troubled water.

All this discourse about the many variants Swifties buy Maybe I'm just not that phased after seeing and experiencing Jpop and Kpop strategies for album sales. Everyone should just be thankful Taylor's not putting fancall lottery tickets and randomized printed selfies in her albums. If she let me have an official photocard to carry around I'd probably keep buying until I collect my favorite photocards, and I'm not the type to buy more than one version. Imagine what that'd do to the other kind of Swifties. And what that'd do for her sales

The 47 thing somehow still going I do love those puzzles and easter eggs, the concept of making her fans decode anything and everything to reveal new merch is exactly like asking someone to crawl over glass to then put them into a Saw trap. Wildly entertaining for someone who watches all that from the side and doesn't really buy any merch.

Probably both. I'm not a fan of reputation by any means but cannot deny that you have to listen to it to know Taylor's music. Poets, I feel, is important to understand her as an artist. Not even meaning the long discussed "lore" but just as a showcase of what she is capable of when songwriting is her only outlet. Although, as far as lore goes this is her rosetta stone album for her reputa to Midnights album run

Album ranking for now… 1. evermore 2. Red 3. folklore 4. The Tortured Poets Department 5. 1989 6. Fearless 7. Speak Now 8. Midnights 9. reputation 10. Taylor Swift 11. Loser 12. The Life of a Showgirl 6-8 switch spots depending on the day. Mid gets up a couple spots when I'm listening to 3AM tracks. But some of the standard tracks slightly drag it down. reputation and Lover have some great songs but I barely listen to those albums all the way through. I am simply not gonna listen to Gorgeous or Nice Things or London Boy or YNTCD or ME! I say that but I have Red at #2 and it threatens me with Stay Stay Stay every time I put it on. But most of that album is just that brilliant to me. Taylor Swift…let's say I'm gonna try and wait for Taylor's Version. Because I do absolutely adore the album for the most part. I just can't really listen to it anymore I don't see Showgirl moving up at any point because reputation and Lover do actually have a lot of great songs. Just maybe not my cup of tea body of work wise. Showgirl is mostly songs I am not gonna listen to, even if I appreciate the few I enjoy.

Since people keep saying she's stalling creatively, for her next trick Alison should dye her hair some other color and create a band with Hack, Aaron, Zoe Kravitz and idk, Emma Stone. Make some 70s rock music this way. No TLOAS ranking for me yet because I am realizing I like the album less and less as time goes by. Hoped it'd be different from my relationship with Loser and Reputation but alas. Those first four tracks are just great though. Eldest Daughter annoys me so much I struggle to keep listening to the album after it comes on.

That one Sputnik (?) review from Mid or Poets era broke Swifties' spirits I'm afraid. But I think fandoms in general care less about critical reception because it's easy to see nobody's soul is in music criticism anymore (not even the issue with the reviewers themselves, but the system they're in). Though too many times music critics in particular have failed to analyze along with critique so people have stopped paying attention. Movie criticism on its last leg but real critics continue to also analyze art. And if a movie gets great reviews people pay attention. Meanwhile the music side of it… I follow a couple youtubers (Professor Skye and Abigail Devoe) who do analyses of albums and you can feel the interest to talk about music and try to understand it. Do not feel even a bit of it in corporate journalism.

The AI slop videos actually pissed me off lol Music video for Ophelia really nice, Taylor keeps getting better at these. Loved the bright colors and the visuals correlating with the lyrics in a fun way. She looks so good with red hair. Food for thought for Alison.

Got me there. I'm honestly just glad I love some of these songs instead of not finding anything for myself

I love the first four + RTF but yeah, there's no itch to listen to the rest of the album. TTPD remained in daily rotation for months, I don't see it happening with this album, at least for me which is a little disappointing. It is disorienting to receive an album from her that, personally, to me, is just there. Not even sure what to blame for that. I think the last time I was left discombobulated by my own reaction to a Tay album was Loser which ended up not growing on me.

My plan for her plan for 20th anniversary is the long anticipated release of Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version) with a good number of Vault tracks. And do maybe 3-5 small-ish arena/theater shows in Nashville. TS13 can then come out whenever she feels like it. Still feels like a lie that she won't tour for TLOAS but The Eras was such a gigantic tour that I can't bring myself to feel anything but relief for her. I do hope we'll see her perform Opalite or Father Figure at some point Not even gonna hope for RTF. When she reveals she won't tour but will be doing a residency somewhere then what

Of all festivals Glastonbury is really the only one I want her to do. Here's hoping she'll actually book it for 2027 Would also be long enough after Showgirl so there'd be less pressure and temptation to do a burlesque performance instead of a more band and acoustic set. Which would lead into TS13 tease for soft rock mixed with psych po- (NURSE!)

