Obi Best

Although Alex Lilly sings backup for the well-known indie-rock outfit The Bird and the Bee, she fronts this charming lounge-pop act, whose pacing and atmospherics are reminiscent of late-'80s XTC with lush, soothing tones bolstering sharp, incisive lyrics. The odd yet entrancing melodies should appeal to fans of Helium's rich sonic textures and offbeat storytelling, while others will hear favorable hints of High Places' utterly original tropical-pop sensibilities. Stereolab comparisons are also inevitable for this group, but the lo-fi aesthetic undergirding the songwriting is more akin to the Blow's playful experimentalism. Comparisons aside, Obi Best's music has a cinematic quality that suggests the dusky, sometimes darkly romantic visions of Sophia Coppola and Richard Kelly. Live, the outfit is curiously less polished than on its records but no less surrealistically captivating.