I’m gonna quickly do what I’m required to by law and talk about Taylor Swift. Yes, I bought the new album Midnights (3am edition) because like a huge part of the pop population, I’m a sheep who (over) cares. I hardly qualify as an obsessive fan (when I crave having my thoughts verbalized by a pop genius, it’s Annie Lennox’s Bare or Songs Of Mass Destruction for me always). But I dig TS enough to have all her albums and generally think she’s pretty kickass. And I confess to a sick, long-term fascination with the Kaylor “conspiracy” ( google if you are unsure what that is, and sorry in advance).
I wouldn’t go so far as to call Midnights a five-star “masterpiece” like the review in The Guardian declared, nor do I think it’s as good as 2020’s Folklore…but it’s still pretty damn good. If you are a crotchety old melody-hound like me, then these six tracks (out of the album’s 20) might be up yer alley: “Maroon”, “Anti-Hero”, “Question…?”, “Labyrinth”, “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”, “Would’ve, Should’ve, Could’ve”. They’re all pretty awesome.
And now I offer you, the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the best new songs not invented by Taylor Swift that have been thrust into the world this week (or so). I want to shout out the lead track, “The Owl Of the Night” by the brilliant sister duo Fire In Her Eyes because it is just so freakin’ gorgeous. That beauty is not on Spotify as of this writing but it is on Soundcloud so you can check it out that way below ( and I’ll plug it into the Spotify list as soon as it’s available there).
Listen on Soundcloud
Listen on Spotify
PICKING UP ROCKS 