folklore, Taylor Swift
All albums are reviewed on a scale from one to ten, with ten being the highest possible score.
Please Note: All views expressed here are the author’s own.
The release of Taylor Swift’s 2012 album Red marked a major turning point in her career. Within the 16-track project, we see some of Swift’s most confessional singer-songwriter moments as well as her catapult into pop stardom as she began to shed her old country skin. With her newest release, folklore, Swift seems to be repeating history: also a 16-track album (most likely intentional on her part—Taylor Swift rarely does anything coincidentally), folklore serves as both a foil and a sister to Red.
As opposed to confessional writing, Swift embraces fictional world-building and obscurity. Whereas, in the making of Red, Swift found herself rising in the pop world and making hits with the likes of Max Martin and Shellback, she now sees herself exploring the alternative scene, working with Aaron Dessner of The National, Bon Iver, and long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff instead. folklore solidifies Taylor Swift's place as one of the strongest songwriters of her generation— Swift is a versatile artist whose voice and words shine through no matter the genre or collaborator.
Because of its storytelling-nature, folklore can easily be broken up into parts with certain songs overlapping and connecting to form a larger theme. Swift herself has released Spotify singles breaking her own album up into chapters: “escapism”, “sleepless nights”, and “saltbox house” so far. Swift has even spoken of a storyline within folklore that she refers to as “The Teenage Love Triangle.” This storyline is made up of lead single “cardigan”, and instant fan-favorites “august” and “betty,” in which we hear the story of two relationships from three characters’ perspective. This completely fictional method of songwriting pushes Swift’s talents to new frontiers. It allows for interpretation in a new way—one which focuses on the figurative significance of the song rather than how it connects to Swift’s life literally.
It is also notable to mention that folklore is Swift’s first album to be released since her fight to own her masters went public, and the second album that she completely owns herself. This translates directly through themes of loss and betrayal which shine through on several tracks, including “my tears ricochet”, “mad woman”, and “hoax”. Swift links these songs—some of the most haunting and melancholy of her entire discography—through imagery of sinking yachts and battleships, and “kingdom(s) come undone”.
Unlike her early pop albums, the production on folklore can be lackluster at times. “august”, co-written and produced by Jack Antonoff, is the highpoint of the album production-wise. Another interesting track is “epiphany”, which feels as Aaron Dessner describes it: “A stillness, in a sense”. The instrumentation creates a serene, cinematic scene. However, on tracks like “the 1” and “hoax”, there seems to be something falling short in terms of production quality. Lyrically strong, these songs could have been more interesting had they gone through a more experimental production process. It is obvious that Swift is trying to play it safe with instrumentation as she makes her way into the indie music realm. Tracks such as “seven” and “betty” seem to be directly influenced by iconic folk artists, almost in a way that pays homage to these artists instead of creating something new (on “seven”, Swift’s vocals are reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, and the harmonica in “betty” is an obvious nod to Bob Dylan). Although it’s her strongest album lyrically, folklore’s production is not very noteworthy when pitted against the rest of Swift’s discography.
folklore is Taylor Swift’s most difficult album to decode, yet we still get a glimpse into her signature sentimental moments. Detailing a relationship that was always destined to be in “invisible string”, Swift writes some of her most clever lyrics: “Bold was the waitress on our three-year trip / Getting lunch down by the Lakes / She said I looked like an American singer”. In “mirrorball”, “this is me trying”, and “peace”, Swift explores insecurities and doubts when it comes to her relationship with others and with herself. These tracks take listeners back to classic, confessional Swift in a brand new way that still feels slightly guarded. Presumably an experimental work of quarantine art, folklore is a massive success both commercially and artistically. With it, Swift branches out as a writer and as a musician. The album is organic and refreshing. Most importantly, folklore is promising. For now, it is unknown which direction Taylor Swift will move towards (will she make a return to country or pop or continue down this alternative track?). However, it is almost certain that folklore will see its influence echoing throughout not only her own future works, but also the music industry as a whole.
WORDS BY AMANY KHREIS, STAFF WRITER