[TheCheetahwings]

Taylor Swift
Shake It Off



Before the release of "Shake It Off" I have to admit I was against the idea of Taylor going "fully pop" for this record, but when Taylor played this song at the livestream I was simply blown away. The song is incredibly catchy, uplifting, and with witty self referential lyrics that all come together and make the song incredibly enjoyable to listen to. I've been playing it non stop since the day it was released and I'm still not sick of it, and all in all this song has gotten me even more excited than I already was- and has gotten me fully on board for what she calls her first fully "pop" album.

Score: 10/10

[MP2K]

I can deal with that.

Let me see about Tay and Charli hopefully I can get to them.

[Legend E]

I hope I'll be able to get into Kimbra because I am not a big fan of hers tbh

[Maiko]

Originally posted by ATRL Feedback

[muddysquirrel]

Taylor Swift
Shake It Off

As a fan of more wordy, storytelling efforts from Taylor i was not particularly thrilled after first hearing this latest offering. But after 5-10 listens i could not stop humming or get it out of my head. So i guess it did its job as a relatable, simple, catchy pop music jam. Music video was very helpful as i think its one of the best of Taylor's career fitting the mood and theme of the song perfectly. I do like and eat junk food pretty often.

8/10

[swiftie13]

Taylor Swift - Shake it Off

Taylor Swift, America's Sweetheart, is back with a horn-studded pop track. Although it's a departure from her traditional, guitar-led sound, it makes little difference in its quality. As a song, the message is clear and the lyrics are simple. 'Shake" tells of the haters without trying to pretend to be more than a fun, catchy (very catchy), and lighthearted tune. Swift delivers quirky and witty lyrics, all while poking fun at herself. The production is very groovy, with a persistent beat and brass instruments in the background which accentuate the light feel. This self-aware anthem ("I go on too many dates, but I can't make 'em stay, at least that's what people say") brings Taylor back to the top of the charts and the minds of the public. People may hate, as they do, but in the end, it's supposed to be, quite simply, fun and it does its job perfectly.

Score: 10/10

[Superpower]

FKA TWIGS

[musicfan09]

Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

America's Sweetheart has came back with the amazing debut single from her upcoming album, 1989, and it is pure gold. This song is telling all her haters who think she only sings about love and just hate on her are wrong. I appreciate that she doesn't give a **** about any haters. This song is a jam, and deserves all the success it can get. Go get that #1 Taylor. And shake off all the haters.

Score: 8.5/10

[Luminary]

Originally posted by Matty

Here is thing though, they are songs lasting only about 4 minutes compared to an album which has multiple songs in that time range. You really only need about a couple of days to review songs since it takes up not even a quarter of an hour of your day.

Plus currently we have about 30 reviews for Taylor in 48 hours which is about the amount we normally get now from people. It shouldn't really affect people that much for songs, I could see the dilemma if it were an album though.

If more people want another 24 hours for Charli and Taylor, I can do so. Don't want to personally for me cause I work and won't be able to update until Sunday, but I can try to find another moderator to update if a lot of people want longer.

Okay, no problem then. I hope I'll be able to get to them. Thanks

[itsaphrodisi]

Originally posted by ATRL Feedback

Where's that 1.7 now

[alexanderao]

No modscore for Twigs

Break the Rules review coming in a little bit. Writing it right now.

[alexanderao]

Originally posted by Almighty Gaga

The we-have-a-better-music-taste-than-everyone-else-in-the-whole-universe police will be coming for you.

nnnnnn the accuracy

[alexanderao]

The Lowdown: Rebellious synthpop is passable, predictable, and unremarkable.

