#1hr9mins

[aimless-otter]

Travel Rolls- C3Ep42, C3Ep49

[discdetective]

EVERMORE

TAYLOR SWIFT

2021 / 17 songs / 1hr9min

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AVERAGE SONG RATING - 7.0

TS discog ranking pt 2

willow - 8.6

what an album opener! instantly hooked from that first chorus after the short little verse. beautiful lyrics and production that is both enchanting and world-building but subtle enough to push the lyrics to the forefront of the track. the guitar(s) and violins work incredibly together and blend beautifully with the backing vocals to make the perfect backdrop for Swift’s enchanting lyrics and vocals. just wish it strayed a little further than that one chorus.

champagne problems - 8.7

beautiful beautiful beautiful lyrics (some of which i think parallel cardigan from folklore - “night train” and “stepping on the last train” in regards to a lover leaving?) paired with perfectly fitting piano music that manages to remain interesting while being humble. similar piano to willow but not to the point of repetition. also has that same stripped back feel (this is a folk album after all).

i’ve always had the image of whoever it is proposing to the persona in the song (because this is obviously about a rejected one) doing so by fulfilling the cliche of slipping the engagement ring into a glass of champagne to add another layer. maybe that’s just me, but the songs ability to allow the listener to run wild with different scenes is undeniable. always countries vibrant images in my mind.

gold rush - 7.1

thematically very similar to the last two songs, especially champagne problems. romantic uncertainty as a theme throughout is definitely solidified by this track order.

while the lyrics don’t entrance me as well as those of the last two songs, they stil never fail to make me think up some really saturated images from characters to settings (the coastal town mentioned, for instance).

production is nothing special, which can feel especially noticeable hearing this after the last two songs.

‘tis the damn season - 6.9

opening immidately feels different from the previous tracks, some really original production on this track - not just in the album but in a folk record in general. love the use of the electric guitar. lyrics again very saturated with metaphor and similar but never feel truly at the forefront of this track in my opinion. backing vocals really add a lot. that last chorus is definitely the star of the show.

tolerate it - 6.1

instantly different from the previous track with that haunting (but not cold or scary) piano intro. while the lyrics can be a bit vague in this one i do respect them and know they’re like thag on purpose. not a fan of the drums i’m afraid. like willow i think it could’ve deviated a bit more from what it stuck to.

no body, no crime - 6.5

tone and slight genre shift with this one. there are other guitar-heavy songs on the record before this but nothing gets as country as this - i swear i even hear a southern twang in Swift’s delivery a good few times. fun and enjoyable despite the themes, you can tell they had fun making this one.

nothing with a narrative as linear or singular as this song as of yet or arguably on the whole record, which can make it feel a little contained - especially in conjunction with Swift’s mastery of metaphor so often shown in this album (although, maybe a step away from that helps songs which lean into it feel less worn).

happiness - 5.4

another major shift in sound right from the start. the first (and only?) use of synth in this album, and it feels a little rough around the edges. i want to love it but it feels just a shade too removed from the other aspects of the song for me to entirely appreciate - i like the parts of the song without it the best, where the violin takes its place toward the end. love love love the vocal delivery in this one even if the lyrics are a little reserved - noticeably withdrawn image-wise compared to the likes of gold rush or champagne problems.

dorothea - 8.3

this feels like the first lean into cowboy imagery that always fills my head when i think of evermore. a lot of it is probably down to the tupelo lyric in all honesty, but the oooo-eees don’t help. the use of swifts lower register works so well. love love love the use of the drum kit and don’t think it clashes with the piano at all.

while i feel the lyrics are simultaneously vague and too specific to tie down the the images the music conjures for me i do enjoy them - i like to think of cowboys even though they wouldn’t sell magazines or be pageant queens and such. i don’t think people realise the amount of highschool imagery in this one. if they swapped the piano for an acoustic guitar it could almost be a fearless vault track.

coney island (feat The National) - 5

really puts into place the feeling within the album of waiting - not really yearning, but being left behind or sitting around for the moment when something will happen. production feels a littttle tired at this point - it fits well in the album where it is, if it was put with tolerate it and ‘tis the damn season it would stray behind. i don’t think The Nationals voice particularly works with this song. he has a very rich, powerful voice that doesn’t allow itself to soften like Swift’s which can feel overpowering with the stripped-back production. the lyrics don’t do much for me.

