By Lindsay Herod
The Daily Cardinal
Aqualung, led by lead singer Matt Hales, is unable to conquer their past brilliancy that was the unique 2005 album Strange and Beautiful in the new anticipated album ,Memory Man. While Hale's voice is an inspiring force of fluency and power, too many tracks feature a repetitive monotonous sound hindering his vocal capabilities and ability to inspire. This album is gentle and easy to listen to; however, it grows tiresome and forgettable.
Memory Man kicks off to a weak and unappealing start with the use of an irksome keyboard and electric guitar in the track ""Cinderella."" Too much attention is placed upon background music and not enough on Hales' powerhouse—his voice. Hales needs to embrace his historic voice that was so prominent in his past single from Strange and Beautiful, ""Brighter than Sunshine."" Instead, listeners will find a haunting impression of his British companions, Coldplay.
The rhythm is disappointingly doesn't pick up as the next track, ""Pressure Suit,"" begins. Hales' voice is barely audible behind the entrancing, yet strange and uncomfortable, electronic sound that takes up the entire track. Instead of standing out, his voice simply blends into a point of complete vanishment, forfeiting to the instruments.
This album premieres 11 tracks written or co-written by Hales and his companions, brother Ben Hales and wife Kim Oliver. The song ""The Lake"" stands out as a beautiful weave of vocals and instruments to spawn a revolutionary tune. A piano entrance leads into the potent lyrics ""This is full of secrets / This house smells of ghosts / Dreams that never woke."" His words are carefully planned to maintain a poetic level of symbolism and sophistication.
The straightforward and safe nature of Strange and Beautiful transforms into intricate layers of poetry, instruments and vocals that make up Memory Man. Hales works hard to sell his imaginary world created through his lyrics of fairytale-strong women and caring, soulful men. ""Garden of Love"" is slow and delicate with a distinct ability to master mood. However, this track only seems to reach the point of a pleasant song for a rainy day.
Memory Man has been one of the most anticipated albums of 2007, with the expectation of surpassing the phenomenal previous album Strange and Beautiful. While this album shows revolutionary qualities of music and sophistication, it simply fails to surpass its predecessor. Hales' voice is lost in the abundance of unique but dreary instrumental sounds. This album is definitely worth having, but, prepare to crave it only on rainy days.
