Here’s the thing about being a swiftie: You tire of the hype, the teaser video promos, the hidden messages in the pre-release singles, and between 11 and 15 tracks of hype and unbridled pop magic. You can have too much of a good thing, as it turns out. Which is why Madame Swift’s 8th album…

Let me tell you a story. I walked out of the Leicester Square McDonalds, to a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Tourists and buskers everywhere. I’ve been a lot of places in this world. Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Paris, whatever, yeah, and since I was 8, I’ve walked around these monolithic metropolises, yearning for a hand…

When I first listened to The Optimist, I was blown away. My massive speakers blaring out these beautifully introspective guitar ostinati and double tracked vocals with a good dash of electronics to boot got my little rock n roll brain all shook up. I listen to it now, and I hear it for what it…