A teenaged Gibsons writer may be the most prolific music reviewer you’ve never heard of.
Simon Cameron, 19, drafted the outline of the first novel in his Magical Noah King series a decade ago. He has since published four volumes in the young-adult fantasy lineup. In late 2020 he released Magical Noah King and the Mystery of Evil.
Two years ago, Cameron also launched a website where he has since posted nearly 200 exhaustive album reviews, ranging from Harry Styles’s Harry’s House (“There are a couple great songs here in my opinion”) to Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter (“I just didn’t find the melodies all that strong, and the production was messy a lot of the time”).
“I was watching a lot of YouTubers and it kind of felt like I could maybe make people think more about the music they listen to,” said Cameron. “Or maybe just provide some entertainment for people reading my reviews. I think it just felt good to get out my thoughts on the music because I listen to music all the time, but I never really got my opinions on them out into the world.”
Cameron’s voracious musical appetite is impervious to genre boundaries. “I’ll admit I don’t love The Beatles nearly as much as the vast majority of critics,” he confesses before listing arguments for the five finest songs written by the Britpop pioneers. Of the post-punk band Postmartyr’s album Formal Growth in the Desert, he observes “It’s dreamy, atmospheric, intense, heartbreaking.”
While indie rock and black metal have always been among Cameron’s favourite styles, he was surprised that by writing his regular reviews he gained an appreciation for country music. Canadian artists like Carly Rae Jepsen and the Barenaked Ladies get plenty of attention — both in dedicated reviews and as points of comparison for other artists.
The tone of each review is casual and conversational, occasionally verging on self-deprecation (“These are just my personal feelings on these songs, and music is subjective,” he cautions in a compilation of the 10 worst songs of 2023).
“And there are certainly elements that definitely have continued from the Magical Noah King books to the website,” Cameron said. “My personality as a writer in some ways has stayed the same.”
Occasionally he lets fly with straightforward absolutism: after listening to rapper Lil Pump’s latest album, he writes, “this is some of the worst music I’ve heard in the past few years.” He backs up strident claims with insights about originality, rhythmic appeal, and production quality.
Early this year Cameron completed a one-year musicianship program at New Westminster’s Douglas College, and plans to return to the school this fall for a music diploma. Alongside his online essays about world-famous pop artists like Taylor Swift (“it’s felt like on many occasions she hasn’t come close to fulfilling her potential as an artist”), local groups and performers also come under the microscope.
He provided track-by-track analysis of the 2022 release Title of the Document by Sechelt-based rockers Spade (Spade Hoile and Steve Wright), drawing parallels with American garage rock guitarist Jack White. Last year’s album by Coast band Brothers in Farms (Book V: Picture Perfect) came to his attention after attending a live concert: “The band seemed totally locked in musically, with great chemistry,” he observed.
Cameron is considering a move to video-based reviews featuring musical excerpts, if he can manage copyright challenges. In the meantime, his essays appear online every few days at simonstalksmusic.com.
“I have no plan to stop any time soon,” he said.
