#album critic

[thethingaboutrenas]

The thing about... The Tortured Poets Department:

Is that the real torture is in the organization of this whole album.

When Taylor first announced this album I was actually excited, keeping up with the re-recordings (and *still* patiently waiting for the Rep TV) was very fun, but it started to annoy me a little, and not because of dumb reasons like "it's been years!", but because it was preventing her from doing new stuff.

As if.

Since 2020 doing press for albums, whether that be new or new-old ones, and going on the biggest tour of her career and of the current industry, Taylor still found (or made) time to write many many songs.

"You know in the past few years, I have released more music than I did in the entire decade preceding that, [...] so, I found that the more music I made and the more music that I put out, the happier I was, the more I kept that channel open and just kept creating, kept making things," - Taylor Swift during her AMA's speech (2022)

As much as the fans, and the industry, loves to hear that, as a music fan and somewhat of an artist, i was terrified to hear that. It is important to create, especially when that resonates with how you're feeling or going through. Art is supposed to do that, be a tool, a shoulder to cry, even a kiss if you're sweet enough to vision it.

What shook me up on that speech though was the "the more music i put out the happier i was". That to me showed me that right now music to her is a vehicle of communication that says everything she wants to hear.

I do not know Taylor Swift, I am not her personal secret friend or even someone who's had little hangouts with her - as it is not her fans. But looking at her previous lyrics and previous interviews, Swift has obviously built a fanbase that sees her as a friend, not an idol or family figure, but a friend. They can count on her as much as she can on them. Sure, there are the psychopaths, which Swift has rightfully complained about, but looking at the "normal" ones, Swift does sees them as friends as well.

Release after release, Swift has stated that it is comforting writing songs and seeing people identify with such songs, telling their stories and thanking her for writing them. That's a friend relationship in the Fan World. They can count on her as much as she can on them.

When talking about "The Tortured Poets Department" to an audience of The Eras Tour, Taylor said the album came from "a need to write". And quoting NME "It’s just that maybe we didn’t need to hear it." Rough! Not untrue though, but to me, maybe we could've want to listen, but mostly Taylor needed to hear it.

My excitement for the new album came from the shallow reason of me being noisy and wanting the full on gossip of her previous relationship with Joe Awlyn, but also because the whole aesthetic she created, the name and taking in context how much her life has changed in the past four years, and knowing her ability to use that (we've seen in folklore, reputation and Speak Now, ladies and gentlemen) made me excited for the body of work i would listen to.

Thing is, said body: sounds like Frankenstein with a bunch of loose stitches. The album has so many stories, so many feelings, so many genres, so much information, that one would think that's a good thing but when you listen to it, it's just a mess.

"The Tortured Poets Department" is so clearly an Eras Tour album that it just feels like you're hearing her entire discography. Which is really a shame 'cause she has a great discography, but in this context it's redundant. You get tracks that sound like folklore, red, 1989, reputation with lyrics that rarely don't sound like she didn't read after writing it.

"Now I'm running with my dress unbuttoned Screaming "But Daddy I love him!" I'm having his baby No, I'm not, but you should see your faces" - But Daddy I Love Him (Idk it's just dumb, strike me as a buzzkill but it's so lame)

Whether I'm gonna be your wife or Gonna smash up your bike, I Haven't decided yet But I'm gonna get you back - gonnagetyouback (A bike?)

Was any of it true? Gazing at me starry-eyed In your Jehovah's Witness suit Who the fuck was that guy? You tried to buy some pills From a friend of friends of mine They just ghosted you Now you know what it feels like - The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (Weak analogy)

Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto - So High School (I just hate it. Don't care i'ts called the way it's called, she could've done something better, especially with the "bros" part

We wished we could live in instead of this I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid - I Hate It Here ("But the took out the racists" baby it's a weird lyric that honestly would only work out in a very specific way to a type of activism that Taylor is not)

Had Taylor been a little more crytical on her writing, instead of... listening to a whole bunch of fans that have 0 reference besides her to the point they think she invented synthpop. She could've done a really good body of work, and i know that because out of the 31 (31!!!) songs on the album, that are such great sensational songs - had them been placed on the right album.

After being on several short relationships, Taylor was with a guy for six years, to the point of marriage expectation, it was a relationship way different from the others. She went from no politics to publicly endorsing candidates and many social movements. She went from number one public enemy to somebody no one cares about to renowned artist to "that annoying singer" in the spam of four years.

She's a skilled songwriter, one hell of a instrumentalist, perfect at singing a song exactly how i'ts supposed to be sung and with a big ass baggage to use as material. Yet here we are.

I will say though, there are glimpses of what this album could've been. This was the perfect chance to, just like folklore, experiment with a genre she and her fans weren't comfortable with yet. Not only showing artistic growth but intertwining with how much she has grown with the changes from the past 4 years. A bit afraid to say that, maybe, this didn't happen because she didn't.

"The Tortured Poets Department" to me is: Florida !!! (feat. Florence and the Machine), Clara Bow, Fresh Out The Slammer and The Black Dog.

