Of the three bands that I saw on Tuesday night, Aqualung was the only one that had seats for their audience, which was entirely appropriate because I was tired and Aqualung make music that is entirely relaxing. Aqualung is the solo project of musician Matt Hales from England who combines his haunting voice with pianos, violins and guitars to create songs that are very simple and emotionally powerful at the same time.
A lot of the songs on Tuesday sort of came off sounding very similiar, with the obvious standout being the single "Brighter Than Sunshine." So when I walked out of Irving I just felt so-so about what I had heard... it was all good and well and I did like the music but there just wasn't anything that jumped out at me as to why I liked the band despite the repetitiveness.
Outside the venue I ran into a girl who was handing out Aqualung postcards and we struck up a conversation about the band and the show. And she said to me: "Aqualung are amazing, and I don't know really what it is about them, but their music just makes my heart happy." That statement pretty much answered my doubts for me. Heart happy music.
Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful
