Taylor Swift - Folklore

[InFamous]

Okay so August is huge but I don’t know if that’s because she mixed it sonically

August comes just at the right time in the tracklist.

[menime123]

Okay so I listened.

It's an alright, nothing brilliant, nothing necessarily terrible either. I think that essentially the album is a polished demo album, benefiting from the fact it was created in lockdown and she just ran with it. That's not always a bad thing, but it isn't as musically diverse or as intellectually stimulating as some of the great singer/songwriter names that have been thrown around - mainly Kate Bush and Tori Amos. I actually think there's more Joni Mitchell in it that Kate/Tori, but the biggest challenge with the album is how very similar everything is - and that is why I think fundamentally, it is just a polished demo album.

That doesn't mean it isn't without merit. I though the standouts were The 1, Exile, August, Epiphany and Peace - the songs that actually offer something different sonically: be it an embellished instrumental, vocal production or Taylor doing something god damn different with her vocals.

Admittedly I'm not very familiar with her, but I did think some of the songs would have benefited from a larger vocal range (which Kate and Tori absolutely bring to the table). Her vocal delivery is identical in almost everything and a huge part of a singer/songwriter and folk music is the personality of the voice and using it as an instrument itself - for example, Kate Bush being able to push her voice up an octave (or two) to deliver a hypnotic, other worldly vocal on Wuthering Heights, or Tori being able to sell a story a cappella on something like Me and a Gun.

Taylor has obviously worked with what she's got but I do see now why a lot of people (and reviews) are saying her greatest strength is writing. I might listen to it again - I actually really love stripped back music - and it'll be interesting to listen to it in the countryside when I go glamping next weekend (I always thing setting and mood are very important for an album like this - you have to give it your full attention in the right place).

It has definitely made me want to check out some of her other work though, so there is that.

[oasisbobo]

I absolutely love this album.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: THIS IS MY FAVOURITE TAYLOO ALBUM!

Me too!

[Loose]

One key word: longevity!

I can see myself pulling out folklore from my record shelf as one of the records I will always like to play and find a few songs on there that I‘m truly enchanted by.

Plus; It’s the first TS album with absolutely NO bad track on it.

[solitaire]

Yeah I think this will be in my top 2 TS albums along with Reputation. So beautiful melodically and such great lyrics.

[GreekGeek]

"my tears ricochet" sounds divide!

[mattsky]

Yeah I think this will be in my top 2 TS albums along with Reputation. So beautiful melodically and such great lyrics.

Same. This and Reputation are her finest albums IMO

[JeremySpears]

[JeremySpears]

1	564,000	MAP OF THE SOUL: 7	BTS	564,000
2	412,000	AFTER HOURS	The Weeknd	412,000
3	273,000	CHROMATICA	Lady Gaga	273,000

I doubt she will top BTS tbh

Well hello

[JSparksFan]

When I listened to the album the first time, the only song that stood out even slightly was "The Last Great American Dynasty". Then on spin no. 2, "The 1" and "Exile" were added to the standouts list. Then I read InFamous's post in RT on "August" and fell completely in love with that one, which is already one of my favourite songs from her.

I don't see this album getting to Fearless/Speak Now/Red/1989 territory for me, but it is great to see so many critics and fans loving it! Some critics seem to just now be discovering that she's an ace songwriter when fans were aware of that fact some 14 years back.

[InFamous]

My Mr August sent me a message yesterday to tell me he has moved three hours away for work as he got relocated I didn't even get a goodbye fu**

[JSparksFan]

Not at the beginning of August tho! That's bleh.

[theMathematician]

How weird that they got aware of her songwriting skills just now. I mean, she wrote an entire album exclusively on her own: How many mainstream artists have done this before? I don't think even MJ went there. But better late than never! The album still stands at 89/100 on Metacritic, which is an amazing result!

[DnBLover]

Adele? Billie Eillish? I don't think she wrote this album alone either.

[theMathematician]

Adele wrote a few songs on her debut album entirely on her own, not the whole album though. Billie Eilish co-wrote most of her songs with her brother.

