Friday post: rating with the stars COBRA STARSHIP

This is a review for Cobra Starships album: while the city sleeps, we rule the streets. Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta first grabbed the world's attention with his catchy, tongue-in-cheek movie theme song, "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)"and then enjoyed some notice for his Gwen Stefani parody "Hollaback Boy." Here, he enlists the Ivy League's guitarist Ryland Blackinton and bassist Alex Suarez for a full-length album of exuberant and clever pop-punk built on brash guitars, funny hipster-skewering lyrics, and a confident vocal swagger that both apes and mocks emo conventions. While snark-infested tunes like "Pop-Punk is Sooooo 2005" and "The Kids are all F***ed Up" are clearly meant to be goofy, "The Ballad of Big Poppa and Diamond Girl," with its appealing electro-pop feel and a stirring melody, indicates a serious songwriting talent underneath the blankets of irony. I give this album a 4 out of 5 stars.