Taylor Swift's Evermore: A well-poised, indie-pop nuanced work of art
The peaceful winter-bomb of an album was dropped on December 10, 2020, and it was declared as the sister album of her previous one “Folklore”
Just a few months ago, Taylor Swift released her surprise album "Folklore" and the fans were quite reasonably amazed. But they never, in their wildest dreams, realised that they would be blessed with another of her creation this early.
Taylor's peaceful winter-bomb of an album "Evermore" was dropped on December 10, 2020, and it was declared as the sister album of her previous one; probably because of the similarities between the concepts and the fact that both these albums were made during this overwhelming time of Covid-19 when the whole world is facing a crisis.
Watch Taylor Swift - evermore (Official Lyric Video) ft. Bon Iver
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Being a true "Swiftie", one must comprehend the value of the young Taylor Swift who created her image as the perfect country singer with her meticulous talent of singing and songwriting.
She had suffered criticisms for following the steps of fellow pop artists to fit into the world where only being trendy matters.
But gladly last year, she broke free from the confines of mainstreams by ushering us to the world of her empathetic and enchanting music. She came back stronger than a 90s trend with the lyrics to her song "Willow".
In the early days, Taylor's song helped us to endure heartbreaks, explore our hidden feelings, understand our worth or simply to get through a rough day. Few of the songs from "Evermore" will refresh your memory of the old Taylor Swift and remind you of the delightful essence of her those days.
"Evermore" has fifteen tracks with two bonus tracks which have mesmerized some of the listeners but disappointed many as well.
Even though some may complain about the isomerism between her two recent albums, true music enthusiasts will be able to differentiate her growth. Taylor has collaborated with three underrated bands - Haim, The National and Bon Iver.
With the touch of indie from talented artists such as Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff and Justin Vernon, Taylor has penned poetic lyrics and composed the tunes of songs such as "No Body, No Crime", "Coney Island", "tis the damn season", etc. Taylor relied on these indie artists who associated with her to produce "Folklore". This helped her to go down the road of success again.
Let's analyse a few picks from her latest album. The saga began with "Willow" - a dramatic and fictional love story where a girl feels the urge to get back to her lover. The soothing yet rhythmic music gets stuck on your mind and the cinematography of the music video was eye candy for the viewers.
The next track is "Cowboy like me", which is quite simply a masterpiece. On one hand, this song wraps you with love, warmth and makes you want to slow dance. On the other hand, it makes you feel nostalgic about your lost love.
The song "Gold Rush", produced by Jack Antanoff, is a track that quickly changes its pace. It showcased a girl's transformation as the obsessed lover of a rich and eligible man, to the girl who understands her real worth and finally comes to terms with reality.
"Marjorie", a heartwarming song dedicated to Taylor's grandmother Marjorie Finlay, follows, focusing on her moments from WWII. This song articulately showcased her love for her grandmother and the guilt of not giving her enough time when she was alive.
"tis the damn season" is another favourite of mine which describes a girl coming back to her small town from where she left to chase her Hollywood dreams. It makes you intensely nostalgic and vividly engages with bittersweet memories from the past.
Taylor's shift in her vocal chords was amazing here and it is the perfect song to add to your holiday playlist. Lastly, the song "Evermore" with Bon Iver, which is the last track of this album, does not feel as powerful as "Exile" featuring the same artist. Despite that, it is a good song to end the harmonising adventure of the journey of "Evermore".
Apart from these tracks, the album has more songs such as "Happiness", "Tolerate It", "Champagne Problems", "Ivy", etc. which have explored many genres such as rock, folk, pop, and so on to satisfy music junkies.
From the perspective of a fan, if I have to say if "Evermore" is better than "Folklore", I would say yes. The dynamics of this album, the pure poetic justice to the lyrics and the critical concepts it touched makes it worthy of a Grammy nomination.
This album proves how Taylor's nuance of singing and songwriting has evolved gorgeously over time. The songs connect with different arcs of our hearts and the twinkling beats aim to give us an adrenaline rush.
Despite a few tracks offering repetitive tunes, most of the songs successfully gained my appreciation. The beautiful melodies coupled with aesthetic lyrics will definitely touch anyone's heart.
