Top 31 of 2006: #21

The Hidden Cameras: "Awoo"
Released: September 19, 2006

If Kermit the Frog was in his mid-thirties (rather than an ageless muppet) and sang "gay church music," chances are he would sound much like Joel Gibb, the lead singer of The Hidden Cameras. That being said, there's not a whole lot to cry about on "Awoo." It's a largely carefree album done right, which is really difficult to accomplish. I tried it a couple of times as Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane, Mates of State has done it a couple times, and Tilly and the Wall did it once. But other than that, I can't think of anyone to actually pull it off besides these guys. So to say that "Awoo" is fun doesn't really do it justice. There's more to it than that. It's creative, refreshing, beautiful at times ("Fee Fie"), and full of happiness. Add fun into that, and you should be tapping your toes in no time, unless of course you had both your feet chopped off in a tragic accident. Even then though, when life is as bleak and sorrowful as possible, you're still gonna want to tap your stubs on the ground, assuming that they'll reach now. Here's the point: it's a good album; a really, really, good album! And it's fun! There were a lot of good albums released this year, and this is one of the best!

For helping the one footless person who may actually listen to this album enjoy life a little more, The Hidden Cameras make it to #21.

Top 31 Songs of 2006: #21
The Killers - "When You Were Young" from the album Sam's Town.