Night Shades
Encyclopedia
Night Shades is the fourth studio album
by American dance rock band Cobra Starship
, being released through Fueled by Ramen
and Decaydance Records
on August 29, 2011. The album is the follow-up to 2009's Hot Mess
.
The first single from the album, "You Make Me Feel...
", features singer Sabi and was released on May 10, 2011. A music video has been created for it.
The full album was made available to stream for free on their Facebook
page prior to its release.
The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200
with sales of 9,000 in its first week, but plummeted to number 185 in its second week.
Cobra Starship played pre-show on MTV's 2011 Video Music Awards and following their performance, their single "You Make Me Feel..." reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100
to become their second top 10 hit at number seven. The band are set to open for Justin Bieber
in October through South America.
Speaking of Night Shades, Saporta commented, "This record might be the most commercial record, but also our most honest." Fueled By Ramen president said, "[Cobra Starship] delivered an album that has the Cobra sound but delivers those radio records" and thought that "there are multiple singles on [the] album."
) on August 9 and "Middle Finger" (featuring Mac Miller
) on August 23, available exclusively through iTunes, where fans were be able to collect them with the option to complete the album on release date for the remainder of the album price. "Don't Blame the World, It's the DJ's Fault" was released separately onto iTunes
on August 29, 2011, the day of Night Shadess release. Fueled by Ramen also had three separate preorder options: a premium bundle that includes a hoodie, T-shirt and white "night shades" for $75; a shirt/album package for $25; or a CD for $10.
He seems to be a really womanizer, hence "he's known for taking what he thinks he deserves", but who he really wants is her. She admits that she is also in love with him, and will be "everything he wants". She states that he "makes her world stop". ("You Make Me Feel...") They then make up. They party all the time, get drunk in a club, and live like they only have one night left together. ("#1Nite (One Night)") Her family disapproves of the relationship because of his immaturity, despite the boy's feelings for the girl; they say he "only [got] eyes for her" but acts "like an idiot"; her dad says she "shoulda stayed away from a fool like him"; her mother "hangs up on him when she sees him calling on her telephone", and her friends question her, "How can she be with him?". ("Fool Like Me") He says he would "do anything for love", but they argue and the pair break up once again. This time he is the one broken-hearted so he runs away because he wants another shot. ("Anything for Love") The boy, broken-hearted, gets drunk in a club, gets into a fight and tries to call the girl late at night. ("Middle Finger" and "Disaster Boy") In the meantime, the girl goes out to dance but can't stop thinking about being in love with him. ("Don't Blame the World, It's the DJ's Fault")
The boy blames himself, saying that he should have "[stuck] to what he said". He admits he is "stupid and a moron"; he's "wasted" and played his last card and still lost her. ("Fucked in Love") She can't sleep after they break up. He keeps on drunkenly calling her and even realizes that she never really understood him. She doesn't want to give him a second chance but both of them know that he will never change, and she wants an adult relationship, so she tells him to not get so attached because they are not making up. She also says: "Honestly, we're not in love, we're never gonna be. So why pretend? Baby, can't you see it would have been better if we never [happened]?" The boy finally gives up. He refuses to talk about it or sing love songs; he gives up on love altogether, admiting that all their love was just a dream, and all that he knew about her was the girl he wanted her to turn into. In the end, he says: "I won't believe in love if it's just a lie." ("Disaster Boy" and "Schwick")
Additional musician
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American dance rock band Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
, being released through Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen is an American record label which operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida, is based in New York City...
and Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records is a record label based in New York City. Originally founded as an imprint of Fueled by Ramen, it is now an independent record label owned by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and partners. The first band Wentz signed to the label was Panic! at the Disco...
on August 29, 2011. The album is the follow-up to 2009's Hot Mess
Hot Mess
Hot Mess is the third studio album by American dance rock band Cobra Starship, released through Fueled by Ramen and Decaydance Records on August 11, 2009. The album is the follow-up to 2007's ¡Viva la Cobra!...
.
The first single from the album, "You Make Me Feel...
You Make Me Feel...
"You Make Me Feel..." is a song recorded by American synthpop band Cobra Starship with guest vocals by Sabi. It was the first single released from their fourth studio album, Night Shades. The song was released digitally through iTunes on May 10, 2011....
", features singer Sabi and was released on May 10, 2011. A music video has been created for it.
The full album was made available to stream for free on their Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page prior to its release.
The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with sales of 9,000 in its first week, but plummeted to number 185 in its second week.
Cobra Starship played pre-show on MTV's 2011 Video Music Awards and following their performance, their single "You Make Me Feel..." reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
to become their second top 10 hit at number seven. The band are set to open for Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
in October through South America.
Speaking of Night Shades, Saporta commented, "This record might be the most commercial record, but also our most honest." Fueled By Ramen president said, "[Cobra Starship] delivered an album that has the Cobra sound but delivers those radio records" and thought that "there are multiple singles on [the] album."
Promotional singles
For Night Shades the band engaged in a staged rollout, offering fans sneak peeks of the album through pre-release tracks or promotional singles starting with "#1Nite (One Night)" on July 26, "Fool Like Me" (featuring PlastiscinesPlastiscines
The Plastiscines are an all-female French rock band who perform mostly in English. Their song "Barcelona" was featured on the NYLON Summer Playlist.-Formation and discovery:...