[JeremySpears]

The bridge in "illicit affairs" >>>>

[JeremySpears]

#1 on the Billboard 200 and broke some records on it’s way up there. Her lost of achievements just keeps getting bigger with each era.

[swiftstargirl]

Guys how many pure copies Lover sold in the US?

[JeremySpears]

Guys how many pure copies Lover sold in the US?

679k

[swiftstargirl]

679k

I mean total sales till today.
I wonder if she surpassed Shania:
Taylor is the fourth best selling female albums artist in the US with 33.7 MILLION pure sales! (Since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991) 1. Mariah Carey — 55.5M 2. Celine Dion — 53M 3. Shania Twain — 35M 4. Taylor Swift — 33.7M 5. Britney Spears — 33.6M
dec 2019

[JeremySpears]

I mean total sales till today.
I wonder if she surpassed Shania:
Taylor is the fourth best selling female albums artist in the US with 33.7 MILLION pure sales! (Since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991) 1. Mariah Carey — 55.5M 2. Celine Dion — 53M 3. Shania Twain — 35M 4. Taylor Swift — 33.7M 5. Britney Spears — 33.6M
dec 2019

She has definitely surpassed Shania. A Taylor chart account on Twitter posted that it had sold 1,148,000 pure copies in the US. That was in April.

[BeeBoy]

Well hello

Yup i definitely underestimated her selling power. I thought the lack of long pre-orders she usually has will hurt her with this and that it's harder to buy for casual listeners in times like this

[Cactuar]

Folklore's music production might seem quiet or bland on first spin, but this album thrives on little details. I listened to "Mad Woman" on proper headphones and was blown away by the mixing and arrangements; there's a mad woman in the song and its the guitar plucks down-left. Some brilliant choices in percussion and riffs too, a must-listen on headphones.

To me, Folklore is a rather legendary piece of work. It's very intimate, listening to it feels like a private ceremony. I was shocked from the lack of bangers on first listen, but subsequent spins really drew out the spirit in each song. Even tracks I initially despised (e.g. "Betty") grew on me because of the way she tells her stories. Her country background has given her quite an advantage, she writes with great precision. Lyrics on songs like "The Last Great American Dynasty" and "Illicit Affairs" soar to great emotional heights; I had goosebumps listening to the former. You know the bit, when she admits buying Holiday House, then the song swaps perspectives from third person to first person.

"August" is this album's "Cruel Summer". "Invisible String" is gorgeous. "Peace" and "Hoax" are stunningly precious. But "Cardigan" might be one of my favourite songs of all-time. This album also reminds me of Tori Amos and Fiona Apple. "Mad Woman" could have been one of Tori's album cuts.

[Loose]

1. Folklore
2. Red

...

the rest


This is definitely my all-time favorite record of her. It just fits into the great singer/songwriter stuff I listened to during my 20s.

[JeremySpears]

The Japanese special edition of the album includes a DVD with the "cardigan" music video and all the lyric videos.

[Tansike]

I always enjoyed this but it still keeps growing on me. Could really end up as my most favorite body of work from her.

[Colbie]

My copy came in the mail yesterday, i ordered the hide and seek version. Looks beautiful!

[JeremySpears]

"the lakes" is an incredible song. Probably one of my faves on the entire album.

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Is it romantic how all of my elegies eulogize me?
I'm not cut out for all these cynical clones
These hunters with cell phones

[Chorus]
Take me to the lakes, where all the poets went to die
I don't belong and, my beloved, neither do you
Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry
I'm setting off, but not without my muse

[Verse 2]
What should be over burrowed under my skin
In heart-stopping waves of hurt
I've come too far to watch some namedropping sleaze
Tell me what are my words worth

[Chorus]
Take me to the lakes, where all the poets went to die
I don't belong and, my beloved, neither do you
Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry
I'm setting off, but not without my muse

[Bridge]
I want auroras and sad prose
I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet
'Cause I haven't moved in years
And I want you right here
A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground
With no one around to tweet it
While I bathe in cliffside pools
With my calamitous love and insurmountable grief

[Chorus]
Take me to the lakes, where all the poets went to die
I don't belong and, my beloved, neither do you
Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry
I'm setting off, but not without my muse
No, not without you

[delapuerta]

The lakes is amazing