Online only: Fangs up, party people

Most people only know of Cobra Starship because of their uber-catchy "Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)" from the cult-favorite film by the same title. At the time that song and the rest of their debut album While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets was recorded, Cobra was solely comprised of ex-Midtown vocalist/bassist Gabe Saporta. While the debut was solid, it wasn't much more than a guilty pleasure. Luckily, Saporta surrounded himself with a full band to tour and now they've come together to record their follow up, ¡Viva La Cobra!\nCobra has made tremendous strides with their sound on Viva. On the debut, the production was nothing but Saporta and his digital beats, but here the use of a band has vastly strengthened the musical aspects, especially the drums and guitars. \nThis is most present on the aptly-titled single, "Guilty Pleasure," which features a guitar riff that could easily come from one of Cobra's buddies like Fall Out Boy. It also includes an extremely strong vocal from Saporta, the self-proclaimed "Justin Timberlake of emo," as he sings "I came here to make you dance tonight / I don't care if I'm a guilty pleasure for you." No chorus could explain Cobra better.\nWith Viva, the band also explores new territory by including two songs that almost pass for ballads: "One Day Robots Will Cry" and "The World Has Its Shine (But I Would Drop It On A Dime)." The latter, with its synth subdued, sounds like something out of an old Nintendo game, but the guitar solo allows it to rock harder than Cobra has before. It's pure power-ballad goodness.\nBut really, the album is all about the party. In addition to "Guilty Pleasure," there are at least six other tracks that are full-fledged dance jams. The strongest of the lot are "My Moves Are White (White Hot, That Is)" and "Smile For The Paparazzi." None of the cuts feature any lyrics that are going to be remembered for quality, and some are borderline retarded, but they're damn catchy. \nThe tracks on ¡Viva La Cobra! should be placed on anyone's dance-party playlists because they flat out ooze sex and machismo. Cobra Starship will never be considered anything but a fun escape for fans, but because they've completely embraced that role, their brand of dance-punk continues to improve, and Saporta's goal of becoming the JT of emo doesn't seem too far fetched.