Aqualung Interview

Aqualung, in the shape of singer-songwriter Matt Hales, follows the huge success of last year's self-titled debut album with the release of a new album 'Still Life.'

In our opinion, with 'Still Life', Matt Hales has propelled himself to the status of one of Britain's strongest songwriters. With a big push planned for America, it's only a matter of time before Hales is recognized as a major global talent. We managed to catch up with him as he was set to release the album...

TM: Are you feeling good right now?

Aqualung: Yes, it's a weird thing to do release an album. It's not free of stress. The best thing is that I am totally happy with the album. I think if I had any doubts in myself, bits that I knew I'd fudged or weren't any good, I'd be worried that I'm gonna get found out, but I'm really happy to stand by it.

So I feel quite secure. Obviously some people won't like it, but that's natural, but I do really like it and I'm really proud of it.

TM: Wow, that's quite a thing to say, because for a lot of artists, it's sometimes a case of getting to the end of recording something and having a niggling doubt that something isn't quite right.

Aqualung: Then they should sort it out. That's what I think. As an artist your own personal quality control is all you have, really, I think it's a real mistake to release something you're not totally happy with.

Because people are going to assume that you think it's great, otherwise why would you release it? If it's rubbish, then people are going to think that's what your idea of what good is, and then people are going to get it all back to front.

TM: What was the thinking behind releasing 'Brighter Than Sunshine' as the first single? It is such a positive song.

Aqualung: There's a few tracks on this album that are quite big songs or big tunes, they feel like they could be singles. There was a few choices. 'Brighter Than Sunshine' is the first song on the album...is the opening to the album, it feels like quite a good way to get into the record.

And also, it is because some people would be quite surprised that it is so kind of...joyful, thinking that I'm a miserable b**tard at some times, so I just thought it would be quite provocative for some people.

TM: Well, it makes me realise that you are not a miserable b**tard now.

Aqualung: (Laughs) Yeah, you see I'm not! Well, which isn't to say there aren't some miserable b**tard moments, because there are - but that's it exactly.

TM: How do you feel about your piano playing at the moment? Where are you at with it?

Listen to Aqualung's entire new album Still Life by clicking on the links below:

Aqualung: Well I was never and will never be a particularly good pianist, in terms of studying - but I did study piano - but mostly it's been since I was little, more like a means to an end. My motivation has always been to write music. I've never been very interested in playing other people's music. I was never very good at reading music anyway, rubbish at it.

And I was never very good technically. I kind of persisted, because...it's like learning to type. I had this revelation recently that the piano was quite a lot like a type-writer, because every letter is there. And you can write any word, and you can write a novel, or you can write something a bit rude, or whatever. And it is like that because it's just out in front of you, that's one of the great things about pianos. I think that's why a lot of the great composers have been pianists or have turned to the piano because it is like that.

You can just see the potential there in front of you. It can be overwhelming sometimes, because somewhere over here (he motions with his hands) is the most amazing song...

ever written. But I don't know where it is and I just keep playing 'Up Town Girl', for example (he laughs).

TM: It's an invitation I suppose for you to do something with it...

Aqualung: Yeah, and it's kind of smiling at you as well, like a big massive wooden mouth, with it's lip up for some reason.

So I don't really ever consider myself to be a pianist. Just a songwriter who's medium is the piano, sort of thing.

That's the device through which I can figure out what there is buzzing in my head.

But then again there are some pianistic things that come about, because as you know, there are certain things that your hands do when you play the piano a lot. Just like there are certain patterns that emerge on guitar when you play it because there are certain things that come as natural to a guitar.

There are less consrictions on a piano than there are on a guitar, so sometimes there's more crazy music written on a piano. But, there are certain things that are 'pianoey' that happen. I can never distinguish myself between what things come about because of the piano, or what things have come about because of the thoughts I've had in my 'nogin'.

TM: I guess it's the whole 'artist and tools' question, isn't it.

Aqualung: Well, yeah, because does the paintbrush or the cavas make the painting...well they don't really. But at the same time there's something about the way that the oil paint smudges that might set you off on a whole new train of thought, you can't really divide up the process it's a continous thing.

TM: What's your take on legal downloading at the moment?

Aqualung: I think it's invetibale that that will be become the new model for the record industry particularly when it becomes part of the singles chart whenever that is.

It seems like the obvious next-generational singles thing will be to download single tracks and that should be incorporated into the singles chart.

It's great if we can find a means that people will feel comfortable with to get hold of music and artists can get paid and not get paid all the time.

As for illegal downloading, I don't really care.

Maybe I should, but I sort of feel like.

Maybe I'm too old, and I don't understand how kids deal with media these days. Maybe you come across a track on the radio, you hear it on a website.

You download it or whatever. It's just a way into an artist, and when you get involved with an artist, you are buying into more that just a download.

You want to know, I don't know, sleeve notes, you want to know where they are playing.

You want to hear the rest of the songs. I just think it ought to be another way for people to get into artists. And of course, before long, they;ll want to be able to get whole albums in the same manner and they'll have to pay a fee for it, and that will work out fine.

The music's the same...musicians love making music, and people love music. People are prepared to pay for music because it is of value to them in their lives and they see the value of sustaining musicians at the other ends because then they carry on making music. The question is of course just how to connect those two parties up in a comfortable way, and the internet is obviously a great way for that to happen, it's just the record companies need to see it as a friend not foe.

I'll probably get dropped straight away now having said that...

TM: So is there anything more we should know about this record?

Aqualung: Yes! We are giving away a track that wasn't even on the album that we've held back. I think it's a lovely song, and it's free - just in exchange for your email address at the Aqualung website - and I think that's worth getting the news out. You can hear the album online whenever you want.