Aqualung - Memory Man Album Review

Aqualung
Memory Man
Album Review

Matt Hales, the man behind Aqualung, has had mixed success here in the UK. The single Strange and Beautiful made it big, but his previous albums have had mixed success in his native country, despite making it in the US.

Let's get this straight - Memory Man is like the best of OK Computer Radiohead, Snow Patrol and Keane. If any of those bands appeal, there is no doubt whatsoever that this is an album for you. The album kicks off with the singles Cinderella and Pressure Suit - each outstanding - but, if anything, the album gets better as it goes on. The left-field perspective, the introspective lyrics, the not-quite-expected instrumentation: all contribute to a Keane-that-cooler-than-thou-indie-kids-can-love sound, with a Thom Yorke voice drifting and nailing the feel. And it's a sound of emotion - anguish, longing, yearning, ache - a plaintive voice that reaches deep. Memory Man is an astonishing album - Radiohead, Keane and Snow Patrol between them haven't made an album as good in 3 years.

4.5/5

Mike Rea