When Your Heart Stops BeatingTitle: When Your Heart Stops BeatingLabel: InterscopeGenre: Rock, AlternativeReleased: November 14, 2006Rating: * * * 1/2
The world shed a collective tear the day blink-182 announced it was going on an “indefinite hiatus” back in February of 2005. The goofy trio had entertained for over a decade with catchy pop-punk and potty mouth jokes and its disbanding was met with grief for most, or at least those under the age of 16. The band split on less than menial terms and announced they had no plans for anything music-related for a while, and needed time with their families to figure things out.
Well, it has been a little over a year and a half since then and all three are back in bands. Guitarist Tom Delonge’s new band Angels and Airwaves released an album in mid-May of this year and the record, overreaching to say the least, was met with mixed reviews.
After a failed marriage and TV show for drummer Travis Barker and battles with depression for bassist Mark Hoppus, the two collaborated on a new band, titled +44, after the international calling code for the United Kingdom, where Mark came up with the idea for the band. +44 released its debut album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, on Nov. 14.
The record, an infectious mix of pop-punk with morose undertones, is far more serious than blink-182 ever did, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Of course, you could say blink’s last studio album was a more somber affair than anything they had ever put out, but it still seemed like they had some sort of a sense of humor.
Gone are the days of fart jokes with Tom’s Angels and Airwaves intent on being the band of the decade and +44 preoccupied with failed relationships and suicidal tendencies.
On “Weatherman,” Mark croons “Let me slip away I’m barely holding on/every now and then I feel the end of us” over Cure-esque beats. And his resentment toward Tom for causing the breakup of blink-182 can be felt throughout the album, especially on the track “No It Isn’t,” where he says, “this isn’t just goodbye, this is I can’t stand you.” One can’t help but miss the old blink-182, but as they say, everyone has to grow up sometime.
Hoppus recruited the help of ex-punk rock vocalist Carol Heller on a few tracks, and their alternating voices provide a nice contrast, especially on “Make You Smile.”
When he and Barker first started +44, Hoppus wanted it to be a predominantly electronic affair and even though he later added two guitarists, the electronic tinge can still be felt. “155,” the album’s catchiest and maybe best track, features a synth line straight out of The Faint’s bag.
So out of the ashes of blink 182’s implosion has rose two bands: Angels and Airwaves and +44. Both are similar to blink in some ways, in other ways they are completely different. So in the battle of the bands between Angels and +44, who wins? +44 without a doubt.
Besides, we all know everyone liked Mark’s voice better.
