Elvis Costello’s 2010 album National Ransom was a return to the country rock/Americana sound he employed so winningly on King of America 24 years earlier.
I can’t say I’ve revisited this album much since it first came out, but every time I hear one of its songs I’m reminded how much I like it.
Concluding my countdown of the songs on Taylor Swift’s folklore…
#3. ‘invisible string’
One of the few songs on folklore written about Swift’s current relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, ‘invisible string’ is soul-soothing in its vision of romantic fate. It contains clever references to Swift’s previous work (“Bad was the blood of the song in the cab on your first trip to LA”) and the resolution she has found with former flames (“Now I send their babies presents”). She sounds thrillingly at peace.
Continuing my countdown of the songs on Taylor Swift’s folklore…
#6. ‘this is me trying’
This, like a few other Jack Antonoff-produced folklore songs, has a pulsating bass line that reminds me of Joshua Tree U2. A very moody and effective bed for Swift’s yearning vocals and a song about romantic regret.
Continuing my countdown of the songs on Taylor Swift’s folklore…
#9. ‘cardigan’
The album’s first single, and part of a trilogy about a teenage love triangle, ‘cardigan’ is one of several songs on folklore that would fit neatly on a Lana Del Rey album.
Continuing my countdown of the songs on Taylor Swift’s folklore…
#12. mad woman
A trademark Taylor Swift kiss-off song — this one at least partially about the battle with Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta over ownership of her early material — that works better than most because of the mood created by its minor-key piano line.
Meet Me In Montauk 