After the remarkable success of Fancy and follow-up pop hit Boom Clap (), Charli XCX further increased anticipation for her latest album Sucker with Break The Rules, a synth-pop song with some electronic influences. A simple electronic synth line opens the track and Charli begins to casually sing over it. A few seconds later a cool drum beat kicks in, which makes the 1st verse better. The verse doesn't have too much substance, but it does build anticipation for the hook. When it does come, the chorus is pretty good. Lyrically, it is about being rebellious and yearning to "break the rules." Charli's voice soars over the synths until the breakdown comes. The breakdown doesn't really fit in with the mood of the chorus, as drums kick in over the Avicii-style electronic line. The second verse is more pleasant than the first one, even though it is significantly shorter. I wish it was longer, as her vocals and the drums sound very in place after the breakdown. The verse then segues into another chorus. The choruses seem too close together and subsequently make the song sound repetitive. There is then a bridge which repeats lines from earlier in the song, followed by another chorus. After the second verse, there is really no new content in the song. The song ends with Charli going "na na na na na na na na na na na" over the breakdown.

I can't help but feel as if Break The Rules will have paltry replay value. There are simply not enough new elements arriving throughout the song to keep the listener engaged, and the recurring elements of the song are fairly unremarkable. The breakdown is quite mediocre, and the verses are average. There's nothing that really stands out here. The second verse feels rushed, and the ending of the song drags along and is uneventful. Its message will likely appeal to most teenagers, but Break The Rules is a fairly plain pop song.

Reviews:

Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up (4.0)
La Roux - Trouble In Paradise (2.3)
Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal and Reflective (2.0)
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang (5.8)
Hilary Duff - Chasing The Sun (0.5)
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Anything Goes (4.9)
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda (2.0)
Beyoncé f/Nicki Minaj - ***Flawless Remix (3.7)
Pixie Lott - Pixie Lott (6.0)
FKA Twigs - LP1 (1.7)
Hilary Duff - All About You (4.1)
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (7.1)
Charli XCX - Break The Rules (4.6)
Ariana Grande - My Everything (5.2)
Maroon 5 - V (5.4)
Banks - Goddess (8.2)
Calvin Harris f/John Newman - Blame (8.6)
Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat (8.8)
Fergie - L.A.LOVE (la la) (2.5)
LIGHTS - Little Machines (6.7)
One Direction - Steal My Girl (2.0)
Carrie Underwood - Something In The Water (5.3)
Gwen Stefani - Baby Don't Lie (5.4)
Iggy Azalea f/MØ - Beg For It (7.7)

[Ronaldista]

Originally posted by Matty

Plus currently we have about 30 reviews for Taylor in 48 hours which is about the amount we normally get now from people.

Except that most of those 30 people are Swifties who ran in here to inflate her score with Stan reviews.

[Dollas n Diamonds]

Originally posted by borntodie

Except that most of those 30 people are Swifties who ran in here to inflate her score with Stan reviews.

I just hope there will be an extension because I would like to review both songs.

same thing happened for Anaconda and Flawless

[Bloomers]

Let me get to work on the reviews, I didn't realize the date was here already.

Can we review the Riff Raff remix of "This Is How We Do?"

[Maiko]

Originally posted by Dollas n Diamonds

same thing happened for Anaconda and Flawless

those were good songs

[Bloomers]

Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

Taylor Swift is known for some of the most accessible songs of any genre. She was known and acknowledged by even her haters as a solid songwriter. Her songs have always balanced genuine emotion with catchy hooks and it’s this balance that led her to success. Even her recent pop songs like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” a quality song I will violently defend to the death, is filled with a realistic and detailed description of a relationship that is done for good that is still as catchy as any other pop song out there (just tonight I was driving a couple of my friends home, “We” came on and without me saying anything, the conversation shifted to half sing-a-long/half discussion about how true to life the lyrics are).



Taylor’s new song “Shake It Off,” is as far from her strengths as she could be. Taylor has never ever been the best singer but has always made up for that by believing the lyrics she wrote and selling them to the listener. “Shake It Off” offers little interesting lyrically: in fact, skip to any part of the song and you’re going to hear “Shake it Off” “Haters Gonna Hate-Hate-Hate” “Players Gonna Play Play Play” or an awful spoken word section that sounds like P!nk; it’s definitely a major disappointment from the best lyricist working in pop today. Without any meaningful lyrics to perform, Taylor sounds lost and like the song is too big for her. The song is catchy and engrossing enough, filled with horns and a vibe that recalls “Happy,” by Pharrell, but there is nothing to latch onto in the lyrics or Taylor’s performance and as soon as the song ends, you are unfilled. “Shake It Off” is the musical equivalent of eating a donut, good while you’re consuming it, but nothing substantive or fulfilling.
__________________________________________________ ________________

