Opinion: Taylor Swift Folklore Review
I have never considered myself to be much of a Taylor Swift fan at all. I simply couldn’t find her music appealing, whether it be from a production, vocal, instrumental, melodic, or lyrical standpoint. I found her more recent albums, “Reputation” and “Lover”, to be inconsistent and somewhat vapid. However, I genuinely believe that Taylor Swift’s latest release, “Folklore”, in all of its confessional, cinematic glory, is her most consistent, inspired album yet.
My curiosity about this album was initially sparked when I ventured out onto social media, only to be bombarded by posts, Instagram stories, and tweets regarding Swift’s new release. This new album had virtually come out of nowhere, as time seemed to be stuck in the stagnation of quarantine. People were assuredly claiming that “Folklore” was something different for Swift, a change that would redefine her sound, and ultimately, her extraordinarily successful career.
From the start of the first track, “the 1”, I knew that one thing was certain: this album would change my opinion of Swift’s music, whether that be for the better or for the worse. As I listened through the entire album, I realized just how much I felt that Swift had significantly matured as a lyricist. With melancholic, wistful lines like “I think I’ve seen this film before… You’re not my homeland anymore”(“exile”), “Please picture me in the weeds, before I learned civility, I used to scream ferociously…”(“seven”), “You showed me colors you know I can’t see with anyone else”(“illicit affairs”), Swift effectively communicates themes of longing, sincerity and what-could’ve-been without coming off as maudlin. I did find a couple of places in the album where I didn’t like what Swift was doing lyrically. I thought the rhyming on “hoax” was quite dull, and I found myself guessing nearly every rhyming word without fail, waiting for something interesting to happen, and it never did. The track, “cardigan” had me cringing at the cliche and rather derivative lyrics in the beginning, as Swift sounds like she’s reading off of a list penned by Lana Del Rey. I will admit though, that “cardigan” does redeem itself melodically and vocally with a beautiful chorus, where Swift’s voice sounds graceful and elegant.
Internet culture suggests that typing in all lowercase symbolizes familiarity, as it makes the person behind the screen seem more informal or “chill”. Swift’s tracklist is in all-lowercase, an indication that this album was meant to be something closer to home for both her and her listeners, quite understandably, as the production on this album is gentle and pleasant, and the instrumentation is primarily acoustic-based. With the ethereal guitars, pianos, and subdued percussion, “Folklore” is a thoughtful set of folk-pop ballads that feel like they should be listened to alone while laying down near the trees.
The mild, dreamy soundscapes on this album don’t fail to impress. The glassy, nearly reflective acoustic guitars on “illicit affairs” made me feel like I was wistfully staring out of the car window on a rainy drive. The flitting percussion and lovely, effortlessly beautiful chorus on “invisible string” reminded me of a string weaving smoothly through two pieces of silk. While “Folklore” has its lovely moments, there were a few times I found myself utterly underwhelmed. I thought that the percussion on “mirrorball” sounded unrefined and lifeless, almost like it was running through the whole song out of obligation, reminding me of the same lack of energy that a person at a party who wishes they could be somewhere else would have. Despite the intriguing, stormy percussion on “this is me trying”, the reverb-soaked vocals sound half-hearted, and I found this song to be somewhat melodically boring.
I do think Taylor Swift has a flair for storytelling. I liked the lyrics from another character’s perspective in “betty” and the metaphorical lyrics on “epiphany”. I liked how the ominous, resentful themes of “mad woman” gave the album more dimension, as it was a well-executed shift to a darker mood. Overall, my favorite song on this album would have to be “seven”. From the lovely, dynamic vocal delivery to the lyrics, expressive strings, soft percussion, and melodic acoustic guitar and piano, I found this song to be well-written and well-executed. I felt that this song truly encapsulated feelings of love and nostalgia.
In its entirety, I found “Folklore” to be a bit redundant, as the instrumentation, tempo, and themes are very similar throughout the album. Despite that, I did enjoy this album a lot more than I thought I would initially. While I will say that I think “Folklore” is slightly overrated, I can undoubtedly see that Swift has grown as a songwriter, which brings me to understand why many people like this album. Has this album converted me to a fan of Taylor Swift? No. However, I definitely have more of an appreciation for her music. There are some good tracks on this album, and in my humble opinion, it is definitely some of Swift’s better work.