Deep Dive: Taylor Swift Part Nine (evermore)

     I'm sad we're almost done with our Taylor Swift Deep Dive. Partly because I have enjoyed doing this so much, and another part because I have no idea which artist I'm going to do next as there are so many possibilities. Anyways! Welcome to the evermore chapter of our Deep Dive! Let's dive ever deeper!

    I'm part of the camp that likes this sister album better than the previous one, folklore. I love both, but I feel like the highs of evermore are Mount Everests. Its sound isn't as subdued as its predecessor, but its attention to detail and story telling narratives are just as enthralling. Some stories from folklore are even continued here such as "cardigan" to "willow." 

    "willow" is such a perfect opener and single. Its instrumentation is sooooo lush. Even now, 3 years later, I can still find new little instruments or something I didn't notice before. That glockenspiel! Absolutely my favorite thing about this song. This song makes me think of treasure maps and story books. It makes you so intrigued you're wondering what's going to follow it. Lyrically, it's just as gorgeous and catchy. Anyone can sing along to it.

    "champagne problems" hits you hard lyrically. It's a great story with the situation laid out complete with conflict before the first verse is even finished, a climax, and a conclusion. The piano here is just the perfect touch. 

    The third track, "gold rush," makes me think about Christmas lights. Especially with that opening. It just sounds so twinkly. We're hit hard with 3 tracks that are just relentless one by one. Which is evermore's strength. It never lets you get bored. "gold rush" possesses a great Swiftspeare hook with "what must it be like to grow up that beautiful?/with your hair falling into place like dominoes." We also get a shoutout to folklore here which helps to further connect the two sister records.

    That damn guitar repetition on "'tis the damn season" gives you the indie movie vibes. This love story has such fun little details like "mud on truck tires" and "Methodist church." It just paints such a picture of the setting it takes place in. I always think small mid-western town around Christmas time, so there's evergreen wreaths and other greenery. Thick coats. Lots of plaid. A country boy and a newly-converted city girl. I just love to add in my own details to this song. The "to leave the warmest bed I've ever known" part is so relatable. I love it. One of my absolute favorite Swift tracks.

    "tolerate it" is a fan favorite. The piano that opens it sounds so cold which goes along with the album's tone. Outside of the piano, the other instruments are kinda subdued which is a great folklore effect. Swift's shaky and sad vocals here are the best with her singing the chorus in a nice falsetto. It's one of her best vocal performances. So many of the songs make me think of the mid-west Rocky Mountains region. The "throwing blankets over barbed wire" lyric further pushes this thought as the album's setting. 

    "no body, no crime" is, without a doubt, a killer song. It punches you hard. HAIM features here on backing vocals and they add the spice. Swift also shouts out Este Haim. One of the sisters. I always just wonder how she feels about this because her character gets killed on the song. Was she like "cool! Taylor Swift gave me a shout out. She killed me though... But still! How fun!" Again, the small details here are the most fun part. The Olive Garden shout out. The bridge of this song is one of Swift's best. It sums up the husband's murder in just a couple of lines and its powerful. This song proves Swift didn't forget how to make a banger of a country-tinged rock song. 

    "happiness" is kind of like the "my tears ricochet" of this album. It starts out with that funeral-like feeling. It's very haunting. Swift's calm, breathy vocals also add to this. The electronic elements add to the coldness. This album is very much a latter part of the year album. A winter album. Which contrasts folklore's summer-late summer-early autumn feel.

    

    I think the next track "dorothea" actually sounds very, very warm. With that twangy piano and perky guitar. Lyrically, Swift does great again to tell us a story. People are convinced the song is about Selena Gomez and it makes sense. The lyrics point to that in various places, but it's disguised enough that anyone can relate to it. I feel like the narrator is a male though. My theory is that the song is from "Justin Bieber's" point of view. Probably a reach though.

    The opening of "coney island" is so pretty. The drums are like a heartbeat. The song features The National of which album producer Aaron Dessner is a part of. The bells during the chorus add to the winter feeling. This very much has The National written all over it and it's great. It's a great duet. Swift's crystal clear voice, and vocalist, Matt Berninger with his rough, deep, manly voice. They mesh so well! The bridge before the last chorus is the *chef's kiss* moment of this album. 

    "ivy" has the whimsicality of folklore. Out of all the songs on evermore, I think it could be the track that could have been on the album before it. The chorus is most fun! 

    "cowboy like me" is another fan favorite. It feels a little jazzy. A little country. The lyrics here are just as complex as they are elsewhere. It's such a specific story. And kinda covers new ground for Swift. One of the best story-telling moments here. The harmonies are the chorus tickle the ears and make them want more. The guitar after the first chorus is just so damn classy. 

    "long story short" and its lyrics have resonated with so many people and fans. "long story short, I survived." People get tattoos of those lyrics! Again, the storytelling is top notch. Sonically, it kinda has an 80s vibe with the drums. It's Swift at her most Swift. Absolutely glorious. I think you could see this as a story, but you could also see it being about Swift's life. Though we the songs that proceeded it, you could easily chop this up to being another story being told here like "dorothea." We also get a reference to the title of the album here.

    I cannot listen to "marjorie" without crying. As it's about Swift's grandmother and it hits too close to home. It's beautiful. It'll make you cry. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. 

    Following a brief crying break, we get the trippy "closure." Sonically, it's super interesting because the chorus is just a piano with a distorted glitchy "drum" beat. We also get some strings throughout. And other electronic glitches and bleeps. It makes the song beautiful and artsy. 

    Then we come to the standard track list closer, the title track. "evermore" features Swift's new partner-in-crime, Bon Iver, who last featured on "exile" from her previous album. Which makes me think this is a continuation of the story that started on that song. Like "exile," it features a big piano. It's another great collaboration, and also a great album ender. Though...

    We continue with "right where you left me." It's peppy. It's preppy. It's country-tinged with a banjo. It feels blue collar like a lot of the other album songs. It has a great build up throughout that grand pre-chorus. Then the chorus hits with some nice harmonies that sounds like multiple Swifts singing it. The momentum that built up stays high going into the second verse and beyond. Swift sounds so anxious in her vocals. It's just great.

    "it's time to go" is Swift signing off from Folkmore. It's electronic tinged. The lyrics are bittersweet. But we all need to hear this message sometimes. Sometimes giving up is the right thing to do. Whether it's a dead end job or a relationship that will never be successful. She put it all into words here. 

    Overall, Swift proves folklore wasn't a fluke or a one off. She can be an artist who proves she can do anything with the tight control she has over her artistry. Even when she tries new things, it still feels so Swift. And it's a reason she will be popular forever. She's a master of rolling with the punches, putting her own spin on trends, and starting new trends. Guys, I'm sad because we just have Midnights left. But at the rate that Swift releases albums, we will have more to talk about later! Probably with reputation (Taylor's Version). I'm going to call it now. We're going to get it around late February, I bet!

Rank: S Rank! Evermore was a willow and we bent right to its wind. 

Recommendation: Great for solemn listens during December. 

Standouts:

    The first half of the album has us in a chokehold.

    "cowboy like me"

    "long story short"

    "right where you left me"