+44 - Make You Smile

+44 - Make You Smile

This song is fantastic, I love to play it when the weather's sunny with the windows down, but it's not your typical album. It's actually pretty laid back, with a bit of electronics mixed with guitar, the vocalist Mark Hoppus and a band member from a previous incarnation of the band, Carol Heller.

The dual vocals of Carol and Mark trade back and forward like a conversation between two people, and the lyrics point me to the idea that the people being talked about were together once, and the heartbreak experienced by the man is exacerbated when he never seems to be able to communicate with the girl he once loved. 'Man: The last time I saw you, you turned away. Woman: I couldn't see you with the sun shining in my eyes.' etc.

The story looks like the man just wants to be friends but his feelings of being disconnected keep him distant from her. 'Woman: I couldn't feel you, you're always so far away.'

Sounds quite depressing, but it actually provokes a smile rather than a frown.

+44 were formed by former blink 182 members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker with the idea of using electronics and keyboards in parts of their songs. The best songs from this album apart from this one are 'Little Death', 'Weatherman', 'Lillian', '155', and 'Chapter 13'. I saw them earlier this year and they played through the album pretty much how it was, however I was extremely disappointed that during Make You Smile, Mark sang it all by himself, it sounded rushed and didn't do the song justice.

That's the next one down :)

Ben