Thursday, April 12, 2012

Dream Taylor Swift Set List

Hey guys! I know it's been a while (over a month, wow!) since I last put up a blog post but I've been super super busy and haven't really had time to do anything other than study eat and sleep. I went on a really amazing trip to Perth, but now I'm back in full force ready to blog weekly hopefully :)

So todays blogpost is going to be my DREAM Taylor Swift setlist. I'm going to call this the Wonderstruck Tour, and if I could choose every song on her tour- this would be it! Keep in mind I'm not actually expecting this to happen, just something I would love.


Act 1: Firework Show

Sparks Fly 
I'm Only Me When I'm With You
The Story of Us 
Eyes Open
Better Than Revenge 



Act 2: I Don't Know How It Gets Better Than This
Our Song 
Mean 
White Horse
Today Was A Fairytale
Teardrops On My Guitar 


Act 3: This Ain't A Fairytale
Back To December 
You're Not Sorry 
Forever And Always (Piano Version)
Haunted (Acoustic)
Last Kiss 
Breathe
If This Was A Movie 
Dear John


Act 4: Capture It, Remember It
Ours 
Fearless
Tim McGraw
Never Grow Up 
The Best Day 



Act 5: Sing Along With Me 
You Belong With Me 
Mine 
The Way I Loved You 
The Outside 
Change 


Act 6: String Of Lights
Enchanted 
Long Live 


Act 7: Goodnight!
Safe and Sound 
Fifteen
Love Story 


Act 8: Surprise, Encore
Picture To Burn 
Should've Said No 




Saturday, March 3, 2012

Wonderstruck Perfume Review

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been blogging in a while, I've been super busy with my school work but I'm back with full force and I hope to have a new blog post up every month. Thank you so much for 100 followers! I love you guys and you guys mean a lot to me. I hope that you'll start engaging more with me and leaving comments- I love to hear and read your opinions. 


Anyways, I know I'm a little late on the Wonderstruck bandwagon but I finally got it and I'm really excited to do a review for you guys. Now, I didn't buy it to wear it because I'm a guy! So I bought it so I could review it from a guys point of view- and kind of have it as an air freshener I guess. 


I'll start off with the packaging and the design of the bottle. I have to say, the packaging is really great. It's so Taylor and it's reminiscent of the T-Party Room! It seems like a fall fragrance, as it has kind of autumn type colours. The orange and the purple contrast really well together, and I love the designs on the packaging. There's an element of magic to it- that pretty much  goes with all of Taylor's merchandise.
I wish there was more inside of the box though, like a little card saying thank you for purchasing that also has the notes of the perfume written on it! 


The bottle is one of the best bottles of fragrance I have ever seen. It stands out really well without being too gaudy or over the top. Some bottles look plain tacky, but Wonderstruck looks really refined. The bottle cap is an intricate gold design with a weighty feel to it- not plastic or cheap feeling. I love how the name of the scent is actually on the bottle. The bird cage, moravian star, and free bird are really cute and I think they all mean something personal to Taylor which gives it a touch of closeness. The actual bottle is all glittery and shiny, it's purple with some sort of glitter on it. It's really beautiful. It also feels quite durable, all though I wouldn't want to drop it. 


The name is probably the best part of the whole fragrance. It's a striking word, something magical and intriguing that makes you feel elated. It's from the line "I'm wonderstruck" in one of my favorite songs off of Speak Now "Enchanted". I would love to see the commercial lead into a music video for it, as she looks truly stunning in the commercial. 


Now for the most important part- the smell itself. It's hard to describe smells using words because it's something personal and different to everyone. To me, it's a fruitful and rich enticing spray that smells mysterious and whimsical. It's not really too serious or dark, but more mysterious and enchanting. It smells like a spicy blend of fruit and winter things with a hint of vanilla thrown in. There is supposed to be an element of peach- but I really don't smell it in the scent. 


Well that's it for todays post. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think of the scent! Amazing? Terrible? I loved it! I want to hear from YOU!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Speak Now Album Review!

*Warning*  This review could be considered biased by some, as I adore Taylor and really enjoyed this album. Advance at own risk! ;)

This is a track by track review of "Speak Now"! I will be reviewing it and rating each track out of ten, at the end I'll calculate all the scores together and get an average score for the album! Here we go!