ivy - 6

a big hitter for swifties but it doesn’t do a huge amount for me. i really appreciate the production but again, the placement of the track in the album is doing a lot for it. it does resemble some songs heard not too long ago on the record. while the lyrics don’t really get me on the whole there a few moments that really draw me in (crescent moon, coast is clear). so many jingle bells on this album, not entirely sure why? i guess it did release in january, maybe they were feeling festive in the studio.

cowboy like me - 8.9

i won’t lie. i’m so biased. i’m a big fat sucker for cowboy imagery i love it all the boots the hats the yearning the homosexuality of it all it won’t never not get me. the piney yearny humble but desperate love type lyrics get me so bad. love to think that cowboy means more than outlaw.

the production works incredibly here in my opinion despite its shyness at times. love the little flairs of electric guitar - would’ve liked to have heads some banjo, but maybe that’s too on the nose.

while i love this track i feel like it might run away from itself a tiny bit, but i allow it because i appreciate the song so much.

long story short - 5.6

not the hugest fan of the production but i appreciate the way it starts out no doubt trying to distance itself sound-wise from the other songs - does what it wants and ends up sounding original. don’t feel overly evermore-y until right before the end. don’t connect much with the lyrics.

marjorie - 9.4

wow. the opening before the lyrics come in is already so entrancing and beautiful - some of my favourite production on the album. could be the best lyrics of the whole record. absolutely stellar, heartbreaking, and somehow so relatable and applicable to so many people while being so personal to Swift. a heavy song that means a lot to a lot of people. creates the most visceral images in my mind of the album, i think - especially in the bridge. i can totally see the cold lake and orange leaves of the early morning autumn swims (not that it’s ever even mentioned that the swims are taking place in a lake). haunting, beautiful, cathartic.

closure - 4.9

opening is definitely .. A Shift away from marjorie. it grows on me whenever i hear it but it needs to grow on me a little more before i can like it - very hectic i feel. overall doesn’t do much for me, i feel like the production is distracting and takes away from the lyrics which aren’t strong enough to be taken away from by leaps of production faith.

evermore feat (feat Bon Iver) - 4.5

really not a fan of Bon Iver’s voice .. ever … in anything ….. sorry.. has the same effect as The National’s in coney island. too deep. too forward. doesn’t fit the song and clashes with Swift. really like the piano, not so much a fan of the lyrics. evermore once again solidifies the core themes of the album while staying in line with its typical aesthetic - romantic conflicts expressed coldly over a piano. the song feels repetitive imo. not a fan of the duet that tries to break away from that feeling.

right where you left me (bonus track) - 9.6

oh my god i LOVE THIS SONG….. so so so good i think my favourite aspect is Swift’s vocal performance and just the way she delivers the lyrics - so raw with emotion. ADORE the delivery in the entirety of the last verse and chorus. overall stellar!! production works so constantly well. gives me the most saturated images in my mind of any song on the album other than marjorie - i can see it all so clearly. masterful writing upheld by wonderful production.

proof that cowboy like me could’ve had understated banjo i fear 😢

it’s time to go (bonus track) - 7.9

whyyyyy is the production so unbelievably good on the bonus tracks?!!? they perform so much better than some of the mid-record tracks imo. the lyrics are solid and paint some nice but usually watered-down images for me. love when a song’s sections manage to feel different from eachother and create real divides, which ittg does well i think.

CLOSING ARGUMENTS

overall a thematically and aesthetically sound album with enough tracks that deviate to an enjoyable degree, allowing for one streamlined feeling to the record with room for enough change to prevent a feeling of repetition. love her folk stuff. some of Swifts most visceral and vivid imagery of all her work. production is consistent and almost always upholds the pretty constant high-quality lyricism.

so autumnal in it’s temperatures, from the cold mixing of the piano to the warmth of the acoustic guitar layering, evermore has the ability to morph into so many different aspects of the one season it embodies.

beautiful all over, even the forgettable stuff (which is rare)

[fenderguitar]

The fact that i might actually get a well paying job but I would spend half my salary to commute to work makes me 😠

[acehardys]

i love you, my little sunshine ☀️💛

charl please, don't make me cry i slept 1hr9mins,,, i love you 🌟