Aqualung’s latest record “Strange and Beautiful” is an ode to love.

Lead singer and songwriter of Aqualung, Matt Hales, captures the wonder and torment love can bring in this new album. He stretches from the wonderful, lighthearted side, when falling in love for the first time gives you goose bumps, to the dark, heart-wrenching side when you realize you don’t really love that person.

With smooth melodies and a mellow feel, the album is the ultimate “chill-out” record. Think along the lines of Keane, Coldplay, and early Beatles. Hales’ talented writing hits new heights with lines like, “When the sun sets around me/my daydreams confound me/and the long night surrounds me” from the song “You Turn Me Round.”

Several songs including lyrics like that make “Strange and Beautiful” what it is.
This poor tortured soul has most recently hit it big in the States. Already labeled as “an artist to watch” on VH1, success in his native country of England was met when the title track was briefly featured in a European Volkswagen commercial. His songs have also been featured in the teen drama “The O.C.” and one of the most recent Ashton Kutcher flicks, “A Lot Like Love.”

Thanks to Aqualung, listeners who don’t like a lot of noise pollution can rave about this album and not be mocked. Aqualung is the kind of artist that is recognized for his talent in music and lyrical writing world wide. “Strange and Beautiful” is just another piece of evidence that good music is on the rebound.