Music review: The Hidden Cameras

2.5 stars

There isn’t really anything obscured by Canadian band The Hidden Cameras, who are known for their elaborate stage antics and catchy symphonic pop songs that pour on the eccentricity. But on the latest record, Origin: Orphan, the band taints their generally silly music with a touch of darkness, in an attempt to break away from the immaturity they are known for.

Fond of singing about sexual nonsense, Joel Gibb collaborates with a varied roster to bring his latest installment of what he describes as “gay church folk music.” Now at 13 members, the band features a string section as well as the usual synthesizers to create a whimsical, light-hearted sound.

Six-minute opener “Ratify the New,” begins with an intriguing instrumental that sounds too much like a scene from “Slumdog Millionaire.” But the rest of the song, with its overall repetitive sound and lyrics, fails to reach a climax of energetic glee, proving the band is better at making cheery sounds than creating melancholy ones.

While the album’s grown-up sound is overarching, songs such as “In the NA” and “Underage” show that Cameras haven’t completely strayed away from their quirky roots — both feature outrageous lyrics and fun, ’80s-like dance melodies.

But the way in which the Hidden Cameras intersperse the album with conflicting sounds doesn’t feel quite right, as if the band is working to completely move away from its elaborate and senseless nature.

Maturing may be inevitable, but Gibb and company don’t seem ready to do so.