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Taylor Swift attends the 66th Annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
CNN
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Twenty-four hours is not enough.
When Taylor Swift released her long-awaited 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,'' last Friday, professional critics immediately expressed disappointment, and the “Midnight'' sequel failed. It was criticized as a work of art.
A review in the New York Times asserted that Swift “could have used an editor,” effectively claiming that the massive 31-song double album could have been cut down. The New Yorker claimed that the album “suffers from being too long and too familiar,” adding that it “suggests that their partnership has deepened after a decade.” [producer Jack Antonoff] Perhaps that course is over. ” Rolling Stone magazine also denied Swift and Antonoff's work. The album “finds their collaboration completely drained”. “At a certain point, it starts to feel like Swift and Antonoff are just going through the motions, running in place.” It went on and on.
Although some reviews praised Swift's latest work, the album failed to impress the most sane critics. Is Swift's run as a pop star finally coming to an end? Was it all downhill from here? After reading the withering chorus of criticism, it seemed like a possibility to him.
With these reviews in mind, I hit play last Friday afternoon and visited “The Tortured Poets Department” myself. And after 120 minutes of personal storytelling and synth-pop, I found myself agreeing with the critics. At first, “The Tortured Poet” didn't resonate with me. Admittedly, I did feel a little tired. As a long time fan of Swift's music, I was not impressed.
After a week, my view of the album had completely reversed. After spending more time with the two-hour sonic feast and touring its subtleties and nuances more systematically, I'm ready to declare this one of Swift's best works to date. Masu. Anecdotally, others seem to have echoed this experience, expressing lukewarm feelings toward the album at first, but realizing after a few listens that they really liked it. It is said that
That's because it takes more than a day to digest a 31-song album like Tortured Poets. It takes time to fully appreciate a Swift album. You can't eat at the speed of TikTok.
That's a lot to ask of a public accustomed to absorbing information all at once. Social media platforms are rewiring consciousness, shortening attention spans and forcing people into the habit of consuming entertainment designed to keep them hooked for only a few seconds. If your audience doesn't immediately connect with something, it will be swiped off the screen. It disappears!
I need more time to fully understand Swift's new work. It's not something that can be evaluated in an instant. It's not fast food. It's a kaiseki meal that requires one to sit and concentrate on what's in front of them. It absorbs aromas and various ingredients designed to stimulate the taste buds. Then, take your time and reflect on that experience.
It's impossible not to understand the story of heartbreak, romance, setbacks, and conquest that Swift expertly tells through two hours of relentless poetry. But that's where Swift shines. It's about the complex and layered storytelling. And it's impossible to fully appreciate the winding journey she takes listeners on with just a quick listen.
Unfortunately, that conflicts with current practice. What the information environment demands — and reward — Instant Take. Opinions should be generated immediately, posted on social media and discussed in group chains. There is no waiting time. Stopping to smell the flowers means you are left out.
So there's little room to actually listen to the music, share the necessary time with it, and let it marinate. But that's what you need to do to appreciate The Tortured Poet.
Not people who immediately write off an album in search of instant gratification. Anyone who gives it a chance will probably love it – so did I.