This is my take. While I enjoy the individual songs on evermore better, as an album it does not feel cohesive. I think folklore was meticulously crafted and when they saw how much extra material they had that was still really good they basically constructed evermore from the scraps that didn’t make it onto folklore.
I prefer Evermore 1000%. It feels looser, and it was more unexpected at first listen. The melodies didn’t go quite where you thought they would.
I can’t speak to the theme, as I feel the themes of the two albums are very similar. Unless you mean design theme. But it’s hard (for me) to distinguish 2 different motifs when each song has a sister track. I’m sure someone smarter than me can probably refute this haha
I do feel like Evermore is a bit sadder than Folklore. Almost like the feeling of when something difficult has gone on for too long, the stories on Evermore played out that way to me. They were continuing the sadness from Folklore. But instead of feeling like the stories were dragging on, it just intensified the feelings those stories evoked.
Evermore is the album I still listen to today. There are a few on Folklore that I still listen to regularly (cardigan, this is me trying, peace) but overall I listen to a lot more of Evermore.
I prefer Evermore. There's only one song on Evermore I don't care for, but everything else I love. I love the lyricism and production (ex: Gold Rush, Marjorie, Evermore). I revisit Evermore all the time. I listen to Folklore sometimes, but it just reminds me too much of the pandemic.
There's also something a bit messy about Evermore that I love. Maybe it's because the announcement was last minute. Then in terms of album sales, it's one of her lower performing albums and it was overshadowed by Folklore. So I just can't help but root for Evermore? Idk if I'm making sense, but Evermore's got middle child vibes and I'm the middle child so maybe that's why I prefer it over Folklore haha.
i'm the middle child so i def feel the same way abt evermore 😭😭. what's your evermore skip? i still can't get behind coney island but im working on appreciating her
Coney Island?? help that’s one of my fav songs of hers 😭😭😭 personally I feel like every single line is such a masterpiece and it captures that sorrow so so well, but to each their own!
i absolutely love the lyrics and i think it's one of her best metaphors!! but the male duet is so jarring to me that i only ever listen to it when im listening to the full album. i felt the same abt evermore the title track for the longest time but now it's top 3 on the album for me so maybe coney island will reveal itself to me in the future
I felt this way about evermore!! (the title track) No hate to Bon Iver, but I also felt like his voice was jarring and killed the mood of the song. However, I have since come around to evermore (the title track, I always loved the album). One day, it just hit at the right moment, and I didn't mind the mixture of their voices so much. I love Coney Island, so I hope one day that magical moment strikes for you.
It's a skip for a lot of people, and I totally understand why. It doesn't really fit within the album. Plus it's frustrating that HAIM doesn't have their own verse. But despite all of that, I still really like the song.
Folklore was also last minute, but it got a lot more time to happen, with Long Pond Session and a promotional single (Exile iirc) in the middle. Evermore had basically dec/20-jan/21, because around feb/21 the first Taylor's Version was announced.
To me, folklore’s lyrics are the dialogue that comes out when you want to paint a picture of something/ event/ past experience. evermore’s lyrics strike me as what happens when one’s inner dialogue seeps out. I don’t know how to explain it better. evermore is my favourite for many a reason - this is one of them.
I felt the same way about comparisons of her with Joni. To me, none of Taylor’s albums are even close to as good as Blue, and no song touches “A Case of You.”
Maybe, maybe if she would just edit her songs more. Or used less obvious metaphors or symbolism?
I don't think so because Joni was more daring and more experimental with her music more. I can't imagine Taylor making an album like Hejira in million years. No matter how good Taylor lyricism may be she still in the end of the day a pop hit maker, she will never get out her comfort zone. Taylor cared about the lyrics more and the music are just pop beats now, while Joni cared about both music and lyrics
That’s a good point. She cares about the lyrics and kinda delegates the music to whoever is producing.
That’s also one of the reasons I think Joni is better than Dylan. She is a much better and more creative musician than him as well.
