Obi Best at Larimer Lounge

Obi Best
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Larimer Lounge
Better than: An angry note on your car.

Sometimes vintage music gear sounds cool as hell, but other times the older gear is a pain in the ass when it doesn't work like it did four decades ago. Before Obi Best started its set, frontwoman Alex Lilly said she knew her '60s Magnatone amp might die at one point during the set, so she decided to play a few songs on her vintage Silvertone guitar before the amp did in fact crap out.

But before Lilly's amp began cutting out on the last tune, the band delivered an endearing set of pop tunes all written by Lilly that appear on Obi Best's debut, Capades. Lilly, who also sings with the Bird and the Bee, proved she's a competent songwriter herself. With a syncopated guitar riff, she kicked off the show with "What It's Not," one of the strongest cuts from Capades, and then went into the effervescent "Swedish Boy." The band went through most of the new album, including "Green and White Stripes," "Bloom Like Flowers" and the first single, "It's Because of People like You."

Although there were just a few people in the audience (maybe ten or so), Lilly joked about it and asked audience members what their names were. And shows like this are actually kind of nice when there aren't too many people there. It felt like watching a friend's band in somebody basement. There wasn't' a lot of pressure, everyone was mellow, and it was all pretty much about the music.

Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: I've been digging the Bird and the Bee's latest disc, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, and Lilly's vocals on it for the last few weeks, so it was cool to see her in a different context with her own songs.
Random Detail: Nearly half of the people in the audience were in the opening band Safe Boating Is No Accident.
By the Way: Capades hits the streets Tuesday, February 24.