Tag: album review

Music/Movies, Uncategorized

All That Glitters May Not Have Gold: A review of Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl

by Matt DrufkeLeave a Comment on All That Glitters May Not Have Gold: A review of Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl
All That Glitters May Not Have Gold: A review of Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl

Taylor Swift has made it known that she does not like being called “calculated”, and I get it. To refer to a woman by that word implies a certain tone that one would not give to a man, who normally would be called something like “ambitious”. It’s a shame to me that she doesn’t like this term, because I consider the word a grand compliment and I believe it applies to the pop star. As we enter the tenth month of 2025, Swift has her twelfth album, The Life Of A Showgirl, out. And there is a lot that is needed to calculate.

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Music/Movies, The Swiftening

The Swiftening, Part 11: The Tortured Poets Department- The Uncomfortable Writers Depot

by The Fancy Boys2 Comments on The Swiftening, Part 11: The Tortured Poets Department- The Uncomfortable Writers Depot
The Swiftening, Part 11: The Tortured Poets Department- The Uncomfortable Writers Depot

Before December of 2020, Jordan Holmes (comedian, author, podcaster) had never, intentionally, listened to a Taylor Swift song. Then began The Swiftening, where Jordan decided to review every Swift album in order. So far, he has covered Swift’s 2006 debut, 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, and 2012‘s Red, 2014’s 1989, 2017’s reputation, 2019’s Lover, and 2020’s folklore and evermore, which we encourage you to check out if you haven’t already.

Back again, as we all knew I would be, the allure of hating cannot be denied. I rarely finish what I begin, and I doubt I will follow her career, alleging talentless desperation after every release, but today, today is… today and I hate. 

Continue reading “The Swiftening, Part 11: The Tortured Poets Department- The Uncomfortable Writers Depot” →
Music/Movies, Pop Culture

A Woman In-Between Eras: Examining The Tortured Poets Department

by Matt DrufkeLeave a Comment on A Woman In-Between Eras: Examining The Tortured Poets Department
A Woman In-Between Eras: Examining The Tortured Poets Department

To open The Tortured Poets Department, her twelfth album (and fourth in five years), Taylor Swift gives us “Fortnight”. Swift and longtime producer Jack Antonoff give us a song that sonically feels in place with the catalog of Lana Del Rey (unsurprising, considering Antonoff also produces some of her music) as the thirty-four year old singer gives us the story of a woman dealing with a relationship gone way too wrong and delving into alcohol and thoughts of violence to her man’s new wife. “I loved you, it’s ruining my life,” Swift sings in a track that feels like something her and Antonoff could do in their sleep. It’s a good track, and Swiftboats (my term for Swift fans, many of whom have long since forgotten about John Kerry) will love it because it’s the kind of song they’ve heard and loved and sung along to before. It’s a very solid Taylor Swift song.

And that’s why it’s a little underwhelming.

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Music/Movies, Rocktober Roundup

Rocktober Roundup: Some Of It Was True by The Menzingers

by Matt DrufkeLeave a Comment on Rocktober Roundup: Some Of It Was True by The Menzingers
Rocktober Roundup: Some Of It Was True by The Menzingers

To start their fifth record, 2017’s After The Party, Scranton’s The Menzingers gave us the blistering track “Tellin’ Lies”, with it’s simple, oft-repeated sing-along chorus: “Where we gonna go now that our twenties are over?” Guitarist-singer-songwriters Greg Barnett and Tom May have always spent most of the band’s songs in that anxious grey area wondering when they were going to have to grow up, what that would look like, and what it would mean. And while I believe After The Party is the band’s best album, here we are now in 2023. The Menzingers are now all well into their fourth decade of life, and have a new album, Some Of It Was True. So what has changed now that the band’s twenties are, truly over?

Thankfully, not much.

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Music/Movies, The Swiftening

The Swiftening, Part 10: Midnights… 10 Multiple Songs With The Word “Midnight” But Not All

by The Fancy Boys4 Comments on The Swiftening, Part 10: Midnights… 10 Multiple Songs With The Word “Midnight” But Not All
The Swiftening, Part 10: Midnights… 10 Multiple Songs With The Word “Midnight” But Not All

Before December of 2020, Jordan Holmes (comedian, author, podcaster) had never, intentionally, listened to a Taylor Swift song. Then began The Swiftening, where Jordan decided to review every Swift album in order. So far, he has covered Swift’s 2006 debut, 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, and 2012‘s Red, 2014’s 1989, 2017’s reputation, 2019’s Lover, and 2020’s folklore and evermore, which we encourage you to check out if you haven’t already.

