The C.O.C.O. Sound

The second release from Olympia, WA-based duo C.O.C.O. is heavy on the funk and light on its feet — a seductive cross between the slinkiness of Luscious Jackson and the spikiness of Le Tigre, with a little De La Soul playfulness on the side (at least on singsongy leadoff track, "Intro"). Chris Sutton, who doubles as the bassist in Dub Narcotic Sound System, provides the spare, loose-limbed percussion, while Olivia Ness supplies the fluid bottom end and lion's share of the vocals, which range from an unaffected Au Pairs-like chant ("Out of Time") to full-on Aretha-meets-Ani DiFranco testifying ("Supercool"). All 11 tracks on The C.O.C.O. Sound are short and sweet and get to the point with a skeletal minimum of muss and fuss (just a little dub on a few tracks). If there's a fly in the ointment, it's that Ness and Sutton haven't quite figured out how to best draw their compositions to a satisfying conclusion. Most simply come to a stop after a couple of minutes or so, but the same could just as easily be said about Guided By Voices or any number of other lo-fi indie pop bands. ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy, All Music Guide