortured-poets-department

[Bloody Willy]

I hope this goes down to Mostly Positive so she gets a reality check and hires an editor. TTPD is not a bad record per se and Anthology is definitely the Evermore sister I needed, but she could use a reality check ASAP. Enough of Hack and his non-productions. Throw out the word soup and put down the thesaurus. She really thinks she's the next Shakespeare or something because swifties who don't listen to other music hyped her up to high heavens. Sure folklore and evemore are great, but now she's just not trying anymore. 

Edited April 20 by Bloody Willy

[Komet]

Hm why hasn't the title  been updated in a while

 

 

[Kern]

I mean I don't think there's really much reviews left so I guess it says above 80+ wheter you like it or not. Ugh!

[Bloody Willy]

1 minute ago, Kern said:

I mean I don't think there's really much reviews left so I guess it says above 80+ wheter you like it or not. Ugh!

Pitchfork, Sputnik and Slant still have some tricks up their sleeves. I trust them 

[Prisoner]

Is the OP sleeping? 

[Bloody Willy]

Quote

This album will surely get comparisons to Rupi Kaur's poetry, either for its simplicity, empty language, commodification or all of the above. And, sure, there are parallels there, especially in how The Tortured Poets Department, too, is going to set the art of poetry back another decade

[liam13]

9 minutes ago, Kern said:

I mean I don't think there's really much reviews left so I guess it says above 80+ wheter you like it or not. Ugh!

a 5 from pitchfork and a 2 from sputnik will drag the score down to low 70s, just wait for it

[KOMH]

Critics eating their words. Colour me shocked.

 

I used to rag pretty heavily on Reputation—mostly because I thought (and still do, mostly) that it sounded like Swift had given up on making interesting, progressive pop music; that, in the wake of her (arguably) best album, 1989, it seemed like she'd lost the plot on where to go next. But as she's put out Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department back-to-back, I find myself clamoring for the Reputation-era more than ever—at least seven years ago, Swift wrote songs like she had something to prove and even more to lose. 

[DLW]

30 minutes ago, wantedyoutogrow said:

if the lyric was "we declare Tinashe should be a bigger artist" none of this would be happening

Only if Tinashe was white woman

[Bloody Willy]

1 minute ago, KOMH said:

Critics eating their words. Colour me shocked.

I'm not shocked either, even Midnights seems like a 10/10 record compared to this

[dman4life]

As a fan I'm perfectly fine with this album getting some lukewarm reviews. It's a solid album by far but 31 tracks is too excessive. There are some true career highlights on this album but they're drowned out in a sea of fillers. 

 

[DLW]

The 100/100 review from RS was written by a Swiftie 

 

Who would have thought…