1. "Mine" The first single, and an obvious choice to be one! I really love this song, however prefer the originally leaked one which had a bit more of a country edge to it. The song starts soft and is built around the chorus, with an infectious chorus- Swift's vocals soar over the hook. 
9/10

2. "Sparks Fly" Sparks Fly is probably my favourite song off of Speak Now. Used as the opening for the "Speak Now World Tour" it's definitely a song with a bold message and one with a theme of spontaneity. It captures that one pure moment of lust and magic between two people who forget the world around them. 
10/10

3. "Back To December" this song is a poignant outright apology, something you rarely hear from Swift. This is not to say that she's an unapologetic person, she just generally has had heartbroken and doesn't do the heartbreaking. This song is purely apologetic, Swift admits her mistakes and describes her nostalgia for December. 
8/10

4. "Speak Now" Speak Now is probably one of the most lackluster songs off of Speak Now. It was lyrically done incredibly well, and Swift paints a picture in the mind of the listener but I just don't think the song had a climax and it pretty much stayed the same throughout the entire thing. I'm glad this wasn't a single, as the song bores me to be perfectly honest. 
 6.5/10

5. "Dear John" Dear John is another understated song. This song is not easy listening and it definitely takes time and tough love to get used to it. It's not a typical ballad, it's got a rough country edge and is really special and different when listened to more than once. It's not a clear outstanding ballad, but it's unique for sure. 
8/10

6. "Mean" Mean was a clear choice for a single, and to me is probably the stand out song of the album. It was written about a critic who gave negative feedback regarding her grammy performance. Mean is one of those anthems, that just makes you feel good and smug about yourself. It's got a great message and has been compared to the likes of Perfect by Pink and Born This Way by Lady Gaga in it's themes. 
10/10

7. "The Story Of Us" Another one of the more lackluster songs off of Speak Now. I think that this song has a very catchy chorus, but a neither slow nor fast paced verse. It's a confusing song to listen to, and definitely an "Awkward" one as it has that kind of vibe to it. The instrumentation is done very well, and that kind of saves the song. 
7/10

8. "Never Grow Up" Never Grow Up is one of the more subtle songs off of Speak Now. It's understated, but extremely honest and even crude at times. It's hard to work out exactly whether this song is about Swift herself or someone close to her that she observed growing up. Either way it's an endearing easy listening song! Accompanied by a guitar, it's purity and simplicity makes it great.
9/10

9. "Enchanted" Enchanted is a power ballad to say the least. It's got a very slow build up, with a great muted guitar pattern in the first verse. It leads up to this absolute rock ballad chorus complete with electric violins and electric guitars. The song goes on to feature Swift's layered vocals, forming a duet with herself. It's a creative and ingenius song. 
10/10

10. "Better Than Revenge" This is probably the most risque song off of Speak Now with such daring (sarcasm implied) lines as "..better know for the things that she does on the mattress". All jokes aside, Swift channels a rock goddess in this song and sings of getting back at someone for stealing her man. Another side we don't often see of Taylor- the ever forgiving and lovable girl who wants..revenge? Although the song is great, it doesn't really fit within her squeaky clean persona. 
8/10

11. "Innocent" Innocent is another song about forgiveness (see Back To December), but from the other end of the spectrum. It's an honest and loving ballad about learning to forgive someone despite their actions- and that not every action defines a person. This song is a personal favourite, and I feel that it hasn't been given the recognition it deserves! 
9/10

12. "Haunted"Haunted is another power/rock ballad. It's kind of like Better Than Revenge combined with Enchanted. No pun intended, but the song is Haunted! The excessive use of bell sounds, screechy guitar, and piano combined makes it have a sort of Halloween Town feel to it. I like this song, it's edgy. 
8/10

13. "Last Kiss" Last Kiss is another one of those Dear John/Back To December songs. It's not easy listening, but it's got a recurring theme that we see throughout this album. One of regret, sorrow, and yearning to be with someone you just can't be with. This song is about missing someone, and all of the things you did with them. It's also about dealing with forgetting them and them forgetting you. It's stark, and true. 
9/10

14. "Long Live" is a glory song. It sounds like one of those songs you would hear after your favourite team wins a football match, or when the hero gets the girl in one of your favourite movies. It's a great feel good song written about Swift's band and fans combined. I really enjoy this song and it's a fantastic end to the album- it finishes with a bang. 
9/10

Highlights From This Album: Sparks Fly, Enchanted, Never Grow Up, Last Kiss, Back To December, Mean. 

Long post! What do you guys think? what were your highlights? I want to hear from YOU!


Sunday, January 22, 2012

Safe And Sound: Thoughts And Opinions



"Safe And Sound" By Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars was announced via twitter on the 23rd of December. I was so excited when I initially saw the link and couldn't WAIT to listen to it. When I did listen to it, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it could be something along the lines of Decode by Paramore, but I was completely shocked when I heard the song.

It has this vibe to it, that is really different from any of Taylor's already published songs. It kind of reminded me of a stripped down version of "Innocent" from her 2010 album "Speak Now". I love the sound and the new direction Taylor approached with Safe and Sound, something really only done (in my opinion) with my favourite Taylor Swift song of all time "Breathe" off of her second album "Fearless".

Listening to this song is a pleasure, it's one of those songs that you just associate with a mood. For me, that mood is mystery. Whenever I listen to this song I think about all of life's directions and possibilities. I think that songs like these (thought provoking ones) are the best, as they enable you to leave the real world for a few moments and submerge yourself in your imagination completely.

