(+44)

‘When Your Heart Stops Beating’

Genre: alternate rock

Sounds Like: blink-182

60 decibels

Considering how high the divorce rate is today, it’s not surprising that blink-182 didn’t make it. They were just a bunch of kids having fun, trying to make it honest. Now that they’ve decided to be grown-ups, the magic is gone.

Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker don’t make music together anymore, but they still make music. DeLonge formed Angels and Airwaves, while Hoppus and Barker stuck together as (+44).

DeLonge’s new band combined the blandest atmosphere of electronica with U2-lite chord progressions, topping it off with his new persona, a preening pop-punk Jesus. Despite being repetitious, it was surprisingly OK.

Now Hoppus and Barker have their chance to respond. Though the two began writing songs on electronics, they added guitarists to create a full band sound.

The new music on ‘When Your Heart Stops Beating’ sounds a lot like what came on blink’s last, self-titled release. The group stretches its range, crafting rock that is often moody when it once was giddy.

For a while, it works well. ‘Baby, Come On’ is a small gem with a huge chorus, while the sunburst keyboard textures of ‘155’ are tightly crafted and carry the song. Both are hook-laden and crisp, as is ‘Little Death,’ another stand out.

The second half of the album, however, is a disappointment. The boys simply extend themselves too far.

‘No, It Isn’t,’ a catty swipe at DeLonge, is better served as a MySpace entry. Apparently, Tom DeLonge is an egotistical rock star. Thanks, (+44).

‘Make You Smile,’ with its male-female vocal dialogue, would be pretty interesting, if the Dropkick Murphys and Postal Service hadn’t already done it. And the cold streak only continues as ‘Weathermen’ sags under the long-winded excess of its Cure-esque guitar and piano swirl.

While ‘Chapter XIII’ is a solid closer, it’s not enough to help forget how the album fell apart. Good while it lasts, ‘When Your Heart Stops Beating’ is at least a new start for Hoppus and Barker.

Published on November 12, 2006 at 12:00 pm