Artist Overview: Hailey Knox

My second request came to me in the form of a Facebook post shared with me. A friend of mine sent this post of a New York Radio Station talking about a young New York artist named Hailey Knox. To quote the publication, "She's the living proof that World Class Rock is alive and well in New York's Back Yard" and I, honestly, couldn't disagree more. If Hailey Knox is considered "Rock", then we can safely say that Rock music as part of the social consciousness is dead. However, false advertising or trying to keep a genre on life support by using the term as loosely as possible, is not what is of relevance, but whether is Hailey Knox any good or not. Is she?

http://static.idolator.com/uploads/2016/05/
hailey-knox-geeks-cover-413x413.jpg

I'll dive straight into her music because I can't find any information about her, so I can't tell you who she is. It seems she is mostly a YouTuber who got a chance to release an album and got a record deal with S-Curve Records and I'll be honest and straightforward: I am unimpressed. Before I trash talk Hailey, let's give credit where credit is due. She has talent as a guitar player and singer and if she writes her own music (which it seems she does) then she is also a talented song writer. The first song I've heard was a live version of "Geeks" and is very bluesy and honestly I love it (both the live version and the studio version). In both versions it has a solid guitar work, finger picking mostly, which gives it a very chill and distinct sound. In the studio version there is a string ensemble which honestly I find completely unnecessary because they bring nothing to the song. There is no fill, no build-up, in general, no need for the strings. Her song "Awkward" is more generic a pop song. While I feel is better put together than "Geeks" is less distinguishable and could be song by anyone. It sounds like another collaboration between Clean Bandit and Jess Glyne, or like a watered down Kelly Clarkson song (which for the record, being compared to Kelly Clarkson is not a compliment). While I'm still with "Awkward" I probably should point out that this video is either a Rip-off or a tribute of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Considering that these songs have no apparent relationship, I find it suspicious.

http://shorefire.com/images/made/images/
uploads/album/HK_EP_COVER_hr_400_400_s_c1.jpg

Other songs in her album "A Little Awkward" are not bad, but pretty forgettable. They are catchy enough to get stuck in your head for about 2 minutes after the song ends but that's about it. "Loopty Loop" is alright, "My Worst Enemy" is more of a lounge guitar  ballad. Honestly, this is what "Geeks" should've been like (studio). It's good but not extraordinaire but certainly a song where Hailey took advantage of her strong points. "Take it or Leave it" is just, uh... Let's just skip this one. Although the chorus is the best part of the song thanks mostly to baseline. It reminds me of a song by Mägo de Oz named "Al-Mejandria" which the song is pretty much forgettable but the chorus hits you so hard that you get sucked in the instant it kicks in, but unlike "Al-Mejandria" I don't think the chorus is enough to save this song.

http://images.twistmagazine.com/uploads/posts/image/
109722/hailey-knox-instagram.png?crop=top&fit=clip&h=500&w=698

Lyrically? Personality? What is Hailey's persona? Well, I've seen this shtick before. To put it simple, Hailey Knox is to Blues what Tatlor Swift was to Country. Her appeal is the "geeky girl next door" and I've seen this before. In fact, as soon as I first saw her, Taylor Swift jumped right into my head (which is not necessarily a bad thing). She at the very least she is trying to do something different than her Pop Music Peers, and I say that because the rest of her YouTube page are pop covers and the only information I found is that she is labeled, indeed, as "Pop" (yes, the radio station is a total liar) and lately pop music has been a snore after an other. Not that Hailey's music is particularly intense or anything but at least sounds like music that's not from a supermarket, an elevator, or a hotel lobby (well, for the most part). Her songs do have a chill and relaxed vibe, but because of the writing, the subject maters, and the style and influences in her music, it works.
Just like "One Dance", even if I fall asleep listening to this, is the subject matter that allows that "low energy" to work in favor of the song and not against it.

Hailey Knox hasn't released much but I think it's pretty solid for her first album. I don't know if I'd be eager to listen to what she releases next, but I would certainly not mind to get her in the Pop charts instead of other artists like Shawn Mendez, Drake, Justin Bieber, The Chainsmokers, or any bloody twat that gets a hit song because of stupid Vines, just to name a few. Hailey is not my cup of tea, but she definitely deserves more recognition and a thumbs up!

