Guilty Pleasure

Ok, I'll confess. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for emo. Don't get me wrong -- 90% of the stuff is unadulterated crap, but I am beginning to realize that I have more "whiny, heart-on-my-sleeve" songs on my iPod than I would otherwise like to admit. And I guess I really shouldn't badmouth the genre as a whole because I did actually go through the biggest emo phase in high school (which I guess was justified). That being said, I'll buy an album from an emo/pop-punk band every so often to mix it up. As such, the other day I picked up the new Cobra Starship album (Viva La Cobra!), which has immediately won a spot in my guilty pleasures file.

What I love about these guys is the fact that they are clearly in it for fun. The band, (deemed a side project) is composed of emo band members past and present (Midtown, Ivy League, Armor For Sleep), clearly has a shtick going on which melds the sappiness of today's cookie-cutter pop/punk bands with an over-the-top 80's dance synth-sound. Hell, the band even has a permanent keytar player! I think the last time we saw this was in like 1988. Aside from sounding conspicuously similar to Fall Out Boy (Patrick Stump produced the album, after all), the band's songs are so cheesy that they are borderline parodies -- which is kind of what makes it work. I haven't seen these guys live yet, but from what I heard they'll occasionally break out the 80's workout regalia during their performances, which makes their existence all the more amazing. They are currently selling out many of their shows on their "really, really, ridiculously good-looking" tour with We The Kings and Metro Station, who are also on the bill. If they are in your neighborhood, I would definitely recommend checking them out while you can. They can't possibly have this much fun forever.