Austin

I mean, if you listen to music from that time, it's clear that there was a complex push and pull going on in their relationship. I think there was a always sense of danger there. A song like Peace is so powerful because on the one hand, it's a simple and beautiful love song, but on the other, it's got this riptide of anxiety and fear that threatens it from within. My read on it is that Taylor was always worried that her career and being in the public eye would harm the relationship, and so she was always trying to rein in her more attention seeking/performer side. That's a fundamentally unstable dynamic. And it does seem like the 2021/2022 Taylormania was the nail in the coffin in terms of confirming that they wanted fundamentally different things from life.

It's honestly pointless comparing a 36 year old artist on her 12th album and a 23 year old artist on her 3rd. They are in completely different places in their life and it does a disservice to both. OT: I think the fundamental tension for me with this whole album is that since settling down into what seems like a solid but maybe quite safe and drama free relationship, Taylor doesn't have anything that interesting to say about her own life at the moment – but Showgirl as an album is an inherently autobiographical concept. So I find it hard to enjoy some of the strongest songs on here (Babylon and Ruin the Friendship) because they don't make sense to me within this album: melancholy observational storytelling doesn't feel very Showgirl (or even "life" of a showgirl). Moving forward, I think Taylor would do best to play to her strengths: making catchy alternative-inflected pop music about other people. Either that, or she needs to go out and live more of her life so that she can come back with something to say. I'd also love to see her work with some new collaborators who could breathe new life into her sound, and with new directors and visual artists who could produce interesting visuals for her.

There's nothing horrendous here, but everything is slightly stodgy and stale to me. I feel like thematically she's really stuck treading ground she's already trodden to death, and she's not got anything that is sonically/melodically killer enough to win you over. I'm also just so confused about why she felt the need to rerelease TLOAS. None of these songs (except maybe Cleveland) feel remotely showgirl (although I think that was a bad/confused concept for the start from Taylor)

Father Figure Elizabeth Taylor Ophelia

Because she's a solo artist with a clearer identity, and that's easier to market. KATSEYE is visually/sonically confused, and the girls aren't allowed anywhere near the studio for the most part. I hope that a couple of the girls (especially Lara) get their chance to shine solo, cos they're extremely talented.

I think it's a cute album. Some great songs - Different Religion and Innocent Ways are my early stand outs. I personally think it's better than her last three albums. But that said, as a whole package, it does feel slightly underbaked and lacking a clear story (narrative, sonic, or visual).

I will always remember the first time I heard Try Again. It gave me chills. Sadly I was only 5 when Aaliyah passed, so I didn't really get a chance to properly enjoy her music while she was still here. But discovering her albums, music videos, and fashion/style throughout my early teens was a formative moment for me. She was the ultimate it girl. It breaks my heart that she's been gone longer than we had her... I will always think about what she might have done next. But her impact and influence is still alive to this day, and that's a blessing. RIP.

I love it. Lara's vocal run at the end

One in a Million should be higher!

Charli, but it's close

We need the return of Lara Raj cookielicious!!

Something truly evil is going on behind the scenes here. These poor girls are being worked to the bone with their schedule, and then fed to the social media wolves by their label who insist on rage-bait music and promotional tactics to keep engagement going.

Finally getting around to listening to this. I'm surprised by the mid reviews – I think it's a great album (a lot better than Eternal Sunshine, which I always found kind of dull). My ranking would be: Sweetener Positions Dangerous Woman My Everything Petal Thank U, Next Eternal Sunshine Yours Truly

1 Ray of Light 2 American Life 3 Music 4 Erotica 5 Bedtime Stories 6 Madonna 7 Confessions on a Dance Floor 8 Like a Prayer 9 Confessions II 10 True Blue 11 Like A Virgin 12 Hard Candy 13 Madame X 14 Rebel Heart 15 MDNA

Disappointing numbers, but she just has to keep at it. Tinashe and Zara are great examples of how if you just keep at your craft in the face of flop allegations, people eventually start to respect you and give you your flowers. And you will always have a dedicated core fan base to hype you up, even if you're not smashing on the charts. On the other hand, someone like Normani is a warning sign about what happens when an extremely talented person basically gives up the moment things don't go to plan. I hope Tyla doesn't go down that route!

Took a few days to digest this. I think it's really strong! I even like the tracklisting (there's something kinda ballsy about opening with Is It Love, and I like that it's constantly switching mood/genre). My only complaint is that Selfish and the other 3 WWP songs should have been on it. My current favourites are That Girl, Kiss, Double Blind & Hot Tubs.

People are talking about Taylor on Olivia's release date because Taylor and her team have done everything in their power to make that the case through engineered drama. Lol. But I do agree that Taylor Swift haters give her too much attention. Olivia has just released what will probably end up being one of the best albums of the 2020s, and that's where the attention should be today!

I'm excited for the day those NDAs expire and we can get the full story of what went down here. It seems like the girls are unhappy that Manon is out but aren't able to say anything. I feel sorry for all six of them.

Perched for the MFF [Girlboss Variant] with Kate Bush, Miuccia Prada & Claire Denis

Oh HITSEYE time to book in that UK tour!

And I think that's bad! Though I think most normal people would probably also reason that, as a 20 year old artist on your second album, you might feel a little bit of pressure to maximise sales. You'd probably also assume that, as a junior artist, she probably has less control over exactly how her product is marketed. So while I don't think it's right, I wouldn't judge Olivia that harshly. But as I said before, a big part of what makes Taylor's greed so sickening is that she's already won. She's had the biggest career of all time. She should be secure and happy, and not reliant on tricks to sell her art. She's also completely in control of her own business, so you know every decision being made is hers. She's just completely obsessed with the quantitative metrics of success, which, to me, undermines her artistic output and makes me switch off.

I'm opposed to variant culture in general for environmental reasons and also because I think it dilutes the visual narrative of an album. But there is a huge difference between an artist releasing a few different options and allowing fans to pick whichever one they like best, and Taylor Swift's gamified variant strategy, where you only have 24 hours to buy something and you're not sure what variant is coming next, or there's a different bonus track on each vinyl. It feels extremely manipulative and like the goal is to coerce your fans into collecting all of them. And it feels particularly greedy given that Taylor has already broken every record and is guaranteed a smash hit in any case.

Absolutely love this. It's like Gaga meets Crystal Castles meets something completely new

The third verse on La Yugular… yeah let me go find a Catholic Church IMMEDIATELY

Oh Finalty Destinationry