August 20, 2009
Ohbijou
Toronto-based band Ohbijou may be the perfect soundtrack to the onset of fall. Lead singer Casey Mecija’s vocals are delicate and colorful like fallen leaves. Swirling orchestral accompaniment moves with the swiftness of autumn wind. And the band carries with them that special and rare quality of constant anticipation and curiosity.
Casey’s almost ethereal vocals and skills on guitar, ukulele, and piano are rounded out by sister Jenny on backup vocals, violin, glockenspiel and melodica, and friends Heather Kirby on bass and banjo, Anissa Hart on cello, James Bunton on drums and trumpet, Ryan Carley on piano, harpsichord and synth, and Andrew Kinoshita on mandolin. Ohbijou’s sound is just as rich and varied as the instruments featured in the band. Drawing upon pop, folk and bluegrass influences, Ohbijou’s sound is fragile, heart-tugging vocals over majestic yet gentle orchestral accompaniment.
Ohbijou’s 2006 full-length debut, Swift Feet for Troubling Times , garnered critical acclaim and took the band across Canada and the United States. The album’s “St. Francis,” a haunting, moving lullaby, took off as a single, landing at No. 4 on the CBC Radio 3’s weekly charts and staying at No. 34 for the year. This June, Ohbijou returned with their highly-anticipated sophomore release, Beacons , which has been nearly three years in the making. The album continues the band’s signature sound, but perhaps with more risks and more refinement. Casey’s vocals deliver with piercing conviction over bloated, intricately interwoven string accompaniment in “Black Ice,” while “Wildfires” offers a similar effect in a more subdued, lullaby setting.
Ohbijou will first be heading across the pond in early September for a European tour before touring across Canada from mid-October into the end of November. Catch them live for a night of impressive and memorable, soothing, alt-folk lullabies. For a complete list of tour dates, check out the band’s website at http://www.ohbijou.com/ .