I do think that The Civil War's involvement in the song was slightly pointless, but it worked well and when they performed it live they obviously had a great relationship with each other and the guitarist definitely added an ambience to the song. To conclude this blog post, I think that Taylor did an excellent job at creating a new sound for herself and I certainly hope she pursues it in her next album if only with one more song. I don't think that this song will be particularly commercially successful, but will be a definite fan favourite.

Please leave comments/follow me if you want me to continue writing this blog! I want to hear from YOU!

Friday, January 13, 2012

FUTURE Singles Off Speak Now I Would Like, And Hopes For GRAMMY Performance!


There have already been six singles from Speak Now, which is truly an amazing (although not surprising) achievement for our dear Taylor. Most albums get a good run of about 3-4 singles, but Taylor has carried this album for over a year and has sustained it's momentum by releasing truly great songs as singles. All of her singles tend to peak well and generally appear within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The singles so far have been: Mine, Back To December, Mean, The Story Of Us, Sparks Fly, and Ours. 

I think that Taylor has been relatively good with choosing her singles for Speak Now, but often chooses great songs and under promotes them. This is not entirely her fault though as she has been on tour when other artists wait to go on tour until they have released every single. One thing to admire here is Taylor's extreme work ethic. She loves her fans and works hard for them! But her singles do tend to suffer. The one "forgotten about" single to me was The Story Of Us. It didn't peak particularly well or have an amazing music video which didn't help either. 

I also think it's great that Taylor chose to use Ours as a single, to give her fans satisfaction and letting them know that she doesn't just disregard tracks because they weren't originally on the album. I towuld be great to see another bonus song get a music video and radio promotion. In my own selfish way, I would love to have If This Was A Movie as a single. It's an amazing song with a great and catchy hook. But the thing with If This Was A Movie is that it's already peaked at number 10 on the billboard hot 100! Higher than Ours did- and it wasn't even a single! So it's probably unlikely that she'll release it. 

What I DO think is likely, is Enchanted being released as a single. She used Enchanted as the song for her commercial of her fragrance "Wonderstruck". I would definitely LOVE to see the commercial continued into an Enchanted music video which it has all the potential to do. It would also be interesting to see whether Enchanted will do commercially well within the US as the market is pretty much dance and techno music at the moment. It could do exceedingly well, or not chart particularly high at all. It's got a great chorus but the build up is slow and I wouldn't expect non Taylor fans to stick around and hear if it gets better.



Moving on to Taylor's upcoming Grammy performance!

Taylor recently just confirmed that she will be performing at this years Grammy awards! I cannot translate into words how INCREDIBLY excited I am! Taylor Swift has previously performed at the Grammy's and I wouldn't say her performances were anything AMAZING, they were great but they didn't have that certain WOW factor. Which is why I think Taylor really needs to step up her game this year! 

I think it is quite probable that she might do an understated version of Safe and Sound with the Civil Wars, which personally I feel indifferent about. I have no strong opinions on whether she does the song or not- but I hope she does something more elaborate! I would love to hear a mashup of all (or nearly all) of her singles from Speak Now, some sort of Medley with lights and pyrotechnics and instrument changes! I think the fans would love that and so would the crowd. 

There is a possibility that she might perform Ours, but it already had it's time at an awards show this year so I don't think it'll really happen and if it does I will probably be a bit upset seeing as how it received so much promotion. 

Well that's it for todays post! Leave me a comment, what do you want Taylors next single to be? How about her Grammy performance? Any opinions? I want to hear from YOU! 

Monday, January 9, 2012

Ours Music Video: Thoughts And Opinions



I was really excited when I heard that ours was to be Taylor's next single. I really thought it was a clever move to promote the extended version of "Speak Now". I was also excited to see the music video because I knew that SO much could be done with the song, as it truly is an amazing song. I'm not just saying that as a Taylor fan. The song is understated, done pretty much with a guitar and some layered vocals. I loved that! I thought it was a great change from slightly over produced (but still great) songs like "Back To December" and "Sparks Fly" as single choices. I thought that the video could have been more bright, and more colourful but it was quite dull and ordinary. I actually got bored in this video, and that never happens for me when watching Taylor music videos. 

I thought that the music video was a bit like the song, understated. But also that it wasn't memorable and that it didn't stand out. I think this is part of the reason that "Ours" didn't make it into the top ten. A lot of songs get into the top ten when they have really kick ass music videos. I think that in itself is  reflection on the video and it's success. 

One thing I like about Ours being a single is that it exposed people to other B-Sides from Speak Now. Such as "If this was a movie" which peaked higher than Ours did- without a music video!! I thought that was absolutely GREAT. I was so happy, because If This Was A Movie really is a great song and one of my favourites off of Speak Now. I think that the fans have shown their love for the song and the next step for Taylor would be to perform it live. She has a leg of the Speak Now World Tour coming up in Australia and I'm hoping that she'll give it a try there. 

Let me know what you thought of this music video. Good? Bad? Great? Forgettable? 
I want to hear from YOU!