On hindsight, The Tortured Poets Department is a waste of potential with solid songs but overall a bad album.

BONUS: As a known capitalist, she lost her chance to release a Live Album of The Eras Tour with two bonus songs, one of them being "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me".

3/10

[ridrawsart]

Happy Winter's Crest, for the critters that celebrate. 😘

[colealexart]

*90s-ifies your imogen temult*

[midnightsslut]

i know a lot of people have mentioned this, but i’m just obsessed with the way taylor refused to sanitize herself on this album. she’s telling you everything. she got off to gross men whilst already in another relationship. she fell for the most obvious lies because she wanted to believe them. she was mad at anyone who tried to warn her. yes, she’s still mad at you for clutching your pearls and watching her like a circus animal btw. she’s having his baby—no she’s not! she just likes trolling. she does really want babies, though. like a lot. she felt like she’d been abducted by aliens and found cosmic love, but in reality, she was manic. and then he fucking ghosted her! and he didn’t even measure up in any measure of a man!!!!! and now she’s devastated by him and his predecessor! she feels like a wondrous prophet one day and the desperate victim of a curse the next. btw he knows how to ball and she knows aristotle. and fuck kim k! also man sex with certain men kinda fucked her up, but at least the writing that came from it defined her legacy. the manuscript isn’t hers anymore. she hopes this insane ass manuscript won’t have to be hers, either! free her of these stories.

[laerryncoramar]

I don't know what Sam did or say to convince Marisha to sing a whole song as Laudna, but this is the best Christmas present ever

[deramin2]

Taliesin Jaffe had to have one of the wildest paths to professionally recording a punk song.

It wasn't through his youth in the LA goth and punk scenes, even as a professional performer since he was a toddler. It was from getting famous for playing D&D and recording a Holiday album for it at 47.

And as someone who collects punk holiday songs, it absolutely slaps.

[that-was-a-bit-stupid-of-you]

the issue with ttpd personally is that I love some of the songs but sadly I've been force-fed her personal life so much, these details keep coming and leaves a bad taste in my mouth

You can't say "1830s without the racist" after writing an album about matty healy

"So high school" is a cute love song, but it's about our xenophobic racist king tk

"I can fix him" and "daddy I love him" have some elements I like but it's about mh and her getting offended she's being held responsible for her problematic actions

"guilty as sin?" is one of my favs, but it reads very different when you know (unfortunately) the context

"so long, london" is amazing, but just like "renegade" she blames joe alwyn for having mental health issues, but also out them to the world which is the worst part of it all

wishing I didn't know the context, but it is practically impossible to engage in any taylor swift space without knowing

[potato-lord-but-not]

guys help I can’t stop drawing him

[clar-a-m]

This is just so sweet 😭

the article:

[katie-is-tired-yay]

Allow me a moment to yap about the critical role winters crest album because AH

like ‘O mighty Nein’ being sung by Caleb about his found family in the Nein with the sections for each of the others? Molly’s bit actually made me emotional

And ‘winter anymore’ being sung by (I’m assuming) yasha about zuala?!! Was not expecting to get hit by emotions in Christmas songs but here we are bcs that genuinely made me tear up a bit

And Talesin went hard for ‘nothing under the tree’ like that ROCKED (literally)

The other songs were all amazing too - these were just the ones that impacted or surprised me

[samuraiko]

WAKE UP, CRITTERS, WE HAVE A NEW HOLIDAY ALBUM!

Check it out! Four glorious holiday tracks as sung by our favorite bunch of goofballs! The release has been rolling out (Europe apparently got it first and then the US), and it's also apparently on Apple Music!

AND IT IS GLORIOUS!

EDIT: Critters, it is also available for sale on Amazon Music, etc -- please, please, PLEASE, show your support for Scanlan Shorthalt Music because this is what encourages them to make music available to us!

[lavenderknivess]

everyone say thank you cold inside for the imodna content

[sapphiregem01]

So no one was gonna tell me that Taliesin Jaffe sang a whole ass punk-rock song as Ashton on the winter crest album what the fuck holy fucking shit Ohmygod

[thewhizzyhead]

okay with the knowledge that the warriors film actually had no strong anti-cop message in it and that it focused mainly on being an action piece of gangs traversing the violence of new york, I now feel extremely validated in my thoughts of warriors (2024) being a LOT more intersectional than I first thought it would be. Rather than just riding on the coats of genderbending gimmicks and popular play-safe and shallow "woo girl power" semantics, the album deepens the context through emphasising their struggle and the choice to partake in it not just as women but as a member of marginalized misfits once united under the promise of collective resistance against the police - the 'baddest gang in the city' - and a better future for their constituents.

I dunno I just,,,perhaps I was just surprised to see something quite ballsily critical from lmm's repertoire - transferring a 70's movie loved for action and slight social commentary but ultimately catered to the macho twt filmbros, into a timeless piece that holds no bars in actually featuring intersectional struggle.

[itsallaboutthebirds86]

I feel like we as a society aren’t spending enough time talking about the Nothin’ Under The Tree, specifically the “I’m all rock if you wanna roll” line that shit made me chortle