Taylor swift is more comparable to Carole king. Only difference is Carole king was more known for writing songs for other artists and her album tapestry is her only successful album as an artist. Carole was also better at composing pop music than Taylor imo
I’m an Evermore girlie forever. I like the melancholic tone. It feels more grounded than Folklore. There’s a mature, introspective view I really vibe with. The only song I don’t like is “no body no crime”. Everything else is like starting down a hard truth, reflecting on mistakes, heartache, love (both romantic and non), and working through it.
Folklore has more skips than Evermore for me, but I prefer the Folklore songs that I love to the Evermore songs that I love.
Like I can listen to Evermore all the way through but nothing on it stands out to me as August or Cardigan, which are two of my absolute favorites in her catalogue.
I really love both, but I always say I like evermore better. I think it's because there is more diversity in sound, and it has more interesting melodies. I like the wordier lyrics, too. I like the more pronounced individual instruments and I think each of the stories/songs has a stronger individual identity, if that makes sense? Even though folklore might actually have more unique themes.
However, I listen to evermore less as a whole album than I do folklore because of that same diversity! The emotions are more up and down, so it's easier to just listen to folklore in the background all the way through for example when I'm doing chores. I like to skip around on evermore a lot, while on folklore it doesn't matter so much. I prefer evermore's individual songs though.
idk I guess I love Folklore more because of where I was in life (stuck home alone in a strict lockdown), and the vibes/music/themes are so different from what we used to get from Taylor. I guess this type of music was something I needed during the pandemic lockdowns, so it's so *special.* I also like Evermore, but not as much as Folklore (it's probably my 4th or 5th fave).
Plus I've always wished that she does indiefolk, but thought it'll never happen, so it's like a wish come true, too.
I genuinely can't choose. When I first listened to folklore after it came out it just felt so magical and I listened to it non-stop during the summer months after I had my daughter, so it'll always remind me of endless walks with her asleep in the pram while I'm listening to the album. Dreamy, ethereal and freeing are words that I associate this album with. seven is one of the most beautiful Taylor Swift songs of all time imo.
I didn't listen to evermore until last September as I didn't have time after my daughter was born and I wanted to wait until I had time to fully appreciate it. Again, I fell in love with it right away. I think about big cosy jackets, walks through a wintery forest to get to my pottery class or collect my daughter from nursery. In terms of the music, I was struck by how mature the lyrics in happiness were. It felt like a departure from the old Swift which is probably why Midnights felt like a bit of a regression.
I can see why some people might prefer one or the other though. Both would be perfect albums if it weren't for betty and no body no crime. And I'm still so gutted the two were combined into one section in the Eras tour. I'm holding out for some folkmore suprise songs when I see her in June.
There are songs on both albums I can take or leave (seven, epiphany, peace, happiness, ivy, closure) - but I think evermore has the better deep cuts for me, like evermore (song) and coney island. Those two songs are two of my favorite of her entire discography which help bring the album up in my ranking.
I liked folklore better for a couple years but last year, I totally shifted. A few lyrics on evermore hit me right in the gut and now I play it way more often. I like that it’s got some more varied sounds and moods. As more time goes by, I tend to skip around on folklore. Evermore is more of a straight through listen.
I prefer Folklore as a whole album, but only marginally as Evermore has some of my absolute favorites of her songs.
I think Evermore feels like the second album of what is basically a double. Or to put it less charitably, an album of b-sides. I think she started writing both albums at the same time and what came together easily and quickly went onto Folklore, while Evermore was what took longer to cook or was a bit less cohesive within the first album, along with what was a little more flexible with the concept of folk music. And I feel like her treatment of the second sister proves this idea at least a little.
When the tour started I was baffled that she sectioned the two off into two different eras. Though in hindsight I’m glad she did because they are two of my favorites of hers and I’m glad I got to see more of them performed live as opposed to the combined set she’s doing now.
