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The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift (Part 3)

Apologies for the long delay, I got hit by a holiday and life has been a little busy and sleepless lately. I will try my best to get the finale, Part 4. Out as quickly as possible!

17. The Black Dog- Some of my favorite songs are “You Are In Love” and “Right Where You Left Me,” and I’m still baffled this was left as a bonus track. If I wrote this song (solo!!!), I would never shut up about and put it on every album I could. The Anthology has some really great, interesting stuff, but I just think “The Black Dog” is in a league of its own. The lyrics scratch an itch I didn’t know I had and the drums and echo kicking in on “screaming” every time (except the perfection that is the whispered final one) is so cathartic. This is a quintessential break up song; a perfect balance of confusion, nostalgia, sadness and anger. Tattoo this song on my body and put “I hope it’s shitty in The Black Dog” on my gravestone. 5/5

Best Line: “And hire a priest to come and exorcise my demons, even if I die screaming, and I hope you hear it”.

18. imgonnagetyouback- This track is a little meh for me. There’s some lines that feel like they could have used a second draft, and some of them are in the chorus. “Smash up your bike” just seems very random to me and doesn’t make up for the slightly off rhyme scheme enough. There’s some fun vocal moments; she sounds like she’s having the best time in the bridge, but I can see why this is was left off the main track list. 2.5/5

Best Line: “I, I hear the whispers in your eyes, I'll make you wanna think twice. You'll find that you were never not mine. I'm gonna get you back.”

19. The Albatross- This song is fun to sing along to, despite the message being sad. A little research into the Time of the Ancient Mariner (or explainers from the literary Swifties) might help this song click for you if it hasn’t. There’s also a little Blank Space infused in, a “this is what they’re saying about me, I’ll be that character” energy. “Cross your thoughtless heart, only liquor anoints you” rolls off the tongue far smoother than anything containing the word “anoint” has any right to. 4.5/5

Best Line: “Devils that you know, raise worse hell than a stranger. She's the death you chose, you're in terrible danger.”

20. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus- I love a song with a lot or yearning and boy, did I get a feast here. I also really like the subtle, but beautiful musical background Dessner has given us. Those little flourishes elevate the mood so perfectly. The “Maroon” reference is so interesting. The possibilities of mixed genders in the title. There is much to contemplate here, but you are expertly only left with questions, similar to the narrator. A little like the state of the narrator’s affairs, this song haunts the little crevices of my mind, worming it’s way towards being one of my favorites. 5/5

Best Line: Spotify once described my musical aura as “yearning and wistful” and this entire chorus scratches that itch so well. “If you want to break my cold, cold heart, just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'. If you want to tear my world apart, just say you've always wondered.”

21. How Did It End- another song that might be a career high but is delegated to the middle of the second secret album??? At least it’s technically a Track 5. She really captures the embarrassment of breaking up and everyone finding out and some acting like they care so they can have more fodder for gossip. Meanwhile the protagonist doesn’t really even seem to have the answers to give them, a genius double entendre with both onlookers and the narrator asking the titular question. “Soon they'll go home to their husbands. Smug cause they know they can trust him,” really punches in a break up song. Everyone else has what she doesn’t. There is so much heartbreaking minutiae tucked into this song; it’s a beautiful moment of vulnerability. 5/5

Best Line: Truly a lot of great stuff. I love the minor circus theme sprinkled in throughout the album, including here with, “Come one, come all. It's happening again. The empathetic hunger descends.” But “And so a touch that was my birthright became foreign,” is so good, it makes me physically ill.

22. So High School- a classic Taylor Swift track list move is to whiplash the listener a bit after ripping their heart out with a drastic tone shift and “So High School” continues this time-honored tradition. It is a track full of ear worms and nostalgic soft rock sounds that make it sound like it’s a classic needle drop in a 2000’s rom com. She sounds like she’s having so much fun, and it’s infectious. I wouldn’t return to high school for a million dollars, but this song would have me throwing on a hoodie with the neck cut and rolling the waistband of my Soffe shorts in an instant! 4.5/5

Best Line: “I wanna find you in a crowd just to hide from you,” feels so perfectly high school to me. Honorary mention to “Truth, dare, spin bottles. You know how to ball, I know Aristotle. Brand new, full-throttle. Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto” for being so funny. If you think those are dead serious lines meant to be taken at face value, that’s a skill issue.

23. I Hate It Here- Daydreamers will delight at this song’s beautiful imagery. The “Here” in the title can be anywhere. A bad date, a town you’ve outgrown, a bad time in your life. Criticism of the second verse was overblown upon the album release within context of the song, but it is a little clunky. I really love the flowing melody and glowing depictions of where she escapes to, but I don’t need the verses the way I do in many other songs on the album. 3.5/5

Best Line: “I hate it here so I will go to lunar valleys in my mind, when they found a better planet, only the gentle survived.”

24. thanK you aIMee - this is a cheeky little track about rising above the bullies. It’s catchy and fun enough, I think that’s the capitalization in the title is distracting a bit from the point. The song feels like a wink and a nudge while ultimately taking the high road and the title feels like a pointed barb. 3.5/5

Best Line: “But when I count the scars, there's a moment of truth. That there wouldn't be this if there hadn't been you.”

Are you an original album or anthology songs stan? Let me know in the comments!!

[popbloganddropit]

The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift (Part 2)

9. Guilty as Sin? - you cheeky little minx, Taylor!!! I’m not sure she’s made me blush like this before! A song about…fantasizing outside of your relationship that sounds like the first day warm sun hits your skin after a long, cold winter. And I personally love a song with some good old fashioned yearning, so the bridge really takes it over the top for me. 5/5

Best Line: I really love a lot of lines here, but if “Drowning in the Blue Nile, he sent me ‘Downtown Lights’” is such a killer opener.

10. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?- this song is an insane, showstopping moment. Edgy, raging, biting, and even still a little witty - “So tell me everything is not about me. But what if it is?” WAOLOM strikes such a good balance of being self-aware of her image and faults with genuine anger. Being the biggest pop star doesn’t make everything just roll off your back. Perfect production that builds and escalates exactly as it needs to. 5/5

Best Line: “I was tame, I was gentle 'til the circus life made me mean. ‘Don't you worry, folks, we took out all her teeth’”

11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) - I really like the pseudo-western vibe going on and that lower register is always welcome in my books, but lyrically this doesn’t do a lot for me. It’s building to a punchline we all know is coming. She can’t fix him, shocking, and there’s not enough for me to root for the protagonist being delusional. Ending with just, “Whoa, maybe I can’t” is funny, but it’s not satisfying. If a common complaint is that this album is too long, this song doesn’t feel essential, story-wise. 2.5/5

Best Line: I said all of that, but I do really like the second verse, the best part being, “His hand so calloused from his pistol/Softly traces hearts on my face”.

12. loml- I had a really hard time picking a best line for this song. I almost made a list but decided that would be a little obnoxious. There’s references to her other work expertly weaved in to really great wordplay and metaphors and imagery. The development of the story in the three times you hear the chorus is stunningly good. It’s a pretty simple piano in the background with additional vocal layers right where they are needed for emphasis. There’s something a little bit missing from this song for me to give it a full 5, but I can’t quite put my finger on it and I also think loml really is a grower that’s not meant to be gobbled down in one bite. There’s a lot of lyrical details to be noticed and anything additional might take away from that. I vote this song most likely to be my favorite in 6 months that I don’t understand how it took so long to fully click. 4.5/5

Best Line: I had to do two, from the very beginning and end, that echo each other so it’s kind of like I only picked one then, right??? “Who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames if we know the steps anyway?” —-> “Our field of dreams, engulfed in fire. Your arson's match your somber eyes” Kill me (complimentary). The never before, never since turning into never before and ever since is also brilliant.

13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart - This song is great. There’s a long history of Miss Swift making bops tinged with depression and anxiety and this may be her most unhinged version yet. A celebration of putting on a brave face when you’re going through some shit. Chanted like a mantra she tells herself, we get a peek behind the curtain of reaching glittering professional peaks not seen in this generation while her personal life was crashing. But no one can ever say Taylor Swift is not a professional - I love the delivery on the outro where she laughs off being miserable and ends with a little spoken zinger. Try and come for her job, indeed. 5/5

Best Line: “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday everyday. I’m so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague,” tickles me so. This her comedy album. Inevitably going to go viral on Tik Tok at some point.

14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - An absolutely killer bridge. It builds the drama up until the very end. Unfortunately, the verses could use a little stronger melody, the first half of the song is a little forgettable and feels a little clunky. 3/5

Best Line: “You kicked out the stage lights, but you’re still performing” is a close runner up but had to go with the opening of the bridge. “Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?” is such a perfect escalation and so descriptive of a feeling without saying any feeling words.

15. The Alchemy- I really enjoy some parts of this song but I unfortunately have the desire to hire someone to dub over every single football reference so I can fully get into it. It’s too much, it’s too on the nose. I like the verses, I love the way she says, “I haven’t come around in so long,” and I think “who are we to fight the alchemy?” is a great line. There are just parts that feel like football Mad Libs in a way that makes this song pretty unlistenable to me. 1/5

Best Line: “This happens once every few lifetimes. These chemicals hit me like white wine”

16. Clara Bow - She’s known for writing about relationships and that has let the fact that songs about her relationship with fame are consistently top tier (despite being unrelatable to almost anyone since she is the most famous person on the planet) slip by mostly unnoticed. One of my favorite Taylor tricks is when she alters the lines a bit each go-round and/or flips the script in some way in the final chorus and this song is really an excellent combination of some of the best Taylor moves. I’m not going to pretend have known who Clara Bow was before this record, but it works and I don’t mind an album that makes me do a little Googling to understand some things. The Stevie Nicks reference is perfection. Saying her own name in a song really snaps you to attention. And I think this is a perfect album closer. She’s reckoning just as much with her own desire for notoriety and the consequences that go along with it as she is with former lovers, if you’re listening. 5/5

Best Line: “Crowd goes wild at her fingertip. Half moonshine, a full eclipse.” I’m not even sure I should include the first part. “Half moonshine, full eclipse” is one of my favorite things she’s ever written. (Side note as this is the most appropriate place to put it: the fucking personal poem from Stevie in the liner notes??? Stevie being a loud YOYO,K stan??? I weep at the coolness. Which is the opposite of cool and continuing to comment on it is even worse, sorry!)

Part 3 on the way!!!

[popbloganddropit]

The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift (Part 1)

I’ll be posting 8 songs at a time to break this lengthy album up a bit.

Initial thoughts: She’s raw and unfiltered in a way she hasn’t been before.

But Daddy I Love Him and Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me are the immediate insane stand outs

The Black Dog? 🤮 CoSoSoM? 🫨 how did it end? Drag meeee for being nosy.

1. Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)- This is a very interesting introductory track/lead single. There’s some blending of (as far as we know) truth and fiction, which i think stays throughout the album. However, there’s not a ton for me lyrically or sonically for me to connect to here. The missing rhyme scheme in the first lines is distracting. I would have liked a little more Post Malone overall and a bit more duetting. I’m sure there’s some symbolism in their voices rarely overlapping in meaningful ways, but the hints of it we get sound good, and I want MORE. 3/5

Best Line: “All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February. I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary.”

2. The Tortured Poets Department- I like the sound of this, the melodies, most of the cheeky humor (“I think things I never say, like ‘Who uses typewriters anyway?’”), but the Charlie Puth and Golden Retriever lines really ruin it for me. They totally take me out of the vibe and are distractingly out of pocket. 2/5

Best Line: I like the “I’ve seen/read” lines in the pre-chorus, but the unhinged-ness of putting something as raw and exposed as, “But you told Lucy you'd kill yourself if I ever leave. And I had said that to Jack about you, so I felt seen” in a public space really sets the tone of the album.

