Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Cobra Starship- Night Shades Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Night Shades

Artist- Cobra Starship

American dance pop band Cobra Starship have created a powerful pop sound for themselves that is vibrant and catchy, with band making the mainstream with their 2007 hit “Good Girls Go Bad (featuring Leighton Meester). Their latest album brings their most commercial sound, but according to lead singer Gabe Saporta, their most honest. And the band has also said to have strengthened their sound and grown, with the album having something for everyone. But does what they say really match up with the sound of the songs and the record as a whole?

Track 1- You Belong to Me

The album opens with an upbeat ballad number in which the band meld clunky piano melodies with a delicate kind of vocal as Saporta sings to this girl and tells her that even if she is feeling band she will be ok because she belongs to him. The chorus maintains a strong hook driven catchiness, but the verses are a little bland in terms of the imagery used, as it feels too stereotypical for this kind of a track. However Saporta’s light vocals cover up the blandness of the lyrics a little, having a cool delicacy to them but also still maintain the upbeat energy of the track, and the harmonization of the chorus is catchy. The production of the track is definitely the best component, with the clattering drum beats and pop rock vibe being melded together nicely with electronic beats and making for a light and fresh track that is quite enjoyable.

3/5

Track 2- You Make Me Feel …  (featuring Sabi)

An upbeat number and the lead single off the record, this is the only track not too be co-written by the band. However the dance pop energy of the track definitely makes it feel like a Cobra Starship track, and the lyrical quality is similar to their own work. The song finds Saporta singing about finding the girl he is missing that can make him feel so…, while Sabi fills that role as the girl who is “the baddest baby in the atmosphere”. The song is powerfully hook driven and the male female vocal play off is extremely catchy, making for a fun and vibrant track. The production of the track is also really strong, featuring a simple but propulsive beat that is intermingled with a cool synth arrangement and which as a whole just sounds light but powerful, making for an attention grabbing sound. The only problem with this track is the vocals of both artists, as they play off each other well but both are Auto Tuned and sound a little bit lifeless in places, so the track loses a little of it’s zest and is knocked down a bit from pop brilliance.

4/5

Track 3- #1Nite (One Night)

Keeping with the up tempo, just have fun vibe of the previous track, this song finds Saporta basically telling you how great this night is and how you have to just live for it, a message that is a bit bland in today’s pop world where live your life to the full dominates many artists music, but the track is saved by the catchy chorus and powerful hook that will definitely get stuck in your head. The production is also another factor that stops the track from being a bland piece of dance pop as the forceful electronic beats and clattering bass make for a great up tempo sound that matches the carefree ideology of the track powerfully. The song also really works well in the way that it builds, with the bridge being a great stopping moment before the big finish. Again the only real issue is the vocals, as Saporta draws a fine line between annoying and catchy in terms of his processed vocal. I would recommend listening to  the single version of the track that features My Name Is Kay, as she brings a playful and light tone to the track that gives it a little bit more appeal.

3.5/5

Track 4- Fool Like Me (featuring the Plastiscines)

Fool Like Me has more of a slowed down, laid back rhythm with a small soulful feel and more story based lyrics. The song finds Saporta singing to this girl and telling her about how people have told her to stay away, particularly her mother and father, because he is a fool, and the verses give us examples of how much of a fool he is. The vocals from Saporta are stronger than the previous offerings, featuring less vocal distortion and so sounding fresher. The rhythm of the track also really suits the lightness of the song, and the small featured moments of the high pitched Plasticines compliment his vocals nicely. The lyrical content is still hook driven but as a whole feels a little bit more polished, with the clichés being ok as they suit the laidback vibe of the track. Production wise the song features a nice, electronic based keyboard sound that is accompanied by simple hand clapping beats and has a cool kind of sweet and organic feel that is a nice change of pace.

3.5/5

Track 5- Anything For Love

A throwback sound can be exhibited from the very beginning of this track which features the use of a heavily synthesised production as a nod to 1980’s new wave. The disco groove of the track has a summer tinge and still keeps a laidback kind of energy going within the record. The message of the track is very much summed up in the title as Saporta slowly things of his wish and need for this thing that is called love, with the “all I need” hook summing up his desperation. The lyrics have a cool laidback groove that is really fitted with the sound, although the synthesised beats are definitely the centrepiece of the tracks as they create a great dance vibe that is so 1980’s and deliciously cool. The synthesised energy also really matches Saporta’s vocal tone, with the laidback vibe allowing for him to sit in a comfortable vocal groove and enhance the vibe of the track by placing slow lyrical stresses on what he is singing, particularly in terms of the catchy title.