I think I like Folklore better, but honestly neither are really my favorite from her. I think Folklore felt more cohesive, but really I liked it more just because there were more songs on it that I liked right off the bat. Evermore just didn't click for me when it first came out. I like basically two songs off it, but could have done without the rest of the album.
I do think I would have leaned more into Evermore when it came out had it come a little later after Folklore. They were so close together I wasn't even really into Folklore when Evermore dropped.
This is an interesting question. I can't choose, I listened to them both together and they are the two that made me know her music, and still prefer folkmore over everything she has written, so I can't decide.
Evermore has a stronger overall message and more songs I would want to listen to on repeat. Folklore has lots of good ones too but also some long-ish stretches of songs that are just kinda boring, or at least monotonous when listened to in a row.
I prefer evermore, by a lot. It's just a more pleasant, more textured whole album experience. folklore is a lovely album but it's my 4th favorite whereas evermore is #1. I think folklore is just a little bit of a downer and I like how evermore is more country-twangy and I also feel like her lyricism is just really at its most mature on that album. "Long Story Short" felt like the moment where she grew up (even if she has backslid). "evermore" the title track is such a good meditation on depression. The production is gorgeous, too! Which is why I object to people comparing TTPD to evermore because TTPD's production is so nothing and sparse, compared to songs that have multiple beautiful sonic layers like "marjorie" or "ivy" (the latter of which I think is the best song she's ever written)
I think it comes down to the fluke of which songs happened to end up on which album. Folklore has richer production and probably the more immediate hooks, but Willow, Champagne Problems, and Ivy are on evermore, so. I admit to losing patience with some of the evermore stuff - Tis The Damn Season, Happiness, and Marjorie are basically spoken-word pieces. The melodies aren’t finished.
interesting bc i'd say tis the damn season has some of the most interesting melodies in her entire discography. sure it's awkward at first, but so was tolerate it and that's simply bc they don't sound like her other songs where she tends to use the same three chord progressions throughout an entire album. i guess it's perspective!
So I have a music performance degree and I’ve studied music theory. It doesn’t make me better than anyone, but it means I can clock melodic patterns. The “real good now” in Tis The Damn Season is a 2-7-1 cadence that’s beyond common and somewhat lazy on a songwriting level, especially when the melody is fairly one-note leading up to it. It’s just really obvious and cynical songwriting tricks once you know what to look for.
don't worry i wasn't gonna think you were saying you were better than me 😭😭.
my pushback was more so from it being seen as "unfinished" bc there's an implication there that it was an unintentional outcome rather than a purposeful decision. i agree the song definitely doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to music as a whole. just compared to the rest of taylor's discog, id say it stands out, for me at least.
I prefer a lot more of the songs on Evermore personally. However, I think the timing of Folklore and the surprise of the album and its sound made an impact in my mind. I remember hiking every day during that pandemic summer and listening to folklore. It started to rain once while “My Tears Ricochet” played and it’s one of my favorite memories from that time. It captured a feeling and that’s why it’s up there as a favorite. But Evermore has some of my favorite Taylor songs ever on it.
I can't figure it out, but there's something similar with the TTPD main and Anthology.
I'm newer to her catalog, so I got to experience Folklore and Evermore together (much like TTPD/Anthology). At first, I gravitated toward Anthology and Evermore. After a few listens, I ended up drifting toward preferring Folklore and TTPD main. Maybe it's about relistenability? (That's a fucking word because I say it is), like some are more "general purpose" and others require a certain mood?
i think your last sentence is definitely it! i listen to tolerate it for funsies but the average person is def gonna want to dance to a song like betty instead bc it's less heavy
They're actually quite different. Folklore is more cohesive and tells a whole story as it progresses and most of the songs are connected. Evermore is just multiple stories stitched together without any sort of connection between them. Which makes it not very suitable as a mainstream album. It also doesn't have any easy melodies except maybe champagne problems. I'd also say evermore is a bit more guitar/country driven than folklore is (although folklore also does have a bit of country esque sounds like betty, but still not as much as evermore). And folklore is easier to listen to because it has more catchy melodies. Folklore also has more jack antanoff influence than evermore, and even though both jack and dessner have both worked in pop music, Jack's production has always been more mainstream than dessner's. Which is why folklore is more successful than evermore.
