mukund shyam

introduction

Released on the 24th of July last year (2020), Taylor Swift's folklore album is over a year old; but it is still one of the albums I most listen to nowadays. It falls towards the top of my favourite albums list, and I think one of the reasons for that is how familiar it is. Of course, it sounds nothing like Swift's previous albums Lover and Reputation; but on listening to it, folklore is irrefutably Taylor Swift. folklore showcases Swift's songwriting prowess, her ability to weave stories through music, and communicate emotion. folklore is far removed from Swift's usual music, but it still feels like home like her other music does. The songs on folklore go beyond her usual autobiographical style of writing, but it still feels deeply personal and true.

the tracklist and the story

folklore has songs that convey so many different types of emotions, in a way that it feels like its not you who is feeling the emotion but the song.

folklore mostly follows a fictional story arc, a love triangle between people named Betty, James, and an unnamed girl. It seems to be a semi-autobiographical album as well.

Tracks like "the last great american dynasty" and "mad woman" really make you feel things that the folk-y and acoustic-lofi vibe of folklore doesn't really lend itself to.

This vibe really enhances some other tracks, though, like title track "cardigan", "seven" and "mirrorball".

The album has Swift's brilliant semi-autobiographical tracks as well, like "epiphany". It also doesn't lack any vibey songs, which are present in the form of "betty" and "the 1".

the production

folklore is co-produced by Swift; founding member of The National, Aaron Dessner; longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff; and William Bowery, a pseudonym for Joe Alwyn.

folklore, as mentioned above, has a vibe that is far removed from her previous albums, with productions reminiscent of indie, alternative pop and folk music. It has a lofi, acoustic feel which permeates throughout the whole album.

The best way to describe the production of folklore is 'subliminal'. All of the songs have really minimalistic productions, with tons of texture throughout. It almost feels supernatural to listen to.

The songs have almost no bass, interestingly, but I never noticed the lack of it. I think it actually really helps to have a lot of high end in the song to let the texture shine through.

Swift's brilliant vocals also shine through, a very important part of letting emotion shine through the songs.

the songwriting

If you've listened to Taylor Swift before, nothing has changed. She's probably better than before.

This album showcases Swift's brilliant songwriting and her skill with words. Swift uses lyrics in a way I think no other artist can. Her songwriting is more akin to a poem than a song.

This album is filled with imagery, too, and listening to it almost makes you visualize what she's singing about.

She's really really good.

conclusion

If you've listened to, and liked Swift before, you'll love folklore. It feels to different yet so familiar.

If you haven't listened to Swift before, this is a great album to start out with. It really showcases why she is one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

folklore is officially one of, if not my favourite albums of all time, and its simply brilliant.

10/10.

thanks for reading.