Don’t ‘shake it off,’ turn it off

Don't 'shake it off,' turn it off

Taylor Swift has caught a lot of attention after the release of her fifth studio album, “1989.” The record, named after the singer/songwriter’s birth year, has been described as her first documented official pop album.

Swift’s new record is a noticeable shift from her early country-pop melodies to mainstream pop music, filled with artificial vocals and guitars. The album features catchy beats yet predictable lyrics, such as “Welcome to New York/It’s been waiting for you/Welcome to New York/Welcome to New York/Welcome to New York.” Swift is a splendid example of an artist changing her music style to fit in with standard top 40 radio, much like singers Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. Her album’s debut single “Shake It Off” is too repetitive, demonstrating a lack of lyrical creativity. The single also contains a spoken word as the bridge, almost rap-like, leading up to the final chorus, conforming to the composition of pretty much every other song on the pop charts.

The rest of the songs featured on the album aren’t much better than “Shake It Off.” It would be best used as static in the background when reading or doing homework. The songs are not unique or ear-catching whatsoever. “1989” didn’t do much to impress and certainly is not worth the extra money for deluxe.