Former Band-Mates Find New Home

The last year has been anything but pleasant for Mark Hoppus. After the end of legendary band Blink-182, it seemed as if the whole world had stopped listening to him. Through all the turmoil of a bitter breakup that found other Blink front man, Tom DeLonge forming a new band Angels and Airwaves, Hoppus seemed to be left in the dust.

Since then times have changed and he and other Blink band-mate Travis Barker are back with the debut album from + 44 titled, "When your heart stops beating."

The band was originally cast as an all-electronic project where Barker would play drums while Hoppus would sing alongside Carol Heller of Get The Girl. Instead Heller left the group and made way for guitarists Shane Gallagher (The Nervous Return) and Craig Fairbaugh (Mercy Killers) to turn this once computerize trio in a punk rock quartet.

The disc opens with the fast paced "Lycanthrope" which mixes fast paced drums, hard riffs and lyrics that make Hoppus seem as if he has been left behind in the ashes of Blink.

"I'm searching hard for a sign from heaven / but they've forgotten me here," he sings.

"Baby Come On" is the first time we hear the new sound of + 44, with an intro that sounds more like Outkast's, "Miss Jackson," combined with a fast paced chorus of huge drums and fast guitars. The title track, also the first single, "When Your Heart Stops Beating,"leaves more to be desired on this album. Although a fast paced, catchy anthem, this song is overproduced and the lyrics seem to drag on, lacking the ability to connect with the rest of the album in what seems to be an attempt at pulling in some of music's mainstream fans.

A standout track on the disc is "Little Death," which really separates this band from the Blink of old days. This song encompasses the sound + 44 was trying to achieve with a synthesized / electronic introduction that brings about the huge chorus, "Fall asleep with the windows open/ Come to me with the worst you've said and done / You'll close your eyes and see me / A little death makes life more meaningful."

The latter half of the disc is where + 44 shows some true lasting potential. The album begins to slow in tempo, a stripped down feel that leaves the listener with a sense of appreciation that Hoppus, Barker and company can truly make emotional music that is just as sincere as it is brilliant. With tracks such as "Lillian" about a women who started a strict homeowners association in San Diego, this somber melody starts off with an acoustic intro that leads into a harsh, but melodic chorus of "Your heart is a grave to be perfectly honest / your mouth's a smoking gun / and you smile while you're twisting the knife in my stomach/ Until everything is gone."

Other tracks such as "Weatherman" and "155" provide the same tuned down tempo, but still are crafted by the musical ability of + 44.

With Barker on the electronic drums, acoustic guitars and handclaps, this album is more than just your typical pop punk effort. The best track on the disc is "Make You Smile." This simple, yet smart song includes dynamic vocal melodies, which flow perfectly back and forth from Hoppus to Heller, who rejoined the band for this song in which Hoppus wrote the verses and Heller provided the choruses. The two gel perfectly and provide a pathway that leads + 44 right on the trail to stardom, where instead of reaching for that mainstream sound, have encompassed great lyrics, with a simple yet harmonic sound creating the perfect track.

"Chapter XIII, "based on Chapter 13 from "Dante's Inferno." is a song that deals with a man falling in love with a woman, going crazy and killing himself in a hotel room. Excellent guitar work brings about smooth riffs that develop into a powerful ending of, "I'm scraped and sober, but there's no one listening to me at all."

Skillfully, + 44 bring together all the components that made Blink-182 so successful. There are some well played electronic beats in the introductions of some songs as well as great additions to choruses. While some of the songs can find themselves sounding as if the record is broken, there are plenty of catchy lyrics and memorable riffs to leave lasting value on this disc. Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker have created a sturdy medium between the bands they have come from without trying to reach for that mainstream sound that is about selling records instead of making music.

The intriguing part about "When Your Heart Stops Beating" is that + 44 is able to create many songs that have such an upbeat tempo and include such dark lyrics. For any fans of Blink and other pop punk, this CD is a must have. For some, it will surpass expectations while leaving others short of that quick fix with no lasting value.

From worldwide success, producing and reality TV, Plus 44 has had one hell of a year whether they wish to admit it or not.

"The past is only the future with the lights on," screams Hoppus in the song "Little Death." + 44 surely won't forget the past, but this album proves they're ready to light the way of the future.