Cheese on Bread

Beware the anthrax-laced bubblegum-pop of Cheese on Bread. Musically, the kooky New York fivesome is tangy, upbeat, and innocuous — sort of a more sugary version of The Cardigans, with singer-lyricists Sara FitzSimmons and Dan Fishback chirping happily over a sunny montage of zydeco, country, synth-pop, and Beach Boys-style compositions. Things only get toxic when you listen to the substance of the chirping — i.e., lyrics dripping with sarcasm, cynicism, and insult-comic misanthropy. On one song, “Where the Fuck Are They?” FitzSimmons and Fishback execute a hilarious dressing-down of post-feminism: “Where have all the cowboys gone? They’re off sucking cock and they’re making me yawn, yeah.” With similar, Dead Milkmen-esque gusto, the duo lampoons vegetarianism (“I Like Cheese”), activism (“Sexy Anarchist Boy”), and romance (“Nevada”), but with such tuneful sincerity that it never feels like you’re listening to a joke band. Actually, it’s a bit like the high-burlesque chicanery of Lily Allen — which is to say, both pretty and pretty smart-ass. Perfect for those of us who prefer the occasional flesh-eating spore in our musical Hubba-Bubba.