The Tartan

JIMMY BARACIA: Where do we even start?

LILY STERN: I really don’t know.

JB: I say let’s just go with the re-records and we’ll make our way to the vault tracks. That probably makes the most sense.

LS: I was incredibly happy with the entire album. I grew up religiously listening to “1989,” so all the songs are hugely nostalgic for me. I’m also a bit of a production nerd, so I did notice all the differences in the sound. It felt like a much more polished version, somewhat a la “Midnights,” but that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s definitely more grown-up. You can clearly hear the influence from the producers she’s now been working with for years — Jack Antonoff, I’m looking at you.

JB: I completely agree. There is a definite difference in the quality of the music itself, not to mention the maturity of her voice, as well. I usually cannot tell the difference between Taylor’s Version and the original — I am by no means musically inclined — but in “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” I found the difference to be pretty clear.

LS: Absolutely. I think the development in her voice even improved some of the songs. I noticed it most on “You Are In Love (Taylor’s Version)” and multiple other tracks with layered harmonies like “Welcome to New York.” She sounds amazing as always, but I also think that was a big adjustment for me personally as a longtime listener. The original “1989” had so much youthful energy that’s hard to replicate almost a decade later, especially vocally.

JB: Definitely. I think she did a fantastic job with the entire album but I couldn’t help but find there was a rift between the original “New Romantics” and Taylor’s Version. The entire song felt almost too polished — which I think worked well for the majority of the album, especially in songs like “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” “I Wish You Would,” and “How You Get The Girl,” which all stuck out to me. However, in “New Romantics,” it just felt too clean and I would say even toned down.

LS: I’d say that was my only gripe with a few of the re-recorded songs. Some of them just needed a little more grit and a little less polish. Bringing her voice more to the forefront is a great choice, and it really tightens up the production quality of all the songs you mentioned, but I also miss the overuse of ugly 2010s reverb. I might be illicitly streaming the original “Style” more than the rest of the album combined.

JB: Truthfully, that was the only problem I had with the album, which not everybody else can say, as many took to the internet complaining about the vault tracks. However, I really enjoyed them! Especially “Now That We Don’t Talk,” which I have been streaming constantly. I saw a few people comment that they were too slow which I completely disagree with. Yes, they had calmer and slower parts, but overall that pop aspect of “1989” is still very much present.

LS: I personally love the vault. I’ve been checking social media the past few days and seeing many comparisons between the vault tracks and her last pop album “Midnights”; surprisingly, plenty of them are critical. My favorites are probably “Suburban Legends,” which sounds at home on “Midnights,” and “Is It Over Now?”, which I’d say also leans less “1989,” but you don’t notice a huge difference from the rest of the album. It still feels like a cohesive body of work. I think Swifties are being a little melodramatic about it, given that they’re all good songs.

JB: Overall, these have got to be some of my favorite vault tracks that we have gotten so far. I feel like in the other albums there’s certain vault tracks that I listen to religiously and then the other ones I will hardly touch. I really found the ones here to all be pretty solid and I can see myself listening to each and every one of them. The “Midnights” influence on these tracks are pretty present throughout, which I’m not mad about. “Midnights” is a great album!

LS: There’s only so much variety the same producers and artists can add to their discography, so I’m not surprised by the production similarities. However, I refuse to agree with people claiming these songs were written recently, or even that they could be “Midnights” rejects. You can tell it’s just an older, wiser Taylor singing her younger, more emotional thoughts and lyrics, even if “Suburban Legends” sounds like a cousin of “Mastermind.” I love the fusion of “old” pop Taylor and “new” pop Taylor.

JB: I cannot believe we haven’t mentioned “Say Don’t Go” yet. Personally, I found it sounding exactly like the original “1989” tracks and fits among them perfectly. And “‘Slut!’” too! Everybody was theorizing about what exactly the track would be about, whether it would be calling someone a slut or being called one, but she took a really cool twist on it and made it a powerful love ballad.

LS: I was so glad “Slut!” took a more introspective route, and I was surprised at how sweet the song ended up being, even if it was tamer than fans expected. “1989” in 2014 was just mainstream pop perfection, and I think all these new bonus tracks play right into that instead of crossing any new boundaries. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — this sound works perfectly for her, and these tracks are my favorite vault collection. Lyrically, and also sonically, they’re her strongest yet. I will be constantly streaming the entire album.

JB: I can definitely say the same. Go out and listen to “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” and just about all the other albums and stand-alones she has released. I doubt I need to tell you that, though.