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Some days I just want to leap on my head, bounce around and leave the world behind in my testosterone fuelled catharsis. Other days, I just want to lie with beauty in my arms and ears, in the dark, the sounds glowing all around me.
“Let it rush over me, but be gentle with me please”
By now, you may have heard ’Strange and Beautiful (I Put a Spell on You)’ on the new veedub advert. No, its not Coldplay, it’s Aqualung!** Its Matt Hales, better known as the singer from The 45s and them 90s underground gems that were Ruth. And now as Aqualung. So anyway, this is him, on his own, doing his debut album with said single opening. Is the rest of it any kop Seano? In the wrong mood, no, it just sounds half-asleep and boring. In the right mood (i.e. totally knackered) this is everything you could ever ask for. This record is most definitely a soothing, gentle, almost dainty, spider footprints in cake-dust experience. It’s all mood, rather than just a beautiful, somewhat polite sound. Aren't all the best records more emotion than muso-correct, noodingly crap?
Musically, there’s a lot of places the inspiration for this could of come from, be it dEUS/Soulwax’s mellower moments, Nina Simone’s smokey-jazz (especially on ’Good times gonna come’), the tenderness of Neil Young and even shattered background bits of Bjork. It really ain't a loud album. It’s mostly piano’s, the odd sample, some moogs and hammonds, a few triangles and Matts swooping vocodor’d vocals about, well, love, in all its demented, joyous and chaotic (mis)shapes.
“Magic settled on the floor and there she lived forevermore..”
Shove this on with a loved one. Or when a loved one’s gone for good. Or when you’re thinking this world is ugly. Or in years to come cus this is a true timeless record, perfect for future rediscovery on rainydays sat back, squakin' bout the good ol' days!
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9Sean Adams's Score
