Taylor Swift appreciation thread

[revbob]

I'm currently listening to soca rather than Swifty, if that helps

Who/What is soca?

Picture the mid-70s, and reggae is starting to make itself quite popular. A musician in Trinidad named Lord Shorty decides that calypso is falling behind and starts working on a way to compete with Jamaica. His answer comes in the form of combining calypso with some Indian stylings (Indians being the other main cultural group in Trinidad) and pumping up the tempo. He names it "soca," for "SOul of CAlypso." Over the years, this has gone through tons of subgenres (including a notable fusion with disco in the late 70s), much like reggae, and now sounds a bit ragga or reggaeton but with a more major key "Caribbean" feeling. It's typically heard during Carnival in Trinidad and still hasn't really been able to compete because it's such a seasonal genre.

I like the "classic" soca from the 70s and early 80s, but there's a few decent tracks from the contemporary stuff.
...

That actually sounds good, any artists besides Lord Shorty to check out?

Maestro, Merchant, Shadow, Lord Nelson, and Explainer are as far as I've gotten so far for the classic stuff. It's still not as well-documented as I'd like so it's taking a fair amount of research to find stuff that I like. I'm mostly just rifling through the genre at Discogs and trying stuff out if it looks like it could be good.

Ive heard some Lord Nelson

[gkbill]

Im pretty confident in my musical opinions/choices most of the time bit every so often I wonder if there's something wrong with me so it helps that there's a solid coalition here speaking up about just how awful this person's music is.

Mainstream music is utterly sterile. The very concept of mainstream has been gutted for over a decade—music is now fragmented into mostly self-segregating communities (which is mostly a bad thing)—so what dominates the shell of the pop mainstream is wretched. It is fully tested and focus grouped and intended to get people from 9 am to 5 pm without thinking too hard. There's good music—good melodic pop music—still being released, but the very idea of mainstream, Top 40 is terrible. The best music no longer seeks to appeal widely, and that's almost certainly a lousy development, but it does mean that what does dominate mainstream radio is fully, completely, totally neutered of any spirit.

Hello,

Yes.

[Dr. Medulla]

Im pretty confident in my musical opinions/choices most of the time bit every so often I wonder if there's something wrong with me so it helps that there's a solid coalition here speaking up about just how awful this person's music is.

Mainstream music is utterly sterile. The very concept of mainstream has been gutted for over a decade—music is now fragmented into mostly self-segregating communities (which is mostly a bad thing)—so what dominates the shell of the pop mainstream is wretched. It is fully tested and focus grouped and intended to get people from 9 am to 5 pm without thinking too hard. There's good music—good melodic pop music—still being released, but the very idea of mainstream, Top 40 is terrible. The best music no longer seeks to appeal widely, and that's almost certainly a lousy development, but it does mean that what does dominate mainstream radio is fully, completely, totally neutered of any spirit.

Hello,

Yes.

Old Grouch Power!

[Inder]

I feel like she was a regular rinky-dink Country FM type, then I looked away for a minute and when I looked back she was suddenly an unstoppable pop/lifestyle brand.

[drowninghere]

Im pretty confident in my musical opinions/choices most of the time bit every so often I wonder if there's something wrong with me so it helps that there's a solid coalition here speaking up about just how awful this person's music is.

Mainstream music is utterly sterile. The very concept of mainstream has been gutted for over a decade—music is now fragmented into mostly self-segregating communities (which is mostly a bad thing)—so what dominates the shell of the pop mainstream is wretched. It is fully tested and focus grouped and intended to get people from 9 am to 5 pm without thinking too hard. There's good music—good melodic pop music—still being released, but the very idea of mainstream, Top 40 is terrible. The best music no longer seeks to appeal widely, and that's almost certainly a lousy development, but it does mean that what does dominate mainstream radio is fully, completely, totally neutered of any spirit.

My instinct is that music that seeks to appeal widely is going to be pretty bland overall so as to not offend. Why do you see a lack of this endeavor as a bad thing?

I used to hate on pop music more than anyone, but Kylie was sort of a gateway to passively liking stuff which was danceable and had good earworms, but wasn't going to threaten the avant-garde. I'd argue that a lot of current pop is better than something like Britney or N*Sync. I think we're in a better place now than we were on the cusp of the millennium.

totally agree with this

[BostonBeaneater]

I’m ok with Tay Tay. I actually like pop music now more than at any other point in my light. There’s some delightfully weird stuff making the rounds right now. There’s large black women and tiny black gay cowboys making the charts. I’ll take this weird pop shit over most of the serious stuff out there.

PS, sun your butthole.

[revbob]

Regarding the above text in bold. I would argue its more a case of being slowly conditioned to find crappy music acceptable.

[Mimi]

I feel like she was a regular rinky-dink Country FM type, then I looked away for a minute and when I looked back she was suddenly an unstoppable pop/lifestyle brand.

Right? Even if I don't have a taste for country, some of her early stuff is really good. Back to December is my favorite. The change to pop diva is one of the problems I have with her. In a way, I feel like she did sell out.