3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys- I love her echo-y, layered vocals. Her cadence sounds like war drums that really fits the toy soldier metaphor. I think some slight production tweaks would have really taken it over the top. The vocals sound so cool, but there’s still room for a little more than a thwacking drum machine and a hint of sparkly synth. 3/5

Best Line: I love “I’m queen of sandcastles he destroys”. Runner up goes to “‘Cause you should’ve seen him when he first ✨saw✨me”.

4. Down Bad- I love the alien abduction theme and the trippy production to match. The dichotomy of the space-y verses and daily-life drudgery of the chorus works on a metaphoric and Down bad crying at the gym? The self awareness to call it teenage petulance before just saying “fuck it”? People not getting that Miss Swift is sometimes jealous king around and doesn’t take herself seriously 100% off the time will never make sense to me. 4/5

Best Line: “Did you really beam me up, in a cloud of sparkling dust?”

5. So Long, London- once the beat comes in, we’re off to the races and you can’t quite catch your breath through this whole song, especially with the gut-punching lyrics. A beautiful arrangement from Aaron Dessner here that effortlessly carries the weight of anger and heartbreak. 5/5

Best line: “And you say I abandoned the ship, but I was going down with it, my white knuckle dying grip.”

6. But Daddy, I Love Him- I love everything about this song. It sounds like a sunny, summer day. Maybe the narrator is a little delusional, but whomst amongst us hasn’t been? The bridge telling people off a bit is a great moment for her. “I’ll tell you something about my good name, it’s mine alone to disgrace,” feels like something she’s needed to say for a while. 5/5

Best line: there’s a lot of great moments, but, “I’m having his baby. No, I’m not, but you should see your faces” is such a hilarious double-take moment upon first listen that it has to take the crown.

7. Fresh Out the Slammer- I have seen the steaming numbers and y’all are SLEEPING on this track! It’s sad, it’s wistful, it’s a little sexy, it’s everything. I love the rolling cadence of the verses and the slower, haunting choruses. The decelerating outro is perfection. 5/5

Best line: “Now, pretty baby, I'm running back home to you. Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to”.

8. Florida!!! (Ft. Florence and the Machine) - Florida has committed various atrocities on the people of the United States of America, but this is absolutely not one of them. A song of escapism, ghosts, and a banging drum chorus that earns those three exclamation points. Hurricane Florence is a beautiful addition to the track and it wouldn’t sound out of place on an album of hers either. Every line of this is an earworm that you’ll catch h yourself singing over and over again. Fuck me up, Florida (!!!), indeed. 5/5

Best Line: “Barricaded in the bathroom with a bottle of wine. Well me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time.”

[popbloganddropit]

These were my personal predictions for each song on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Was I close? Mostly not at all!!! Original predictions in default, blue for my commentary post-album release.

Pt. 2

11. I Can Fix Him (No Really, I Can)- spoiler alert-she cannot. Maybe a line about how she’s not the problem…fast paced and frantic vibes, the opposite of Labyrinth.

No Anti-Hero reference 😞 to no one’s surprise, she cannot fix him. I thought this would have a much more frantic/manic vibe than it ended up having.

12. loml- saw a theory on Twitter that the meaning changes throughout the song and I think that might be right because Taylor Swift would love to put a depressing ass song called Love of My Life on an album otherwise. Labyrinth-y.

Shouts out to whoever’s tweet I saw that predicteed this correctly! Because it certainly wasn’t me!

13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart - she can tour all these love songs with a broken heart? If the 2 year timeframe is accurate for everything, maybe she can stay in the relationship with a broken heart. RWYLM vibes.

Very wrong on the vibes, but this song is about touring with a broken heart. That’s a pretty easy one though…

14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - There goes the smallest man this town has ever seen.

I thought this would be a cheeky little Last Great American Dynasty-esque song but it is much more scathing.

15. The Alchemy- pretending to turn things in to gold. Punch in the throat sad but maybe not slow. ***predicted fave***

We’ll get into it more with the review, but this definitely isn’t my favorite. I also definitely did not get the subject matter correct!

16. Clara Bow - silent like Clara Bow. Last Great American Dynasty ish.

Significantly less about Clara Bow than I expected. A flip to Taylor at the end is LGAD-ish at least?

17. The Manuscript - what would have been if we followed the manuscript, Birch vibes.

Oop, wrong on both accounts! But not terribly in-Birch-like at least!

18. The Bolter - the runner, she keeps trying to run, Alcott vibes.

Definitely not The Alcott vibes, but it is about her running from things, not that that’s super unpredictable!

19. The Albatross - an insurmountable problem, Carolina vibes

Nope, she’s the albatross! Much faster than I was expecting. Kind of dark like Carolina though.

20. The Black Dog - an ominous symbol keeps appearing.

I’ve seen Prisoner of Azkaban too many times to have said it was the name of a bar.

Alrighty, review incoming!! I’ll be splitting the posts to have about 8 songs so they can get out faster!

[popbloganddropit]

These were my personal predictions for each song on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Was I close? Mostly not at all!!! Original predictions in default, blue for my commentary post-album release.

Pt. 1

1. Fortnight ft Post Malone- Renegade-esque. It’s been a fortnight since you left and here’s how each day went.

Ok, incorrect on both vibe and theme!!

2. The Tortured Poets Department- their relationship is the tortured poets department. They wrote sad songs together. They battle over who will be the chairman and she wins but at what cost?

Slower, but kind of cheeky, maybe like Slut! It is more mid tempo, but still faster than I was originally thinking. She definitely is being a bit cheeky here and making a few jokes! But I definitely did not get the plot correct.

3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys- describes herself as toys and how she got broken, Vigilante Shit esque.

I mean I guess she describes herself as a sandcastle but I was certain there would be a doll metaphor in here!

4. Down Bad-She’s down bad for a man and now she’s down bad (sad). Hits Different feels like the obvious comparison. Maybe Wildest Dreams, but sadder.

I got it right!!! This was maybe the easiest wordplay to guess though. Vibes not correct at all and I did not anticipate an alien abduction motif 🛸

5. So Long, London- the obvious initial instinct is that this is a sad Joe breakup song. But Miss Swift loves to turn an expectation upside down. So I do not think this is British Cornelia Street. There’s a Union Jack decked surprise reveal here that’s going to stab us in the heart.

Nope, a pretty straightforward heart stabbing, she did not hide it!

6. But Daddy, I Love Him- Dramatic af, I love to see it. I just saw this is from the Little Mermaid? And Harry Styles wore a shirt with it once? I’m thinking maybe a reflection on a lifetime of throwing herself headfirst into relationships that burn bright until they go down in flames.

Could truly never have anticipated this song, it is dramatic lol

7. Fresh Out the Slammer-I see this going one of two ways. It’s a time after a fight and they’re hooking back up. Or the relationship is the jail and now she’s out of it.

I mean technically it’s the second one, but “I know who my first call will be to” is so important and shocking that I cannot conceivably count this as correct.

8. Florida!!! (Ft. Florence and the Machine) - they had plans for Florida and now she’s alone there with the ghost of their relationship

While mostly totally incorrect, I did use the word “ghost”!

9. Guilty as Sin?- high infidelity ish? I did something bad but maybe it was your fault?

High Infidelity-ish, but not in vibes 💀

10. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?- oh my god, she’s insane, she wrote a song about me.

lol, she is insane, but in new and exciting ways!

Did any of these turn out like you thought they would? Part 2 soon. I need time to really process a lot of these songs before I can review, so thought this would be a fun way to kill time!

[popbloganddropit]

Cowboy Carter - Beyoncé

1. AMERIICAN REQUIEM: Just light the CMAs on fire, B! An impeccable intro to this album with varied sounds throughout the song that is representative of the sonic journey this album is going to take you on. 4.5/5

2. BLACKBIIRD: Stunning. Knowing no background about the song, I think it would still stop you in your tracks to hear these women harmonize and deliver each line with the perfect performance, emotional but not overdone. With the addition of the knowledge that Paul McCartney wrote this song about black women in the civil rights movement adds to the feeling behind the song and the feeling this version should have always existed. 5/5

3. 16 CARRIAGES- I heard the first two singles described as Texas Hold ‘Em being for country fans that weren’t sure about Beyonce and 16 Carriages as being for Beyonce fans that weren’t sure about country music and that holds up. This song describes Beyoncé’s ascension in the industry, and while I do like it, it’s missing something that makes me NEED to return to it like some of the other tracks here and on RENNAISSANCE. The way the chorus builds up into the titular line is really striking, and does stick around in my head. 4/5

4. PROTECTOR- This song is so sweet, just the right amount of hymnal to feel it in your spirit. The protector into projector line is *chef’s kiss*. 4.5/5

5. MY ROSE- an interlude, but I really wish it were longer because it’s got some really gorgeous and touching moments. 3.5/5

6. SMOKE HOUR- again not rating this, just had to note how tickled I was to hear Willie Nelson say KNTRY radio.

7. TEXAS HOLD ‘EM- I think this song has been stuck in my head since the Super Bowl. It’s so fun and makes you want to learn how to line dance in a pair of Daisy Dukes. 4.5/5

8. BODYGUARD- so smooth and sexy. If I were figuring out what to do with the Bond franchise, I would build a movie fit to make this the theme song and it would be a for sure blockbuster. 5/5

9. JOLENE- there’s probably too much discourse around this song for how serious it is, the Creole banjee bitch is having fun, so we can ignore a few corny lyrics (don’t raise full grown men though, ladies). There’s some really fun stuff going on in the background too, which is keeps a familiar melody interesting. 3.5/5

10. DAUGHTER- MURDER AT THE OPERA, and it is me who has been slayed. 5/5

11. SPAGHETTII- Beyonce having rap as a little side hobby she keeps in her back pocket is so cunty, country, petty of her. This would be one notch better if the hook in the chorus did a touch more for me lyrically. Beyonce’s harmonies over Shaboozey’s verse is perfection, though, so I will overlook it. 4/5

12. ALLIGATOR TEARS- the driving beat in the background never lets you feel at ease with Beyonce’s soulful yet slick performance. 4.5/5

13. JUST FOR FUN- a souldul, heavenly performance. Bey and Willie Jones sound great together. Willie fits in so well, his voice adds a gravelly, twangy flair. This is the CHURCH GIRL of this album for me. It’s objectively good, but something about it just doesn’t go all the way for me. 4/5

14. II MOST WANTED - This so fun! Miley and Beyonce’s vocals sound great together. A music video for this song would be magnificent. Fringe and rhinestones everywhere, vintage cars speeding through the desert, and I can picture them singing together on an upright piano in an old-timey saloon. This song does remind me of Gaga’s “You and I” and some of Joanne. She would have been a great option for this duet too. This song was meant to be belted out your car window at sunset. 4.5/5

15. LEVII’S JEANS- It’s most notable how clean and smooth Post Malone sounds! Everyone cleans up their act for Beyonce! I prefer “II MOST WANTED” a bit more of these two duets, but this is a fun little number. 4/5

16. FLAMENCO- it’s giving mafia but make it country. I know it was noted that a lot of these songs were inspired by movie and I would love to know what movie this one was. FLAMENCO has a bit of a theatrical flair. 4/5

17. THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW- Again, not rating this, I just think it’s very important to the thesis of this album. Genres are limiting. More on this later.

18. YA YA- this song begins the best stretch of the record and is a highlight on an album chock full of great moments. “YA YA” really showcases so many things that Beyonce does well. The intro call and response showing her cheeky sense of humor, then takes off like a shotgun with killer vocals and some social commentary (“whole let of red in that white and blue”) and moves into a sickening Beach Boys interpolation and is ass-shakeable throughout the whole thing (plus some some wild guitar shredding). And it keeps the country line dance-y vibe the whole time. An instant Beyonce classic. 5/5

19. OH LOUISIANA- an excellent transition, because you honestly do need a minute after YA YA. Would love to eventually hear the unedited vocals and/or an explanation of how they made Beyonce sound like this??? Going to skip a rating because this is just a transitional moment; I think very few people are playing this intentionally on repeat as a solo track.

