Q&A: Aqualung

One good thing about seeing a credible artist─especially when he’s your favorite─live in action is that you know exactly what you’ll be getting: Perfection. And it doesn’t matter whether you were front row, backstage, trying to shove your way through the crowd or in the worst standing position in the house, because you know that when he started playing and the music goes on, you get butterflies no matter where you are. That’s exactly how it feels for many at an Aqualung’s show. 

It was in Los Angeles’ Bootleg Theater during his recently ended U.S. tour that Aqualung, the moniker of British singer-songwriter Matt Hales, entertained a venue filled with avid fans. He started off with an old number, “Good Times Gonna Come,” and after a few mellow piano-driven songs, he moved the crowd with some upbeat tunes from the new Aqualung album, Magnetic North. The show was intimate, beautiful and overall exquisite, no matter where you sat. You don’t need a good view to experience the magic of Aqualung, all you need is to put your heart and ears into it and be blown away.

After three successful albums under his belt, in 2007 Hales made an announcement about an early retirement from music. But fans knew it too well─you just can’t get the music out of Matt Hales. A year later, Aqualung released Words and Music, and earlier this year came the release of Magnetic North, an acoustic record that doesn’t stray from his previous works but still captures the essence of his beautiful music. Unlike his previous albums, Magnetic North finds Hales collaborating. Besides his usual entourage of his wife and co-writer, Kim Oliver, and brother Ben, the album also features singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, A Fine Frenzy’s Alison Sudol and Kelly Sweet. Hales even managed to get help from his long-time hero Paul Buchanan (of Scottish band The Blue Nile) to work his magic on the song “36 Hours.” Magnetic North also marked a few changes in Hales' life: he moved his family to Los Angeles and the album itself was recorded here.

Here, Hales shares thoughts with us about his collaborations, what he would do if he actually quits music, and his new found home, Los Angeles.

Tell me about Magnetic North; how is it different from your previous works?

Matt Hales: I feel like this is my least self-conscious record─it feels very pure. I didn't make demos, we just went into the studio and found the songs.

If you could define the music of Aqualung in three words, what would they be?

Melodious, candid, careful.

What are your favorite songs from the album and why?

New songs are like a great new pair of shoes - you want to wear them all the time, even if they don't go with your trousers... I love them all. “The Air” has a particular super-intensity that seems to mark it out. I don't know why...

You once mentioned in 2007 of an early retirement from music and now you’re back with a new album. What’s up with that thought in the first place? Why was that?

I got burnt out ─too tired, too disconnected. I needed to stop and get back home and focus on my family and friends for a bit. I felt like I was being asked to choose between my career and my family and it was driving me crazy. But bit by bit, the songs came calling, and eventually I gave in.

If you’re really retiring from music, what are you going to do instead?

Perhaps work in a chapeaux shop....

You collaborated with Sara Bareilles and A Fine Franzy’s Alison Sudol among others in the new album. How do these different artists bring something new to your music and the album as a whole?

A lot of the songs are about couples under various levels of duress. It made a lot of sense to give voices to the other halves of the relationships. It was also great to have those splendid voices ornament and enrich the recordings.

I read an interview with you in 2007 that one of your dream collaboration would be with Paul Buchanan and now he has co-written “36 Hours” on the new album. How did this great thing come about?

Getting to be friends with Paul has been one of the great treats of my career. We got together in his place in Glasgow with the idea of writing some material for him, but "36 Hours" just seemed more me-ish somehow. I love singing his words.

How do you feel about being a musician from Britain? Do you feel the pressure to come up with something good all the time just because you come from a country where musical greatness is expected?

You can't help but be aware of the heritage I guess, and it's cool to contribute in my tiny way to the story of British music. But the pressure to do good work comes from inside - it's got to be about your own personal goals and standards. You need to be able to stand by everything you make. Nationality doesn't come into it.

Now that you’ve moved to Los Angeles, has the change of location affected your music in any way?

Well, it's nice to be warm. But the main thing is just the change. It's brought a great surge of new energy into me and my family and my work.

So what do you think about L.A.? Have you discovered anything new that you like here?

I like seeing the mountains everyday. I like how big the moon is here. I like the smell of eucalyptus on the air. L.A. is ok.  F
 

(Photo of Aqualung live at the Bootleg Theater by Nazirah Ashari)