To put it diplomatically, musicians who become famous through television advertisements tend not to hang around very long (anyone remember Babylon Zoo?). Aqualung, however, whose haunting single Strange And Beautiful is currently helping to sell VW Beetles, may just be the band to buck this most stubborn of trends. Essentially this is a vehicle for 30-year-old Matt Hales, a classically-trained musician who's already served time with the failed indie outfits Ruth and the 45s. He's also openly obsessed with Brian Wilson, and this lush, lovingly-crafted album almost amounts to a homage to that master of melody. The prevailing mood of paranoia, meanwhile, suggests that it's also a fair bet he's listened to a few Radiohead albums in his time. With stately piano motifs, delicately mournful strings, husky vocals and wistful lyrics, Aqualung is an engaging opus of gently downbeat pop that's extremely easy on the ear. True, it borders on the one-dimensional and outstays its welcome just a little too long - but overall there's enough evidence here to suggest that Hales's moment in the sun has come at last.