20. DESERT EAGLE- sexy with a hot bass line running through it. Beyoncé makes do-si-do sound cooler than it ever has. The only possible complaint is we need an extended version since it’s only ~70 seconds long. 5/5

21. RIIVERDANCE- only Beyoncé could get away with the combining “Folsom Prison Blues”-esque verses, The Gift esque “running through the river”’s, a hint of 2010’s folk-pop stomp claps, and a and cheeky twerk anthem, “bounce on that shit, no hands”and absolutely get away with it. 5/5

22. II HANDS II HEAVEN- love the “no hands” of the previous song moving into this. This wouldn’t be out of place on Renaissance, but belongs here lyrically and musically as well. It’s not a stand out track, but still very solid. 4/5

23. TYRANT- I really like the beginning and I wish there was a little more of it or it was its own song. I also really like the second part, so it’s not too sad. This is the tight black leather type of country song. That string in the background and the beat are doing some work, which really rides an interesting line between country and RnB. 4/5

24. SWEET/HONEY/BUCKIN- a JOURNEY of a song, I would take 5 minute cuts of any of these portions. It’s a mix of everything that’s on the rest of the album. SWEET starts off with Beyoncé’s soulful vocals and gets a verse from Shaboozey that balances a country and rap fusion significantly better than most garbage on country radio that sounds like rap for people who are afraid to leave their suburb. The claps that follow are scientifically designed to make you want to dance. Into a slower, sensual(but short) HONEY interlude that then takes off like horse into the BUCKIN section which is just a goddamn banger. Sickening how hype this gets. Does Beyonce say “Look at that horse” because you could lift a horse when it’s playing?? 5/5

25. AMEN- an AMERICAN REQUIEM reprise that is a nice bow on the end of this gift Beyonce has bestowed upon us. Works perfectly if you want to go ahead and start the album over again (and you might) or go right in to RENAISSANCE. 4/5

I overall do love so much of this album. If we were to compare to Act i, I would say Renaissance is better as it is, for me, a no skip, play front to back album that is so cohesive. I think the Linda Martell interlude is key to understanding Cowboy Carter, because what is genre and is it important? I think the thesis of this album is that genre is limiting. To the critics that will say xyz elements aren’t country enough, she’s got Willie, Dolly P, and Linda Martell’s co-sign. Country fans checking this out will find Beyonce playing with so many different genres but can hopefully see the country twist she has put on them. In the opposite direction, Beyonce fans who might limit themselves to modern pop and RnB might discover the original Blackbird or Jolene, or they might look at works by the interlude or featured artists and find something they love and relate to. How much of genre do we relate to who it is coming from? Can a Beatles cover by Beyonce be country? Does it matter if it’s “country” if you like it anyway? Beyoncé is exploring and pushing the boundaries of every genre here. Where Renaissance feels very tight and cohesive as a record, Cowboy Carter is the Wild West with a little something for everyone. There does seem to be a general consensus that it’s a little long, but there’s no agreement on what should be cut. I love the way the interludes divide the record up into cohesive segments and those segments would feel incomplete if you removed songs from them, so I must come to the conclusion that the more Beyonce, the better. There are rumors she might do a rock album next, but the real message to be found here is that she can do anything she wants.

This album gets an average of 4.4 and I do feel it is absolutely an album that works together from front to back, so we will round up to a 4.5/5.

Top 3: Bodyguard,Ya Ya, Sweet/Honey/Buckin

What’s Next:

A review straight from The Tortured Poets Department. Thinking I might split it up into a few pieces. This already took me a while and 31 songs is A LOT!

[popbloganddropit]

7 days until THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT makes its debut and I wanted to make a little predictions post. I’m so excited to hear the devastation Miss Swift seems to have in store for us and I can’t wait to hear what it sounds like. There’s often a song on the previous album that is an early edition of the subsequent album’s sound. I have 4 guesses that may be a peek at what’s in store next Friday. Since it seems like it may be relevant, these songs are also thematically on trend, however we should always remain alert to Taylor loving a bait and switch.

1) Dear Reader/You’re Losing Me: I think these songs might be a thematic trend for what’s in store. A look at her own faults and things she may have kept hidden to put on a brave face. A breakdown of why a break up happened. However, I suspect that she will have sonically moved on from these two. I do not think she would put out Midnights 2.0.

2) The Great War: an advancement of Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights’ sounds while still being on theme.

3) Hits Different: I’m not 100% sure what to call this genre. Sort of a late 90’s/early 00’s adult contemporary-alt-pop-singer-songwriter Alanis/Natalie Imbruglia/Michelle Branch/vanessa Carleton vibes. Maggie Rogers has really started exploring this space and Olivia Rodrigo’s dipped her toes in a bit as well (anyone else an immediate Girl I’ve Always Been stan?). However, is there enough variety in sounds here for 20 new Swift songs to explore? Maybe not, but a biased me hopes she might dabble a bit more as it’s a really great genre for her to fire off a bunch of killer lines with a bit of sass or sense of humor. There’s also the artifacts/evidence lines in Hits Different and those words have made their way into some of the small amount of information we’ve gotten prior to the albums release.

4) The Alcott: while not from Midnights, this is still in the right time period so it fits in my opinion! Midnights maybe started off with a few songs written with Aaron Dessner before a pivot to full Antonoff based on an interview Aaron gave where he talked about when they worked on Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve. Maybe there were some more things she kept in the drafts for later. A heavier emphasis on the piano (perfect for acoustic surprise songs!), heavy and melancholy vibes, and vague lyrics that might still be protecting some identities seems like an easy pivot for her.

5) Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve: a surprise 5th option I thought of writing number 4! Raw, angry, a bit more rock-influenced, many people were expecting this direction based on the aesthetic of the Midnights photoshoot. Taylor’s in tune with her audience and is certainly aware this is a sound nobody would be sad to see from her. It fits with the emotional space she might have been in, and is another genre pivot she could dominate. She is strategic though, and an Album of the Year nom is pretty unlikely back to back with her record-setting win in a very stacked year. Knowing how successful these full pivots have been for her, she might hold off until a more advantageous time. Although I think post-pandemic cancelled Lover-fest (with possibly Cruel Summer as a single attached?) and the adoration for some of the vault songs has made her not want to hesitate to put out good music. You never know what’s around the corner and it’s easier to stay on top than claw your way back up.

Which vibes are your favorite and what are you hoping for from TTPD? Cowboy Carter review is imminent and I hope to fire off Maggie Rogers’ before next Friday too!

[popbloganddropit]

I’m feeling “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”. What do you think, swifties??? 🤍🤍🤍

[popbloganddropit]

Tell me your favorite artists!

Taylor Swift has been and always will be my number one! Other artists on my top 5 on Spotify over the past couple years include Carly Rae Jepsen, Florence and the Machine, Beyonce, Brandi Carlile, boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Lorde

[popbloganddropit]

Deeper Well - Kacey Musgraves

Initial thoughts:

My initial thoughts are to not even listen to the rest of the album and just play “Cardinal” 2000 more times. I came into this album with reservations. star-crossed did not grow on me after its release and the singles released before Deeper Well just felt okay to me. I didn’t see it approaching Golden Hour’s place in my heart, because honestly what could? But Kacey’s sixth studio album is a beautiful, mature, and transcendent.

1. Cardinal- A haunting guitar riff that will stick with you with hypnotic, ethereal lyrics. This is somehow both classic Kacey and completely new sonic territory. A slowed down, mystical bridge that elevates this song even more. I love this song, if I hated everything else on the album, this song would still make the entirety better. 5/5

2. Deeper Well- my reaction when this was released before the album was “it’s fine”. I wouldn’t have gone back to it and it didn’t leave me super hopeful for how much I would enjoy the album. I just didn’t connect with it lyrically. It has grown on me a bit with the album, but I would rank it towards the bottom of the tracks. 3.5/5

3. Too Good To Be True- I liked this better than Deeper Well upon release, but it didn’t make me more excited for the album. It’s quiet and doesn’t seem to to explore any new territory for Kacey, but it’s an overall pleasant listening experience. 4/5

4. Moving Out- a soft, dreamy song about moving out and reflecting upon the memories. It perfectly blends the sadness with looking back fondly. I particularly like when she repeats “start again” as a wink at starting again. 4/5

5. Giver/Taker- I love this chorus. It’s gorgeous and moving. The verses and bridge are nothing to sneeze at either. This song convinced me this album was magic upon first listen. 4.5/5

6. Sway- as a person who could also learn how to sway, this song is gently keeping its hands pressed on my neck. The final ~30 seconds slowed down with magnetic harmonies make me ascend into heaven. 5/5

7. Dinner With Friends- this song is about things Kacey will miss when she passes and it’s beautiful and sentimental. An instant classic that really shows what Kacey is great at. 4.5/5

8. Heart of the Woods- …I could be convinced to join a barefoot and naked in the woods cult if this song was played enough times. The soft guitar strums, the drum reminiscent of a heartbeat, the echo-y vocals, tattoo this song on my soul. The words describe all of nature being connected in Kacey’s signature stunning but simple way. 5/5

9. Jade Green- in a perfect transition, this one is for the crystal girlies. This feels a little darker, and sounds like a hypnotic spell being cast. “Like the bracelet that you bought me, I want you on my arm,” immediately suck out as a favorite lyric to me. 4/5

10. The Architect- Honestly, Kacey, who gave you permission to be this genius? The instrumental allows the lyrics to really shine here, as they should. A beautiful set of questions for the architect of everything that’s open enough for whatever you personally believe in and a song that makes me a bit teary even though it’s not really sad. 5/5

11. Lonely Millionaire- I really like the romantic instrumental that makes me want to slink and sway through my home. Lyrically, it’s just not fully connecting for me, but I do like that Kacey’s playing with song structure a bit here. 3.5/5

12. Heaven Is- A hymnal instrumental and melody fit the heavenly lyrics. A song that’s destined to be a first dance at a wedding, but it’ll be a tearjerker rather than hokey and overdone. 4/5

13. Anime Eyes- This is so fun and cute. A perfect penultimate track to lighten up before the end of the album. The fervered speed run towards the end is the the cherry on top of this ice cream sundae of a song. Very easy for a song like this to fall into trying too hard and Kacey keeps it just restrained enough to not fall into a forced quirky vibe. 4/5

14. Nothing to be Scared Of- a sweet little bow to wrap up the gift that is this album. It’s a little short, but I’d rather be left wanting more than checking my watch waiting for the timer to run down. 4/5

Final Thoughts:

Deeper Well will leave you feeling like you took a walk through a mystical forest with Kacey while she told you some of her deepest thoughts and secrets with an occasional giggle-filled frolic through a meadow. I’m impressed with the range of emotions here, and each of them are accompanied by a perfectly moody instrumental. I’m not sure if Golden Hour will ever be topped for me, but Deeper Well isn’t trying to be Golden Hour and maybe more importantly, it’s not trying too hard not to be Golden Hour. Musgraves feels set free and I greatly enjoyed the journey she took me on, through the heart of the woods. The average score of the songs was 4.3, and I obviously think this record really works as an album in full, so rounding up to 4.5/5

Top 3: Cardinal, Heart of the Woods, The Architect

What’s Next?

Queen B!!!! ASAP!!! 🤠🐴

[popbloganddropit]

Bleachers - Bleachers

Initial Thoughts: The album feels deeply introspective. I need to sit with lyrics and vibe to fully form an opinion. No immediate standouts.

