“no body, no crime” with sister band HAIM is a tribute to Nashville’s narrative devices with a murder mystery triggered by angsty infidelity and jealousy.Įven in her most curated masterpieces, Swift doesn’t venture far before reverting to her classic diaristic ways. In “champagne problems”-arguably Swift’s best ballad since “All Too Well” in her 2012 album “Red” and her most striking romantic vignette yet-she brings out her best storytelling as she details a rejected proposal. And like every album she’s ever released, Swift’s name is featured prominently in every song byline, distinguishing herself from many of her other contemporaries.Ĭhoosing to depart further from her past of solely writing about her own relationship mishaps and successes, “evermore” is a product of isolation and thus a product of fantasy. Like “folklore,” Swift brought back familiar faces: like Aaron Dessner of rock band The National, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, producer and writer Jack Antonoff and her songwriting muse William Bowery, a pseudonym for her current partner Joe Alwyn.

Current pandemic limitations have obviously altered the entertainment landscape, but Swift’s latest albums are proof that her genius lies not with the flamboyance of Hollywood but with the heart of her success: songwriting.

Swift’s career over the past decade or so has been defined by bright, showy music videos and star-studded live performances complete with pyrotechnics and magnificent displays. “To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs,” she said in a statement on Twitter. Choosing instead to cling closer to her acoustic roots, “evermore” replaces the flashy showstoppers of Swift’s past with cozy and arpeggiated piano, guitar, flute and cello rhythms wrapped in a layer of pure elegance and artistry. Created as a sister album to her July album “ folklore ,” “ evermore ” is a continuation of Swift’s deviation from her famous reputation as a pop superstar. Two days before her 31st birthday, Swift announced the surprise release of her ninth studio album, her second album in less than five months.

In the last sixteen months, singer-songwriter and all-around musical vanguard Taylor Swift has released 56 new songs, six music videos, three feature-length films and two albums.

Cranes in the sky genius