Friday Flotsam

Frrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-special edition coming to you today! Life of a Showgirl Edition. Are we even ready for it?

I need your initial thoughts on the album. The vibes. The messages. The sounds. The production. The lyrics.

I have to be honest, it’s not really what I expected. And I’m so glad! Hahahah. Don’t get me wrong, I love a banger as much as the next person. But this album has way more nuance and polish than I anticipated. Not that I thought it would be lame. But I’m not necessarily driven to a showgirl aesthetic. I mean, I went to Vegas for three days with girlfriends a very long time ago and it was six days too many. Not for me.

But! In my extremely early stages of listening (three times so far, just to get my feet wet), I have to say, it is sophisticated pop perfection. A crisp and thoughtful mix of nostalgic melodies and dreamy production choices, it’s incredible!

Having The Fate of Ophelia as the opener was the perfect choice. We’re immediately in a swirl of her layered vocals and intimate lyrics. (It also reminds me a little bit of Say Don’t Go from the 1989 vault tracks and I have zero problems with it.)

Elizabeth Taylor into Opalite – AMAZING. From dark and moody to straight, glorious pop. But body moving, but also . . . smart. There’s an’80s flavor in Opalite that I’ll never tire of.

Father Figure – I love her twist on George Michael’s classic. The chorus is a huge nod to the original version in its style and cadence. The lyrics are not for a tween but there is a clean version!

So far my favorite of the album is Eldest Daughter – OMG. It gives High and Dry by Radiohead and I love the emotional pace so much. And I deeply feel her lyrics when it comes to how toxic the internet and social media has become. Preach it, Tay. And of course it’s track five. It’s no “banger” but this style of Taylor is what I relate to the most. Raw and real.

Ruin the Friendship can live in my soul forever. That bass line!! It’s fun, it’s light, it has windows-down vibes and it’s catchy as hell. Another standout for me.

Actually Romantic reminds me a teeeeeeny bit of the Pixies. That opening guitar, ya know? Aaron thinks it’s political but Natalie thinks it’s about Travis. What do you think?

Wi$t Li$t makes me think of Glitch from Midnights Vaults and I’m not at all upset about it. Dreamy but tight. Classic Taylor.

Wood – okay we all know what it’s about (reminder, there’s a clean version for your tween!), but doesn’t it remind you of a Harry Styles song? That walk down in the verses. Just in one little moment.

CANCELLED! could be on Reputation 100000%. So if you’re missing Rep, this is the dose you need.

Honey – I need to spend more time with this one, so let me listen a few more times before I say anything.

To end this record with The Life of a Showgirl is spectacular! The opening vibe feels it would be in a John Hughes movie, but then the vocals come in and it’s just epic. Love the way it builds, the picture it paints, the feelings it provokes. It is wordy, it is tight, it is anthemy. And the very end being a clip from the Eras tour – ugh. DIG IT.

And that’s it for today! I want your gut reaction to the album. Of course mine will change as I listen and learn it more, but this is where I stand right now. I love that there are moments where it has Folklore sensibilities, flavors of Midnights, attitude of Reputation, and head-bobbing fun of Lover. It has a lot of nuance and personality, yet still relatable to a middle-aged woman. Ha!

Okay, who’s going to the movie this weekend???