1. I Am Right On Time- a solid opening thesis statement. This a Bleachers album, there will be nostalgic references and it will be vaguely (or as of late, more and more overtly) New Jersian. “My mind is mirrors, don’t know what is and what’s reflection. The future’s past and I am right on time,” left an imprint on me. I like the evolution of the band becoming more and more involved in the records. This is a standard Bleachers track, not lacking, but nothing exceptional. 3.5/5

2. Modern Girl- I’m a such a sucker for a saxophone, and it’s responsible for the energy in this song along with the We Didn’t Start the Fire-esque shouty list verses. Would shake my ass to it a bit, guess I’m a Modem Girl. 4/5

3. Jesus Is Dead- The cadence this song is chanted in is not pleasing to my ears. This and the lyrics give off the air of a bad Weezer impression (a poor impression of Weezer or an impression of Weezer when they make bad music? You decide). There’s tiny glimmers of good (“Jesus is dead and so’s New York, I built a place right down the shore. It’s nice”.) and I would bet this song is fun live, but it’s a skip for me. 1.5/5

4. Me Before You- the songwriting reminds me of a classic Bleachers hit even though it’s slower and quieter. Antonoff sings in a breathless manner that fits the yearning lyrics. And I enjoyed the jaunty little outro to take us out. 4.5/5

5. Alma Mater- This was my favorite of the songs released before the album. Love the surprise Lana vocals and there are points that flirt with being Bon Iver falsetto-esque. I don’t really get why we’re screaming “fuck Balenciaga”. It takes me out of the mood of the rest of the song and doesn’t fit. 4/5

6. Tiny Moves - Jack enters his“I Love My Wife” era with this cute little number. It’s not generic, but is missing a really hard hitting lyric or something else to really take it over the top for me. 4/5

7. Isimo - I’m also a sucker for a good “shalala,” which is tastefully tucked in to the sentimental (boulder) lyrics that sound like Jack is rooting just for you. 4.5/5

8. Woke Up Today- A simple love song with some real humdinger lyrics. “Woke up today and I was right, my winning ticket in her eyes”. “But if faith is a chance, then I can believe I would deserve every breath I see you breathe”. Oof, the man is in love. Missing something to really take it over the top for me, but a beautiful little romance. 4/5

9. Self Respect- a sad boy anthem for the ages, with an assist from the always welcome Florence Welch. A boy boygenius-esque depressed wallower. And sometimes I am tired of having self respect. I don’t know if I love the Kobe/Kendall lines but I’ve certainly heard worse things. The random modern references just really snap me out of the mostly nostalgic vibes Jack likes to invoke. 4/5

10. Hey Joe- An Aaron Dessner collab, with Claud vocal! I like this upbeat, but contemplative song. 4/5

11. Call Me After Midnight- I don’t get anything out of this song. It sounds a bit like a The 1975 reject that didn’t need to be on their record or this one. It’s fine enough, it just doesn’t have a moment that hits hard enough to justify its existence. 2.5/5

12. We’re Gonna Know Each Other Forever- this track has a beautiful, captivating instrumental and pleading, pensive words. The narrator feels frozen and helpless and the screams at the end really punctuate the conversation. 4/5

13. Ordinary Heaven- This sounds like a closing track to me, but there’s still one more song left. The vocal layering is well done, but the song is a bit repetitive and long for me and the spoken sample doesn’t add what it needs to add. 2.5/5

14. The Waiter- I find the autotune effect too grating to enjoy anything else about this track. Going to be a skip for me every time, and an unfortunate way to end an album I would overall say I enjoyed. 1/5

Final Thoughts:

I think one of the album’s biggest flaws is that it lacks energy, an abnormal complaint for a Bleachers record. Some artists kill a slow, sentimental ballad (and there are several Antonoff-produced simple piano ballads I’d list as favorites of all time), but Bleachers’ strength for me has always been scream in your car with the windows down anthems (“Don’t Take the Money” isn’t even particularly fast, but I feel it in my soul more than this collection of songs). Releasing both“Tiny Moves” and “Modern Girl” before album release was a misstep when those are the highest the energy reaches on the album and neither of those. There was such a nice run of songs I enjoyed in the last half of the record that was really brought back down by the ending few. There are some songs I will return to, but probably not this record as a whole. The average score was 3.32 and I will keep it there rather than round up or down because I think rounding down is too harsh, but there’s not enough for me to round up. 3.3/5

Top 3:

Me Before You, Isimo, Woke Up Today

What’s Next?

I’m definitely interested in the bonus tracks from this album once they are released on streaming. Hoping to get Deeper Well out quickly so we can fully enter our Cowboy Carter era 🤠. There are a couple deluxe/EP’s that got released last week (Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, possibly Tyla’s album?👀) that I’d like to get to as well. Next Friday, Orville Peck will be releasing an album as well, so please keep your cowboy hats and fringe securely fastened.

Let me know your thoughts about Bleachers and what upcoming releases you’re excited for!

[popbloganddropit]

If you haven’t already, now is the time to hop on the Chappell Roan bandwagon, she’s my favorite up and comer 💫 I think I could lift a car when Pink Pony Club is playing 🎀

CHAPPELL ROAN | Tiny Desk Concert

[popbloganddropit]

Eternal Sunshine - Ariana Grande

Initial thoughts: Going to do my best with the track titles all being lowercase, but cut me some slack if autocorrect puts in some proper capitalization. we can’t be friends was an immediate standout. I was a little bored by the first half of the album on first listen. I’m not a person who is going to “cancel” an artist for cheating. That’s your personal life, the public will never have the full story, and there are far more problematic actions an artist can commit than being messy in your or someone else’s home. However, at first listen, I feel like I need to be cheering it on to fully vibe with what’s being presented to me. That’s perhaps a bit far for me as a more casual listener and not a Stan. At the same time, honesty is refreshing, there’s not a coverup job going on here.

1. intro (end of the world) is a beautiful intro track that sets the stage for the album. Morality aside, I love “Then I had this interaction I've been thinking 'bout for like five weeks. Wonder if he's thinking 'bout it too and smiling. Wonder if he knows that that's been what's inspiring me. Wonder if he's judging me like I am right now.” A cute little crush, got me kicking my feet. And “If the sun refused to shine. Baby, would I still be your lover? Would you want me there? If the moon went dark tonight. And if it all ended tomorrow. Would I be the one on your mind, your mind, your mind? And if it all ended tomorrow, would you be the one on mine?” To be clear, this is almost all of the lyrics on the track. A true set up for this album, and she’s not making excuses, just sharing her side. Gorgeous instrumental and obviously the great harmony stacks you can always expect from Ariana. 4/5

2. bye- I think bye might have been a better lead single than “yes, and?” (Which I would honestly maybe delete from the album). I might love this song more for revealing this conversation:

