Melissa Kacar

Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years? To celebrate the massive anniversary milestone of Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album being released, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite vinyl in my collection alongside the full album review I also shared. This is such a special album in Taylor's catalog, as it really is the foundation that all of it is built upon. It is such an underrated gem of her earliest work and showcases some of the earliest sparks of the generational talent she would go onto shape and refine with each subsequent release.  My vinyl copy of Taylor Swift  is the rarest and most valuable record in my collection, which I somehow managed to get not only for face value, but also completely by chance one day while randomly browsing online. I purchased it online sometime in late 2018 or early 2019 from Turntable Lab in New York City , alongside the gold Fearless Record Store Day pressing, which is another cherished piece in my collection. This editio...

Happy Record Store Day ! To celebrate the semi-annual event in support of indie record stores, Taylor Swift released a stunning 7" vinyl pressing of her song "Elizabeth Taylor". It served as the third single off of her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl and absolutely stands a one of the best songs on that album. It really embodies the entire Showgirl theme, especially with it being an homage to such an iconic actress and fixture in Hollywood history. The glamorous, luxurious and showy aspects of what it takes to be the kind of larger than life entertainer that Elizabeth Taylor and Taylor Swift are is so well represented on this song. The song was produced by Max Martin and Shellback , as was the rest of the album. It's reminiscent of some of the glittering darkness that defined Reputation nearly a decade ago, the last time the three of them worked together, but here that edge is filtered through a more cinematic lens. She takes an Old Hollywood approach, with spe...

Apart from the legendary artist she would become in the years that followed, Taylor Swift stands out as a true reflection of a young teenage girl simply trying to find her place in the world. In doing so, she ended up completely redefining the parameters of what country music could be and who it could be for. Not only did she help open country music to a new audience and new perspectives, but she also set the stage for young singer-songwriters to have a place within an industry that had long been closed off to them. Taylor Swift 's self-titled debut is one of the defining albums of the past twenty years, showcasing the earliest sparks of the generational talent she would go on to shape and refine with each subsequent release. So many artists who have debuted over the past two decades have been able to succeed because of the precedent Taylor set so early in her career. She created space for young women and girls' experiences to be heard and taken seriously in an industry that h...

  "Renegade" was born from such a creatively fulfilling time for Taylor Swift , specifically of her work with frequent collaborators Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon . Coming off of folklore and evermore the year prior, and in the midst of the early stages of her Taylor's Version re-releasing journey, this remains a largely underrated, but very special chapter of her music catalog thus far. Those albums were made entirely on her own terms, unburdened by the expectations that had defined her career up until then. That spontaneity and refusal to overthink is what made this era so singular in her discography thus far. "Renegade" stands out as such a raw and confessional lament, opening up in a way that feels rare, even for a songwriter that has long been known for her deep, personal storytelling.  Aaron and Justin, who have collaborated countless times over the years together, formed the duo Big Red Machine in 2018 alongside the release of their debut self-title...