(+44)

Plus 44 a new band that has emerged from the ashes of the trio that was Blink 182. Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, Craig Fairbaugh, and Shane Gallagher make up the band. Forget about Blink 182 if you weren't a fan, I must advise you give the new band a chance, I believe many who were not Blink fans will actually enjoy the darker, more mature, and very different vibe given off by Plus 44. The name comes from the international dialing code calling from England. As a Blink fan I am naturally biased, but I must bring up a point that may upset a few people. Those people would be Green Day fans. Blink 182 was indisputably a better band. And like many great bands they often dissolve or split before they have fully reached their potential. Any objective music listener who has heard the early years of both bands can see that throughout the years Blink 182 progressed as artists while Green Day continued to pump out the same catchy tunes with different lyrics. Blink 182 although in the beginning seemed more geared for adolescent males grew into a band with anthems any teen or young adult could relate to. Anyone who has listened to the two most recent studio albums from the two bands can see the growth. Green Day became jumped on the political bandwagon along with Springsteen and cashed in. But Blink 182 showed the spectrum of their amazing range. They departed from what everyone expected. A touching moment in the album comes as a wife from a deceased soldier from the war in Iraq reads a letter after the song aptly named "Violence". Forgive my rant about Blink, but I must strongly endorse the new band Plus 44 after hearing the album online. The album is titled "When You're Heart Stops Beating" and is by far a must to pick up. It's out Nov. 14'th.