She should go ahead and do it in 2027 because I assume she'll be rather quiet in 2026 with her wedding and no tour. Would be a nice big music / performance comeback for both Taylor and Glasto after taking 2026 off.

Taylor bringing Paramore back

Father Figure edits are starting to roll in...I knew it would happen. Fans seem to be enjoying Wood and Wish List a lot which is another reminder for me that Swifties are just like Taylor herself in a lot of ways Eldest Daughter, however, is tanking on most first day rankings. And as it should.

Not really. And I don't plan on being normal about it either.

6 in the UK, 1 US, and Graham Norton broadcast tonight!

Jesus…These numbers Absolutely insane. And also a reminder of how crazy Midnights release week was when it comes to the commercial side of it.

She listens to criticism Why do you think this album is the way it is and why Loser exists One day soon she'll nail it and "fix" something the right way I guess

The "yes men" thing is such a weird complaint. Are other pop girls getting offers from everyone to have someone controlling them and their art? Just say her taste is bad or her self-awareness is low and you want her to better it instead of hoping for some suits to sit in at her recordings, telling her this and that song needs to be cut and this line doesn't seem like the right expression of her emotions and thoughts. A&R departments cannot be a real important thing for singer-songwriters who have a vision for an album. Halsey was just talking about her label not allowing her creative control over her own career and art, and she sounded so hurt and upset. Because it is awful. I prefer Taylor getting her lashings from the public instead of someone in HER studio telling her this and that won't get her 96 on Metacritic. A lot of talk about wanting better works but it circles back to optics. Meet her where she is, if she's not meeting you where you want her then just take a break. I admit I think she's capable of so much more than TLOAS or something like Loser and whether she gets there or not remains to be seen which is not a completely negative thing as I'm sure she'll make music till her and I old as ****.

I doubt there was a lot. folklore was what a good chunk of the fandom had been wanting to get from her since Red I think Though I have to admit the last few songs on folklore took me a minute to get into. Now evermore probably could've gotten some more lashings for being yet another alleged snooze if it wasn't a surprise release. Or if it was not the best album ever! This album will have its fans I'm sure, probably Taylor herself front and center, but yeah I don't think the general consensus is gonna change much. Swifties often rate even Fearless rather low on their Lord album lists…This one compared to the rest of her discography…Well!

Father Figure kind of Italian mafia media / art coded. Her The Godfather movies binge must've felt amazing. Can someone ask her if she'd seen The Sopranos.

Be my NY when Hollywood hates me! The reception will probably be kind of really bad which is fine by me. Lower ratings for this are, honestly, much more justified than for Poets, and as critics and people alike were very harsh on it so I'd completely lost my faith in modern music criticism. Perhaps one of the easiest albums to crack and they failed at it. No album rating yet but Wood growth has been stopped by people's overreaction on Twitter. Also maybe I'm still struggling with the lyrics on the album, maybe the first of hers where I can't really find any standouts lyrically.

Agree to all of it re Poets! I honestly love how messy it is. That's just someone writing songs because they have no other way to deal with their life unraveling, with their dreams coming true and immediately setting their life on fire, it's just so much all at once. I'd never been too big on Pop Taylor but she loves these projects because she loves being a pop star (which also adds to Poets tbh) and I usually just kind of sit them out except for 1989 which is honestly a bit different from her other pop records because of her youth and slight naïveté. This one coming after Poets is another Middy situation I feel, she probably felt the need to retreat a little after we all listened to her lose her mind for 31 songs Though Middy held its cards close to heart for different reasons I suppose. 1989 is a very open and honest album despite its generalized to the max pop lyrics. She was excited about everything, including heartbreak and her own mid-20s cynicism.

I want her to do more soft rock but I didn't really gel with the lyrics in those songs at all So I had to side with upbeat songs because at least they're more fun.

I think people will get Poets one day, like actually get it. No lore nonsense and all, but actually see what she was on. And I'll be waiting! Anyway, I think overall the first half is like, obviously better than the second. But a good number of potential singles on the album, so with Taylor seemingly not being scared of promo as she's doing 7 radio appearances tomorrow…maybe there'll be at least 3 singles Kind of can't wait to watch unboxing videos because I think she put photocards in some versions, though I wish they were random. As a kpop album buyer…the gambling part of it is really fun actually 1989 was such a joyful time with those polaroids too.