there's actually a lot to like about this but, like the last single, it's just missing that extra layer of abstraction to take it out of "this season's hit single" and up into "interesting art-pop". a creative remix could save it. seriously. i said the same thing about the last one. there's enough here to work with...
she seems to want to get to the pop art pedestal. but it's kind of unclear whether it's legitimately about creating something challenging or if it's about taking over the world.
it's kind of like the beatles around rubber soul, maybe - or maybe u2 in the late 80s. it's maybe been that long since an established top-of-the-world pop artist tried to branch out like this. she's reached this level of cultural ubiquity where anything she releases is going to sell massively. it doesn't really matter if it's any good or not. so, why not take those chances and try and create something that goes beyond pop and reaches into art?
i think it's still an open question: is she going to be able to take that jump and release a real classic disc? or is it about catering to pop radio? pop, as an art form, is just dead. maybe i was buying into the hype a bit out of desperation, given the lack of options; despite not really being a fan, i had some expectations with this. they haven't been met.
....but i do think that she's put down the groundwork for something more interesting next time around. i guess we'll have to see what happens.
at least she can say the gamble worked out. and maybe it's a step forwards. but, i also think she's make-or-break in terms of her artistic credibility, the next time around - if not in terms of her marketing capability, which is easy to see is going to be substantial for quite some time.
one example of the ambiguity: the melody sounds familiar. now, i'll admit that pop music kind of tends to blur for me nowadays. it really is all quite similar to itself. but, isn't there a popular miley cyrus song that has basically the same melody in the chorus?
Shaun thomas
First time listening . . . immediate thought . . "Lorde"
deathtokoalas
yeah, i keep hearing that, but this is too catchy/glossy for lorde.
i wouldn't uphold lorde as the best example of the chillwave sound, but lorde does have a higher level of subtlety in her music. and, not to be a bitch, but it probably stems from the fact that lorde doesn't work with a team of producers. it's coming entirely from her.
that's not really what i was expecting from taylor swift, though. i don't think she has the same kind of intimate connection with the music; i think the music and lyrics are coming out of separate processes, rather than existing holistically. i think i was really just hoping for a less safe production approach.
