“It’s a new soundtrack; I could dance to this beat, beat, forevermore.” These are the lyrics with which Taylor Swift opens her 5th album, 1989. The words themselves perfectly capture the entire album itself. For Swift, the album is a musical rebirth. For fans, it is the best CD to come out since her last one.

Swift’s 13 track record is the only one of any genre to break $1 million in sales this year, becoming Swift’s 3rd straight platinum album. And platinum it is. It’s also genuine pop. The new sound is accomplished with a pulsing beat and layers of processed vocals over the lyrics (rather than the rawness customary for the artist). She seems to have taken some pointers from Lana and Lorde.

Some of the song’s lyrics are traditional of Swift’s style. They focus on the ups and downs of romance. For other songs, however, Swift turned to new pages of her diary to write about her new home, her celebrity status, her reputation, and even her “Bad Blood” with a fellow star. “Blank Space”, set to be her second single, shines. Light-hearted, catchy, and completely amusing, the song is Swift’s way of making light of her “man-eater” name in Hollywood. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, “Clean” speaks of  the heartbreaking end of a relationship. She relates it to the process of ending an addiction. The metaphors, like “10 months sober, I must admit, just because you’re clean doesn’t mean you don’t miss it” are the strongest on the album.

Swift 3 bonus tracks, “Wonderland”, “You are in Love”, and “New Romantics” on the Deluxe Edition are spectacular. The extra money is well spent because the special edition of the CD also includes 3 songwriting memos straight off Swift’s phone and 13 polaroids with handwritten 1989 lyrics.

This album is more than new songs. It is a new era for the artist. To quote Swift herself, the album “is a story about coming into your own, and as a result, coming alive.”