City Newspaper Archives - 12/2006
+44 "When Your Heart Stops Beating"
Published by Todd Rezsnyak on Dec 06, 2006
+44When Your Heart Stops Beating
Interscope Records
Initially conceived to be an electronic-leaning rock group formed after the "hiatus" (read: demise) of Blink-182, +44 actually sounds like all those crappy late high-school/early college garage bands where the members play fast, possess little discipline, and even less artistry. Debut disc When Your Heart Stops Beating is one-part guitar thrashing, one part crappy lyrics, one part synthesizer, and one part b-o-r-i-n-g. The 12 tracks sound so much like one another, it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between songs. Only on the title track and "155" does any chemistry or interest come through.While I don't necessarily miss the bodily function jokesters of Blink-182's heyday, I was rather disappointed that the growth that Travis Barker and Mark Hopper showed on Blink's final album didn't sustain itself for this effort. Download the singles, save yourself some cash.
