A very Nashville style narration. Truly humble, vulnerable & boldly honest.
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ChiragNY13 –
2021-03-12
Well, folklore had me totally taken by surprise because once again it was something that Taylor has ‘never done before’. To be honest, it took me quite some time to come to evermore, process it & get a good grasp over it. Simply because of the incredible depth the songs of on this record have.
While Swift appropriately calls this record a ‘sister record’ to the preceding cottagecore ‘folklore’ & the two do coherently drive each other. However, I think that evermore is way beyond just a sister record. I’m once again taken by awe by her innate ability to directly speak to the listeners & giving them the space to make her stories their own. Leaving that right amount of room for the story to breathe different lives, yet driving us to feel her emotions all at the same time.
This is the kind of record you put on sitting alone in the corner of a dark room with your glass wine or whisky on the rocks. And just allow yourself to “simply let things be”. I knew that she will desperately try to outdo her own self after folklore but what I really did not anticipate was the huge margin that evermore cuts above folklore.
I find this record is so unbelievably comforting. It really does hurts to hear some of the songs off of this one & there’s not really much to do but just ‘let things be’ the way they are. The lyrics of ‘tis the damn season’, ‘champagne problems’, ‘tolerate it’, & ‘happiness’ have me profusely weeping. Self trapping myself into these songs on loops. I can’t even begin to put in words how much these songs mean to me & I can see them aging very well as I grow old putting them on.
The tranquility in ‘closure’ brings true peace in way that I think have never known before this song came to my life. The title track ‘evermore’ is honestly a heartfelt narration of how trains can run off their tracks in the most unforeseen ways & our apparently simple lives can have nuances that are so effective. Track 13 ‘marjorie’ is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to Taylor’s grandmother Marjorie. If she was alive to listen to this, she would’ve been so proud of not only her grand daughter but also of her daughter Andrea, who raised Taylor (& Austin) to become such wonderful human beings. I honestly get goosebumps all over me whenever I hear this song. It’s just on a level that Taylor herself has never ever reached before & I doubt if she is even aware of this.
The album opener & the lead single ‘willow’ is such a good complement to lead single off of folklore ‘cardigan’. Perhaps one of my favorite lyric of all times she has ever written is “the more that you say the less I know”. The fabulous production on ‘gold rush’ by homeboy Jack Antonoff is a treat after ‘august’ from folklore & it almost always has my face in a “red flush”.
The positive outtake on ‘long story short’ is very refreshing. When she sings “climbed right back up the cliff, long story I survived” it really leads to this impulsive burst of super radiant ‘postayvity’. Her narration “past me, I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things. You nemeses will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing” is so comforting that I cannot possibly thank her enough for saying this.
The collaboration with The National on ‘coney island’ is something that I never ever imagined in my wildest dreams. The words : “sorry for making you my centerfold over & over’’....“lost again with no surprises, disappointments close your eyes & it gets colder & colder” feels like driving a brake less car, knowing that it will end a big crash. I have still not been able to process this song & I perhaps can just get lost for hours listening to this song.
However the real essence of this record is encoded in the two bonus tracks from the deluxe edition ‘right where you left me’ & ‘it’s time to go’. The former shows her unmatched ability to craft very hurtful situations in deceptively cheerful melody. The same old happy facade that she has used in some of her previous songs as well. The latter is a song that just shows how strong & resilient she really is. Which always has me literally bawling my eyes out because I’ve not only watched her grow into the very fine woman she is today but also had the extreme honor of growing alongside her music.
Something that has been unconditionally been by my side ever since I started exploring this young lady’s music. I will never forget the first time heard ‘it’s time to go’ falling off my chair to be floored by the sheer amount of grace that this lady carries. It is such a personal song to her & the words are so meaningful (if you do your homework to find out why she wrote them). Her words : “sometimes giving up is the strong thing. Sometimes to run is the brave thing. Sometimes walking out is the one thing that will find you the right thing”, just makes me want to thank her in person for giving this song the life it truly deserves.
I honestly can’t pick a favorite song from this album & I don’t think that I ever will end up squaring up on that. For that matter, I have just one unsolicited advice for the people who’re trying this record out : give it enough time to sink in. This is not something that you listen & derive instant pleasure out of. This is something that you savor. Allow it to hit you slowly, very slowly & then all at once. This is record is the very definition of acquired taste. It demands you to essentially think & reflect deeply to transcend far away from your daily life.
With that I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Taylor, Jack & Dessner brothers for putting out such a quality record. One thing I know for sure & with a very clear vision in my head. That is, these songs will certainly amalgamate with my own life in inseparable ways & will go on to become part of my own stories (both told & untold) for which I’m honored, humbled & befuddled all at the same time.
Taylor, “I’ve got nothing but well wishes for ya”.
love love love,
X