Grade: B- (I like donuts)

__________________________________________________ __________________________________

Charli XCX - Break The Rules

Cool, sleek, but still very pop, Charli XCX’s new single “Break The Rules” adopts a punk edge while staying true to top 40 trends. The song delivers on its premise, being about breaking the rules and not wanting to go to school. It’s a subject that’s been sung about since the beginning of punk music and Charli doesn’t really add anything new except a modern touch with electronic touches. “Break the Rules” is a different sound from the poppier Charli songs like “I love It,” “Boom Clap,” or “You (Ha Ha Ha).” “Break the Rules” is borderline menacing at time, especially the guitar line and the way that Charli sings the song with a sneering tone; but that is undercut by the peppy electronics on the chorus. The song would be better stripped down, to streamline it more and make it sleeker, but “Break the Rules” is a fun change of pace for Charli XCX even if it really doesn’t cover new ground.

__________________________________________________ _________________

Grade: B

[Austin]

Taylor Swift - Shake it Off

After the success of Taylor's Red album I guess it was inevitable that she would be making (in her words) a 'fully documented, official pop album'. I'm not against Taylor doing a pop album - WANEGBT & Red were awesome, 22 & IKWT were ok. But Shake it Off sucks. It's 2014 and one thing we do NOT need is another empowerment anthem with a horn playing throughout. Also, the bridge is a horrendously embarrassing, This is How We Do-lite ripoff. I mean the TIHWD bridge is already terrible and embarrassing, so why copy it? To sum up, any Taylor song that has the phrases 'You could be getting down to this sick beat' and 'the fella over there with the hella good hair' was destined to be terrible.

2.5/10

-

Charli XCX - Break the Rules

I don't really know how to feel about this track. I do kind of enjoy it, but I feel like I might be forcing myself to, because I love Charli. She sounds awesome on it, the chorus is really nice, and I love the opening guitar riff, but that breakdown just kinds of ruins it all for me. And as for the lyrics? They kind of seem like paint-by-numbers. It's another rebellious indie-pop anthem from sassy 90s girl - I feel like this could have easily been sung by Marina. I think it's even more disappointing coming off the heels of Boom Clap, which seemed to show that Charli had carved out a niche. But overall not terrible - it is catchy and I've had it on replay the last few day, and it would have been a cute album track, but I think a better choice for the new single could have been made (or at least I hope so).

6.5/10

[Ronaldista]

Taylor Swift – Shake It Off: 1/10
Serving her first full on pop single without any hint at her country/folk past, Taylor fails to impress and rather takes a step back than forward. I assume her motivation behind this song was to release something youthful, carefree and self-empowering, however, thanks to childish lyrics, uninspired production and unnerving vocals, this piece ends up as a song that can hardly be taken serious.

Slamming off the ‘haters’ – which in Taylor’s case are limited to tabloids and gossip magazines which honestly, I don’t think are even worth mentioning in a song – Taylor tries to sound confident, but comes off as nothing more than a bratty, stubborn teenager who is pointing fingers. She is simply trying to justify herself for things no one even cares about, and there is nothing self-empowering about that.

Sonically, her voice is almost unrecognisable; gone is the soft, warm tone we used to know, only to be replaced by high-pitched, bland vocals that don’t add any depth or emotion to the song. The horns seem to have been thrown in to feign originality, but at this point this is nothing new and while they don’t take anything away from the song, just like the vocals, they don’t add anything either.

Overall, the vibe I get from this is that Taylor really wants to finally have her big breakthrough as a pop star, and is not afraid to go down the generic route to reach that goal. However, she is trying way too hard, so the whole thing comes off as a messy, embarrassing, badly played act instead of an authentic progression. In terms of quality, this is a rapid decline from her previous material, and when it comes to the general theme of the song, this has been executed much better by at least a handful of other popular singers.