Quick rewind: Cobra Starship is responsible for the closing-credits
track, “Bring It (Snakes on a Plane),” from that Samuel L. Jackson
movie, as well as re-recording Katy Perry’s radio megahit as “I Kissed
a Boy.”
Now the band has released its third effort, Hot Mess, and
it’s a consummate piece of throwaway pop music: vapid and empty, but
fun. It reminds me of my high school crushes: sexy and stupid guys who
wore and liked whatever seemed to be relevant at the moment.
Like those guys, Hot Mess is good for a brief and meaningless
thrill. From “Move Like You Gonna Die” to “Nice Guys Finish Last,” the
songs are all catchy and anthemic and overproduced. Gabe Saporta
(the wannabe-Beastie Boy lead singer) is a bit much—more a
marketing ploy than an actual personality—but somehow, he’s
compelling.
Look at the video for the first single, “Good Girls Go Bad,” which
features Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester talk-singing in
raccoon mascara while Saporta overdoes that overhead-arm-wave thing.
He’s this bizarre 21st-century articulation of macho cool; he brags
about leading women astray; he brags about knowing Pete Wentz; he brags
about his dance moves; he brags about enjoying a same-sex kiss (but I
think that last one’s just for show).
Cobra Starship will soon disappear forever, but Hot Mess is
here to remind us that ephemera has its place.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2009.