Let It Brie (1994-1997 Collection)

Album Review

A band called Cheese simply must name an album Let it Brie, just as a combo calling itself 'Sex' would need a 'Let It Breed', and "Bong Caboose' would opt for 'Bud on the Tracks'. Goofy rubrics aside, Let it Brie is pretty tasty. It's technically a debut from the Dorset-based foursome, compiling material recorded between 1994 and 1997. There are the chiming XTCisms of "Popular Music" and "Forever Dumb," and the natural allusions to the Beatles throughout. But while its influences are always close at hand, Cheese can also stand alone. "It's Alright, You'll Be Dead Soon" and "Wyke Five-O" are driven by energetic stabs of interwoven electric guitar and Marco Rossi's straining, charming vocals; they're taut, wiry numbers that seem to cross post-punk slash with pop heartburn. Elsewhere, the layered, atmospheric "All the Wrong Drugs" echoes off of brick buildings and reflects in the puddles of tight urban spaces. Ultimately, Let it Brie succeeds because Cheese spreads its own vitality and clever dynamics across its universe of influences.