For nearly 30 years, when we heard the exclamation "Awoo," we would think Werewolves of London. Not anymore. Now we think Gay Church Folk-Popsters of Toronto. And we bet you will too, once you hear the title track from the third indie-pop masterpiece by Joel Gibb and the latest lineup of his Hidden Cameras collective.

Propelled by Gibb's chimy midtempo Buddy Holly strumming, cheekily decorated with a bouncy Tex-Mex roller-rink organ line, and iced with an addictive melody and a swelling singalong chorus, Awoo is another irresistible charmer from Gibb's deliciously poisoned pen. More importantly, it's just one of several on this 13-track set.

Veering slightly toward the pop side of the orch-pop continuum, Gibb proffers another batch of wonderfully arch, bittersweet tales of gay romance, sex and heartbreak set to brightly shimmering melodies and spry galloping beats. Death of a Tune and Lollipop are choppy, thumpy little firecrackers, the latter slowly winding itself up into a near-frenzy.

The falsetto-laced Learning the Lie gives the violins a workout right off the top, while the moodier Follow These Eyes uses them to lay down moody undercurrents. And Heji is a clanging instrumental that sounds like Gibb deconstructed and reassembled a Dick Dale surf-rocker.

Morrissey, Ray Davies, Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt and Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch couldn't pen tunes much tighter, prettier and sharper than these.

Awoo, indeed.

Track Listing:

1. Death of a Tune
2. Awoo
3. She's Gone
4. Lollipop
5. Fee Fie
6. Learning the Lie
7. Follow These Eyes
8. Heji
9. Heaven Turns to
10. Wandering
11. For Fun
12. Hump from Bending
13. The Waning Moon