Cobra Starship

The post-Fall Out Boy school of rock that encompasses Cobra Starship doesn't feature an especially hard-edged curriculum. Throughout ¡Viva La Cobra!, their latest disc, the New York combo's members (joined on this bill by Metro Station, the Cab and We Three Kings) eschews killer riffs, lethal vocals and anything remotely resembling the punk sounds that allegedly inspired them in favor of pale grooves, cheeky lyrics and mondo-accessible melodies that the little girls understand. For instance, "The City Is at War" opens with a cheeseball electro-disco rhythm track, while "Guilty Pleasure" finds Starship commander Gabe Saporta declaring, "I came here to make you dance tonight/I don't care if I'm a guilty pleasure for you." Catchy? Sure — but in such a generic and interchangeable way that even FOB fans may be underwhelmed. The CD's the equivalent of a class students take for an easy A but drop later because it's so damn boring.