Hot and Spicy aren't usually the adjectives that come to mind when one thinks of local orch-pop outfit Ohbijou but there they were at Harbourfront last Friday night as part of the Hot and Spicy Food Festival entertainment. It seemed even lead Ohbijou Casey Mecija had a chuckle out of their presence there. And whether it be a baby crying in the back or a ship in the harbour honking it's horn during one of their songs, it was definitely a summer vibe. Yes, the sounds of summer. As the sun went down on a beautiful summer evening, Ohbijou provided the soundtrack with songs off their debut album "Swift Feet For Troubling Times", a breezy mix of keys, cello, banjo, trumpet, guitar, bass and percussion. The pace of the set was superb, alternating slower and faster tempo songs, infusing a dose of energy with polite head-knodders like "St. Francis" near the beginning of the set and later on with the country-esque "To Rest In Peace On Righteous Tides"(what I recall Casey referred to as a hoedown). They also introduced a new tune which I believe Casey said was entitled "Thunder Love"(a lo-fi audio recording of which I got on my digital camera and have provided for download below). The only thing Hot and Spicy about Ohbijou's set might have been Jennifer Mecija's 70's-inspired tank top and tennis shorts outfit(ha ha, I said it) but the breezy, melancholy of Ohbijou's tunes otherwise proved to be the perfect soundtrack to those dog days & nights of summer that approach us.
Here are my photos from the show.
MP3: Ohbijou - 'Thunder Love' (live at Harbourfront - August 10, 2007)
MySpace: Ohbijou
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