1. "The 1" is the only one
2. "Cardigan" cardigan
3. "The Last Great American Dynasty"
4. "Exile" cooperates with Bon Iver to Exile
5. "My Tears Ricochet" tear missile
6. "Mirrorball" mirror ball
7. Seven
8. "August" August
9. "This Is Me Trying"
10. "Illicit Affairs" Love Affair
11. "Invisible String" invisible thread
12. "Mad Woman" crazy woman
13. Epiphany
14. "Betty" Betty
15. "Peace" calm
16. Hoax scam
17. "The Lakes" lake
Transition from mainstream music to independent music. It's just a transition, but it's also a surprising transition. As we all know, Taylor is inseparable from her 1564 chords, catchy chorus melody, and narrative lyric writing skills. She is very good at this kind of thing and has tried it repeatedly. She can always catch the audience's ears and has a low threshold for appreciation. After exhausting this mainstream pop formula on her last album Lover, she invited two heavyweights this time: The National (Aaron Dessnor) and Bon Iver. Although the latter only collaborates on one song on paper, the former, as one of the main producers of this album, has always been deeply influenced by the latter's musical philosophy. The establishment of the entire aesthetic system of modern independent folk music has a lot to do with Bon Iver's experimental exploration. Listeners who are familiar with The National and Bon Iver will definitely have trouble imagining how their "de-popularized to the extreme" experimental music will work with the most "popular" superstar in the world today. The final result proves that Taylor himself still has absolute control over his album. The intervention of independent folk elements does not affect the smoothness and melodiousness of the track at all. The atmospheric production that is so popular in the experimental music world has once again proved its universality. Generally speaking, this album is another masterpiece after the mainstream independent fusion trend in the 2010s, and it is also the most favored by music critics among all her albums.
Track01the 1
Smooth intro. The large area of keyboard music and the overall plain atmosphere are her most familiar production techniques. The story line is also quickly established, and the folklore weirdness begins with a dream. The entire album will also create a dreamy and wonderful vibe.
Track02 cardigan
Except for the small synthesizer scratches in the verse part, other instrumentation from drums to keyboards to strings are as original as possible. All instrument sounds have been given an ethereal effect. The human voice is mostly breathy. Using a woolen sweater as a specific object to express feelings was originally nostalgic, but now it adds a psychedelic sense of time and space. Cut from the perspective of the cardigan, the various details of the other party's growth are perfectly recorded, like a movie. I have to admit that writing love songs is still my strong point.
Track03 the last great american dynasty
It is indeed a political satire, but I did not expect that the focus of the lyrics fell on fairy tales or "folklore" itself, which is very clever. Use this absurd woman to satirize this absurd town, use this absurd town to satirize this absurd society.
Track04exile
Bon Iver uses his real voice! The male voice is particularly calm, and it contrasts and complements Taylor's breathy voice. It was not until later that both of them used bass that they finally reached a coordination. Bon Iver used what he is best at "silhouetted vocal slicing + minimalist single instrument line" to create an exile feeling of exile. Finally, reverb-filled vocals are used to accompany the exile of a pair of lovers in the lyrics. Although the two are far away from their homeland, they regard each other as a part of themselves. The lyrics constantly use film flashbacks to connect the present and the past. The only thing that remains unchanged is the love between the two.
Track05 my tears ricochet
After seeing off Bon Iver, we welcomed old friend, pop producer Jack Antonoff. The first half is particularly plain but also very subtle. The addition of several harmonies is outstanding. In the second half, a distant drum beat unfolds the complex orchestration, and the vocal reverb is turned to the maximum, as if returning to Taylor in 1989, less aggressive and more settled.
Track06 mirrorball
Transformed into a disco light ball, he longs to attract his beloved, but loses himself in the featureless drum arrangement and repetitive monotonous vocal melody.
Track07 seven
The use of string instruments is the best in the entire major. Guitar as main engine is still very eye-catching.
Track08 august
The first verse is her best vocal treatment. Vocal has always been Taylor's weak point, being dry and flat. This kind of bass-on reverb is an option. The overall melody is very light and catchy, and the soundtrack has a strong sense of propulsion. The previous song "Seven" was about the pursuit of the one I love, but this one is about fantasy, but in reality it was not successful. Such a beautiful season has such heartbreaking emotions. It uses beautiful pictures from the past to write about the sadness of the present, and the story line gradually becomes clear. (Actually, it's a love triangle look at from three perspectives. I'll talk about it at the end.
