Coco Candissi

Coco Candissi

Impedimenta The idea of escape hovers around Coco Candissi's second CD, Impedimenta, like a barely detectable fog. It's there in opener "Day Job," Melissa Sternberg's mock-disco bass bouncing along in the background as guitarist/singer Brandon Tucker details the importance of having something from which to escape. It's in "Hate Team," where Tucker prescribes Eighties arcade fave Punch-Out!! as a way to avoid "so-called friends." It's definitely in "Can't Wait," a dewy ode to the impatience inherent in growing up, and "Cowbelle," which concerns some people's aversion to the simple act of taking a long, hard look in the mirror. It's even in the closing instrumental "Spring in Kansas," as the blissed-out synths of Tucker's bandmate/wife Melissa beckon like an endless horizon of gently swaying wheat fields. As to the destination implicit in all this escaping, Impedimenta's eight frothy, well-tailored songs make a solid case for music being all the escape most people need. Admittedly, none of the eight quite reach the candy-coated rushes of "Sweet Cheat Gone" or "Sugar Tooth" from the Austin fourpiece's debut Stars Have Eyes. But the 27-minute running time and nearly seamless modulation between New Wave, post-punk, and good old-fashioned guitar pop make Impedimenta a fine choice for the CD changer when it comes time to escape the boss, the wife, the scene, rush-hour traffic, or whatever else it is that makes you want to run, makes you want to hide, makes you want to pull the stars from the sky.