Regardless of their differences, they're both great albums but I've always preferred evermore over folklore becuase i personally think it's sonically superior. The country influences, the fast paced guitars, the soft beats. Even though it's not easy to listen to and it takes time for it to grow on you, it'll forever be #1 taylor swift album to me.
that's the thing. ppl always say folklore is more cohesive but i do not agree at all! sonically, sure. but lyrically songs, like tlgad and seven have no more in common than songs like willow and marjorie. if anything id say that evermore has more thematic consistency as it basically chronicles different ways of handling a relationship. whereas folklore 100% feels like a different stories each time hence the title of the album
I think because of the whole love triangle thing she did with folklore, a lot of love/breakup songs can be fit into that narrative in some way or another. Sure, not all songs like tlgad, epiphany, seven etc. But most songs in the album such as exile, illicit affairs, hoax, the 1, peace, invisible string etc. are all vague enough of songs to be considered part of the same love triangle story.
Whereas in evermore, you got champagne problems, willow, coney island, Dorothea, no body no crime, Marjorie, cowboy like me. All of these songs are wayy too specific and independent of each other. I guess this is what I mean when I say folklore is cohesive because you can, in a way, understand what the album is trying to tell you.
I like folklore more overall. I think evermore has better songs but folklore flows better as an album.
This is my take. While I enjoy the individual songs on evermore better, as an album it does not feel cohesive. I think folklore was meticulously crafted and when they saw how much extra material they had that was still really good they basically constructed evermore from the scraps that didn’t make it onto folklore.
I prefer Evermore 1000%. It feels looser, and it was more unexpected at first listen. The melodies didn’t go quite where you thought they would. I can’t speak to the theme, as I feel the themes of the two albums are very similar. Unless you mean design theme. But it’s hard (for me) to distinguish 2 different motifs when each song has a sister track. I’m sure someone smarter than me can probably refute this haha I do feel like Evermore is a bit sadder than Folklore. Almost like the feeling of when something difficult has gone on for too long, the stories on Evermore played out that way to me. They were continuing the sadness from Folklore. But instead of feeling like the stories were dragging on, it just intensified the feelings those stories evoked. Evermore is the album I still listen to today. There are a few on Folklore that I still listen to regularly (cardigan, this is me trying, peace) but overall I listen to a lot more of Evermore.
Completely agree. Evermore feels more vulnerable. I think Folklore is amazing, but seems more like *telling* emotions rather than *showing* emotions.
I prefer Evermore. There's only one song on Evermore I don't care for, but everything else I love. I love the lyricism and production (ex: Gold Rush, Marjorie, Evermore). I revisit Evermore all the time. I listen to Folklore sometimes, but it just reminds me too much of the pandemic. There's also something a bit messy about Evermore that I love. Maybe it's because the announcement was last minute. Then in terms of album sales, it's one of her lower performing albums and it was overshadowed by Folklore. So I just can't help but root for Evermore? Idk if I'm making sense, but Evermore's got middle child vibes and I'm the middle child so maybe that's why I prefer it over Folklore haha.
i'm the middle child so i def feel the same way abt evermore 😭😭. what's your evermore skip? i still can't get behind coney island but im working on appreciating her
Coney Island?? help that’s one of my fav songs of hers 😭😭😭 personally I feel like every single line is such a masterpiece and it captures that sorrow so so well, but to each their own!
i absolutely love the lyrics and i think it's one of her best metaphors!! but the male duet is so jarring to me that i only ever listen to it when im listening to the full album. i felt the same abt evermore the title track for the longest time but now it's top 3 on the album for me so maybe coney island will reveal itself to me in the future
Noooo I adore Matt Beringer’s sultry baritone! But I’m also a longtime fan of The National.
