‘Beacons’, the debut album from Toronto-based tour de force Ohbijo, should be the prescription soundtrack for sunrise come-downs, night-time drives through the city and heavy petty, (the latter only applies to honeymoon couples at the mutual face-gazing and inane smiling level of intimacy). Punctuated by a heart-racing pulse that is reminiscent of early Cranberries and melodies that have the ambrosial, pop sweetness of Badly Drawn Boy, what signatures this band is Casey Mecija’s unique voice. Mecija has a vocal quality that combines pin-drop clarity with Britta-filtered purity and the innocence of a toddler asking ‘why’ of the world – a tone that is magnified only by the harmonies of her younger sister Jenny. The album also boasts a seven-piece orchestra complete with toy and traditional piano, violin, banjo, mandolin and cello. Each instrument is selectively introduced, sparsely used and simply played. Consequently, the layering of instrumentation is meticulously measured and sublimely executed throughout the album. Yet it is the haunting vocals of the Mecija sisters that define the album’s melancholic frailty with a delicacy that is distinctly Oriental, while at the same time injecting a double dose of optimism and life-affirmation that is typically Canadian. Whichever way you listen to it, the world is a slightly better place with ‘Beacons’ in it.
