AQUALUNG: MAGNETIC NORTH
Aqualung’s first new album in 3 years, Magnetic North is out now on Verve. Matt Hales, Aqualung’s front man, thought he had it all figured out. In 2007, the British singer/songwriter told a London audience that he was retiring. “I’d had enough of it at that point and thought I might just be a teacher or do something else.” However, the stellar batch of tunes that make up his new Verve album, Magnetic North, came calling and they wouldn’t take no for an answer. “The songs were like ‘Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, C’mon dad, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,’ Hales laughs. “I’m still ever so slightly reluctant, but I don’t have any choice. I’m like the guy in the park with 12 giant puppies being pulled along; I didn’t want to come out. Well, I made these puppies so I guess I must have secretly wanted to get out there.” Magnetic North’s songs range from the impossibly upbeat and joyous Beck-like opening track “New Friend” and the exuberant “Fingertip” to the bleak sorrow of “Sundowning.”
“The common theme is mature relationships in various degrees of difficulty,” says Hales of the Verve release. “The thing that is common to all these relationships, whether they last or not, is there was a point when the other person was everything.”
Magnetic North includes many guests including Sara Bareilles on the haunting “Remember Us” and “New Friend,” as well as A Fine Frenzy’s Alison Sudol on “Time Moves Slow,” and Kelly Sweet on “Fingertip” and “Sundowning.”
Aqualung Tour Dates
Apr 26*Bootleg Theatre*Los Angeles, California
Apr 27*Swedish American Music Hall*San Francisco, California
Apr 29*Biltmore Cabaret*Vancouver, British Columbia
Apr 30*Doug Fir Lounge*Portland, Oregon
May 1*Triple Door*Seattle, Washington
May 4*Varsity Theatre*Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 5*Schubas Tavern*Chicago, Illinois
May 6*Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room*St. Louis, Missouri
May 7*The Basement*Columbus, Ohio
May 8*World Cafe Live*Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 9*Jammin’ Java Music Club and Cafe*Vienna, Virginia
May 10*City Winery*New York, New York
May 11*The Red Room at Cafe 939*Boston, Massachusetts
