Simply put, The Hidden Cameras are Canada’s premier indie pop group. And while Canada is known for the eclectic post-rock sounds of the Arts&Crafts scene and Arcade Fire, these guys are a force to be reckoned with. Up there with the best indie pop sounds of Scotland and Sweden, the cameras have made a name for themselves on the international level. This is shown by their top similar artist on last.fm, which is Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. So if you know them it should be a pretty sweet indicator. Instead of the usual whiny vocals inspired by C86 bands, lead singer and songwriter Joel Gibb opts to use his deep baritone (? I don’t really know these musical terms, maybe it’s an alto or something). And although there’s so much instrumentation going on, the vocals are never lost. It’s kind of like how Scott Walker’s vocals still dominated “Mathilde”. So enjoi a video, a few tracks, and I’ll throw in a Scott Walker video too.
I’ve loved them for so long, but I saw them this Saturday at the Grad Club here in Kingston, Ontario and I felt I needed to post. If you haven’t loved them for a long time then you haven’t listened to enough. The old stuff is all great, but their best album has to be 2006’s Awoo. Every song is great so check it out!
The Hidden Cameras - Learning the Lie from Awoo (2006)
The Hidden Cameras - I Believe in the Good Life from Mississauga Goddam (2004)
The Hidden Cameras - Ban Marriage from The Smell of Our Own (2003)
Comments:
3 Comments so far...
They extended this song so much in the concert, it was fantastic. The old albums are sure to please if you like Awoo.
Comment by Daniel on 04-12-07You just made me so bitter that I missed that concert.
Comment by Bri on 05-12-07Leave a comment
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‘Twas an excellent show on Saturday. Thanks for posting ‘I believe in the good life’ - I only have Awoo and was wondering where to get that one.
Comment by David on 04-12-07