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| | | |  Album Description:
Flamboyant orchestral pop doesn't get any better than this... The Hidden Cameras combine joyful ballads and dazzling rock 'n roll tunes on their third album, AWOO. Amazon.com:
As growing pain albums go--and third albums are notoriously difficult--this one's a stunner. The lack of a single song as immediately catchy and inspired as "Ban Marriage" is a bummer on first listen, as is the absence of overly sexually-explicit imagery in every single tune. But the Toronto-based indie-pop orchestral group, masterminded by guitarist/painter/singer-songwriter Joel Gibb, is not shooting for mainstream appeal here. After all, the melodies and rhythms are more complex and varied, the lyrics more evocative and oblique, and the group still seems to be very gay. The Hidden Cameras are just a little bit weirder now. The delivery is as joyous as ever, and the whole thing is still vaguely reminiscent of an overreaching Christian band camp's performance of Godspell. "Heji," for instance, sounds like Lee Ranaldo jamming along to the soundtrack to Xanadu. It turns out that it’s not a bad thing at all. The same can be said for the rest of the album, which gets even better with each listen. --Mike McGonigal | | | | |
Average Rating : 
Rating :  - Holy Holy
Are you kidding me? I walked up to the music listening station, tried this album out, and when I heard the first song, realized I was in heaven. Seriously! "Death of a Tune" has got to be the catchiest, sing-song alongiest, most infectious work in years. I can not understate my experience for the first few weeks listening to "AWOO". I was manic. Literally manic. Like I was high on drugs. The songs made me flat out, jaw-dropped manic. I rode an emotional boost every listen. I would share the album and if someone didn't like it, I would get angry. How is it possible people don't just immediately respond to the hooks, the folksy simple melodies.
Now, I never really pay much attention to the lyrics. The fact that they were gay was lost on me till I decided to learn more about The Hidden Cameras. It's just tuneful, immediately accessible, and wonderful. Dance. Drive fast. Bop your head. Bake bread. All while listening to "AWOO".
"Silence from you is like the death of a tune."
Be loud and proud! Hidden Cameras has my allegiance.
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