I've followed Matt's career over the years with great pleasure, and this really is the culmination of what makes him so special. There are the blissful ethereal sounds that he does so well, but then if "Something To Believe In" isn't one of the finest pop tracks ever, I'll eat my proverbial hat.

When Aqualung's song "Brighter Than Sunshine" started getting rotation on VH1 a few years ago, critics and reviewers alike started to compare him to Chris Martin of Coldplay, something that I never really understood. It's too bad that that acclaim didn't result in strong album sales, because he was pretty much forgotten about a month or so after that. But he still comes back at us with Memory Man.

The problem that Aqualung has, however, is vocals. On his last album, Strange & Beautiful, he had the habit of singing so hard that he went off-key. HERE, he...well, maybe the problem isn't so much his voice, but the album's engineering. A lot of the time, his singing is so soft that I had to turn my volume all the way up to understand what he was saying, and I had the lyrics right in front of me. This is evident in songs like "Pressure Suit", "Cinderella", "The Lake" and "Garden of Love" (but the latter is pretty corny anyway).

But there are still notable songs, like "Black Hole", "Something to Believe In", "Outside" and my favorite, the funky "Rolls So Deep". But "Broken Bones", with its CB radio effect, is a little hard to get into. Memory Man is far from being a bad album, but I just wonder if Aqualung knows just what he wants to do with his voice yet. As I often say, borrow it first.

Anthony Rupert

quite simply this is the album of the year. Morphing a delightful pop sound echoing keane & aha and hints of coldplay / radiohead at their best in producing what can only be described as a classic collection and what will prove to be a timeless masterpiece. This is a band to watch out for in 2008 and beyond. Excellent live also. There are at least 6 stand out tracks, and this album gets better with every listen.Enjoy!!!!

Like maybe some other people, I got tired of hearing "Brighter Than Sunshine" all over the radio. It was like Coldplay's "The Scientist" in terms of it just kept on being played and the video kept on being shown. But I still enjoyed Aqualung's music.

For some reason, the emotion just spills out on "Memory Man". Aqualung can go from soft to loud in a heartbeat. And this album definitely makes the heart beat. The lyrics are strong but take on a life of their own when being sung by Matt Hale's voice--- who is a less haunting Thom Yorke (which actually works for the music performed by Aqualung). "Pressure Suit" is what this album is all about. It carries the album.

I enjoyed Aqualung's first album, and his music that we didn't get to see in America. I decided to check out "Memory Man" to see which direction he would take from "Strange and Beautiful". I was extremely pleased from even just the first minute of the first track, "Cinderella". After listening to the whole album, I was really excited to play it all over again.

From the pop-sounds of "Something to Believe In" to the beautiful artistry of "The Lake", this is definitely something to check out. I was a casual listener with his first album, but "Memory Man" has turned me into a real fan.

I love Aqualung (and this CD) because not only is Matt Hales a great singer, he is a great musician. He plays instruments and he knows what a supertonic half-diminished 6/5 chord is... So many famous musicians these days lack this essential quality. In a world of popular music dominated by tonic and dominant and lyrcis devoid of emotion (or at least unable to convincingly convey it), Matt Hales and company (Ben, Kim, etc.) are a refreshing group of truly talented songwriters. In Memory Man, Matt moves forward to explore new worlds of sound while still keeping true to the great Aqulaung sound. I think that this album is a huge success and would highly reccommend it to anyone, regardless of their individual musical taste.

Okay if you are a music LOVER and FAN and you don't alreay own this BRILLIANT Album kick yourself, and go get it, and buy it don't be cheap and burn it, spend some $$ and support this FINE artist. GO see them live, they are AWESOME live, they will NOT let you down. This CD is a MUST have for ANY TURE MUSIC LOVER. If you are a causual music lover you will more than likly still like it, but not appreciate it utter beauty and brilliance, go into it with and open heart, and YOU WILL LOVE IT~!!!!!!!!! So for all you haters, shut up alreay and go listen to your Barry Manalow cd's and leave us real musicians alone. (YUCK!!!) Give it up to Aqualung, they sound NOTHING like Coldplay, Kean, or Ben Folds, except for the fact that there is a piano, come on folks just because all of these bands use a piano doesn't make them all alike in sound...DUH, think for once!!! To say oh wait there is a piano...oh well then to me they sound like Tori Amos, (whom I love mind you) but come on folks that is plain silly, yes there is piano, and rightfully so, it has a beautiful sound, come off of the STUPID compairisons, and get real. This album is so good, you will listen to it time and time again go get it NOW!!!!!!!