[Silent Majority]

There are worse crimes than Taylor Swift. My kids listen to Billy Eilish, can’t help but like this for a bit of fun pop

That was fun.

Yeah, I really like that song. Also Lizzo's work.

[matedog]

Im pretty confident in my musical opinions/choices most of the time bit every so often I wonder if there's something wrong with me so it helps that there's a solid coalition here speaking up about just how awful this person's music is.

Mainstream music is utterly sterile. The very concept of mainstream has been gutted for over a decade—music is now fragmented into mostly self-segregating communities (which is mostly a bad thing)—so what dominates the shell of the pop mainstream is wretched. It is fully tested and focus grouped and intended to get people from 9 am to 5 pm without thinking too hard. There's good music—good melodic pop music—still being released, but the very idea of mainstream, Top 40 is terrible. The best music no longer seeks to appeal widely, and that's almost certainly a lousy development, but it does mean that what does dominate mainstream radio is fully, completely, totally neutered of any spirit.

This is a pretty much the opposite of my perception. As BBE and Kory noted, what’s popular now is way weirder and more interesting than the pop music that I grew up with. I’m not taking about what is/was popular, but specifically the pop genre. A few songs excepted, N Sync and Backstreet Boys were so generic and bland. The songs were catchy but in a neutered way if that makes sense. Nothing like Lizzo was ever popular when I was young.

[oliver]

I'd argue that a lot of current pop is better than something like Britney or N*Sync.

I won't have a word said against Toxic.

[Dr. Medulla]

Im pretty confident in my musical opinions/choices most of the time bit every so often I wonder if there's something wrong with me so it helps that there's a solid coalition here speaking up about just how awful this person's music is.

Mainstream music is utterly sterile. The very concept of mainstream has been gutted for over a decade—music is now fragmented into mostly self-segregating communities (which is mostly a bad thing)—so what dominates the shell of the pop mainstream is wretched. It is fully tested and focus grouped and intended to get people from 9 am to 5 pm without thinking too hard. There's good music—good melodic pop music—still being released, but the very idea of mainstream, Top 40 is terrible. The best music no longer seeks to appeal widely, and that's almost certainly a lousy development, but it does mean that what does dominate mainstream radio is fully, completely, totally neutered of any spirit.

This is a pretty much the opposite of my perception. As BBE and Kory noted, what’s popular now is way weirder and more interesting than the pop music that I grew up with. I’m not taking about what is/was popular, but specifically the pop genre. A few songs excepted, N Sync and Backstreet Boys were so generic and bland. The songs were catchy but in a neutered way if that makes sense. Nothing like Lizzo was ever popular when I was young.

My exposure to mainstream is what's on the radio in the car—the Boss drives, she picks the radio station—and the songs I hear are terribly dull and sound alike. I hear the same neutered essence for pretty much the entire 21st c. I still love pop music—the catchy hook, the dumb feeling of happiness when it's playing—but I have to go away from the mainstream to hear it.

[revbob]

I’m ok with Tay Tay. I actually like pop music now more than at any other point in my light. There’s some delightfully weird stuff making the rounds right now. There’s large black women and tiny black gay cowboys making the charts. I’ll take this weird pop shit over most of the serious stuff out there.

I kind of get what you mean but Ive turned to other music styles that are admittedly more in my wheelhouse but still hit the "fun" mark, at least for me. It tends to be more garagey,rockabilly, soul stuff.

PS, sun your butthole.

Too cold here to sun my butthole but I can live vicariously thru her.

[BostonBeaneater]

I’m ok with Tay Tay. I actually like pop music now more than at any other point in my light. There’s some delightfully weird stuff making the rounds right now. There’s large black women and tiny black gay cowboys making the charts. I’ll take this weird pop shit over most of the serious stuff out there.

I kind of get what you mean but Ive turned to other music styles that are admittedly more in my wheelhouse but still hit the "fun" mark, at least for me. It tends to be more garagey,rockabilly, soul stuff.

There’s plenty of fun stuff out there. I wish I had an easier way to find it as an old. My wife has been playing Billie Eilish and Lizzo lately and I enjoy both quite a bit.

[gkbill]

I’m ok with Tay Tay. I actually like pop music now more than at any other point in my light. There’s some delightfully weird stuff making the rounds right now. There’s large black women and tiny black gay cowboys making the charts. I’ll take this weird pop shit over most of the serious stuff out there.

I kind of get what you mean but Ive turned to other music styles that are admittedly more in my wheelhouse but still hit the "fun" mark, at least for me. It tends to be more garagey,rockabilly, soul stuff.

PS, sun your butthole.

Too cold here to sun my butthole but I can live vicariously thru her.

Hello,

Re:
Better connection to my Sexual energy & control of my Life Force - since I was 16, I've been pretty well connected to my sexual energy; I won control of my life force from the Federation in 1983
Attracting my desires & intentions with ease - I might like to do this if I knew what it meant
Attracting soul tribe & people who are on the same frequency and wavelength as me - I'm sure you are attracting some people with this, congrats!