Cadallaca, Out West EP (Kill Rock Stars) 9
Cadallaca are either a jokey supergroup side project or the best all-girl group in the Pacific Northwest, depending on your point of view. They go by the pseudonyms Dusty, Kissy and Junior, otherwise known as Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney, Sarah Dougher of the Crabs and STS of the Lookers. Cadallaca take their cue from Sleater-Kinney's "Dance Song '97," replacing their punk with new wave keyboards. While there are only four songs, Corin Tucker packs more riveting storytelling in this EP than her band's last entire album. "Out West" turns the tables on the typically mysoginist murder ballads when Dusty learns her man has been cheatin' on her out west, hunts him down and shoots his ass. "The Moon was dark and the sky was gray/God gave up on me today/My gun was hot and my mind slipped away." "Scarface" features a lovely guitar melody, girl-group handclaps and Dougher's moving vocals. "The Trouble With Public Places" most resembles Sleater-Kinney with its staccato guitar riffs and Corin's desperate singing, but breaks it down with organ solos worthy of the Spencer Davis Group. "Fake Karaoke Machine" brings things down to a whisper, and again is more emotionally convincing than one would ever expect from a side project. Out West is a much more focused effort than Cadallaca's inconsistent full-length debut, Introducing Cadallaca. Let's hope that Dusty, Kissy and Junior continue with another full length, or at the very least take their refreshed creativity and revive their other bands.
