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Cobra Starship - !Viva La Cobra!pop/punk follow-up |
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Review by Andy Argyrakis Considering Cobra Starship dropped its debut disc in 2006, a late 2007 follow-up seems a bit pre-mature. But the Gabe Saporta-led group suggests there was plenty of time during its arena tour with Fall Out Boy, mostly because the guys were bored playing a bunch of suburban arenas with little nightlife. The fact that they had label overseer Pete Wentz at arm's length every night helped fuel the fire for new material, leading the famed Fall Out Boy front man to sit behind the producer's chair.The results of the ensuring Brooklyn sessions (recorded on a twenty day break) seem a bit rushed and undercooked at times, but there's still plenty of dance/pop sensibilities that match up to the band's breakthrough recording. On a hurried note, "Guilty Pleasure" literally seems like it was cranked out the same day as FOB's "Thnks fr th Mmrs," while the celebrity obsessed comedy during "Smile Wide For the Paparazzi" feels forced and recycled from countless other anti-pop culture artists. Even so, the disc is loaded with upbeat, bubbly and downright contagious dance-laden ditties, such as the instant sing-a-longs "One Day, Robots Will Cry" and "Angie." The gang also maintains its tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, which is most effective during "Damn You Look Good and I'm Drunk (Scandalous)" thanks in part to a colorful cameo from V.I.P., plus the downright hysterical "Prostitution Is the World's Oldest Profession (and I, Dear Madam, Am a Professional)." Tunes like these indicate Cobra Starship doesn't take itself too seriously, and aside from a few hurried steps, still have a somewhat palatable place as sophomores in the alt-rock underground. |