This morning I was driving to work and I had my ‘Mellow Yellow’ playlist on, the beginning of a song started and I immediately got ready for some National vibes. A few seconds later I was thrown off when a synth started to join in. Now I was at a crossroads, was this The National? Maybe it was their new album, I hadn’t heard it yet. But then I thought if I haven’t heard it, it wouldn’t be in my Mellow Yellow playlist. My mind was going at warp speed when I had a thought: could this be a song off Midnights? And as if on cue, Taylor started singing “If you would’ve blinked then I would’ve”. I was so sure this was Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks!

This is a HUGE compliment to someone who is already of fan of both The National and Taylor Swift. A compliment to both artists. Their genres had never overlapped prior to the pandemic, and now they compliment each other in such a crazy way. 

 Out of Taylor’s entire discography, the songs produced by Aaron Dessner definitely stand out to me. There is such a signature style to them, Taylor’s words with the mellow vibes created by Aaron that only an Indie band could get right, it’s the ultimate chef’s kiss. 

I wish more artists would collaborate outside their comfort zone, or even outside of their genres. Another one that comes to mind is Ariana and Pharrell collabing on Sweetener, I know when the album first came out it got a mixed reaction. But now that the album has aged, it’s clear it polished Ariana’s discography in the best possible ways.

I know it takes a while to actually get to this point where you feel comfortable enough to experiment, and sometimes it’s easy to keep using the same formula that works. But as fans it’s such a joy to see Exile or Evermore come to life.

That’s all I wanted to say really. It’s been years since Aaron and Taylor started collaging, but I’m still loving how fresh it all feels. 

music