Continue reading “The Swiftening, Part 10: Midnights… 10 Multiple Songs With The Word “Midnight” But Not All” →
Music/Movies, Uncategorized

Sad Boy Album Chats 2: “The Hum Goes on Forever” by The Wonder Years

by Jake DrummondLeave a Comment on Sad Boy Album Chats 2: “The Hum Goes on Forever” by The Wonder Years
Sad Boy Album Chats 2: “The Hum Goes on Forever” by The Wonder Years

On a brisk autumn morning, a curious ray of morning sun gleams through the gap of smoke-stained plastic window blinds. Countless particles of dust dance through the beam above a desk adorned with half empty mugs of tea and a crumpled Del Taco bag from the night before. The golden streak of dawn presses on through a slight opening of a closet that does not close, layer upon layer of landlord white hamstringing the hinges. It shines on a dark, sherpa-lined jean jacket emblazoned with pop punk patches, a cartoonish skull enamel pin, and a worldly collection of coffee and beer stains that blend into the deep blue denim. One of these days, I should get that jacket dry cleaned, but that will have to wait, for it yearns to be donned once more; The Ides of October have come to pass and sad boy season is well underway.

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Music/Movies, The Swiftening

The Swiftening, Part 8: folklore (2020)… Swift Dunk Ernest

by The Fancy Boys3 Comments on The Swiftening, Part 8: folklore (2020)… Swift Dunk Ernest
The Swiftening, Part 8: folklore (2020)… Swift Dunk Ernest

Before December of 2020, Jordan Holmes (comedian, author, podcaster) had never, intentionally, listened to a Taylor Swift song. Then began The Swiftening, where Jordan decided to review every Swift album in order. So far, he has covered Swift’s 2006 debut, 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, and 2012‘s Red, 2014’s 1989, 2017’s reputation, and last year’s Lover, which we encourage you to check out if you haven’t already.

Continue reading “The Swiftening, Part 8: folklore (2020)… Swift Dunk Ernest” →
Music/Movies, The Swiftening

The Swiftening, Part 1: Taylor Swift (2006)

by The Fancy Boys10 Comments on The Swiftening, Part 1: Taylor Swift (2006)
The Swiftening, Part 1: Taylor Swift (2006)

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Earlier this week, I reviewed the new album from Taylor Swift. My friend, the perfect and hilarious Jordan Holmes, responded as such:

From that tweet came great discussion. From that discussion came the idea for Jordan to review Swift’s entire discography. Here is part one, a look at the 2006 self-titled debut.)

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Music/Movies

Lady Of The Woods: A review of Taylor Swift’s evermore

by Matt Drufke1 Comment on Lady Of The Woods: A review of Taylor Swift’s evermore
Lady Of The Woods: A review of Taylor Swift’s evermore

Guess who’s back? Back again? Taylor’s back! Tell a friend!

Let’s just get down to the nuts and bolts here and lay out everything you need to know: On Friday, Taylor Swift released evermore, her second album of 2020 and her third album in two years. According to Swift, she just enjoyed the process of working with her folklore collaborators Aaron Dessner (of indie-rock darlings The National), Jack Antonoff (longtime collaborator and Bleachers frontman), and Joe Alwyn (boyfriend who works under the pseudonym William Bowery) that the team just kept working and making music. The album, unsurprisingly, has dominated Spotify streams over the weekend while the Swift Boats (my personal name for her fans and I’m not going to stop calling them that) have lost their minds.

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Music/Movies

Soundtrack To A Revolution: A Review of RTJ4

by Matt DrufkeLeave a Comment on Soundtrack To A Revolution: A Review of RTJ4
Soundtrack To A Revolution: A Review of RTJ4

The first rhyme comes out of Killer Mike like a war cry: “Back at it/Like a crack addict” and it’s followed by a series of repetitive percussion given to us by El-P. You can call it a beat, but I’m calling it war drums. It sends out a clear message: Run The Jewels have returned. And we couldn’t need them more.

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