Review of Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Album

After watching the trailer for ´The Joker: Felie à deux´ and the explanation of why they use music in therapy, we finally have an approximately one-hour appointment at the clinic. As they say in the trailer, “We use music to make us whole, to balance the fractures in ourselves.” Suddenly, I was hit by this new collection of songs that immediately found a place in my heart. I haven't had the chance to listen to all of them, but I will give it a try while I am writing. Shame on Courtney Love for trying to diss Taylor Swift, projecting her own insecurities and irrelevance onto one of the most successful artists right now. But let's move away from the hate.

My whole life, I've heard that the mass is the opposite of quality, that being part of the herd is wrong. Affected by that, I distanced myself to the point of isolation, only to discover that the people who used such language were just toxic drug addicts. Not that I will sing with the Swifties on a plane, but I sincerely think Taylor Swift is an incredible songwriter and a boss dame who has the guts and the platform to change culture, and she does it almost every week. ´Folklore´ and ´Evermore´ are two of my favorite pandemic albums that I use to balance the fractures in myself very often. Today, I was listening to one of the songs from ´The Tortured Poets Department´, ´Down Bad´, and it was so relevant to what I am going through that it immediately uplifted my mood. It absolutely clicked that this album is just another hit. And now I have a mountain of songs for my therapy sessions with myself.

Do you know the feeling when the album hits and starts to resonate, opening to you like a story, like a musical book? This is the experience with almost every album that she puts out. After she escaped from the labels and started re-recording her music and creating new ones, her albums became so visually and musically conceptual creating its own pockets, dimensions, where you can exist and visit whenever you like. I love how the songs capture moments, and I can revisit them, just like smells bring back memories. Now I have a life soundtrack, having the chance to create more of those moments. The only thing that was annoying: I immediately ordered the vinyl after the announcement on the last Grammy show. Boy, she knows how to promote, but after that, new versions with additional songs came out, and I was not buying it. One vinyl is already a treat; having four of the same album is just eccentricity that not everyone can afford. But now I will know that, and I will wait to pick the right incarnation for me.

I am on the song 'Florida' where Florence pops fantastically, and for the last two days, I have had the time to listen to this point. Finally, I entered the second vinyl; soon, I will be able to enjoy the art of the album itself. Having a vinyl really feels like having a musical book with visuals; it is a collection of art. The second part of the album just starts, and I am swept again. I immediately know that I will sing 'Guilty as Sin?' a lot. The love coming to my ears right now, finding a place in my brain, affects all of my senses. What a beautiful album. I have some handymen working on my apartment right now, and they are bound to hear the new album. I think after this, they will become Swifties. I feel like everyone will become a fan if they just give her a chance, like I did back then with '1989' and 'Reputation.' I think 'Style' is the first song that blew me away. And most of the time, on the first listening of an album, especially from Taylor, you are captivated by the music that no matter how hard you try to hear the lyrics, you are lost in the melodies. After a couple of listenings, you discover the lyrics, and the songs open one more time, and they grow. Connecting the dots creates those dimensions that I mentioned, and you fall in love with the album.

The last side of the album starts. I am not having the time to discover the Anthologies today. The tracks on this side are a continuation of the album concept. I'll gladly spend more time going again and again through every part.

Iliya Badev