THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY
Critic Score
Based on 16 reviews
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Taylor Swift has once again alchemised pain and criticism into art, surpassing her own already astronomical influence on the music industry with an artefact that deserves to be celebrated forever.
1mo
90
It’s a brilliant conclusion to a piece that dramatizes and memorializes Swift’s career, all at once lending it context and even some levity.
1mo
85
The additional 15 tracks in the “Anthology” are equally impressive, showcasing Swift’s prolific ability to create incredible music while touring, re-recording her back catalog, starting a new relationship, oh and working for the CIA.
1mo
80
Considering the balladeering second half with 15 additional tracks, most of which are really strong almost-acoustic folk-pop numbers, it could be perceived as her magnum opus.
1mo
80
The 15 songs she's added to her eleventh album tap the delicate, acoustic side of her songwriting.
1mo
80
After 31 songs and 122 minutes listening to Swift’s ruminations on her tortured love life, it would be a stony-hearted listener who wouldn’t feel real sympathy for the biggest star in the world, or find something to touch their own.
1mo
80
The Anthology songs are sadder and quieter. At 17 tracks, not counting bonuses, this department feels a mite overstaffed; at twice the length, that goes double.
1mo
80
An exploration of heartbreak, healing, and self-discovery.
1mo
80
From wistful melodies to the defiant synth anthems, Swift's new album resonates with a universality that transcends age and experience, speaking directly to the heart of her dedicated fans.
75
Taylor Swift doubles down on heartbreak, wordplay and literary references, making The Tortured Poets Department a far more mature, though perhaps not entirely necessary, installment to her discography.
70
Being tortured is far from new for the global powerhouse, and even if there’s some work to do on editing the poetry, it won’t be long before fans are belting every word across the full two hours – and rightly so.
1mo
70
The album sustains a vibe that’s melancholic without sacrificing hooks, but its minimalism undercuts the singer’s strengths.
1mo
69
Most of it is subtle, acoustic folk, with occasional detours, and a cosmology all of its own. While revisiting some topics of the main release, it strikes as the more mature and thought out release, with a more organic and dynamic path.
1mo
60
In standard and extended editions, Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album races to fill the gap between her intimate songwriting and her increasingly outsized persona. It’s unruly, unedited, and even a little tortured.
1mo
50
Cumulatively, TTPD and its anthology expansion makes for Taylor Swift's most aggravating and draining album cycle yet.
1mo
40
Just as the first half of TTPD revisits the sound of Midnights, the second half apes the "indie" folk of 2020's folklore and evermore.
1mo
double the charm!
i feel like killing myself after listening to this album
Granted: It’s better than the first half, barely, but still better.
We can pretend Vol 1 was just some moment of mass hysteria and she only dropped these 15 songs!
why wasn't this the main album.
WHY WASN'T THIS THE MAIN ALBUM???
Granted, it's not anything amazing, but she really had me listen to an hour of widely boring synth-pop sludge to then drop an hour of actually decent material with real, full instrumentals and improved performances on slower cuts with nominally better songwriting. Taylor, why?
Alright, I'm about halfway through this B side and I have to say something. This is essentially a watery version of folklore/evermore. While the A side ... read more
This album is enjoyable, but some songs still have the same cringe/boring factor as the main album.
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Track List
Disc 1
| 1 | Fortnight 3:48 feat. Post Malone | 64 |
| 2 | The Tortured Poets Department 4:53 | 54 |
| 3 | My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys 3:23 | 58 |
| 4 | Down Bad 4:21 | 55 |
| 5 | So Long, London 4:22 | 62 |
| 6 | But Daddy I Love Him 5:40 | 58 |
| 7 | Fresh Out The Slammer 3:30 | 56 |
| 8 | Florida!!! 3:35 feat. Florence + The Machine | 68 |
| 9 | Guilty as Sin? 4:14 | 64 |
| 10 | Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? 5:34 | 56 |
| 11 | I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) 2:36 | 50 |
| 12 | loml 4:37 | 59 |
| 13 | I Can Do It With a Broken Heart 3:38 | 57 |
| 14 | The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived 4:05 | 58 |
| 15 | The Alchemy 3:16 | 57 |
| 16 | Clara Bow 3:36 | 58 |
Disc 2
| 1 | The Black Dog 3:58 | 76 |
| 2 | imgonnagetyouback 3:42 | 70 |
| 3 | The Albatross 3:03 | 74 |
| 4 | Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus 3:33 | 73 |
| 5 | How Did It End? 3:58 | 72 |
| 6 | So High School 3:48 | 71 |
| 7 | I Hate It Here 4:03 | 68 |
| 8 | thanK you aIMee 4:23 | 65 |
| 9 | I Look in People’s Windows 2:11 | 65 |
| 10 | The Prophecy 4:09 | 74 |
| 11 | Cassandra 4:00 | 71 |
| 12 | Peter 4:43 | 72 |
| 13 | The Bolter 3:58 | 71 |
| 14 | Robin 4:00 | 66 |
| 15 | The Manuscript 3:44 | 68 |
Total Length: 2 hours, 2 minutes
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3d
I have to say this: The Prophecy is the best song in this whole thing and probably one of her bests overall.
1w
Im relistening the second part of the album and im shocked at how much consistent is the anthology compared with main album
Added on: April 19, 2024