Song Review: Sweatshirt by Jacob Sartorius

https://yt3.ggpht.com/-pthqmAd-SdA/AAAAAAAAAAI/
AAAAAAAAAAA/rCHQtZ4AbCE/s900-c-k-no-mo-rj-c0xffffff/photo.jpg

For the first time, I've actually gotten 2 requests to make a review. One is going to be an Artist Overview and the other one would be this one: a song review that honestly I wish I hadn't accepted. I said that I wanted to get outside of Asia in my reviews for a change and I think I did a pretty good job, specially since not all reviews have been bad. In fact, only Zayn's song "Pillowtalk" have had a negative review since I made this switch. Today we've broken this streak and oh boy what a song to do so. The song in question would be "Sweatshirt" by 13 year old vine star Jacob Sartorius.

So, there's no way around it, the song is awful. I actually feel ashamed to have it in my internet browsing history. I would rather the FBI, my family, friends, ex-girlfriends, etc, see what type of porn I've looked into other than letting them know that I've actually listened to this song for 1.03 seconds. There is no excuse for it. Asking "what is wrong with it" would not be a useful question since "all of it" would be the answer, but let's dissect this for a moment. There's a term for musical mediocrity that I have adopted from Mr. Todd in the Shadows called "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" (it's not literal, you don't need to be white or play an acoustic guitar to be a "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar") which is when someone tries to pretend to be sentimental and/or meaningful through lazy gimmicks. In his own words: "As long as you're a lazy, shallow, self-absorbed douche who writes songs that pretends to be sensitive, you too can be a White Guy with Acoustic Guitar". This means that there are "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" Songs ("7 Years" by Lukas Graham, "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars, "Little Things by One Direction, "Stitches" by Shawn Mendez, etc.) and "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" Players (Whenever that football player or frat bro who thinks he can play guitar plays "Wonderwall" or "Piano Man").
"Sweatshirt" to me it's a perfect example of a "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" song. The first thing you hear is a guitar strumming and for the sake of this review I did learn this song on my guitar and let me tell you, 3 chords is all you need in it. I am not saying that every guitar song has to be complex but E, A and B, capo on the 3rd fret, is just plain lazy. So, the guitar sucks because it reeks of laziness, and the beats make it sound "hip" because this is what them kids like, right? The autotuned vocals which any person with decent singing abilities could be able to sing without are there too. There's a little synth riff in the chorus which honestly is not that bad and it is kinda catchy, keeping the juvenile vibe that this kid obviously is trying to cash in on. Which if I had to say something positive about it, at least the song is not trying to be something it's not (for the most part). This prepubescent kid is not pretending to be this badass baller swagger sex god (for the most part). It's a 13 year old singing a love song that sounds that was written by an 11 year old. Other than that there is really not much to say. This is a mediocre song that sounds mediocre with mediocre vocals, mediocre synth, guitar, beats, overall mediocre instrumentation, mediocre songwriting and God Dammit I haven't even talked about the lyrics yet.

http://static.idolator.com/uploads/2016/05/
jacob-sartorius-sweatshirt-cover-413x413.jpg

God do these lyrics make me cringe. So, remember those "for the most part" I typed? Well, when I said that the song wasn't pretending to be something it's not, that's until you listen to the lyrics.While the song is exactly what you expect from a talentless prepubescent hack, Jacob is trying so hard to write a love song while sucking his own "ego". Lines like "You can think about me all night long" and "So, baby, if you're not ready for my kiss then you can wear my sweatshirt" just make me want to puke and punch this kid in the face. Honestly, I feel like this is the middle school version of "Blurred Lines". You can hear "I know you want it" all over these lyrics. Probably this song was intended as a "desperate plea of a gentleman fighting for his fair maiden", but who am I kidding? That was me trying to be fair, there is no lyric in this song that indicates that this kid doesn't want to get into this girl's pants and nothing more. For those who say "that is disgusting, he's 13" well, he has forced a "fan" (I guess?) to send him nudes, and there are screenshots of it on the twitter account of the girl herself. So there's that.

https://cdn.quizme.se/quiz/d8724179-c608-432c-b3a0-af4108d261e5.jpg

Jacob Sartorius  is another musical celebrity (I refuse to call him an artist or a singer) that they are just god awful in their annoyance and immaturity, like Silento or Rebecca Black, but he reminds me, actually, of another musical cancer that debuted in 2010. In fact, even the songs in which this artist debuted was this bad. Yes, I am talking about the one and only Justin Bieber. As a musician and music critic, I am aware that I must hate Bieber at all costs, but in this case, I am actually going to defend him. The comparisons between Jacob and Bieber to me are almost impossible to ignore. From the attitude, the song, the debut, the age, everything seemed familiar to me, the difference being mostly the success of said debut song (and other minor differences). "Baby" by Justin Bieber is a much better song, by far. Sure, it had more writers including Bieber but this allowed for the final product to be a more "revised" version, so to speak. The only credited writer in "Sweatshirt" is Rolf Sartorius which is the birth name of Jacob Sartorius (his first name), his father, and grandfather so I don't know who to blame for this. The lyrics in "Baby" while the opening line are as egocentrical as "Sweatshirt", someone still makes it cute, because the focus is on Bieber's feelings and how this girl broke his heart, not on how awesome I am and how lending you MY stuff is THE blessing of the Gods. As a love song, it works because it focuses on Feelings and not Ego. Also, "Baby" feels juvenile as well, and the song still stays in the theme not creating a disconnect between singer and subject matter. Even Ludacris in his rap verse understands the subject matter and tells a story of his first crush. "Sweatshirt" just feels like his trying too hard to be a Swagger Ladies Man, and even the sweatshirt in the story feels more like an innuendo the more you think about it.

http://boysblogs.net/bob/wp-content/uploads/
2016/01/Screenshot_2016-01-20-15-25-18-666x1184.png

Also, "Baby" was catchy. I haven't heard it in years and only the mention of it got me singing it in my head. I couldn't be able to even hum "Sweatshirt" to you even if my life depended on it. Songs like "One Dance", "Watch Me", "Hotline Bling", "Baby", and even "Friday" work as pop songs because they stick in your consciousness so you remember them whether you like it or not. In a way, the songs become a part of your life and become a part of the social consciousness. Don't get me wrong, most of the songs I just mentioned I think are awful, but I remember them. A pop song's success is not measured by quality and longevity, but by notoriety, commercial results, and presence (airplay, per say). And to achieve this, the song must be, at the very least, catchy because that'll make it at least memorable enough to be imprinted in Pop Music History. As mentioned before, "Sweatshirt" is not catchy. The moment I stop listening to it, I forget about it, and just as forgettable is the singer himself. Which, fortunately would mean that this little pukestain wouldn't have the staying power to last a life-long music career. However, I hate to break it to you, but this song did chart on number 90 in the Billboard Hot 100 which honestly, for being the first song you've ever released is not too bad, which makes me fear that the worse is yet to come. Is this the second coming of Bieber? Is this song the first chime of the Bells of the Apocalypse of the music world? Is this the end of New good music in popular media?

Song Review: H.M.J. by Dream Evil

http://www.truemetal.org/metal-heart/dreamevilwallpaper.jpg

I am currently vacationing in Costa Rica and today was a religious holiday. In the last few days, there has been a pilgrimage to the Basilica in Cartago to celebrate the virgin Mary. I am not a believer, but I was raised as a roman catholic so I wanted to make a review of a song about a man who is faced with a dangerous task, and on his way he finds Jesus Christ. The Song is called H.M.J. which is short for "Heavy Metal Jesus",  by a band named Dream Evil. This whole introduction might seem like a set up for a sarcastic punchline, but as a matter a fact, I wasn't lying when I said the song was a man encountering Jesus. When I first heard this song it was just the most epic thing I've ever listened to. The title "Heavy Metal Jesus" promises a lot and it delivers. Anyone remotely into metal and Heavy Metal needs to listen to this song. This should be a metal classic alongside Master of Puppets, The Trooper, Run to the Hills, Raining Blood, Cowboys from Hell, etc.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pLoYQgIR_jI/SQma1ZNXBRI/
AAAAAAAAAh8/XdFZzcgE9mI/
s400/dream_evil_dragonslayer_front.jpg

