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Taylor Swift – evermore

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Taylor Swift - evermore

Taylor Swift - evermore
4.2

Rating

 4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Second Taylor album within half a year
  • Very nice atmosphere, great lyrics
  • 15 songs, one hour playtime

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Just cannot connect to the "folklore" masterpiece

Taylor Swift feels to have a really creative boost during pandemic times: just five months after the amazing folklore, she surprisingly released another album on 11th December 2020: after one hour of Taylor Swift music in summer, there are fifteen new tracks on her new one, evermore. Another holiday in 2020 for Swifties – and after folklore, a good chance for some great tunes for all other music lovers. Here are my thoughts about the album, which Taylor sees as a “birthday present” from her to her fans – turning 31 (which Swift will be on 13th December 2020) always felt special to the artist, who is thankful for her global support.

 

Taylor Swift – About The Artist

As Taylor’s bio did not change drastically – apart from winning some lawsuits against her former record company, I just refer to her bio I wrote for the folklore album in here. The video below is my favorite folklore track, betty.

Taylor Swift – evermore – Track by Track

The fifteen track album lasts 60 minutes.

1. willow

The first evermore song is willow, which also took the role of the first single release of the album (in parallel with the album itself).

The more that you say, the less I know
Wherever you stray, I follow
I’m begging for you to take my hand
Wreck my plans, that’s my man
You know that my train could take you home
Anywhere else is hollow
I’m begging for you to take my hand
Wreck my plans, that’s my man

The song is a lovely begging for love song, easy sounding, a bit of fairy-alike. The sound reminds me a bit of Iberian sounds. Definitely more a summer tune than two weeks before white Christmas – but I love this starter.

2. champagne problems

Because I dropped your hand while dancing
Left you out there standing
Crestfallen on the landing
Champagne problems
Your mom’s ring in your pocket
My picture in your wallet
Your heart was glass, I dropped it
Champagne problems

A lovely piano track, which is about breaking up while already being engaged – and finally calling it champagne problems, i.e. not a real deal compared to real problems other people are facing. Very intense way of narrating the story of the song.

3. gold rush

The last two lines of the chorus are likely the key ones of the song:

But I don’t like a gold rush, gold rush
I don’t like anticipatin’ my face in a red flush
I don’t like that anyone would die to feel your touch
Everybody wants you
Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you
Walk past, quick brush
I don’t like slow motion, double vision in rose blush
I don’t like that falling feels like flying ’til the bone crush
Everybody wants you
But I don’t like a gold rush

A lovely love letter and admiration to her relationship, Joe Alwyn.

4. ’tis the damn season

The song was one of the tracks Taylor teased the days before the album. To me, it is not the most catching one of the album, but it is very deep in its lyrics.

5. tolerate it

I wait by the door like I’m just a kid
Use my best colors for your portrait
Lay the table with the fancy shit
And watch you tolerate it
If it’s all in my head tell me now
Tell me I’ve got it wrong somehow
I know my love should be celebrated
But you tolerate it

Again, a piano, Taylor… It just does not need more. Good lyrics are guaranteed anyway – even though there is quite a bunch of love praising in here so far. The energetic bridge is the highlight of the track to me.

6. no body, no crime (feat. Haim)

Three tracks on evermore are collaborations with other artists – the first one is no body, no crime alongside Haim. The song is almost vitalizing, more wider and more pop-alike – but due to that also less intimate than the songs before. Still, I really like it.

7. happiness

happiness does not sound too happy at first sight, but it has a positive outlook after a failed relationship – so it has at least a positive message. Good song.

There’ll be happiness after me
But there was happiness because of me
Both of these things, I believe
There is happiness

8. dorothea

dorothea is a comparably rhythmic song about one of this mysterious characters invented by Taylor Swift. While I loved betty on folklore, this one is one of my favorites on evermore. Lovely piano tunes with decent rhythm.

9. coney island (feat. The National)

Taylor featuring The National – a band, which is rather well-known for their darker indie-rock sounds – sounds interesting, doesn’t it? And indeed, when the band’s Matt Berninger joins Taylor with his dark, raspy voice, it is a lovely combo and leads to a very intensive ballad.

10. ivy

Oh, goddamn
My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand
Taking mine, but it’s been promised to another
Oh, I can’t
Stop you putting roots in my dreamland
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I’m covered in you
And I’m covered in you

A song about an affair. I love the way she is describing it. One of the best lyrics of the album to me. The song itself is majorly featuring light guitar tunes in the background.

11. cowboy like me

Not because the song title feels to be a bit like country music, cowboy like me is one of my favorites of the album. I especially like how the song is keeping its rhythm and style, but then also plays with different background instrumentation, according to the lines and mood of the song. Lovely!

12. long story short

Another song which is praising her current relationship – also in contrast to the one she had before: Long story short, it was the wrong guy // Now I’m all about you. The song is comparably rhythmic and is by that also somehow special on the album.

13. marjorie

marjorie, a musical memory to Taylor Swift’s grandmother, is likely the deepest and most intense song on the whole album. If this one does not catch you, you might have a heart of steel.

What died didn’t stay dead
What died didn’t stay dead
You’re alive, you’re alive in my head
What died didn’t stay dead
What died didn’t stay dead
You’re alive, so alive

14. closure

The song starts with electronic sounds and thus may feel a bit confusing at the beginning. The song is about a toxic relationship. I love the way it plays with the aggressive sounds on the one hand and soft and gentle piano sounds. Sometimes the one sound is stronger, sometimes the other. A touch of experimental – but indeed a cool way to refer to very different emotions in a music way.

15. evermore (feat. Bon Iver)

The album closes with the title track – and the third collaboration of it. Bon Iver are an Indie-folk band from the States. They just join the song in the second half of the song and thus lead to a very dialectic and dramatic touch. The song references mental health and depressions and a lot of other negative emotions caused by failed relationships and bad public reputation.

 

Taylor Swift – evermore – Spotify

Here is the Spotify widget for evermore:

 

Taylor Swift – evermore – My View

Taylor Swift declared evermore as a sister album to folklore – and indeed, these fifteen tracks feel very similar to Taylor Swift’s surprise summer edition. I though feel that the evermore songs are a bit more pop-alike – but they still have this lovely intimate and catching atmosphere Taylor gave us five months ago. On the other hand, you have to say that folklore was a blast and evermore cannot connect to it. Disappointment? Not at all, still a really good album – but just not a masterpiece.

 

Taylor Swift on Flyctory.com

Here are all postings related to Taylor Swift:

 

All “classic” blog posts

No reviews – just debating and certain topics – these are my “traditional” blog posts in the categories Just blogging, Just blogging on music and Sports Blogging:

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