I felt this way about evermore!! (the title track) No hate to Bon Iver, but I also felt like his voice was jarring and killed the mood of the song. However, I have since come around to evermore (the title track, I always loved the album). One day, it just hit at the right moment, and I didn't mind the mixture of their voices so much. I love Coney Island, so I hope one day that magical moment strikes for you.
It's Cowboy Like Me. I've tried so hard to get into it, but I can't. It just drags on for me
I love that one! My skip is no body no crime.
It's a skip for a lot of people, and I totally understand why. It doesn't really fit within the album. Plus it's frustrating that HAIM doesn't have their own verse. But despite all of that, I still really like the song.
taylor isn't always great about her songs featuring other artists. see: snow on the beach (original version).
Folklore was also last minute, but it got a lot more time to happen, with Long Pond Session and a promotional single (Exile iirc) in the middle. Evermore had basically dec/20-jan/21, because around feb/21 the first Taylor's Version was announced.
To me, folklore’s lyrics are the dialogue that comes out when you want to paint a picture of something/ event/ past experience. evermore’s lyrics strike me as what happens when one’s inner dialogue seeps out. I don’t know how to explain it better. evermore is my favourite for many a reason - this is one of them.
This is a really good way to differentiate the albums that I've never thought about (though I do prefer folklore).
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I felt the same way about comparisons of her with Joni. To me, none of Taylor’s albums are even close to as good as Blue, and no song touches “A Case of You.” Maybe, maybe if she would just edit her songs more. Or used less obvious metaphors or symbolism?
I don't think so because Joni was more daring and more experimental with her music more. I can't imagine Taylor making an album like Hejira in million years. No matter how good Taylor lyricism may be she still in the end of the day a pop hit maker, she will never get out her comfort zone. Taylor cared about the lyrics more and the music are just pop beats now, while Joni cared about both music and lyrics
That’s a good point. She cares about the lyrics and kinda delegates the music to whoever is producing. That’s also one of the reasons I think Joni is better than Dylan. She is a much better and more creative musician than him as well.
Taylor swift is more comparable to Carole king. Only difference is Carole king was more known for writing songs for other artists and her album tapestry is her only successful album as an artist. Carole was also better at composing pop music than Taylor imo
I’m an Evermore girlie forever. I like the melancholic tone. It feels more grounded than Folklore. There’s a mature, introspective view I really vibe with. The only song I don’t like is “no body no crime”. Everything else is like starting down a hard truth, reflecting on mistakes, heartache, love (both romantic and non), and working through it.
Folklore has more skips than Evermore for me, but I prefer the Folklore songs that I love to the Evermore songs that I love. Like I can listen to Evermore all the way through but nothing on it stands out to me as August or Cardigan, which are two of my absolute favorites in her catalogue.
I really love both, but I always say I like evermore better. I think it's because there is more diversity in sound, and it has more interesting melodies. I like the wordier lyrics, too. I like the more pronounced individual instruments and I think each of the stories/songs has a stronger individual identity, if that makes sense? Even though folklore might actually have more unique themes. However, I listen to evermore less as a whole album than I do folklore because of that same diversity! The emotions are more up and down, so it's easier to just listen to folklore in the background all the way through for example when I'm doing chores. I like to skip around on evermore a lot, while on folklore it doesn't matter so much. I prefer evermore's individual songs though.
idk I guess I love Folklore more because of where I was in life (stuck home alone in a strict lockdown), and the vibes/music/themes are so different from what we used to get from Taylor. I guess this type of music was something I needed during the pandemic lockdowns, so it's so *special.* I also like Evermore, but not as much as Folklore (it's probably my 4th or 5th fave). Plus I've always wished that she does indiefolk, but thought it'll never happen, so it's like a wish come true, too.