3.5/5

Track 6- Middle Finger (featuring Mac Miller)

The records second single has been describe as “just a fun song” by Saporta and is produced by the massive Swedish production duo Stargate. Lyrically we find Saporta getting over a former beau by just getting drunk and express your happiness in a screw you kind of way. Vocally Saporta is strong, with the vocal distortion in the chorus actually being catchy for once and nicely minimal so as to not make an annoying record. The Miller rap feature also brings some cool swag energy to the track with fast paced lyrical raps that complement the sing along chorus nicely. Stargate bring some good production to the electro pop track with an incessant rock tinged back beat coupled with clattering electro beats that make for a light and reckless kind of persona to be discovered in the track.

3.5/5

Track 7- Don’t Blame the World, It’s the DJ’s Fault

The band provide another dance floor ready number in this simple electro pop number where Saporta sings to this girl about how she is searching for herself and should just get herself on the dance floor and lose herself cause that’s the best place. The lyrical content doesn’t really leave a big impression, with the hook being very repetitive and so quickly becomes annoying. Sonically the track feels a little lacklustre, with the electronic beats sounding good in the frenzied beats and having a cool stop and start rhythm in places, but mostly just sounding typical of this dance pop genre. Saporta is also quite bland vocally, not giving the song any personality and sounding to Auto Tuned.

2/5

Track 8- Fucked In Love

This track starts off in a synth based way that sounds like they are going for a cool throwback sound again, but then the booming drum beats and even stronger electo beats kick in to make for a forceful and catchy energy to the track. The forceful energy matches the lyrical content of the track powerfully in which Saporta sings of this terrible relationship that has been completely messed up by him, but he is still so in love with her even though the relationship is over. The heartbreak ideology of the number works with Saporta’s voice and sounds quite truthful, with the hook still retaining a catchy feel. However vocally Saporta is really distorted and so the whole power of the track is lost a bit and just becomes annoying. The pause between the bridge and final chorus makes for a big finish and the synth based sound is definitely better than the previous number, with the twinkling outro making for an almost sweet end, but unfortunately Saporta becomes over powered by the sound.

3/5

Track 9- Disaster Boy

The more alternative sensibilities of the band come out prominently within this track which is still a kind of commercial affair but in terms of lyrics sounds cooler and is also given more power by the female male vocal call and response that is employed. The track begins a bit boring but the pace picks up as the vocals begin, as the band depict this relationship in which things just go wrong cause this guy is one big disaster, but this girl still has really potent feeling about him. The storytelling lyrics are better than some of the other songs, although the track lacks a tight hook. And the disco based production with the light synths and cool electronic bass makes for a strong, carefree sound. However the track suffers in terms of the vocal. Saporta is okay but here appears less prominently in this track, and instead the vocals of keytarist Victoria Asher are the more prominent feature. And this is really bad because the girl just can’t sing, which makes for a really annoying listen.

2/5

Track 10- Shwick (featuring Jump Into the Gospel)

Ending the record is a angst fuelled number which lyrically finds Saporta singing about how he just can’t believe in all the crap that is attached to the idea of love, and in turn doesn’t want to believe in love. The track is frenzied in terms of the production which is another synth based piece that has a bit of a throwback feel and is accompanied by some strong vocal distortion. The vocals are strong in the middle section with auto tune being employed to good effect, and the 80’s disco beat of this section are also catchy. However as a whole Saporta isn’t strong in his vocal performance, with the chorus sounding like he is yelling a bit more than singing and lacking personality. The track is also missing a great hook, but the record is saved a little at the end by the frenzied disco outro that inspires you to have fun and dance.

3/5

Final Review

When you listen to this album as a whole you can definitely get the sense that this has a commercial feel, as it combines modern sensibilities with a little bit of a throwback feel, something which is popular in today’s music market. Yet whilst it is more commercial, this is something that also makes it a bad record, which is sad as sometimes commercial records can be really good. Cobra Starship can craft a well-rounded pop song that has a catchy feel, but when they create an album there isn’t enough variation and at a certain point you get tired of hearing the same kind of sentimentality in sound. Also, vocally Saporta really needs to get to know his voice more and tone down the auto tune and heavy synthesisers, as it is very easily too much. More like a step back than a step forward for the group.

4.5/10

Best Track- You Make Me Feel… (featuring Sabi)

Worst Track- Disaster Boy

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