Not lyrically complex, but catchy enough to stick in your head. 3/5

3. don’t wanna break up again- Obligatory “it’s wild to feel like your marriage is a situationship”. This feels like a song that needs to exist narratively than a song that needs to exist because there was a melody or hook or lyric or other essential song part that someone needed to get out. “I wanted to write a song about x” instead of “a song came from within me that tells x story”. The first way doesn’t always make for bad song but it rarely makes for a great one. “Hope you won’t regret me, hope you still think fondly of our little life,” is a very sweet sentiment and more of that throughout the track would have taken it up a notch. It feels a little repetitive without the hook or insight to earn it. 2.5/5

4. saturn returns interlude- maybe I haven’t watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind recently enough, but this album has so far not done enough for me to need an interlude. 3/5

5. eternal sunshine- a catchy enough litle bop. “Hope you feel alright when you’re in her,” made me do an aural double take the first time. There’s some questionable rhyme schemes here (rhyming “sorry” with “sorry”), but i can look past it because the bridge is excellent.

“Won't break, can't shake

This fate, rewrite

Deep breaths, tight chest

Life, death, rewind”

Chanted like a mantra. Love the choice to repeat it again at the end, it really elevates this song for me despite the parts that are not to my taste. 3.5/5

6. supernatural- if you’re not here for a horny Ariana ditty, I don’t know what you’re listening to an AG record for. The tone on this chorus is heavenly. It’s not a song to scream in your car with the windows down, it’s a quiet, rainy night doing love spells type of song and I’m personally bewitched by it. 4.5/5

7. true story- A bite back at the haters with not enough bite. Ariana sounds amazing, this is a sound I would love more of from her, but lyrically, it’s just not doing it for me. She’ll play the villain if we need her to, but I DON’T need her to, I’m just not being provided with any narrative that suggests she’s not at least a little bit the bad guy (the married father is more the bad guy, to be clear, but I don’t think I’ll be incorporating my thoughts into a Wicked soundtrack review). If it’s not any of my business, make a less personal album. I’ll listen to Into You all day long, I don’t need the music to be tied to your personal life. But if you’re going to, you need to either fully play into the villain role or tell me your side that makes you not one. 3/5

8. the boy is mine- re-listened to Brandy and Monica first because it had been too long and I needed to refresh to properly form an opinion here. The original is honestly 90’s RnB perfection. Huge shoes to fill. Questionable from the start that it’s not a duet.

Narratively, I think Ari is still playing the villain here. If I separate the outside story, the verses and chorus are approaching the greatness of the original. They don’t quite reach it, but who could expect that? A nice homage to an era that’s clearly inspired Grande’s music. The bridge is a letdown compared to the rest, unfortunately. It sounds like it was left in when no better ideas were brought to the table. Narratively, again, I’m not sure this goes far enough into the villain persona, but doesn’t do enough to give us an explanation for why the villianous ways are justified. It’s the reason the bridge is so frustrating. Don’t take accountability in your villain era (and don’t say you’re not usually like this. Come on, girl). 3/5

9. yes, and?- Taylor Swift has finally improved her lead single choices and all the other pop girlies have decided to pick the worst song on the album to put out as a teaser. Break My Soul ended up working for me in the context of Renaissance. This doesn’t. It still feels as throwaway within the album as it did when it first released. It’s catchy enough, but adds nothing musically or to the story that feels needed. 1.5/5

10. we can’t be friends (wait for your love)- YES. A sick beat, beautiful vocals, an extended pause after saying, “silence”. This song has everything. A favorite for me, it fills your whole ear while Ariana’s soft vocals keep the song feeling a little understated. Dreamy perfection 5/5

11. i wish i hated you- an interesting and unique melody. A beautiful, contemplative break up song where Ariana wishes she hated her former love, that they had been meaner, that there was a finger to point, but sometimes things just don’t work. This song does, though! 4.5/5

12. imperfect for you- an acceptance that a relationship is not between two perfect people under ideal circumstances, but works anyway. An ear worm of a chorus for something so contemplative and produced perfectly to match the “fucked up, anxious” chorus. A song to sway to as the world burns. 4.5/5

13. ordinary things- Nonna’s advice is the best part of this song. The three songs prior to this really work for me sonically and narratively, and this otherwise just feels like it doesn’t hit quite deep enough to end an introspective album on. 2.5/5

Final thoughts:

There are some excellent highs here but also some middle of the road snoozers, as well as a confusing narrative. Sonically, this album feels cohesive without being repetitive and thusly the rounded score will be rounded up. Average was 3.42, which we will round up to a 3.5/5 stars.

What’s next?

I know there was a slightly deluxe quickly pushed out, assuming there’s a full deluxe to follow, I’ll cover those all then, otherwise it’ll just have to wait until a light week (and the girls are not leaving many light weeks this spring)! Bleachers up next with Kacey Musgraves hopefully soon to follow. A tiny gap this Friday before Beyonce hopefully lassos breath from my lungs once again, so maybe we will have room to squeeze in a little extra somewhere.

[popbloganddropit]

Hello everybody! I’ve loved pop music (and most kinds of music) my whole life…a very unique perspective only I can provide! 2024 is shaping up to be one of the most stacked years of musical releases in recent memory, and I wanted to start writing about some of them here as a bit of a creative outlet rather than spending a lot of my time just consuming the internet.

Liable to change as time goes on, but to start, reviews will go track by track with a rating out of 5 for each. At the end, I’ll summarize my thoughts and provide the average of those individual track ratings. To give the album a final score, I’ll decide if I feel like the album works together well as project and round up to the nearest 0.5 or down if I feel like it’s messy and might be better in parts rather than as a sum.

I’m figuring out how a lot of this works, so bear with me as I work out kinks. Productivity over perfection is my goal as I get started.

Over time, I’d like to start doing some retrospectives and listen through some catalogs where I’m not familiar with many deep cuts and do some fun rankings and other content with my favorites.

Send me your suggestions and feedback and hopes and dreams. It’s an exciting time to be a music fan, let’s put our records on and dance like no one’s watching together 💕