Aqualung: Matt Hales.

Personnel: Ben Hales (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric bass); Matt Hales (vocals, electric guitar, prepared piano, Fender Rhodes piano, harmonium, vocoder, glockenspiel, programming, siren); Paul Buchanan (vocals); David Price (fiddle, vibraphone, glockenspiel, log drum, shaker); Titch Walker (trumpet, flugelhorn); Sarah Field (cornet); Oren Marshall (tuba).

Additional personnel: Kerry Frampton, Robin Green, Alistair 'Titch' Walker, Jim Copperthwaite, David Price, Paul Buchanan, Oren Marshall, Sarah Field, Ben Hales, Kimberly Oliver.

Audio Mixer: Eric Valentine .

Director: Matt Hales.

Photographer: Olaf Heine.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Ben Hales; Alonza Bevan.

For an artist who catapulted to popularity by having a song in a television advertisement for Volkswagon, Matt Hales (the primary creative force behind Aqualung) has a surprisingly rich and artistic sensibility, qualities that aren't usually associated with mainstream commercial music. Aqualung's previous releases revealed Hales's penchant for lovely, catchy songcraft, and MEMORY MAN, the artist's fifth release, certainly has those qualities as well--but there's something more here.

The album is richly detailed from start to finish, revealing layers of soundscapes over multiple listens. The complex arrangements help create a strong, heady atmosphere, one that is both mysterious and enticing. But none of this is at the expense of the tunes, which are among Hales's best, and range from compelling rock to quieter, singer-songwriter moments. In its synthesis of accessibility and complexity, MEMORY MAN amounts to a fine pop album.