Posted in Album Reviews

Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (2020)

Posted on by Michael
Punisher

It was almost a year ago that 26 year old Phoebe Bridgers released “Garden Song”, the first track from 2020’s Punisher album.  The track is emblematic of the rest of the album that features many lowkey songs that are good, funny, and clever in parts.  “When I grow up, I’m gonna look up from my phone and see my life”.  “Moon Song” is slow moving that casually mentions, “we hate Tears in Heaven/but it’s sad that his baby died”. The pace quickens on second single “Kyoto” that displays an indie rock touch.

The last time we hard from Bridgers was as part of the boygenius trio along with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker who make an appearance here on the banjo lead “Graceland Too”.  “Chinese Satellite” sees the drums buried in the mix while Bridgers sings, “I want to believe/instead, I look at the sky and feel nothing”.  The music here resembles one another, where the album stands out is on the lyrics. Punisher was a critical darling appearing on virtually all the year end polls. A few good tracks with several memorable lines that will cause genuine listener smiles is where Punisher really stands out.

7/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Taylor Swift – evermore (2020)

Posted on by Michael
evermore

In the summer of 2020, Taylor Swift stunned everyone by surprise releasing the album folklore.  The album topped both the charts and was high on year end critics’ polls.  In another surprise twist, Swift pulled the same trick and released it’s sister album evermore. Once again using Aaron Dessner from The National as a main producer is a continuing departure for the country pop star.  The sole track done with long time favourite Jack Antonoff is a stunner, “gold rush” compares “your hair falling into place like dominoes” over a drum machine beat.

Throughout the album, her lyrics and storytelling are often picture perfect. Swift visits her country origins on several songs including “champagne problems” where the protagonist turns down a marriage proposal and imagines another girl will “patch up your tapestry that I shred”.  First single, “willow” is laid back and compares her man to a number of different items.  “marjorie” is reportedly about her maternal grandmother who was an opera singer and how she left “all your closets of backlogged dreams”.

Like on folklore, Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver makes an appearance on the title track which also features a beautiful piano line.  The National’s Matt Berninger has been making the duet rounds recently and appears on “Coney Island” while sister group Haim appear on the crime story of “no body, no crime”.

Along with a Disney + release of the folklore special in November 2020, this release of another 17 songs included in the deluxe copy from December shows just how busy Swift was during the pandemic.    Whereas folklore was consistently great, evermore is consistently very good.  There is a wealth of riches to be found in both release as Taylor continues to expand her sound and empire.

8/10