Taylor Swift has always been a trendsetter. From her teenage years in her eponymous debut album to her previous album Red , the vocal sensation has taken the music world by storm. In 1989 , she says she is not afraid of growing older, slapping the year of her birth as the album title. Turning 25 this year, Swift breaks up her long-term relationship with country music and steps into the world of 80s synth-pop.
Full of expertly-constructed, songs about heartbreak, 1989 is in the realm of mainstream pop. It is easy to see Swift shed every gene of country music as she weaves a remarkably well-strung narrative of pure pop in this 13-track compilation.
Moving to a pad (read penthouse) in New York may have sparked 1989 that shows Taylor is not afraid of tackling the big city and its music.
Having navigated all the back roads in her hometown in Pennsylvania and her growing up in Nashville, she embraces her new life in the confident album opener ‘Welcome To New York’. Taylor launches into an outburst of vocal tenacity in the claps-backed synth song leading to a keys-supported new-wave chorus hook.
‘Blank Space’ is oddly reassuring. A shot in the dark but a sincere effort to conquer and fill the hole in her heart, Taylor delivers an out-and-out pop song with an intriguingly skeletal undercarriage.
‘Style’ goes miles further in an artsy funk pop offering that exudes a powerful dance presence even as Taylor sings reassuringly “we never go out of style”.
Reiterating her strong will to move to the concrete jungle, Talyor makes it out in the clear in ‘Out Of The Woods’ – a vibrant harmonic anthem.
‘All You Had To Do Was Stay’ and ‘I Wish You Would’ veers towards heartbreak albeit with a twist. Spending less time on grief and more on putting things behind her, the nostalgic blasts from the past are intense, groovy and confident of moving forward.
‘Shake It Off’ carries the narrative ahead with a positive outbreak of letting it all loose. Swift uses her voice - processed more than ever – in amazing deliveries as she shifts gears towards the bridge in this gum-snapping glee song.
Her lead single ‘Bad Blood’ will knock you off your feet. Raining down heavy hip-hop beats and bulging 80s bass lines, the intense song loads overtures of vocals in the background, while Taylor hammers the nail in the coffin to her past.
‘Wildest Dreams’ will surprise you further as Swift flits between a fluttery soprano and deadpan alto paving way to the 80’s vintage glorified pop in ‘How You Get The Girl’. Swift puts her heart out in this rhythmic groovy mix. ‘This Love’ is a whole new direction. The slow meandering song blends a tinge of ballad with a piano backing that fuses hints of rock making it an absolute standout.
‘I Know Places’ gets Swift almost rapping in this powerfully-delivered song that promises to get you on your feet. ‘Clean’ closes up as Taylor reassures that she’s done with her past – both in terms of her soundscape as well as her heart pangs as she sings “Gone was any trace of you/I think I am finally clean” in the synth-led trudging song that finishes with a spectacular accapella section.
What makes Taylor Swift stand apart from the rest of the pop world is her resilience to stand on her own feet and make it through every song by herself. There are no collaborations, guest artistes or producers joining hands in 1989 . This is Taylor Swift at her original best, though she doesn’t sound like anything she’s ever tried before. That is what gives Taylor ample space to stake out the popular turf of pop.
( 1989 is available on Big Machine Records for Rs. 395 in audio CD format)
