1989 was good pop, everything since then has kind of been diminishing returns.
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Quite like Taylor but that guardian article had really soured me on her. Apparently she released deluxe versions of her albums to stop Billie Eilish and Charli XCX from having number ones. Plus all the right wing stuff I’ve just read up thread. Don’t think I can listen to her again, just sounds like a big old meanie
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Not only a kind of mean person when you get down to it, but a charisma vacuum
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I loved Midnights and enjoyed a lot of TTPD, and had an incredible time at Wembley last summer, so came to this pretty well disposed to liking it, and it just feels… flat. The funny/self-referential bits aren’t really very witty (although I do like the “tiny violin to a gun fight” line), the heartfealt songs don’t really hit me in the feels the way something like ‘So Long, London’ or ‘Anti-hero’ do, and on my third listed through today I’m not hearing anything anthemic to sing along to at a club night or live show.
Maybe the whole ‘rich, famous, and successful, but unlucky in love’ stich from the past ten years or so of her career doesn’t quite land when she is apprently now very happy on the relationship front also. I’m not one of those people that think that rich and successful people don’t have anything to be unhappy about, but she needs to explore a new angle on it.
Musically it feels pretty uninspired. Very few melodies that stick with me after a song ends. I was initially pleased Antonoff wasn’t involved in this, but feel like I’m missing him and Dessner now.
Will give it some more spins over the coming weeks and my opinion may change, but for now I’m glad this came out after Eras, as tracks from this would have been bathroom break time at the show.
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https://x.com/PopBase/status/1973962375700320268?t=jbOCxr2b27khWMJES_7nYQ&s=19
Ladies and gents, the music industry.
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“perfect score of 100” sounds more impressive than 5 stars which is what it got
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The lyrics have the same vibes as the Charlie Kirk assassin’s confession letter to his girlfriend that was blatantly forged by the FBI.
“Hello, fellow humans. Allow me to describe the emotions i have been feeling lately, using vernacular with which you will be familiar:-“
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So what Taylor is trying to say is that she never had to knock on wood?
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This song about Charli is very embarrassing isn’t it?
Clearly she’s past the point where she has people on her team that can point out to her that this song comes across really badly.
(Or that Where Is My Mind has already been written)
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I think she probably knows someone who has, though
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Am off to see the film with my daughter in a bit 
Will report back
I reckon she’s largely responsible for the death of Poptimism (at least I hope so).
People can like what they like but we do need to get a better grip on what is good art.
Probably surrounded by yes men at this point tbh
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considering she gave out $200m in bonuses to her Eras tour crew it’s hardly surprising that folk don’t want to upset the gravy train or whatever
…but also, there must be an element of ‘Well, who am I to say anything? She’s the billionaire, globally adored artist’
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Reminds me a bit of how the Harry Potter books grew to a million pages after a point when it became so successful that no editor could tell Rowling to cut it down.
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People only have so many good songs in them, maybe she used all hers up
It’s a weird one I think because obviously anyone who became a world famous artist as a teenager is progressively less & less qualified to give any kind of relatable insight into the human condition & that … except she’s literally thought about that and decided to at least call the album something relevant to living a life divergent from ordinary experience and yet has failed spectacularly even on her own terms there
I think massive megastars having partners in the industry (Beyonce & Jay-Z, Rihanna & ASAP Rocky) probably helps their quality control in a lot of ways… being with the quarterback, not so much maybe
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A really artistically creative partnership they’re having