Aqualung has been sort of dormant for the last few years. But now that Matt Hales has returned, his music has become even more strange and beautiful -- his fourth full-length album "Memory Man" is a beautiful swirl of wintry, misty Britpop, strung together on .

It opens with the trippy beats laid over plinky piano and gently cycling, fuzzy guitars. And sounding like he's singing through an old radio, Hales murmurs blearily, "I remember the night/No wet eyes, no crossroads/No mention of fate/Just a poor decision... Be careful what you hope and you pray for/You know you only get what you pay for."

It's followed by the softer, more mournful "Pressure Suit," which sounds like the Flaming Lips got drunk and depressed: "I'll be your four leaf clover/I'll be your pressure suit/I'll be your angel wings/I'll be your parachute." The songs that follow are similarly mournful and wintry, but different styles, like soaring pianopop, mellow guitar folk.

The second half is when the album really takes off, with heartbreaking little ballads and tightly-woven indiepop, though they both have the doleful lyrics and voicals. And it finishes where it began -- "Broken Bones" returns to Hales singing through static and fuzz, "Oh please, just a little more time with you..."

You can't really label "Memory Man" as either being happy or sad. Just like the experience of being in love, it's full of beauty laced with sadness, and the hope that it will last just a little longer. Even when the music is peppy and catchy, Hales still sounds like someone who loves love, but knows that it won't last.

The music itself is a beautiful, frosty swirl, which borders on psychedelic but never quite crosses the line. It's full of ringing, cycling guitars, solid drums, a rattly tambourine, and some piano that plinks through some songs instead of the guitar. And the delicate synth-- it shimmers, buzzes, chimes, and forms an ambient sweep over the delicate Britpop tunes.

Hales' smooth voice always sounds like he's singing out his woes to himself, about relationships that are gone, or about to vanish. But he doesn't exaggerate the importance of what he's singing, just dwells on how it felt: "There's only so much that our heart can grow/Then everything else starts to overflow/And you're young and in love/Back then there was no way of knowing..."

Mournful love is at the heart of "Memory Man," wrapped up in Hales' solid trip-Britpop. The first half is a bit weaker than the second, but it's still a lovely little album.

My first introduction to Aqualung was with David Gray on tour and when the lights went up and that piano wrang out I was in awe. I had their new C.D. within the week. I loved the overall mood of Strange and Beautiful and felt it had some (bordering on) very good song writing. Memory Man took almost everything I liked about Strange and Beautiful and turned it on it's head. I give them full permission to explore and reinvent...but this is not the direction I had hoped they would go. We already have this sort of thing out there - and done very well by Radiohead thank you. I would still call it a good albumn though, just wish it were their first so I could be a little less biased.

I saw Aqualung live a few weeks ago when they previewed songs from Memory Man. Aqualung often perform their songs differently live, speeding them up or adding more guitars etc. Always really good, and the new songs were great live. I wasn't sure how they would sound on the actual album though. The style on the new album is actually very similar to what I heard live. More energy and urgency. "Outside" encapsulates the feeling of the revolutionary "fast song" concept that they introduced to the band live. All in all a welcome progression that adds another dimension to Aqualung. Brilliant. Go and see them live and get a taste of the full experience. If you like Memory Man it is worth getting hold of back catalogue recordings of Ruth and The 45's, which were previous bands that Matt and Ben Hales were in. Even better, get a copy of "Value Music", by Aqualung guitarist Ben Hales.

best aqualung album yet - i listen to it all the time. do it.

"Memory Man" is a fantastic piece of music from Mr. Matt Hales & Co. This album, while a bit different from previous Aqualung releases, is a great and logical step forward. A bit more rock-sounding, the album has an amazing cinematic quality about it -- you feel like you are listening to the soundtrack of a major motion picture. The sounds are full, yet still beautifully crafted.