I was extremely curious about the band Dream Evil when I first heard this song. It had a lot of "power metal" imagery (fantasy elements, like monsters, epic adventures, etc) but combined with the theme of Jesus blessing a warrior. I thought this might be a christian metal band like Skillet or Stryper, however I found no information to support this claim, and most of their songs seem to have an entirely different vibe from this one, more leaned to fantasy rather than religion. Dream Evil is a Swedish power metal/heavy metal band formed in 1999. To be honest, I'm not a fan of their other work. I heard Todd in the Shadows quoting a critic in his show "One Hit Wonderland" saying that one good song can save an album but one great song can kill it. I feel like that but with Dream Evil's other songs. If I had heard their other songs before H.M.J. I'd probably like them more, but H.M.J. is such a great song with a lot of energy that their other work just seem to lack.



So, what makes H.M.J. so great? There's a little term I use which is called "Primal Metal". When you listen to a lot of music as I do, specially Metal, you'll end up finding musically complex and intriguing artists and musicians that are not only talented but also complex and interesting (either instrumentality, technicality, or both). Some bands like these are Wagakki Band, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, etc. But sometimes all this complexity is just exhausting and you just want to rock out, and you want something a little more straight forward, basic and simple yet hard and powerful. Rammstein and Bullet for My Valentine are 2 bands I go to when I need to fulfill that primal need of mine, hence the term "Primal Metal". H.M.J. is as primal as you can get: hard, rocking and grooving, not stopping. The first thing you hear, an incredible guitar riff that grabs you from the first second you hear it. It kinda has a bluesy flare to it and it's heavy like any good metal song should be. The drums and bass just groove with that riff giving it a lot of energy, making it an all round fun song to listen to. I begin tapping my feet and headbanging from the first 10 seconds of the song. It's quite a simple song, but it's also pretty short, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/images
/dreamevil/DreamEvil_2.jpg

The energy of this song is just infectious. It pumps you up like very few songs can. Something like "Eye of the Tiger", "The Final Countdown". A more direct song would be "Walk" by Pantera which is another song that grooves you into it's realm of power. I honestly think I could win a fight listening to this song, and keep in mind I am an online music critic (physical activity is not my forte at all). The guitar solo is just your classic shred. Throughout the song, there is a "Call-Response" between the vocals and the lead guitar, the singer throws a verse and the lead guitar responds with a short killer solo. But when it's on the main solo the guitarist just takes it away with a solo worthy of Kirk Hammett from Metallica with great speed and amazing use of the wah-wah pedal. The singer is not that great for power metal standards. He's good, but he's no Bruce Dickinson or Dio. But in this song, he sells me on it. He doesn't hit high notes like an opera singer but the ones he does are just the right ones. He doesn't oversell it: What you came for is what you get.

http://www.wiggler.gr/wp-content/dreamevil_1.gif

Lyrically, you get what you were promised. This is one of the few songs I've seen in a while that actually tells a story. However unlike other songs with a narrative, this one is very straightforward. There are no metaphors, poetic arrangements, nothing. The story is as straightforward as "Last night I went to a bar and met this chick". The song tells about a man (probably a warrior) going to slay a beast as he encounters Jesus on his way. Jesus warns him about the dangers ahead and the valiant warrior decides to continue on his way. Jesus blesses him and the warrior proceeds with his journey. Does he ever succeed, the story doesn't say. Jesus just blessed the man with his Flying-V and the man continues his journey. Honestly, I think the story is perfect the way it is. You don't need to know if the narrator slayed the beast or not because that is not the focus of the story. The focus is "Heavy Metal Thunderstrucking Jesus" (direct quote from the song). It's like a friend trying to tell you a story about how he met George Clooney and he decided to focus on the penny he found afterwards. When you meet the Son of God introducing himself saying "I'm heavy metal Jesus" you know what you're story HAS to be about.



H.M.J. is just, to me, one of those stupidly perfect songs. Everything is so simple you'd swear they came up with this in a jam session in one go and the lyrics were an improv intended as a joke, yet it all just comes together so perfectly, and honestly, I think the beauty of this song lies on it's simplicity and the energy in which the song is being played. There's not really a lot to say, but you'll feel it once you hear it. What can I say other than it is Heavy Metal Thunderstrucking Jesus!

https://images4.alphacoders.com/196/196716.jpg