It’s been a great year for Canadian music. Indie pop and rock have been stormed with excellent releases from new and emerging Canadian artists and bands. It seems that the fire is spreading very quickly. Following the success of Vancouver’s Hot Hot Heat, Broken Social Scene created a near perfect indie rock album full of up and coming and veteran indie artists from many corners of Canada. Recently, we have been bombarded by several releases worth all the attention that they deserve. First we had The Dears, then The New Pornographers, The Stars, The Fembots and most recently Toronto’s The Hidden Cameras with their first full-length album, The Smell of our Own.
Imagine a cross between Joy Division and Belle & Sebastian without the excessive melodrama. Add a splash of Beach Boys and Magnetic Fields and you get a clear picture of The Hidden Cameras’ musical approach and sound. This is indie pop music with influences ranging from psychedelia, folk and brit pop. Intertwined with melodic instrumentation varying from flute to harp, church bells to tambourines and drum machine with acoustic and electric guitar, Joel Gibb, lead singer and primary composer of the group, touches on various topics from religion to sexuality to politics.
Joel Gibb began this project back in 2001 as a solo artist. He recorded a mix of several songs on his four-track and released them on his Evil Evil label under the album title Ecce Homo in February 2003. The Hidden Cameras is Joel Gibb performing with an entire back-up group. This addition has enriched his musical prowess leading to heftier accompaniments and broader musicianship.
The Hidden Cameras’ The Smell of our Own is not for the faint of heart. It is drenched with sexually illicit lyrics and bold statements of today’s socially and politically complex world. Just read through the tracks and you will get a clear picture of what is portrayed throughout the album. And unfortunately, the shining moments of the entire album can be often overshadowed by the constant recurring themes that Joel Gibb attempts to project to you.
The musical drive and assertiveness is clearly the highlight on each track of the entire album. The Smell of our Own is a superb musical achievement with rich anthems and song structure. It is a potential hit release from another wonderfully creative band from the Great White North. And with all of the attention that bands like Broken Social Scene and The New Pornographers are getting recently, this may be the year for The Hidden Cameras to step into the indie pop spotlight.
1. Golden Streams
2. Ban Marriage
3. A Miracle
4. The Animals of Prey
5. Smells Like Happiness
6. Day Is Dawning
7. Boys of Melody
8. Shame
9. Breathe on It
10. The Man That I Am With My Man
More about: Hidden Cameras
