With the split of Blink 182 two new bands emerged. Tom DeLonge’s Angels and Airwaves and Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker formed +44, named for the international dialing code to the United Kingdom. You can’t hardly talk about +44 or Angels and Airwaves without bringing up the Blink 182 split because then the fans start to take sides.

But I think it is unfair to compare the two since they have such different sounds. While they both have hints of Blink 182 in them, both bands have grown past it. Both have moved on to create music that is more mature. + 44 (Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, Shane Gallagher, and Craig Firebaugh) have released a CD that is a little dark, a little sad, but so easy to listen to.

The first song on the CD "Lycanthrope" opens with “I wake up at the end of a long, dark, lonely year/It’s bringing out the worst in me/I hear your voice start breaking in fear/When the lights go down“. The song sounds angry, partly due to the lyric “Yeah you can just stop talking, I get it” but also the music is more aggressive than some of the other tracks.

"Baby come on", second on the CD, is one of my favorites. This song is definitely not a  happy one but there is just something about it when you first hear it. Something about the lyrics and the music that catches immediately. “The past is only the future with the lights on”. How great is that line? For me, someone who always seems to be a little bitter about the past, the line fits perfectly.

The first single released from the CD and the tile track ‘When Your Heart Stops Beating’ is the one I’m sure almost everyone has heard. At least my local radio station played this one into the ground for about a month before I never heard it again. Another great song, this one is more hopeful than the rest, “I’ll be there when your heart stops beating/ I’ll be there your last breath’s taken away/ In the dark when there’s no one listening/ In the times when we both get carried away.”

"Little Death" is another favorite. “So 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/ I stand no chances at all.”

"Make You Smile" is a duet with Mark and Carol Heller vocalist of "Get the Girl" who originally was part of the group but who later dropped out. While it isn’t the best combination of voices the song is bitter sweet and they blend well together. Heller’s voice is beautiful, full and fresh sounding, but to me it makes Hoppus’ sound so young and immature.

The more I listen to When Your Heart Stops Beating the more I love it. While the themes of the songs, the lyrics, are dark, the music is upbeat and constantly moving you forward. It is easy to put the CD in and just listen to it, without really hearing the words, but once you do take the time to listen to the lyrics you get so much more out of it.