Album Review: Taylor Swift - Folklore

In some ways, "1989" was both the best and worst thing that ever happened to Taylor Swift. It was the record that cemented her as a pop star, and one with massive hits no less, but it also defined her as a pop star. What's the problem with that? Taylor Swift never was a pop star. She was always the songwriter who came up in the country scene, but who had an ear for pop melodies. She was never comfortable being what a pop star is expected to be, personally or professionally, and the pressure of having to live up to that image is what led "Reputation" to be such a bloody mess of a record.

She tried to rebound with "Lover", but the effort of being Taylor Swift was still there. From the cookie-cutter Ryan Tedder production, to the hackneyed "there ain't no I in team, but there is a me" lyrics, it was all a veneer of trying way too hard. For the last two records, the moments Taylor Swift was most effective were the quiet songs she never intended to get any radio play. That's what makes "Folklore" so obvious.

Taylor Swift goes indie-rock doesn't sound like a headline you would expect, but it makes perfect sense. Taylor is at her best when she's in a genre where her ear for melody is better than everyone else's. She was a country star who wrote catchier songs. She tackled 80s synth-pop with stronger hooks. And now she's going into somber indie with better songs than the usual bleak fare. She's back in her wheelhouse, making herself look better by comparison.

It helps that in addition to being smarter this time around, Taylor has a great set of songs to work with. The muted tones and quieter mood fit her vocal range, and let her hooks sparkle against the grey backdrops. The more organic sound of the record works to convince us Taylor is telling us truths, even when she says the songs aren't all about her. Then again, maybe a layer of separation is just what we needed. Is "The Last Great American Dynasty" really about Rebekah Harkness, or is it about Taylor herself? Not being sure lets us believe what we want to about Taylor. It might be hard to create sympathy about someone who owns a multi-million dollar beach house, but she pulls that off. Imagine that.

"Cardigan" should rightly surpass Weezer's "Undone" as the best song ever written comparing yourself to a sweater, while "My Tears Ricochet" is a masterful line that plays into the perceptions of Taylor, and how most people would bat aside her sadness without any care.

Taylor is still trying too hard, though, if I'm being honest. The record doesn't need sixteen songs and an entire hour of running time. Especially with the subdued nature of the music, she overstays her welcome a little bit, which dulls the impact the best songs here make. Moreover, does Taylor Swift really need to start singing "fuck" and "shit" in her songs? She's a good enough writer to not rely on those crutches, but I don't think they are crutches here. It sounds to me like she's trying everything she can to fit into this indie scene, much like she did the pop scene before. I don't think anyone truly knows the real Taylor, but those instances feel inauthentic to the person she has let us believe she is. At least as an artist.

The gloss might be different, but the bones of this record get back to Taylor Swift's roots, and it's a reminder that sometimes we need to embrace who we are and what we're good at. Taylor is great at writing lyrical songs that elevate the pop sensibilities of genres that don't have much of that. She is not a 'pop star', even though she is a pop star. This record proves that, and provides us with one of the most 2020 albums of 2020.