Strange and Beautiful's final two songs are magnificent, offering a wonderful cap to the album.
"Extra Ordinary Thing" is a haunting lullaby, with Hales' voice sounding consistently on the verge of being overwhelmed with emotion. The piano is perfect, building on and accentuating the lyrics to create a pervading sense of beauty and unease.
The final track, "Another Little Hole," perfectly sums up the album, continuing the quiet and haunting tone of "Extra Ordinary Thing." Hales bookends the opening song's tale of putting a spell on his love by singing, "The day is breaking / and time is taking / the love we're making away. / The gods have spoken / the spell is broken / and love will tear us apart." It's a sorrowful song and not particularly hopeful, but it is beautiful. And that, perhaps, is how best this album — and Hales' expressive lyrics — can be described: beautiful. Sorrowful and lilting, yes, and haunting and thoughtful, without a doubt, but first and foremost beautiful. How appropriate the album's title turns out to be.
__________
The Official North American Aqualung Site
You can check out tracks from the album and videos through the Aqualung media player at: http://www.aqualungmusic.com/mediaplayer/
Learn more about Matt Hales with this video featuring interviews with him. home video and performance footage:
T3 (Windows Media):
http://www.redmusic.com/video/Aqualung/EPK.asx
T1/DSL (Real):
http://www.redmusic.com/video/Aqualung/EPK_high.ram
56K (Real):
http://www.redmusic.com/video/Aqualung/EPK_low.ram
__________
For more writing on arts, media and culture, visit my blog, The Between.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Joel,
I posted your review to Advance.net which collectively is read by hundreds of thousands per week. The link there is just to the Cleveland site.
- Thank you. Temple Stark
2 - Joel Caris
Great! Thanks, Temple.
3 - Ms.Benning
i love aqualung's us album! it's awesome!