my first reaction to The Tortured Poets Department

She is the biggest artist internationally and even generational she’s about to become the biggest artist ever

Half of the muisc reviews aren't even about the album tells me how you can't trust these platform

I genuinely think that the first album Taylor released post Eras Tour would have gotten this reaction no matter what it sounded like. She spent the last 2 years touring and releasing all of her old music. Her fans exist in clusters of different genres. If you didn’t like folklore/evermore you weren’t gonna like ttpd. If you didn’t like Reputation/Pop Taylor you weren’t gonna like Midnights. She’s always been this way, idk why it’s such a shock to anyone at this point.

I’m honestly unsure why any music you use in your videos from other places aren’t ever credited or listed somewhere. Honestly speaking I can’t see a lot of people knowing what the song in the intro was besides me and maybe a few others, even though God Hand should be known to more people generally. I’m unsure if there’s a logistic reason for that or I’m missing something (which honestly if there is a reasonable explanation then I’m totally open to it.) I just notice a lot of people don’t give proper attention to good songs used as background audio on YouTube. With a channel like this where its main focus is music education and discussion I’m still a bit shocked it doesn’t give awareness to something like that.
Again I’ll repeat, if there is genuinely a reason as to why that is then sorry for wasting your time, but it’s still a question I’ve had on my mind for a decent bit (at least overall, not just on this channel)

Hey Mic – thanks for this, like all your other videos. I am not even a fan of most of the music – it's more about your analysis and commentary. Two quick things: Travis Kelce is pronounced like KEL-see. And – Great Reference to Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism video!

If Taylor were actually sick of being Taylor, she’d take a break. Or even retire, what’s left does she have to prove. She is the apex of the industry.

Look…I fucking love this album and no one's gonna tell me that otherwise. Hating on tay has become a lame asf trend somehow. The album might lack in the production department a lil bit and i do agree that she needs an editor but..does this make ttpd her worst album? No. The hate it gets is still out of my league and idc what people say about it, i'll listen to whatever my ears r pleased with. People just hate it because it's a Taylor Swift's album.

In fairness, I think I would say that the album is less “bogged down” by the lore and more so that the marketing of the album is. As in, it’s being sold as another record of the lore rather than as another album, if that makes sense. So, when you listen to the album and hear that a lot of the music is meh, there’s nothing else really to talk about EXCEPT for the lore. It’s like what you said about Midnights; almost everything else about the album is interesting (or in this case, easy to get into fights over on Twitter) except for the music itself. So, people use the lore as a justification (sometimes warranted and sometimes not) to not like the album instead of just simply not liking it lmao it’s the curse of the internet and the baggage of Taylor Swift’s public image. And as for the songwriting, sure the lyrics can sound goofier devoid of context, but that doesn’t mean they’re good with context either. Someone else on a different video articulated this better than me, but basically, sure a car can’t move if the tires are all removed, but a car can’t move if the tires are all slashed either.

I mean I didnt like cause I dont like The National and lyrics like that. I also hated Folklore for the same reason; I simply do not have the capacity to care about middle-age white people complain about existing

i adore taylor swift to no end. deal with it.

its ok my personal favorite taylor album is midnights i honestly dont really like any of her other ones except 1989. my 1 gripe with the music and not even sure if its her fault really but its with streaming and specifically amazon unlimited and thats because that is all i use listen all i want is the regular album! there are some many versions and remixes and singles and comps its insane!

Mic The Snare, stop the rep slander 🤣☹️

after this week I can tell she doesn’t care about the music either

I was hoping this video would be about the music, oh well

People are just getting tired of Taylor this, Taylor that. I know we are all losing our ability to concentrate, but would it be too much to ask for her to finish the tour and take a year off ?

Great video

I loved Midnights instantly on release, and it only grew on me the more I listened to it
It had a bitter through-line to be sure, but it felt more mature and self-aware than any of her pre-pandemic work, but also waaaay more fun than Folklore or Evermore (still great albums tho)

If Blank Space was a spoof of how Taylor is perceived by the general public/media, Anti-Hero felt to me like an honest look back and a genuine moment of “were they right?”, that still had room to be a bit tongue in cheek

The album left me feeling like it was written by and for someone who was ready to break a cycle of heartbreak and trauma

By contrast, TTPD feels like a step backwards in one’s emotional growth
The titles and the lyrics feel pettier than ever, and less poetic, and not just the meme lines taken out of context
The idea that Taylor daydreams of being a kept woman like in the 1800s isn’t just immature because it was an objectively worse time to be alive, it’s a regression from You’re On Your Kid; “yes you can face this, you’re on your own kid, you always have been”

On top of that, the production on TTPD feels so lifeless and needlessly melancholy
I’m realizing I just don’t like Aaron Dessner’s production on Taylor’s music nearly as much as Antonoff’s

The only real highlight for me is I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (one of Antonoff’s tracks) which is the only track that feels to me like it has any energy and sense of humor

I know real people, even billionaire artists regress, and real progress is non linear, and messy, and the artists I like are not responsible for releasing the things that specifically I want from them

I’m glad that she wrote the things that were eating at her during the Eras Tour, and I hope this was a constructive and lucrative exercise

I also hope that anyone genuinely connecting and resonating with the material is safe and on their way to becoming their best selves

This one really wasn’t for me, and admittedly I’ve been spending too much time and energy IRL apologizing on behalf of and defending this album from people who hate on it for more insidious reasons than I (which I recognize I did of my own volition without any expectation of compensation or brownie points)

I don’t think time will change my mind on this record, but I am open to the possibility

PS If I’m bringing lore into the conversation, this lady just went on the largest tour in history (even adjusted for inflation), literally changed the global economy, and then the movie distribution model, and then came home and won the SUPER BOWL
I was expecting a victory lap! She could’ve dissed Drake first! It’s just big her!

Instead she released a bunch of feel sorry for me songs that should’ve stayed in the vault at a time when no one in their right mind could ever have any sympathy for her

Day 71 of asking for depeche mode deep discog dive

It's a subdued album of good quality with no songs standing out from the whole.. it might be my least favourite of hers but I still enjoyed it, only major complaint is how bogged down she gets with all the petty drama.. the whole KIM gimmick is just a bit immature and i didnt like how belittling she gets in 'the smallest man who ever lived'… like saying your ex isnt a real man and deserves to be in prison… its such a toxic pettiness… it annoys me mostly because it distracts from the music and she could really practice some more subtly in her lyrics, or write more from a place of love like in 'so high school'.. overall more positives than negatives imo 7.5/10

I just don't think she's that talented as a song writer. I don't get what the hype is all about. Her life story and massive level of fame is remarkable, her music is … fine. I've listened to her new album. Not the worst thing I've ever heard but nothing that amazing in my opinion. The production was nice, the lyrics were ok I guess but I thought the songs were pretty half-baked with predictable chords and song structures.