I almost completely forgot about that. I never liked Kanye, but that just makes him a lot worse.
Never been a Taylor Swift fan, but she deserves every bit of fame she has. I liked a couple of her old songs (“Our Song” and “Teardrops on My Guitar”). When she went pop, I didn’t much care and didn’t follow her. Mostly started listening to her new album as a joke, like I wonder what all the hype is about, maybe there’s something to it. First listen I’m sure it’s one of, if not the best album of the year. And I like a lot of stuff, but mostly rock. Mostly Japanese rock, in fact. But The Life of a Showgirl is straight fire. Sure, there are a couple songs I could take or leave, but I never skip any of them. Played it for my wife — she mostly listens to heavier stuff — she at least agrees there’s something there, but isn’t a fan. Now, I’ve only played it five or six times since it came out. Absolutely not a Swiftie here. I went and listened to her previous record and it didn’t do much for me. So whatever, it’s fine, I’m happy with a good album.
And Kanye’s garbage anyway. His best songs are either the one that mostly borrows from Daft Punk (“Stronger”) or the one that was used in Saints Row 3 (“Power”). That’s not high praise.
The Life of a Showgirl is straight fire
Album proved to me too that she still has it, and is pushing hard still.
I really like your take, and wish more people had the nuance you seem to have. That you don’t have to label yourself as a Swiftie just because you like some of her songs, hell even a lot of them. I think people are too focused on adding labels and gatekeeping. If you like this you must hate that, if you like this artist then you can’t actually enjoy music. Your take is very refreshing.
Yeah, I used to avoid anything popular because it was popular. I understood that niche art speaks more loudly to a few people and that’s something worth seeking out. But along the way I missed the memo that popular music is popular because it appeals to a lot of people. It can still reach certain individuals on a higher level, which is why popular artists have a ton of casual fans and a few dedicated ones — just like niche groups, except they don’t also have a ton of casual fans. They’re still making music people love and that is worth considering to see if you’re going to click with it. Because if you click with one, it’s worth wading through ten you didn’t.
Well said. Music and art are such personal things, I don’t know why people think it’s appropriate to judge what other people enjoy. You like what you like, it’s as simple as that.