) on August 9 and "Middle Finger" (featuring Mac Miller
Mac Miller
Malcolm McCormick , known by his stage name Mac Miller , is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
) on August 23, available exclusively through iTunes, where fans were be able to collect them with the option to complete the album on release date for the remainder of the album price. "Don't Blame the World, It's the DJ's Fault" was released separately onto iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on August 29, 2011, the day of Night Shadess release. Fueled by Ramen also had three separate preorder options: a premium bundle that includes a hoodie, T-shirt and white "night shades" for $75; a shirt/album package for $25; or a CD for $10.
Reception
Night Shades received Generally favorable reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 63, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews the reviews upon its release, ranging from AllMusic's 3.5 star rating to Rate Your Music's 1.5 stars. Diminuendo gave the album a 3 out of 11, standardized as a volume on an amplifier, questioning, "Where's the life in the album? Even the singles are lacking and unoriginal," and that "[the album] doesn't possess the edge so apparent on their previous efforts."Concept
As confirmed by the band, the album tells a story, namely that of a love story between a boy in love with his broken-hearted ex-girlfriend. The reason they first broke-up is not explicitly stated but is believed to be because he cheated on her. He tells her on a beach that "she belongs with him even if her hope is gone", but she thinks the boy is immature (even "blew her mail box up, hit her car in a tree and hit her dog with his bike, making it lose one leg") so she is not sure if she should come back to him or not. He states several times that she will come back home with him. ("You Belong to Me")He seems to be a really womanizer, hence "he's known for taking what he thinks he deserves", but who he really wants is her. She admits that she is also in love with him, and will be "everything he wants". She states that he "makes her world stop". ("You Make Me Feel...") They then make up. They party all the time, get drunk in a club, and live like they only have one night left together. ("#1Nite (One Night)") Her family disapproves of the relationship because of his immaturity, despite the boy's feelings for the girl; they say he "only [got] eyes for her" but acts "like an idiot"; her dad says she "shoulda stayed away from a fool like him"; her mother "hangs up on him when she sees him calling on her telephone", and her friends question her, "How can she be with him?". ("Fool Like Me") He says he would "do anything for love", but they argue and the pair break up once again. This time he is the one broken-hearted so he runs away because he wants another shot. ("Anything for Love") The boy, broken-hearted, gets drunk in a club, gets into a fight and tries to call the girl late at night. ("Middle Finger" and "Disaster Boy") In the meantime, the girl goes out to dance but can't stop thinking about being in love with him. ("Don't Blame the World, It's the DJ's Fault")
The boy blames himself, saying that he should have "[stuck] to what he said". He admits he is "stupid and a moron"; he's "wasted" and played his last card and still lost her. ("Fucked in Love") She can't sleep after they break up. He keeps on drunkenly calling her and even realizes that she never really understood him. She doesn't want to give him a second chance but both of them know that he will never change, and she wants an adult relationship, so she tells him to not get so attached because they are not making up. She also says: "Honestly, we're not in love, we're never gonna be. So why pretend? Baby, can't you see it would have been better if we never [happened]?" The boy finally gives up. He refuses to talk about it or sing love songs; he gives up on love altogether, admiting that all their love was just a dream, and all that he knew about her was the girl he wanted her to turn into. In the end, he says: "I won't believe in love if it's just a lie." ("Disaster Boy" and "Schwick")
Track listing
Personnel
Cobra Starship- Gabe SaportaGabe SaportaGabriel Eduardo "Gabe" Saporta is the lead singer and primary creative force behind the synthpop band Cobra Starship. He was previously the lead singer, bassist, and lyricist for the pop punk band Midtown....
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - Ryland BlackintonRyland BlackintonRyland Blackinton is the lead guitarist for the band Cobra Starship. He is from Wilmington MA, but was born in South Kingstown Rhode Island on March 31, 1982. Before joining Cobra Starship, Ryland, along with high school best friend Alex Suarez formed the folk/pop duo This Is Ivy League...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
and synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Alex SuarezAlex SuarezAlex Suarez is the bass player and additional keyboardist and vocalist for Cobra Starship as well as co-founder of This is Ivy League, a band created with fellow Cobra Starship member and high school best friend Ryland Blackinton.-Early life:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, syntheziser and backing vocals - Nate Novarro – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Victoria AsherVictoria AsherVictoria Jane Asher , is known to Cobra Starship fans as Vicky-T, and can be seen in some of the music videos produced by the band, which she is the keytarist for. She is the daughter of producer/manager/musician Peter Asher of the hit band Peter & Gordon, who were part of the British Invasion...
– keytarKeytarA keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...
and vocals
Additional musician
- SabiSabiSabi was the capital of the Korean kingdom of Baekje from 538 until Baekje's fall to Silla in 660. The site of Sabi is located in modern-day Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Province, in South Korea....
- "You Make Me Feel...You Make Me Feel..."You Make Me Feel..." is a song recorded by American synthpop band Cobra Starship with guest vocals by Sabi. It was the first single released from their fourth studio album, Night Shades. The song was released digitally through iTunes on May 10, 2011....
" - Ryan TedderRyan TedderRyan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
- "#1Nite" - Plasticines - "Fool Like Me"
- Mac MillerMac MillerMalcolm McCormick , known by his stage name Mac Miller , is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
- "Middle Finger" - Jump Into Gospel - "Schwick"