The (more rock) sound can especially be heard on tracks such as the album's opener, "Cinderella," as well as sing-along-ready "Rolls So Deep" and "Outside." The album doesn't completely leave the basic piano/soft-and-lovely sounds of previous Aqualung music, however. Songs such as "Glimmer," "Garden of Love" and "Broken Bones" are great tracks for those who are looking for a bit of a more "classic" Aqualung sound.

Overall, this album is a great masterpiece that everyone in the Aqualung camp should be proud of! Definitely give this album a try -- it's amazing.

aqualung's new cd is better than their last and is worth buying

I'm a big fan of Aqualung/Matt Hales and this is another great cd from him. It has more guitar than his previous efforts and I appreciate that he isn't making the same album over and over again. I'm not sure if he'll ever catch on, but comparisons to Coldplay and Snow Patrol are certainly apt.

Aqualung's first release in America, Strange and Beautiful, was a compilation of his first two U.K. releases, so Memory Man is the first new material to come from Matt Hales in a few years. Well, this album is well worth the wait.

The CD opens with a big bang; the soft piano of Matt Hales is far away on the first track "Cinderella." The song still features the intelligent lyrics that Aqualung retains in all of his songs, but the new electronic effects create an incredible start for the album.

"Pressure Suit," the first single, is both catchy and smart, with a near addictive chorus and intriguing lyrics.

"Something to Believe In" is positively enchanting. From the beginning lyric to the end, where Hales' voice takes on a tone that listeners never heard on Strange and Beautiful, the song is one of the many gems on the album.

"Glimmer" is very similar to the material from Strange and Beautiful. It's soft, slow, and gorgeous.

"Vapour Trail" is my favorite track from the album. The guitar on this one really shines through, and I think Hales' vocals sound wonderful on this track.

I was hesitant to listen to a recorded version of the next track, "Rolls So Deep," after hearing a beautiful version with just Matt Hales and his piano this summer. There was nothing to worry about: the song has an incredibly uplifting tempo, and I dare you to keep this chorus from popping up in your head over and over.

"The Lake" features extremely enigmatic lyrics, and I think that the slow tempo perfectly compliments the tracks that it falls between. The ability of Hales to layer different sounds to create haunting melodies is most apparent on this track.

Aqualung's music is often compared to Keane or Coldplay. However, the next track, "Black Hole," really reminds me of U2. The electronic effects are abundant in this song, but the vocals still shine through.

"Outside" is a really lovely track. The chorus is wonderful and uplifting, and the lyrics are distinctly Aqualung's, but whereas in Strange and Beautiful this would have probably been a softer song, "Outside" has a very "rock" feel.

"Garden of Love" is a surprising song. For the first 3 1/2 minutes, it's all Matt Hales' voice and a soft, gorgeous track. However, a new vocalist, Paul Buchanan, carries the song to its finish. I think his vocals on the track are excellent.

However, Aqualung has saved the best for last with this last track. "Broken Bones" is the most sublime song that I have heard in years. One listen and you'll realize that this is the type of song that will have you hooked right off the bat.

If you enjoyed Strange and Beautiful, you'll definitely be happy to recieve Memory Man. Still, Memory Man is a more widely reaching CD as far as genres are concerned; this CD confidently reaches into rock more, and the results are terrific. This is one of the best CDs that I've bought in several years, and I think you'll definitely enjoy it.

This is Aqualung's best album. While Matt Hales' previous release Strange and Beautiful, had a few standout tracks, the album as a whole was lukewarm at best. On the other hand, Memory Man is filled with quality tracks and is one of the better releases from the first quarter of 2007. Fans of the Coldplay-Radiohead-Keane genre of music should be very pleased with this album.

"Pressure Suit" is the first single and likewise was the first track that really caught my attention. Hales' vocals sound more like Thom Yorke's than ever in this song, and the song's outstanding chorus and instrumentation make this arguably the best song on the CD.

"Something To Believe In" also features a memorable chorus like many of the songs on Memory Man. The production on this album is top-notch and really allows songs like these to shine in their luscious, atmospheric-glory. "Glimmer" is softer than the previous two tracks, sounding a little like another UK band, Athlete. The increased use of guitars on this album is evident in songs like "Vapour Trail," which has a slight Verve feel to it.

