CD Review
This review was originally written by Jose Bernardo for www.theweeklyriff.com between 2008 and 2010.
These were Jose’s first impressions of the songs and were not written after multiple spins.
Artist : Cobra Starship
Album : Hot Mess (2009 Fueled by Ramen /Decaydance/Columbia)
Tracks : 11
Artist website : http://www.cobrastarship.com
OVERVIEW
Hot Mess is third full-length studio album from American pop punk artists Cobra Starship.
The music is full of interesting melodic ideas. There are some very nice riffs on this album as well. Good production. Overall an enjoyable listen, but this didn’t turn me in to a Cobra Starship fan.
HIGHLIGHTS :
Nice Guys Finish Last, Good Girls Go Bad, Move Like You Gonna Die
PLAY BY PLAY
Track 1 – Nice Guys Finish Last
Cool track. The guitar solo was a nice surprise.
Track 2 – Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We’re Famous
Really cool track. I enjoyed how many different textures there are even if the sum of all parts equals punk/pop.
Track 3 – Good Girls Go Bad
The track features Leighton Meester. There is a really strong 80’s pop feel to this song. I really liked this track too. However, I think this song may be a part of the current loudness wars and is a bit over compressed.
Track 4 – Fold Your Hands Child
Very nice melody and mellow track.
Track 5 – You’re Not in on the Joke
Cool track. I like the layered vocals here. Nice melodies to boot.
Track 6 – Hot Mess
This song is about par when compared to the other tracks so far. As a title track it doesn’t shine brighter than anything else.
Track 7 – Living in the Sky with Diamonds
Nice play on The Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” in the title. Musically this is a far cry from the original Beatles song, not that they were trying to cover the Beatles here anyway. There are a lot of fun “modern” elements in this track. Cool track.
Track 8 – Wet Hot American Summer
This one’s another super poppy song. Not a whole lot of punk happening here. Really a straight ahead pop song that is almost an 80’s pop track in many ways.
Track 9 – The Scene Is Dead; Long Live the Scene
This one’s really catchy! Not a lot of punk happening here again, really poppy.
Track 10 – Move Like You Gonna Die
This one’s a really cool track. I liked this one a lot. Really catchy!
Track 11 – The World Will Never Do
This track is the only one that isn’t totally stylistically on par with the rest of the songs. Yes, it does have all the ear marks of the sound on the rest of the album. However, it is totally opposite in feel and energy than the other tracks. This is a mellow song and the previous mellow track on this album wasn’t this lethargic!