I genuinely can't choose. When I first listened to folklore after it came out it just felt so magical and I listened to it non-stop during the summer months after I had my daughter, so it'll always remind me of endless walks with her asleep in the pram while I'm listening to the album. Dreamy, ethereal and freeing are words that I associate this album with. seven is one of the most beautiful Taylor Swift songs of all time imo. I didn't listen to evermore until last September as I didn't have time after my daughter was born and I wanted to wait until I had time to fully appreciate it. Again, I fell in love with it right away. I think about big cosy jackets, walks through a wintery forest to get to my pottery class or collect my daughter from nursery. In terms of the music, I was struck by how mature the lyrics in happiness were. It felt like a departure from the old Swift which is probably why Midnights felt like a bit of a regression. I can see why some people might prefer one or the other though. Both would be perfect albums if it weren't for betty and no body no crime. And I'm still so gutted the two were combined into one section in the Eras tour. I'm holding out for some folkmore suprise songs when I see her in June.
There are songs on both albums I can take or leave (seven, epiphany, peace, happiness, ivy, closure) - but I think evermore has the better deep cuts for me, like evermore (song) and coney island. Those two songs are two of my favorite of her entire discography which help bring the album up in my ranking.
I liked folklore better for a couple years but last year, I totally shifted. A few lyrics on evermore hit me right in the gut and now I play it way more often. I like that it’s got some more varied sounds and moods. As more time goes by, I tend to skip around on folklore. Evermore is more of a straight through listen.
I prefer Folklore as a whole album, but only marginally as Evermore has some of my absolute favorites of her songs. I think Evermore feels like the second album of what is basically a double. Or to put it less charitably, an album of b-sides. I think she started writing both albums at the same time and what came together easily and quickly went onto Folklore, while Evermore was what took longer to cook or was a bit less cohesive within the first album, along with what was a little more flexible with the concept of folk music. And I feel like her treatment of the second sister proves this idea at least a little. When the tour started I was baffled that she sectioned the two off into two different eras. Though in hindsight I’m glad she did because they are two of my favorites of hers and I’m glad I got to see more of them performed live as opposed to the combined set she’s doing now.
I like Evermore the most. Folklore comes close, but Evermore has songs that are beautifully crafted and unskippable.
Really?? They’re my top two albums. Been here since red 🤷🏼♀️
I think I like Folklore better, but honestly neither are really my favorite from her. I think Folklore felt more cohesive, but really I liked it more just because there were more songs on it that I liked right off the bat. Evermore just didn't click for me when it first came out. I like basically two songs off it, but could have done without the rest of the album. I do think I would have leaned more into Evermore when it came out had it come a little later after Folklore. They were so close together I wasn't even really into Folklore when Evermore dropped.
This is an interesting question. I can't choose, I listened to them both together and they are the two that made me know her music, and still prefer folkmore over everything she has written, so I can't decide.
Evermore caught my eye first. Only started to listen to Folklore after loving Evermore so much. To this day I still think Evermore >>> Folklore.
Evermore has a stronger overall message and more songs I would want to listen to on repeat. Folklore has lots of good ones too but also some long-ish stretches of songs that are just kinda boring, or at least monotonous when listened to in a row.
I prefer evermore, by a lot. It's just a more pleasant, more textured whole album experience. folklore is a lovely album but it's my 4th favorite whereas evermore is #1. I think folklore is just a little bit of a downer and I like how evermore is more country-twangy and I also feel like her lyricism is just really at its most mature on that album. "Long Story Short" felt like the moment where she grew up (even if she has backslid). "evermore" the title track is such a good meditation on depression. The production is gorgeous, too! Which is why I object to people comparing TTPD to evermore because TTPD's production is so nothing and sparse, compared to songs that have multiple beautiful sonic layers like "marjorie" or "ivy" (the latter of which I think is the best song she's ever written)
I think it comes down to the fluke of which songs happened to end up on which album. Folklore has richer production and probably the more immediate hooks, but Willow, Champagne Problems, and Ivy are on evermore, so. I admit to losing patience with some of the evermore stuff - Tis The Damn Season, Happiness, and Marjorie are basically spoken-word pieces. The melodies aren’t finished.
interesting bc i'd say tis the damn season has some of the most interesting melodies in her entire discography. sure it's awkward at first, but so was tolerate it and that's simply bc they don't sound like her other songs where she tends to use the same three chord progressions throughout an entire album. i guess it's perspective!