The sixth track, "Rolls So Deep" resembles Snow Patrol's hit "Chocolate" with its driving beat and power-pop melodies. This is easily the catchiest and most upbeat song on the album, acting as a great change of pace. The next track, "The Lake" is moody and Radiohead-esque with its unique piano riffs, and you could easily mistakenly believe that it was Thom Yorke singing both vocal parts in the chorus.

"Outside" features a great lead-in to the chorus and the delayed-guitars are used well in this song. The most beautiful track on the album is "Garden of Love." Matt Hales' vocals and lyrics in this song really match the sense of longing that this song was meant to portray.

This CD ends with "Broken Bones," a simple piano ballad with minimal production that finishes the album off in a sincere way. Fans of Aqualung should really appreciate this album, and there is no doubt that this record will generate some new fans as well.

From a very simplistic point of view, Memory Man is different from the previous two albums (Still Life, and Strange Beautiful) in that there is less piano and more guitar, and it is somewhat more intense (perhaps due to more percussion than previous albums). Stand out tracks are Cinderella, Glimmer, Black Hole, and Pressure Suit. These four songs alone demonstrate the profound talent Matt Hales has in both writing of music and lyrics. The album as a whole is has fantastic production, using several layers to create a soundscape with aural depth.

It's a definately a great album, but I feel Hales and fellow Aquanauts have more in them. 'Four Stars' is representative of a great album, but Aqualung have the potential to create a genuine 'Five Star' album in the future. This is comforting, it gives us all something to look forward to.

like coldplay, but not annoying.

like keane, but not as earnest (and better melodies).

like thom york without the wonky eye and wobbly falsetto.

like chris paltrow, but with better hair.

will punch james blunt in the face.

top job, mr. hales! i like!

Aqualung (a/k/a Matt Hales' one man band with help from his brother in the live setting and his wife co-writing) burst onto the scene with the song "Brighter Than Sunshine", used in a TV commercial, which lead to the US 2005 release of the "Strange and Beautiful" album, itself a compilation of 2 earlier UK albums. Now comes the eagerly awaited second US album, but really the third proper album from Aqualung.

"Memory Man" (11 tracks, 50 min.) starts off with a blast. After about 5 seconds of "Cinderella", guitars come crashing in, and you immediatly realize this is a new era for Aqualung, with a much more "in your face" sound. "Cinderella" and the next track, first single "Pressure Suit", remind of arena-sized Coldplay, and it sounds great. The first half of the album brings the "rockier" sound, including a great "Vapour Trail". The second half of the album finds Aqualung bringing quieter songs, reminiscent of the "Strange and Beautiful" album. Check out "The Lake" and in particular the gorgeous "Garden of Love" and the closer "Broken Bones". Incidentally, Matt Hales' wife Kim Oliver co-wrote half of the songs on the album. In all, this album takes Aqualung to the next level, a fantastic album overall.

I pre-ordered this album at Aqualung's show last week in Cincinnati, and just for doing that I also got "Aqualung Live & Rarities: With Apologies to Anyone Who Is Really Heartbroken" (13 tracks, 37 min.), a mix of spoken (and often funny) introductions by Matt Hales and 7 actual songs taken from concerts and in-radio sessions. In particular noteworthy is the cover of Queen's "Somebeody to Love", done beautifully. At Aqualung's set last week (opening for Pete Yorn), the set was mixed up between older and new (unheard) songs, and the band just shone. Watch them take on America....

I am a definite fan of Aqualung. I bought his first cd and I was like WOW! I would compare him to artists like Coldplay and Keane. He has a beautiful voice along with beautful background music. His music is so soothing and realxing and just simply beautiful!There are so many amazing tracks on this cd. If you bought his first cd, I would definitely go out and get this one! You will not be disappointed! If you are new to Aqualung, don't hesitate to preview his second album as well as his first album!

This is easily the best album released so far this year. Aqualung's American debut Strange and Beautiful gave us a glimpse into Hales mastery of musical mood, but Memory Man swirls with even more emotion. There is no greater composer of music currently working in any major music genre than Matt Hales. He has created a sound that is unlike any other and conveys emotion in such a way that you dont hear his music but you feel it as well. He has crafted his songs in such a way the music tells the listener just as much as the lyrics. This album was worth the wait and will not disappoint anyone who buys it.