Pearl Jam or Taylor Swift?

SHZA

Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department

BF25394 said:

EH14457 said:

Just back here to contradict my previous statement. Part 2 of TTPD is great. Aaron Dessner’s songs mostly sound like if Folklore and 1989 had a baby. 

I wish you hadn't said this. As these are digital-only and I don't really have a convenient way to listen to them, I was going to hold off on engaging with them until the inevitable physical release, but your description is going to make it hard to wait for them.

NYT says don't waste your time with the "largely superfluous" Anthology tracks 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-album-tortured-poets-department-review.html?unlocked_article_code=1.l00.1T6T.RvpHMNw3HGcv&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare 

BF25394

bootleg said:

I tried to listen to a few songs and they really all sounded very similar in style.  Like sleepy teenage poems over some generic music.  I couldn’t imagine listening to 31 of those.  But hey that’s just my taste.  It’s just not for me.

She's a 35-year-old woman. "Sleepy teenage poems," really? Unless she has suddenly regressed as a songwriter, I find it hard to believe this characterization could be accurate. It reminds me of when a music-snob friend described Eddie Vedder's lyrics as "greeting-card poetry."

BF25394

SHZA said:

BF25394 said:

Foriginal Sin said:

tbergs said:

My opinion is that Taylor needs an editor. She throws a lot of music at people but she could benefit from trimming all the fat and delivering a solid 10 song album. It all just sounds so repetitive at this point, but her fans eat it up so she keeps cashing in. So glad PJ starves us a little

She can send an album out of burps and she’ll sell more than PJ. She ain’t trying to be Pink Floyd 

I have often explained the fact that the terrible Rockwell song "Somebody's Watching Me" hit No. 3 because it featured Michael Jackson singing the chorus at a time when Michael Jackson could have recorded himself farting and reached the top ten with it. Sometimes an artist can just do no wrong... although that's a poor choice of words in the context of Michael Jackson.

I loved the Rockwell song at the time and was not that much of a MJ fan. But it's very possible it would not have been a hit without Mike 

I loved it, too. Then again, I was eight years old.

BF25394

This is off-topic, but I'm in this thread and it doesn't really warrant a new thread:

MTV Classic is showing the video for "Amongst the Waves" right now.

BF25394

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

It might be after that because the last time I looked at this, the score was 90.

bootleg

BF25394 said:

bootleg said:

I tried to listen to a few songs and they really all sounded very similar in style.  Like sleepy teenage poems over some generic music.  I couldn’t imagine listening to 31 of those.  But hey that’s just my taste.  It’s just not for me.

She's a 35-year-old woman. "Sleepy teenage poems," really? Unless she has suddenly regressed as a songwriter, I find it hard to believe this characterization could be accurate. It reminds me of when a music-snob friend described Eddie Vedder's lyrics as "greeting-card poetry."

I don’t know if it’s a regression but it is a little childish to be writing a Kim Kardashian diss track at 35 with lyrics that reference  “…push me down the stairs at our school.”  and “..my mother is a saintly woman but she used to say she wished you dead”

Then with song titles like But Daddy I love Him, and I Can Fix Him.  And then there this gem…

Truth, dare, spin bottles
You know how to ball, I know Aristotle
Brand new, full throttle
Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto
It's true, swear, scouts honor
You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her
Brand new, full throttle
You already know, babe

But besides some cringe lyrics I think over time even the most devoted Swifties will find this collection of songs sonically boring, and all a bit too similar in structure and style.

PJammin'

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

marjen

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

Is her fan base really any different than PJs? people on this forum aren’t practically a cult?  People still think PJ is relevant while TS actually is. Been here since the start, 10 came out my sophomore year of college. Love the band. They haven’t been relevant in at least 10 years. My son is 23 and LOVES music, actually doesn’t mind PJ but he is like, year no they aren’t on anyone’s radar right now.  Still love them though. Dark matter is there best album in at least 16 years. I have started listening to lots 0f other music in that time, artists that excite me more, different genres etc. I love TS. Yes I am a 52 yr old male, not remotely her target audience. But damn she can write songs. Her audience is much more diverse these days. I can finally admit I like her lol. If I look at my stats on Apple Music, PJ is barely in my top 10 the last few years. Zach Bryan has been #1 the last 2 years and Taylor #2. I feel there are a lot of people in this forum that are PJ or bust but there are a lot of other good musicians out there. Branch out folks, and don’t worry about what others think. 

Haijay

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Indifference said:

Better question who will sell more vinyl?

Taytay

Taytay? Tina, is that YOU?? Lololololololol

BF25394

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

There's a weird stan culture in pop music fed by social media, and her fan base is bigger than anyone's. I don't know that it's more twisted per capita than the other fan armies, but it's definitely bigger.

I can relate to wanting to defend someone you admire from unfair or uninformed criticism. I can't relate to the competitive aspect of fandom. I can relate to it in the context of sports--there are teams I enjoy seeing lose-- but I don't get it in the context of music. I love Pearl Jam, but that never meant that I had to hate other rock bands who are their "competitors."

goldrush

You know, it’s ok to not like Taylor Swift.

mvw

Taylor can be loved.
Taylor can be love.
❤️ 

BALLBOY

Maybe PJ missed a trick & should of done a song with Post Malone called "Always tired" 

PJammin'

marjen said:

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

Is her fan base really any different than PJs? people on this forum aren’t practically a cult?  People still think PJ is relevant while TS actually is. Been here since the start, 10 came out my sophomore year of college. Love the band. They haven’t been relevant in at least 10 years. My son is 23 and LOVES music, actually doesn’t mind PJ but he is like, year no they aren’t on anyone’s radar right now.  Still love them though. Dark matter is there best album in at least 16 years. I have started listening to lots 0f other music in that time, artists that excite me more, different genres etc. I love TS. Yes I am a 52 yr old male, not remotely her target audience. But damn she can write songs. Her audience is much more diverse these days. I can finally admit I like her lol. If I look at my stats on Apple Music, PJ is barely in my top 10 the last few years. Zach Bryan has been #1 the last 2 years and Taylor #2. I feel there are a lot of people in this forum that are PJ or bust but there are a lot of other good musicians out there. Branch out folks, and don’t worry about what others think. 

