Ohbijou

For its third album, Toronto-based Ohbijou enlisted producer Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes), ensuring a denser, more orchestral impact. Throughout, Casey Mecija’s pixie-like vocals play off a cascade of throbbing strings and keys. Melody and lyric can be overwhelmed. Metallic metaphors keep turning up, especially on “Iron and Ore,” where feelings are “wrought iron,” a heart is “solid ore,” lips “nickel-plated.” Blades, conduction, lava and blood appear as passion, time, devotion. This could be disturbingly clingy, some sort of Mazzy Star with cellos, if the sonics weren’t so 
beguiling.