DEAD LETTERS

Product Information

Ashari, Nazirah (26 March 2010). "First Impressions: Aqualung, "Magnetic North" ". Filter . Retrieved 29 May 2013. a b "Aqualung - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014 . Retrieved 15 January 2022.

Aqualung first came to attention in 2002 when the debut single ‘Strange & Beautiful (I’ll Put A Spell On You)’ became a surprise UK Top 10 after being discovered via a Volkswagen Beetle advert. While that song created a magnetic allure, the strength and versatility of Hales’ songwriting further enamoured audiences. The debut self-titled Aqualung album reached Gold status in recognition of over 100,000 domestic sales, while the brighter symphonic scope of his second album, ‘Still Life’, led to another chart hit with ‘Brighter Than Sunshine’. By the time Aqualung’s third album, ‘Memory Man’ emerged, glowing comparisons had been made with everyone from Bacharach to Radiohead via The Beach Boys, while his music has featured in ‘Twilight’, ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. Aqualung - Aqualung HQ: We're delighted to let you be the... - Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Jones, Bridget (10 November 2010). "Fraser experiments with Flags". Fairfax New Zealand . Retrieved 22 February 2013. One of the great things about streaming is that the system tells you what the best songs are that you’ve ever written. It ranks them, so you can also see all the songs you’ve written that aren’t very good as well. Accordingly this next song is…absolutely worthless!”.

Eliezer, Christie (16 November 2011). "Amy Meredith: new international management deal, split from Sony". The Music Network . Retrieved 22 February 2013. EASIER TO LIE: "2004 03 21 Official Scottish Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com/. Champion Of The World’ has massive Elton John ‘Benny And The Jets’ vibe, but also sounding reminiscent to the songs that first broke Hales two decades ago. There is a soaring string section that grows and falls, as does Hales’ vocals. The chorus features the lyric “You got it / Your feet are just a bit too big for your shoes” and “you’re a soldier now”. It feels like Hales is either talking about fame – his rise to prominence and drop off – or he could be talking about his children. And this is the beauty of ‘Dead Letters’. You are never sure if his being confessional or talking about someone else entirely.

Overall ‘Dead Letters’ is a reflective album that deserves to be played. A lot. It might not be as flash and showy as other albums released this year. However, there is a subtle elegance to it that elevates Aqualung from his peers. If you give it a chance you might find something very special indeed.Hales grew up in Southampton, where his parents ran an independent record shop. [10] He aspired to be a musician from an early age, writing songs using the family piano when he was just 4 years old. When he was 16, Hales was awarded a scholarship to study music composition at Winchester College. Within a year, he wrote his first symphony titled "Life Cycle", [11] and formed his first band, which carried several different names during its lifespan. In the spring of 1990, the band (known at the time as Mecano Pig) [12] produced their debut self-titled album, but broke up soon afterwards. That same year, Hales moved to London to study music at City University, [13] and in 1992 formed a new band with his brother Ben called Gravel Monsters. [14] RUTH / the 45s [ edit ]

THE 7th album FROM AQUALUNG, Dead Letters, is a homecoming record that thumbs its nose up to streaming conventions. it works beautifully. Heatseekers Albums: 3 September 2005". Prometheus Global Media. 3 September 2005 . Retrieved 21 February 2013. Hodgkinson, Will (23 April 2003). "Wired for sound". Guardian Media Group . Retrieved 21 February 2013. Dead Letters side one ends with the first ‘single’, the gentle and melodic ‘ Imperfect Cadence’, which comes with a rather radio friendly chorus that proves beyond doubt Hale’s hit-making credentials are in fact well intact. It comes complete with a piano flourish at the end that is a nod to Hales’ classical training. The song is yet another parallel universe radio smash.Hales' work has earned him various awards and nominations, including two Grammy and three Ivor Novello nominations. Long, Joe (25 July 2005). "Aqualung: Breathing Underwater". Glidemagazine.com . Retrieved 21 February 2013. Murphy, Lauren (5 March 2010). "Music Review-Boyzone-Brother". The Irish Times . Retrieved 22 February 2013. Brownlee, Bill (2 April 2008). "Review: Hotel Cafe Tour". The Kansas City Star . Retrieved 21 February 2013. Matthew Nicholas Hales (born 17 January 1972) [1] is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer who has been performing professionally under the name Aqualung since the early 2000s. [2] Aqualung is best known in the UK for his song " Strange and Beautiful", which was featured on a television advertisement for the new Volkswagen Beetle during the summer of 2002 [3] and went on to become a top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart later that year. [4] In the United States, Aqualung is also known for the song " Brighter Than Sunshine", which had considerable airplay and was used in the film A Lot Like Love [5] and various television spots. Hales has released seven albums as Aqualung. The most recent, Dead Letters, appeared in 2022.

Collaborating with all kinds of artists - including Lianne La Havas, Bat For Lashes, Mika, Tom Chaplin, Jason Mraz, For King and Country and countless others – Hales’ hectic yet immensely rewarding schedule resulted in huge acclaim, including both an Ivor Novello and a Grammy. No wonder, then, that aside from occasionally briefly resurfacing, Aqualung remained in hibernation.

BRIGHTER THAN SUNSHINE: "2003 10 09 Official Scottish Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com/. RUTHsongs". Vanity Press. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013 . Retrieved 21 February 2013. Maynard, Trent (17 December 2012). "news: Lianne La Havas' year in review". Box Television. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013 . Retrieved 22 February 2013. Streaming has been doing some strange things to music, you may have noticed. None of this has been lost on Matt Hales. After all, not only does he make and release music as Aqualung, but he also writes and produces music for some very successful streaming artists, so he knows the score you might say. Yet on Aqualung’s latest album Dead Letters, he’s not bothered one bit about conforming to streaming conventions.