The news site of Glenbrook South High School.

The Oracle

The news site of Glenbrook South High School.

The Oracle

The news site of Glenbrook South High School.

The Oracle

Advertisement
Advertisement
Find Stories and More:

Red: a Swift departure from Taylor’s classic country charm

Taylor Swift’s Red is like no other album she has released before. Her latest effort strays from her trademarked heartfelt country pop in more than one way, when in the past, she has stuck closely to her tried-and-true formula.

This time around, Swift ventures into several new genres with mixed results. It’s easy on the ears, and I can’t complain about much of the material, but this record has truly baffled me with its schizophrenic style jumping. While her latest album is no Fearless, the quintessential Taylor Swift record, it has its moments.

Red opens up with the anthemic rock tune, “State of Grace”, whose simple drum and guitar intro recalls U2’s, “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”. The resemblance only grows stronger when Swift joins in with her best Bono impression on the soaring, powerful chorus.

It’s certainly a departure from her signature southern-belle-sitting-in-the-backyard-strumming-her-acoustic-guitar style, and it is a welcome change. Everything from the radio-ready “oh”s to the tension-ridden breakdown just before the last chorus points to a healthy maturation of her sound.

The album continues with the single “Red”, giving girls everywhere a color to describe every feeling they’ve ever had. Another fun pop anthem, this song could use a little more depth to its lyrics, but that’s to be expected with Swift.

A few songs later, the trouble begins with the aptly named, “I Knew You Were Trouble”. The song kicks off with a nice, aggressive guitar riff, suggesting Miley Cyrus’s hit, “Party in the USA”. At 40 seconds, the synthesizers start revving up, a dull roar complementing Swift’s flippant croon.

Here, my nervousness began to set in. The unmistakable synthesized drums, the stripped-down, repetitive chorus and the club-friendly vocal line all point to one thing: Taylor Swift is preparing to drop the bass.

The chorus of, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, puts Swift right up there with Rihanna, Britney Spears and Pitbull; Swift has officially joined the ranks of pop icons who have tried and failed to hop on the dubstep train. This song will be a hit with fans of Flo Rida’s, “Good Feeling”, and the like, but Flying Lotus would not be caught dead dropping this at next year’s Tomorrowland.

While Swift is known for writing the majority of her own music, Santa had a few more elves this time around. Most notable is the power-duo Max Martin and Shellback, who have been writing top 40 hits for artists like P!nk, Usher and One Direction since 2008.

Not surprisingly, they are responsible for the chart topping, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. One of the best songs on the album, “WANEGBT”, is setting records left and right. Fun, catchy, and relatable, it made a fantastic late-summer jam and is holding its worth into the autumn months.

Martin and Shellback also wrote the dance-pop song, “22”. A clone of the latest Ke$ha and P!ink singles, “Die Young”, and “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”, it is clear that creating another radio hit was in mind. Prepare yourself for lyrics about dressing up like hipsters and the inevitable reassurance that everything will be okay.

It is painfully clear where Swift herself was the only writer and where other people had a hand in the process. The incredibly lengthy Red (clocking in at 65 minutes) could easily be divided into two full-length records.

The first one would be comprised of the songs Swift wrote on her own, featuring tracks like the title song, and the adorable, “Stay Stay Stay”. The second would be songs destined for the airwaves, of course featuring “WANEGBT”, “22”, and the other handful of songs written by Max Martin and Shellback.

There is, unfortunately, a third potential album as well: the collection of songs that never should have been released at all. Songs like the aforementioned, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and the mind-numbingly melancholy, “Sad Beautiful Tragic”, make this shameful list, among other boring, generic tracks.

While Swift obviously did her best to pack this album to the brim, it would have been wise to cut about 15 or 20 minutes of material, only proving the age old adage, quality over quantity.

Overall, Red is an acceptable album. Swift’s desire to reign supreme over all subgenres of Top 40 Radio led to a less than exhilarating record. Approach with caution, as Swift’s newest album may swiftly become something you did not expect.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

The Oracle intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to our standards and to be respectful and constructive. As such, we do not permit the use of profanity, foul language, personal attacks, or the use of language that might be interpreted as libelous. Comments are reviewed and must be approved by a moderator to ensure that they meet these standards. The Oracle does not allow anonymous comments, and The Oracle requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments.
All The Oracle Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *