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Cobra Starship

While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets (2006)
Decaydance

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Contributed by: Dan Perrone
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on October 10th 2006

After the pathetic statement by Jersey boy Gabe Saporta on leaving “half a million” to stay with Decaydance (facetious or not), it left most of us scratching our heads, asking: Who the hell does this guy think he is? At that point, there was no doubt that the upcoming Cobra Starship album would be a self-indulgent waste of time. Alas, though it may not be the greatest thing ever released, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets does in fact have a few redeeming qualities.

After an atrocious acoustic introduction, Saporta throws “Send My Love to the Dancefloor, I’ll See You in Hell (Hey Mister DJ)” at us, and while it’s not exactly a curveball, to say that the track is not completely infectious would be a crime. It’s here where it becomes apparent that taking the album too seriously would defeat the entire purpose of it: All Saporta wants is for us to be tapping our feet. The lyrics aren’t much and some tracks are downright fruity (“The Kids Are All Fucked Up”), but Gabe’s got his eye on the prize, and sometimes, it works.

The results are a success when he relies on a quick pace and a huge chorus to reel us in, while not straying too far from his dance-pop objective; some tracks seem straight from the Fall Out Boy playbook, which defeats the purpose of Cobra Starship. Still, “Keep It Simple” and “The Church of Hot Addiction” (with the great "HEY! HEY! HEY!") are too catchy to ignore, but the album ends with three consecutive stinkers, leaving the listener with only four or so tracks to hold on to.

So it’s not awful, just unfocused. It’s evident that Gabe Saporta can create an effective tune, but there’s a lot of trash on here that distracts from the central theme of While the City Sleeps. There are flashes of something solid, but eventually, the album just runs out of steam.

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jasonla (November 30, 2009)

I rather be in some adjustable bed playing with buttons that hear that again

Tangy (April 26, 2008)

I'd just like to point out that when this album was reviewed, punknews was infiltrated by sixty twelve year-olds

RolitaViv (May 7, 2007)

Ok so once againg no music sence!!!! this album kicked ass ok their concerts are so awsome...

ostuffx3 (November 14, 2006)

wow theres not one song on the WHOLE album you all liked? well i like it so boo you whores. =)

Anonymous (October 14, 2006)

It was an amazing and creative album. These guys get it right when all that shit on the radio is hyped up by mtv. "The Kids Are All Fucked Up" has to be one of the great songs of this year.

Anonymous (October 13, 2006)

smoke crack.

Anonymous (October 13, 2006)

obviously if you guys thought this album was horrible, then you seriously must be listening to shit

because this album was one of the best ive heard in a long time

rinjonjori (October 12, 2006)

"Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 1:58 AM (EDT)"

This guys should do the "one hit wonders' special that VH1 does in ten years. Gabe and William Beckkect will both be old and fat with little or no hair remembering how good it was.
Most of the commenters here will be in some crappy job wishing they went to that Cobra Starship show. Just kidding about that last part.

Anonymous (October 12, 2006)

I always thought that Tyler and Heath were the best part of Midtown considering an album full of just Gabe singing would get annoying to me......kinda like Forget What you Know (though not terrible musically) and though I haven't heard much Cobra Starship I'm sure it gets annoying after awhile too. The best midtown song ever - No Place Feels Like Home - is one of the few without Gabe singing at all.

onegirlarmy (October 12, 2006)

I'm curious to see if there's anyone that will comment on this that will actually like it. I'm betting no.

Anonymous (October 11, 2006)

"i'd rather listen to jefferson starship"-snakes
i'm with you on that one buddy,come on every one sing it with me " we built this city on rock n roll ! "

Anonymous (October 11, 2006)

SNAKES ON A MOTHER FUCKIN' PLANE!!!! oh and shitty band

MikeStupid (October 11, 2006)

What a fucking stupid cover. Score is for that.

Anonymous (October 11, 2006)

I can't believe Ted Leo sings on this record!

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

Oh, and just because I didn't use that word nearly enough:
shit, shit, shitty, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.....shit

Someone buy me a thesaurus for christmas...

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

Fuck, I really hope this dance-rock shit dies fast. If this shit lasts another 8 months I might even start to miss all those shitty sing/scream bands...but probably not.

ILOVESCOTT (October 10, 2006)

wow most of this round of reviews sucks

testiclese (October 10, 2006)

thats a sssssssssweet cover

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

what the fuck is up with punknews these days

we get decent reviews on both senses fails and cobra starships newest releases?

i should have stopped coming here long ago

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

Lame sauce.

