UpBeetMusic - Album Reviews… Because That’s What We Do

Artist: +44
Album: When Your Heart Stops Beating
Label: Interscope
Purchase Album
Release Date: November 14 , 2006
Rating: 3.0 Stars

I could write most of this review on how this isn’t Blink-182, better than Angels & Airwaves, and all the breakup drama. Obviously I won’t. I listen to this album with a fresh insight, you should too.

The album as a whole, feels really fresh and original. It’s struck a chord with me that while Blink weren’t neccessarily original, they always seemed to be ahead of their game. It’s a dark moody trip and it’s awfully melancholy.

The music kicks in with “Lycanthrope”, a great track. Backed with a sexy trademark Hoppus bass line, sawing guitars and the like. It’s a nice heavy opener. We’re then straight into ‘Baby, Come On’. A little more upbeat than the last track.

“155″ is a nice little synth number, while “Cliff Diving” reminds me of the bastard love child of Limbeck and The Get Up Kids. Wouldn’t call it a bad thing. The highlight of the album is definitely Make You Smile, feating ex-Get The Girl and ex-Plus 44 Carol Heller. It’s a nice call-and-response track, leading into a nice epic finisher “Chapter XIII”.

When Your Heart Stops Beating as a whole album, appears to kind of lack a bit of individuality in each track. Not directly a bad thing, but sometimes you just end up with a drowsy song with a drum loop til the end. The band are extremely talented and have so much potentional, it’s a shame they aren’t using it all.

Mark and Travis haven’t changed what they want to do. They still want to put out amazing pop punk albums, and they do it better now with an edge. You can’t expect some of this stuff to not sound like Blink-182, based alone on the fact that they haven’t changed their ingredients for their delicious cake.