Obi Best Issue #39

Capades

By Anne C. Johnson
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 3:07pm

Obi Best, fronted by singer Alex Lilly (the Bird and the Bee), is enchanting for sure, but beware: this cheerful chanteuse wields a big stick.

The comparisons to Feist and Björk were inevitable, but the most bizarre similarity is to the Carpenters, with Obi Best as a modern incarnation. The gorgeous pop arrangements on Capades are as soul-stirring as anything the Carpenters did at their finest — minus the starkness — plus the advent of ProTools. Indeed, the Carpenters were hardly known for their depth, but they certainly captured the mood of an era: an era that was in full-on denial. Obi Best lures you in and as soon as you are floating on a cloud, Lilly will whisper in your ear and remind you how fucked up things really are. Her zingers are the highlight of Capades, and proof that Lilly has enough smarts to loan to her nasty neighbors (“It’s Because Of People Like You”).

Lilly appears to be longing for a past where she feels she better belongs (“Days Of Decadence”), but she and Obi Best are at a good time and place musically — simultaneously looking forward and back.