Singles

The Hidden Cameras - Awoo

Will Swanson 30/10/2006

Rating: 2/5

Awoo is the title track from The Hidden Cameras third album and the second to be released from it. It follows Death of a Tune, an excellent track which was warmly welcomed in these parts, heralding a triumphant return of the Canadian troupe.

Unfortunately, Awoo is simply The Hidden Cameras by numbers - all the usual elements are here: uplifting major chords, glockenspiel, jubilant backing vocals, etc, etc. It should all work, but it doesn't. Why? Well, after several listens, I have failed to come up with the one crucial element it lacks - that is, something that could conceivably be discerned as a melody, unless one includes a chorus that simply becomes annoying the more one is subjected to it. In parts, the album appears to signify a lurch towards the mainstream, and Awoo signifies this in the worst possible way. It is, sadly, a mediocre follow-up, a poor, indiscernible facsimile of a band that is, at its best, a joy to immerse oneself in.