Midnights Album Review

Short and Swift review of Taylor Swift’s album

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. If you are new here, welcome to one of the best sites on WordPress. In this house we have interesting conversations. Some are conventional, some are not. Like the one we are having today. It is a review of Taylor Swift’s latest album! Yup! My first musical review on the blog. I picked this as the closing blog because New Year is at Midnight and the album is called Midnights! Cliches aside , this was one of my favorite projects of the year and I couldn’t go into 2023 without a review.

I recruited Taylor Swift fans who are bloggers to give their reviews of their favorite songs which turned out to be way better than what I expected. I will leave a link to their blogs at the end.

Pfungwa’s Review

She titled her submission “Meet me at midnight” and this is what she had to say :

I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan for the longest. I would call myself a Stan, however, while I’m unhinged, I do not act so publicly (on Stan Twitter). My little Miss Americana released her tenth studio album “Midnights” at midnight, and three hours later , she gifted us with the 3am edition. I was really excited about Midnights. I almost started engaging in talking stages again, just so that my chest would hurt a little bit more as I listened to the album, but that didn’t work too well. Despite a spoil in my plans, the album landed followed by my favorite version which is the 3am edition which, to be honest, is the more complete version of midnights. The album would not have been the sane without that version, but you can always trust Taylor to deliver.

Midnights is in many ways is nolstagic. It brings into memory folklore(2019) and evermore(2020). It feels familiar yet to different. There is somewhat a background effect that conveys the ambience of each song, and is mostly found in tracks like Snow On The Beach, Midnight Rain, The Great War, Maroon, You’re On Your Own Kid, Glitch and Dear Reader. Each track is set apart from the preceding one, and that makes the listen an enjoyable one as you’re carried all over the place. I would have added some criticism for balance but I’m not one to offer talking points for people to slander my fav. The way the album is, is such that every song is a favorite, and it plays its turn. Listening to some songs after a while feels like you’re rediscovering then all over again. There was a point where I was so in love with The Great War because of the poignant story telling employed in the lyrics, and also not because I love a toxic relationship, the crash and burn love that is like, well, a war zone and a paradise in one (a versatile queen).

According to Spotify(which refused to give me a wrapped and made me feel like I didn’t exist this year musically) my most played song on the album is Maroon. Quite irrelevant to the chat, but I’m still very touched by how much I anticipated to know that my most played artist would be Taylor Swift.

To sign off;

Favorite song: The Great War

Most relatable: You’re On Your Own Kid

Benjamin’s Review

In October, Taylor Swift released Midnights her 10th album at the age of 32, and her third in 3 years. The first time I Listened to the 13 songs it felt rushed but it was deep because Taylor and those she worked with are really good writers. Before catching up with the other 7 songs that are now part of the album but were released a few hours later I did a repeat. From the point of entertainment I would not recommend anyone to listen to the album but if anyone especially millennials going through some kind of quarter life crises this album could be a safe space. I think personally from the experience of trying to write and create in my other exploits, Taylor Swift struggled to come up with titles and I could be wrong. I don’t like “Karma” which is song 11, I would have called it “time” but I have my own title woes. What would something think of a title like “Snow on the Beach” but anyway it turns out to paint a rear moment.

My favourite song is “Sweet Nothing” not because I love love and believe memories of having been with anyone should always be cherished as lesson, but “sweet nothing” makes a lot of sense for all kinds of lovers, bit parents, husbands, wives, children who in the day have to deal with work or academics and the drama that paves the path of careerism and find solace and comfort in that one individual. In a fast paced world where we get lost in what were are really after “they said the end is coming Everyone’s up something” that line for me hit home because in my quest for materialism at the end of the day I am grateful to he/she that offer me sweet nothing and that’s all I need.

As a writer Taylor Swift has never been this open and appeared skinned especially opening up her thought process and mental battles that we all have at midnight. This could be her best album only that it’s also complicated. Taylor in every song evokes childhood trauma in the lightest of ways. Its best you listen to midnight alone and do some soul searching because it offers a lot introspective windows.

My Review

Unlike our guests today, who eloquently and critically unpacked the album, my review is coming from a late Taylor Swift fan. I became aware of her brand in the early 2010s when she released her RED album and one of the songs that stood out was “ I Knew You Were Trouble” and then followed by the album 1989. My favourites were “ Bad Blood”, “ Blank Space” and “ All You Had To Do Was Stay”. From then I associated her brand with heartbreak and I jokingly used “ pulling a Taylor “ to refer to that time after a break up when you “perform” victimhood to the world. That was when I was a bit young and misguided and truth be told I was a casual listener. I mostly listened to her mainstream pop hits.

However, now that I have grown a bit her lyrics are starting to make sense especially with this album, I think I have become a super fan and less shy about publicly claiming my love for her. I have tweeted about her at least once a week and according to Spotify I was in her top 6% listeners and I played her latest song Anti-Hero 106 times on the day it came out. Before you judge, I know…..

Before we get to that masterpiece, the song before it in the track list is Maroon. She describes, in typical Swift fashion, the end of a love affair but thematically she treats love as a fantasy and tragedy. I have also borrowed this style from her in my poems. One of the reviews I read said Maroon is a mixture of red and brown whilst the color of love is red. I think my idea and this review tie in together. Maroon is a mixture of conflicting themes.

After this track comes my favourite track Anti-Hero which was a highlight for me and for Taylor as well because she said it was her favourite track on her album. According to her this song is about her insecurities and to me it made sense. Thematically I thought it was about self-awareness because of the now iconic line in the chorus “ It’s me I’m the problem it’s me”. Also, it seems she is reclaiming a phrase that has been weaponized against her because of her highly publicized breakups which has led people to finger her as the problem. This was a masterclass in song writing to me, there are layers to this song that can be easily hidden behind the enjoyable pop production. Taylor has always excelled at this, deep lyrics hidden by a pleasant-to-the-ear beat.

Now I can go on about Taylor but generally the album also showcases her maturing and peace in romantic pursuits and this is evident in Sweet Nothing . These lyrics stood out :

“I find myself running home to your sweet nothings

Outside, they’re push and shoving

You’re in the kitchen humming

All that you ever wanted from me was nothing”