I wasn’t even talking about PJ’s fanbase, that’s a whole other discussion. Anyway, when a critic has to remain nameless when giving her latest album a low rated review bcuz of her triggered fanbase, it says a lot. A lot of them are nuts. 

Spiritual_Chaos

PJammin' said:

marjen said:

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

Is her fan base really any different than PJs? people on this forum aren’t practically a cult?  People still think PJ is relevant while TS actually is. Been here since the start, 10 came out my sophomore year of college. Love the band. They haven’t been relevant in at least 10 years. My son is 23 and LOVES music, actually doesn’t mind PJ but he is like, year no they aren’t on anyone’s radar right now.  Still love them though. Dark matter is there best album in at least 16 years. I have started listening to lots 0f other music in that time, artists that excite me more, different genres etc. I love TS. Yes I am a 52 yr old male, not remotely her target audience. But damn she can write songs. Her audience is much more diverse these days. I can finally admit I like her lol. If I look at my stats on Apple Music, PJ is barely in my top 10 the last few years. Zach Bryan has been #1 the last 2 years and Taylor #2. I feel there are a lot of people in this forum that are PJ or bust but there are a lot of other good musicians out there. Branch out folks, and don’t worry about what others think. 

I wasn’t even talking about PJ’s fanbase, that’s a whole other discussion. Anyway, when a critic has to remain nameless when giving her latest album a low rated review bcuz of her triggered fanbase, it says a lot. A lot of them are nuts. 

The same people would have attacked Nirvana-fans in 1993 being ready to die on the schoolyard for cutiepie Eddie Vedder that was hanging on their walls. 

Indifference

Taylor Swift, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (Republic) 2m+ 
Pearl Jam, Dark Matter(Monkeywrench/Republic) 55-60k

mpedone

PJammin' said:

marjen said:

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

Is her fan base really any different than PJs? people on this forum aren’t practically a cult?  People still think PJ is relevant while TS actually is. Been here since the start, 10 came out my sophomore year of college. Love the band. They haven’t been relevant in at least 10 years. My son is 23 and LOVES music, actually doesn’t mind PJ but he is like, year no they aren’t on anyone’s radar right now.  Still love them though. Dark matter is there best album in at least 16 years. I have started listening to lots 0f other music in that time, artists that excite me more, different genres etc. I love TS. Yes I am a 52 yr old male, not remotely her target audience. But damn she can write songs. Her audience is much more diverse these days. I can finally admit I like her lol. If I look at my stats on Apple Music, PJ is barely in my top 10 the last few years. Zach Bryan has been #1 the last 2 years and Taylor #2. I feel there are a lot of people in this forum that are PJ or bust but there are a lot of other good musicians out there. Branch out folks, and don’t worry about what others think. 

I wasn’t even talking about PJ’s fanbase, that’s a whole other discussion. Anyway, when a critic has to remain nameless when giving her latest album a low rated review bcuz of her triggered fanbase, it says a lot. A lot of them are nuts. 

You say this like it's unique to Swift and uncommon with any large fanbase (especially in the Internet era). 

kmcmanus

Pearl Jam - Dark Matter

mpedone said:

PJammin' said:

marjen said:

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

PJammin' said:

kmcmanus said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

DARN IT

That’s gotta be before the Paste review. They gave her a 3.8. Critic was left anonymous to prevent any online hassle from her fans.

Her fanbase is childish. Not all of them, but a lot of them.  I swear, it’s a twisted cult. 

Is her fan base really any different than PJs? people on this forum aren’t practically a cult?  People still think PJ is relevant while TS actually is. Been here since the start, 10 came out my sophomore year of college. Love the band. They haven’t been relevant in at least 10 years. My son is 23 and LOVES music, actually doesn’t mind PJ but he is like, year no they aren’t on anyone’s radar right now.  Still love them though. Dark matter is there best album in at least 16 years. I have started listening to lots 0f other music in that time, artists that excite me more, different genres etc. I love TS. Yes I am a 52 yr old male, not remotely her target audience. But damn she can write songs. Her audience is much more diverse these days. I can finally admit I like her lol. If I look at my stats on Apple Music, PJ is barely in my top 10 the last few years. Zach Bryan has been #1 the last 2 years and Taylor #2. I feel there are a lot of people in this forum that are PJ or bust but there are a lot of other good musicians out there. Branch out folks, and don’t worry about what others think. 

I wasn’t even talking about PJ’s fanbase, that’s a whole other discussion. Anyway, when a critic has to remain nameless when giving her latest album a low rated review bcuz of her triggered fanbase, it says a lot. A lot of them are nuts. 

You say this like it's unique to Swift and uncommon with any large fanbase (especially in the Internet era). 

I’d expect that if Paste was running a 3.8 review for say Beyoncé or Olivia Rodrigo the would also use an anonymous byline, it’s not just a Taylor Swift thing. 

Spiritual_Chaos

Also, did they really have to do it. Or have they now got people who wouldn't talk about Paste talk about Paste

SHZA

Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department

goldrush said:

You know, it’s ok to not like Taylor Swift.

Depends who you ask https://www.thecut.com/article/taylor-swift-fans-and-haters-friendship-breakups.html