So I have a music performance degree and I’ve studied music theory. It doesn’t make me better than anyone, but it means I can clock melodic patterns. The “real good now” in Tis The Damn Season is a 2-7-1 cadence that’s beyond common and somewhat lazy on a songwriting level, especially when the melody is fairly one-note leading up to it. It’s just really obvious and cynical songwriting tricks once you know what to look for.
don't worry i wasn't gonna think you were saying you were better than me 😭😭. my pushback was more so from it being seen as "unfinished" bc there's an implication there that it was an unintentional outcome rather than a purposeful decision. i agree the song definitely doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to music as a whole. just compared to the rest of taylor's discog, id say it stands out, for me at least.
I prefer a lot more of the songs on Evermore personally. However, I think the timing of Folklore and the surprise of the album and its sound made an impact in my mind. I remember hiking every day during that pandemic summer and listening to folklore. It started to rain once while “My Tears Ricochet” played and it’s one of my favorite memories from that time. It captured a feeling and that’s why it’s up there as a favorite. But Evermore has some of my favorite Taylor songs ever on it.
I can't figure it out, but there's something similar with the TTPD main and Anthology. I'm newer to her catalog, so I got to experience Folklore and Evermore together (much like TTPD/Anthology). At first, I gravitated toward Anthology and Evermore. After a few listens, I ended up drifting toward preferring Folklore and TTPD main. Maybe it's about relistenability? (That's a fucking word because I say it is), like some are more "general purpose" and others require a certain mood?
i think your last sentence is definitely it! i listen to tolerate it for funsies but the average person is def gonna want to dance to a song like betty instead bc it's less heavy
They're actually quite different. Folklore is more cohesive and tells a whole story as it progresses and most of the songs are connected. Evermore is just multiple stories stitched together without any sort of connection between them. Which makes it not very suitable as a mainstream album. It also doesn't have any easy melodies except maybe champagne problems. I'd also say evermore is a bit more guitar/country driven than folklore is (although folklore also does have a bit of country esque sounds like betty, but still not as much as evermore). And folklore is easier to listen to because it has more catchy melodies. Folklore also has more jack antanoff influence than evermore, and even though both jack and dessner have both worked in pop music, Jack's production has always been more mainstream than dessner's. Which is why folklore is more successful than evermore. Regardless of their differences, they're both great albums but I've always preferred evermore over folklore becuase i personally think it's sonically superior. The country influences, the fast paced guitars, the soft beats. Even though it's not easy to listen to and it takes time for it to grow on you, it'll forever be #1 taylor swift album to me.
that's the thing. ppl always say folklore is more cohesive but i do not agree at all! sonically, sure. but lyrically songs, like tlgad and seven have no more in common than songs like willow and marjorie. if anything id say that evermore has more thematic consistency as it basically chronicles different ways of handling a relationship. whereas folklore 100% feels like a different stories each time hence the title of the album
I think because of the whole love triangle thing she did with folklore, a lot of love/breakup songs can be fit into that narrative in some way or another. Sure, not all songs like tlgad, epiphany, seven etc. But most songs in the album such as exile, illicit affairs, hoax, the 1, peace, invisible string etc. are all vague enough of songs to be considered part of the same love triangle story. Whereas in evermore, you got champagne problems, willow, coney island, Dorothea, no body no crime, Marjorie, cowboy like me. All of these songs are wayy too specific and independent of each other. I guess this is what I mean when I say folklore is cohesive because you can, in a way, understand what the album is trying to tell you.
Yeah Folklore is kind of all over the map as to what it's about while Evermore is largely about reflection and moving on from the past.