Back in the mid-1980s, sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland left their native California for London, which was then awash with a convergence of post-punk and indie guitar bands.
The sisters’ arrival brought a few rays of sunshine to the UK, and when they enlisted the former rhythm section of Madness (bassist Mark Bedford and drummer Daniel ‘Woody’ Woodgate) along with two other UK musicians, the mix of a solid music base with irresistible jangly-guitar melodies and perfectly in-sync harmonies was too good for the UK charts to resist.
Released in 1988, Let it Bee was more than just another high-achieving indie-pop album, however. Playing shrewdly with the bittersweet side of love, songs such as Beat of Love (“Nothing is stronger than boys and their eyes, and it’s worse when you know he’s a liar”), Sorrow Floats, I Say Nothing and Don’t Call Me Baby (“You said forever and then you went and changed your plans, you said someday I’d understand, but I still wonder”) swing as much like a pendulum as a scythe.
Chart success didn’t last, sadly, and in taking three years to release a follow-up, 1991′s Honey Lingers, the band more or less sealed their fate.
I feel we’re close now, Meghan, so I can speak freely. The right pitch is crucial in lifestyle hucksterism like yours
As Fergus Finlay and Tom Clonan’s spat escalates, Sarah McInerney relishes the radio gold
No, the Irish who come to Australia are not the ‘worst’
An Irishman in Spain: ‘Salaries are much lower here, but my mental health is far better’
For all of that, almost 35 years later – the main celebrations start next year – Let It Bee still vibrates and (yes, mea culpa) stings in all the right places.
