A Fresh Look at Taylor Swift
| published February 11, 2015 |

By Garrett Heisler
Thursday Review contributor

My generation is not known for the best music, and sometimes those bands and artists even receive negative responses from people from all age groups. Much of contemporary pop music—with its scores of styles, genres, and subgroups—is hard to sift through in order to find gold; anyone can agree with that. I will focus on a few bands and artists in the coming weeks to guide listeners into the finer side of the modern age of pop, rock and country. And I will try to make the transition easier so that you can take something useful from it.

Sometimes it seems that artists are stuck between evolving sounds that already exist and discovering new ones; anyone who can accomplish both can achieve true fame. One artist who has really shown her skill is Taylor Swift, the country pop star who sang her way to fame back in the late 2000s, and has now found her new sound. She simply dropped the country from her title and stared work on one of the best pop albums I have ever heard.

The album 1989 is the peak of her career with some of the most catchy and memorable additions to her portfolio. Songs that define what modern music should be. Swift has brought songs like "Blank Space" and "Shake it Off" to the forefront of digital music providers and record stores. I highly recommend that anyone check out these fine tunes.

Being a fan of Taylor Swift for many years, I have noticed that after a few albums she was beginning to sound somewhat the same when it came to the attitude of heart break and soul in her lyrics. Though meaningful and heartfelt, the sound and style was becoming threadbare. So, artfully, she decided it was the perfect time for a change. Her new songs are full of energy and life that was missing from her previous works. I cannot tell you enough how much I enjoyed the album 1989. From start to finish it is a joy to listen to and I found myself wanting more.

The radio doesn't do justice for this album only because it doesn't play it from start to finish, and that’s a shame. The first song, "Welcome to New York,” is one of the best openers for an album, in any style or genre. It is smooth, and at the same time fun and poppy, the perfect complement to "Blank Space" and the rest of the album.

Every song on this album is diverse and noticeably different from the track before it. Instead of the whole package melting together, you can easily recognize every song. This amount of variety and perfection is hardly ever found in modern music. She took her time with this album and it resonates with every note here. Normally I would list off a few hits for the album, but this one has about 13 of them—every track is a true joy.

If you are looking for something to add to a spring or summer playlist (yes, those seasons will be here soon enough), or even some music to help you relate to your kids (yes, I am assuming that many Thursday Review readers are a bit older than me), or if you are just looking to stay relevant, do yourself a favor and pick this album up. The melodic rhymes will keep you humming in your head for weeks to come. It’s incredibly catchy and fun, a must-own for anyone: songs that keep rolling out an enjoyable and all around awesome sound that keeps it fresh and fun. If you buy any albums this year make sure this is first on the list.

Taylor Swift is just the beginning of this list of a few artists I think anyone of any age can enjoy. Stay posted for more artist recommendations. For more modern music and a look back at the tunes of years past, keep it right here at Thursday Review.

Related Thursday Review articles:

Paramore's 2013 Self-Titled Album; Garrett Heisler; Thursday Review; October 30, 2013.

Cage the Elephant; Melophobia; Maggie Nichols; Thursday Review; January 27, 2015.