figuring out Taylor Swift again

[calimac]

Some time ago I wrote of my delighted discovery of Taylor Swift's Tiny Desk Concert, in which she played her songs in simple arrangements I found agreeable, unlike the overproductions of the Eras Tour which was Not For Me.

A few commenters gave suggestions of other TAS numbers I might find agreeable, but they didn't mention what turned out to be the gold mine. Quite recently, DGK sent me links to a couple videos extracted from a documentary film called folklore: the long pond studio sessions, which is on Disney+. The songs are a bit much of a sameness for me to want to listen to all at once, especially with the documentary natter in between, and the songs are more immediately impressive than they are lovable, though the ones I heard first are growing on me rapidly - but only in these versions; I listened to other performances and, nah. Any one or two of them - not just those two - are in this version very much the kind of popular music I want to hear.

Apart from the addition of a guest vocalist on one song, it's just her and two guys, variously on piano and acoustic guitar, occasionally a little light percussion or a soft electric guitar which only once threatens to get even slightly loud. Very soft and gentle and intimate, and quite sophisticated and complex songwriting.

Here's the two songs DGK sent me. The rest can also be found on YouTube with a "long pond studio sessions" search.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[athenais]

I like a fair amount of Taylor Swift. I actually like some of the songs on her latest, The Life of a Showgirl. But I find her death grip on the role of victim really disturbing across the years she's been making music, and her mean girl attitude is not entirely balanced by the good she does or the acts of kindness she has performed. She's a good songwriter. But I never argue with the school of thought that she is driven purely by profit, not artistic vision. That's because I think she's driven by both and there's nothing wrong with that.

That being said, I really like folklore and evermore. I'm most fond of Cardigan and Seven on folklore. I particularly like Willow, Cowboy Like Me, and Marjorie on evermore. They are really thoughtful, nonboastful, quiet. Perfect for early pandemic times, which is when they came out.

[wild_patience]

I guess I never told you I watched part of folkmore on Disney+ a year or so ago. Maybe this was when George (our orchestra conductor) gave us a Taylor Swift song to play in a concert.