DEAD LETTERS

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Hales' work has earned him various awards and nominations, including two Grammy and three Ivor Novello nominations. 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.

Dead Letters is the new album from Aqualung - aka songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hales - his first in more than seven years. Vaziri, Aidin (9 November 2012). "Lianne La Havas' dreams are coming true". Hearst Corporation . Retrieved 22 February 2013. In the late 1990s, while I started to discover new music by this new phenomenon called internet, I found a lot of music that was kind of similar - but I could not sort by a genre. The songs where very melodic, pop-like and beatlesesque but anyhow different. Years later I learned the genre was named PowerPop. So I started this blog. It's called PowerPopSquare, though I'm not sure if it fits to all the musicians here.Heatseekers Albums: 3 September 2005". Prometheus Global Media. 3 September 2005 . Retrieved 21 February 2013. Murphy, Lauren (5 March 2010). "Music Review-Boyzone-Brother". The Irish Times . Retrieved 22 February 2013. Indeed, if ‘side one’ contains the big grand opener and ‘the (parallel universe) hits’ then ‘side two’ is the introspective half, full of personal stories, life sketches and dedications to family and loved ones. Each song is beautifully worked, with some rather wonderful chamber pop arrangements. On returning to England from the USA and making a new home in the South West, Hales was reacquainted with an old piano (which even came with vomit stains from prior family use). That piano adorns the inside cover sleeve of the album and proved to be the central tool in this record’s creation, with Hales composing sketch after sketch that eventually shaped themselves into the album's nine fabulous songs. ‘ Bad Dreams’, the album’s closer, is a masterpiece. It’s nearly 8 minutes long and not a second wasted. Finally, just before the needle gravitates towards the centre, Hales whispers ‘so’, just as the record started. Aqualung first came to attention in 2002 when the debut single ‘Strange and 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’.

A quirky little thing here, is that the cover of Dead Letters will tell you side one isn’t done. But it is. Bonacich, Drago. "Aqualung – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 February 2013.

Kellman, Andy (29 May 2012). "Fall to Grace – Paloma Faith". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 February 2013. Still, it’s unlikely Aqualung’s gentle ballads will trouble the top of the Billboard charts (hey, Matt did get close enough, in 2003 ‘Brighter Than Sunshine’ reached 32 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart in the U.S.). At Aqualung’s recent ‘one night only UK tour’ (his first performance in the UK for 12 years at Bush Hall, London) Matt Hales let his devoted audience know just how clued up he is on streaming trends: Silverstein, Rebecca (21 February 2007). "Getting To Know Matt Hales From Aqualung". The Fader . Retrieved 21 February 2013. James, Nicole (21 February 2013). "Lianne La Havas Is Winning British Soul Right Now". Fuse . Retrieved 22 February 2013.

BRIGHTER THAN SUNSHINE: "2003 10 09 Official Scottish Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com/.Brown, Helen (6 July 2012). "Lianne La Havas, Is Your Love Big Enough?, review". Telegraph Media Group . Retrieved 22 February 2013. I’m sort of thumbing my nose at the world of streaming” he told me recently on The Art of Longevity podcast. Well it’s paid off. Dead Letters is less strange, more beautiful, and the best work Matt Hales has made so far as Aqualung.