Track09 this is me trying&Track10illicit affairs
The vocal reverb is turned up too much. It's an experiment. The string music creates a very solemn atmosphere. But Taylor's vocals need timbre modification to embed the overall atmosphere.
Track11 invisible string & Track12 mad woman
The former is very rustic and simple, while the latter has a large production pattern. This contrast hints at changes in Taylor's musical personality. From the image of an innocent girl in the countryside to the image of an independent and confident strong woman with clear love and hate. The music corresponds to the musical characteristics of the country period and the popular period respectively.
Track13 epiphany
Epiphany is enlightenment in religion. The string arrangements are slightly boomy. A piano replaces the drum beat, causing the underlying chords to stand out. This is where the main plot ends. When the dream wakes up, the person in the dream finally returns to reality. The strange dream is no longer there, but the person in the dream has been deeply entangled in this love and cannot extricate himself. It wasn't so much an epiphany as it was a further step into the world of "folk weirdness."
Track14 betty
Vocal returns to normal. This is a letter sent by the hero to Betty. In fact, it is the official statement of the scumbag. This is the song with the simplest and most straightforward lyrics, the simplest and most straightforward vocals, and the one that is closest to country rather than folk in terms of instrumental choice. The man in the dream is still sinking, but the hero writes a breakup letter in a relaxed tone. This contrast has a strong ironic effect
Track15 peace
Returning to Taylor's own musical personality to talk about her love with Joe (and Joe participated in the creation of the last song Betty). The random strumming of the guitar and the short treble scratches really create a "peace" atmosphere.
Track16hoax
With the theme of deception, the music is full of warm tones. She softly accused the man who had cheated on her of making her worse.
Overall rating:
Lyrics 5 points/5 points
Things that she could never do without in her lyrics: three o'clock in the morning, heavy rain, midnight car, red lips and blue eyes, etc. She left them all. But the concrete tenderness of "my breath still lingers on the scarf" still remains. In terms of narrative, the image impact and plot tension are still very strong (the vocabulary of this album has significantly increased, there are many religious and theological allusions, and it is no longer a level 4 vocabulary that will last a lifetime). The switching of perspectives is also very smooth.
Composition and arrangement 4.5 Points/5 points
The acoustic orchestration of independent folk, the keyboard of retro pop, and the guitar of country pop all play the main role, and the electronic elements are successfully abandoned. The combination of these instruments is generally excellent and very pleasant to listen to. There is no obvious regression in the melody, it is still catchy and close to the people. The drumbeats are mostly presented in a distant way such as heartbeats, or not at all.
Production 4.5 Points/5 points
Very reserved and calm. Facts have proved that Jack Antonoff is still very compatible. The addition of two independent musicians hardly caused any dissonance, but instead became the key to highlighting the album's characteristics. I hope more attempts can be made with Taylor's vocals. The vocals on some tracks don't have that unique "fit that fits perfectly, it has to be there" feel.
Integrity and fluency 4 points/5 points
The story line is basically clear. There is also a love triangle story described from three perspectives: Track02 is Betty's obsessive love for the male protagonist and her inability to let go, and Track08 is August's tender longing for the male protagonist (the relationship was once broken up). Track14 is an analysis of the male protagonist's mind. This arrangement is very innovative but not big enough. The overall musicality is framed within the framework of indie folk. The presence of pop and country elements adds variety. Unfortunately, the second half is a little weaker than the first half.
Concept and idea 3 points/5 points
Compared with other folk music masters, he still lacks the depth of thought. This album is more like a collection and summary of various folk anecdotes, but it does not extract any high value orientation. The album name and track names are all lowercase, which is very indie folk, and also fits the psychedelic concept of "dreamland". Taylor himself admitted that the reflection, fantasy, fear, inspiration and other emotions that this album is full of are all personal, which results in its audience not being as wide as pop, and also lacking the ideological strength to compete head-on with other excellent folk albums.
Concept: Taylor Taylor folklore lyrics