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

DId someone say assrape!?

-Neill Cawley
AIM-Longlivetheduck2

-Score is for assrape.

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

The review would have been more truthful if it had read something like this:

"Alas, though it may not be the greatest thing ever released, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets does in fact have one redeeming quality...it eventually ends."

maverick (October 10, 2006)

Ugh. The word "misshapes" makes me nauseous just thinking about that place.

-Scott

jamespastepunk (October 10, 2006)

I don't think we're getting Midtown back, no matter how hard we try.

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

This is fucking garbage. This Gabe kid goes to Misshapes one night and decides he can be in a dance band? Please. You were in Midtown.

Check out The Rapture's new record Pieces of the People We Love if you want to see what this guy was going for. He was way off the mark.

Deadpan (October 10, 2006)

Yeah, I love the Snakes On A Plane song too.

Which one do you reckon wins the prize of "Biggest waste of cash you bought just so you could legally own Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)"? This, or the Snakes On A Plane album? I can't believe I actually bought that.

Score's for Snakes On A Plane.

danperrone (October 10, 2006)

damn why didn't i assrape this one

nivek, you did something cool for me, don't talk like a tool

maverick (October 10, 2006)

This record is one of the most unmemorable I've heard in years. The star is for the Snakes On A Plane song, because that's super-catchy. Everything else on this record is white noise.

-Scott

niveK82 (October 10, 2006)

"this was my sincere attempt at writing a short concise review"

So this was your review and not one of your firend's?

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

Could the cover art possibly be more phallic?

baseball (October 10, 2006)

i always did enjoy Midtown

Snakes (October 10, 2006)

i'd rather listen to Jefferson Starship, and thats not saying much

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

this is fucking retarded. this whole dance pop emo disco is the worst shit ever, from hellogoodbye to the transplants to the new afi to this ex-one of the best pop punk bands now I suck major ass-gabe spatapoopoo head fuck this shit fuck this shit!!!

Paul

crazytoledo (October 10, 2006)

I really liked the song from the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack. However, I can't see myself getting into more than maybe one or two of the other songs here.

inagreendase (October 10, 2006)

How close is this to Midtowns style?

Nowhere near.

tylerdurden8136 (October 10, 2006)

I honestly can't get into one song on this album other than the SOAP tune.

insinceredave (October 10, 2006)

Midtown used to be a guilty pleasure for me. How close is this to Midtowns style?

SlackMFr (October 10, 2006)

Anything to do with the Sounds fucking sucks. Has anyone ever heard that shit band? Bitch can't sing at all! Plus she looks like a man in drag. Scary lady she is.

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

These fuckwads had to defend there band was created for snakes on a plane.

Was Cobra Starship just made up for the Snakes on a Plane movie?

Absolutely not! As you can see, Cobra Starship has been a MySpace member since June 23 of 2005! Long before Snakes on a Plane even existed. Those of you who were early fans will remember the first song Gabe worked on to hone his skills: Hollaback Boy, a raunchy spoof of Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl. (The song created such a stir that Elle Girl helped Gabe sneak into Gwen's L.A.M.B. show during the fall '05 NY fashion week to ask her about Hollaback Boy on camera. They ran Gabe's story in the January 2006 issue.) Not only that, but by then Gabe had already written the song "Bring It" and it already contained the line "pop the cheap champagne we're going down in flames." (Those of you who have the demo version that was leaked on ap.net can attest to that.) So when Gabe heard about Snakes on a Plane he knew that this was the coming together of the Cobra's plan--that these were not just a string of coincidences, but rather pieces of a puzzle illuminating the path to his destiny . . . or some bullshit like that

danperrone (October 10, 2006)

this was my sincere attempt at writing a short concise review

joeymagnet (October 10, 2006)

bring back motown !

Dante3000 (October 10, 2006)

I remember that the guy from Gym Class Heros said he didn't show up on the album because they had to get it done in a hurry.
I'm glad to see they rushed because this work of perfection and not because Decaydance wanted to pump the Snakes on a Plan momentum.
-Dante

Anonymous (October 10, 2006)

this is the band that did the Snakes on a Plane song right? that song was catchy as hell. and the band's name fits pretty well...

88-fingers-tony (October 10, 2006)

agreed.

DarrenMcLeod (October 10, 2006)

album was boring as hell. i'm surprised it got 2 stars.

bring back midtown.