Cribbing from upbeat Air, Keane, Coldplay, Radiohead, and the Beatles, Matt Hales is a U.K. sensation who staves off staleness by way of his exceptional talent. Hales was in two GREAT power pop bands before this project(Ruth and The 45s), we did wonderfully yet and one will find nowhere in his major label bio, sadly. Now, Aqualung is not as heavy handed as all the aformentioned artists, he does not take himself as seriously and concentrates on having a really good time. He`s an expert at creating mesmerizing, sophisticated pop. "3 1/2 stars. he`s at his best when he`s broadest, writing songs with skyscraping hooks that are given soft, shimmering productions. He often favors pulsating arpeggios and icy crescendos, just like Chris Martin` crew, but the record takes off when things get bouncier, like on the quite terrific opener รข`New Friend` -- which sounds like a long-lost collaboration between Beck and Elton John -- and the chipper `Fingertip.` These are as good of an indication of the Los Angeles origin of Magnetic North as the songs that directly reference SoCal (`California` `Hummingbird,` `Sundowning`) and they showcase Aqualung at his best: an artful yet melodic heir to piano-driven 70s singer/songwriters. " - AMG
 Song #1 - mp3
Song #2 - mp3 | 
