The Smell Of Our Own

Now, shortly after becoming the first Canadian band to be signed by Rough Trade in the label's 25-year history, The Hidden Cameras deliver 'The Smell of Our Own,' surely -- and without hyperbolic padding -- one of the most enthralling and individual debut albums to come from anywhere in years. 'The Smell of Our Own' is an all-too-rare type of debut - the type that sounds as if it was conceived in its own aesthetic universe, its worldview and core sound already whole. The heart of the group's sound is best explained by a flip but accurate descriptor that Gibb created when the Cameras was only the seed of an idea: 'gay church folk music.' ''Gay' meaning 'happy,'' Gibb says, although his songs have also drawn wide acclaim for their fearlessly explicit but remarkably touching examinations of homosexuality. 'Church' refers to the implicit gospel influence in the Cameras' music; the cavernous, cathedral-like air of their recordings; and the religious/spiritual imagery that weaves comfortably around the erotic and romantic themes in Gibb's lyrics. 'Folk' addresses not only the central motif of Gibb's strummed acoustic guitar, but the communal, open-door policy that has seen the band swell to as many as 15 on-stage members, including male gogo dancers who strip down to underwear and balaclavas and encourage the audience to sing along to lyrics projected onto a backdrop.