Taylor Swift Album Poll

xpost No I don't think it is, though of course it depends on how the issue is framed. Is Taylor a better artist than Miranda (or whoever) because she at least co-writes everything she sings? No. Should the fact that Taylor writes or at least co-writes all her own material (and is probably 95% responsible for the lyrics) be a precondition to her being taken seriously as an artist? No. I don't think Taylor argues either of those things, though whether her fans do or don't will of course be a case by case question, and at least some of the fan responses to the Albarn quote kinda imply those viewpoints.

Of course I've separately made the case before for the importance of Taylor's lyrics (and her lyrical approach and her growth as a lyricist) to her music both assessed on a song by song basis and as a body of work.

I hear you (though I also wonder how Albarn would have replied if the interviewer had said: "She may not be to your taste, but Miranda Lambert is an excellent songwriter.")

"I don't know her."

xxxpost

in fairness, David Allen Coe was a writer for other artists, including "Would You Lay With Me a Field of Stone" for Tanya Tucker which is a gorgeous song and Take This Job and Shove It for Johnny Paycheck

I think Johnny Cash did a few of his songs

I was talking to my daughter this morning, wondering how Taylor Swift is going to handle her next tour. Her last tour was back in 2018, a big stadium outing. But since then she's released three entirely new albums, and two newly re-recorded versions of her old stuff, which means some 50 or so songs she's never performed, plus new versions of old songs like that 10 minute song, plus I assume at least another new album/re-recorded album by the time she hits stadiums again, assuming summer 2023 at the earliest, at least in America. Multi-night stands with different setlists?

thought this bump would be about the crawdads song coming out tomorrow

mandy moore had the problem of touring for two records at once and her solution was to play songs from both records, i'm sure taylor will figure it out

Medleys...lots and lots of Medleys

Don't know if Mandy Moore is a good comparison.

I guess the Weeknd is essentially touring behind two hit albums for the first time this summer, his first tour since 2016. Let's see how he handles it, though I have no idea if has the deep cut stans that Swift does.

I was thinking about this recently, too. I've never seen her live and certainly wouldn't mind more of a theater tour.

But she can't, can she? I mean, Olivia Rodrigo just did a (large) theatre tour, and Lil Nas X is doing that, too, iirc, but of course even though iirc neither has/had toured before they could have just started at arenas if they wanted to. But someone as popular as Swift, if she played small(er) places I think there would be a huge backlash, unless she did, like, 20 nights in every city.

I tried listening to the new song, but I think I wasn’t in the right headspace for that vibe.

Getting a vaguely mid-90s Tori Amos vibe (specifically stuff like "Bells For Her" or "Sister Named Desire") off "Carolina", though I would be very surprised if that was what Taylor shooting for. Something about the way her voice slides between notes and the lyrics forsake narrative coherence for quasi-coherent allusion - it feels like it wanders down the pathway that "Seven" gestured towards.

It makes me think most of "Safe and Sound" tbh, but that may just be the Southern Goth Lite vibe.