Send "Ohbijou " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 The Ballad of a So-Called Opening BandToronto, Canada’s Ohbijou is a fairly known quantity north of the 49th parallel – at least, so much so that the six-piece can headline small clubs with the likes of Snailhouse and Julie Doiron, both with whom they are on tour this fall. Both of the supporting acts are no slouches in the Canadian indie music scene, either, as any follower could tell you. Add to that, the band has played headlining gigs overseas, so Ohbijou is certainly not in the also-ran category. However, headlining status is not the impression you’d get by listening to their third and latest album, Metal Meets, though that’s not meant to be a slag or a diss. Simply put, Ohbijou is, sonically, the type of band that you’d put on before a big name headliner – they’re pleasant, they’re not showy (meaning, they won’t blow the main act out of the water), and the material has a consistent tone to it. In other words, Ohbijou is the sort of band that, stylistically, you’d be apt to hear and see while jostling for a front-row spot at a general admission show, and could agreeably endure while waiting patiently for the artist you really paid to see to come on board. What helps build that mental impression of Metal Meets is the fact that Ohbijou sound remarkably like a lot of other Canadian indie bands du jour: they have the same operatic bombast as a Broken Social Scene, the same fragile singer-songwriter cadence of a Feist, the same mellow string section of an Owen Pallett or an Arcade Fire, and the same sort of fractured indie pop sensibilities of a New Pornographers. By having a sound that is suggestive of other sounds wrapped into a nice, neat little package, Ohbijou would seemingly fit the bill of opening band status: they’re good and solid, and their material will just float on by without making much of an impact. Just the kind of thing the bands mentioned a few sentences ago would probably want to put in front of them to keep the anticipation and expectation mounting for their show. Again, the preceding two paragraphs might seem like a bit of a kiss off of the band, but there are some intriguing elements at work on Metal Meets. First off, the songwriting is remarkably even and complex, with some moments of lovely operatic bombast – which pays off in spades on songs like album opener “Niagara”, which sputters along with fragility, and yet has a converse sense of symphonic tunefulness. The title track shows a move towards shuffling cosmopolitan cum folk-country songsmithery that offers an interesting blend of tangentially related genres. Where the album really shines, however, is smack dab right in the middle: the six-minute “Sligo” meanders along for at least half its length, but then gradually builds up into what becomes a restrained volcanic eruption of stirring emotion. “Anser” simmers into a beautiful swirling crescendo of soaring male and female vocals, before pulling itself back into a limber and quiet piano line. There is a great deal of things to like about Metal Meets, particularly in its mid-section, even if a large part of the record conveys a certain sense of sameness once you get beyond the sixth song or so....full text |
| Exclaim |
| Toronto indie popsters Ohbijou are gearing up for their third album Metal Meets. With the new album due out next week, anticipation is on the rise, but right now you can stream the album on Exclaim.ca. Known for drawing inspiration from their hometown, Metal Meets sees the band pay homage to experiences from outside the city. Tracks like the first two on the record, "Niagara" and "Echo Bay," make reference to some close-to-home getaways, while "Sligo" may well have been inspired by the group's trips across the pond in Europe. A press release describes the band's musical growth thusly: "Ohbijou has come of age, and their adulthood is more precocious and imaginative than their youth." Despite this maturation, the album retains singer Casey Mecija's knack for ethereal love songs while also featuring first-time songwriting credits from bandmate Jennifer Mecija and Ryan Carley....full text |
| Exclaim |
| Ohbijou spent considerable time writing and crafting Metal Meets, the third album for the young Toronto, ON-based six-piece. The result is their most focused record, with lush landscapes, layers of aural mystique and crushingly beautiful melodies. In short, it's their best effort to date by a wide margin. From the first reverb-laden guitar note on "Niagara," it's apparent that Ohbijou have created something very special. Casey Mecija's airy, angelic voice carries the 11 songs, with pounding percussion ("Sligo"), soaring orchestration ("Balikbayan") and dreamy melodies ("Obsidian") differentiating one song from the next. The album peaks on "Turquoise Lake," a track that typifies the maturation of the band. A slow beat and Mecija's moving voice take a slow waltz as whirling delay effects and a calming bass line fill the background, then the tempo changes as a completely new melody takes over; it's a wholly brilliant song. It showcases their forward movement ― away from the safety of simply revamping their past two records and towards this incredible place that evokes emotions, images and a sense of optimism that they've never touched before. Metal Meets is a triumph. How long was the writing process? Mecija: We went away to the Bruce Peninsula in a little hamlet called Dyer's Bay; we did four writing sessions there and each session was about a week. Then we demoed the hell out of each song and went to Montreal in spring to record with Jace Lasek and did that for two sessions. It's been a long time coming....full text |
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