Aqualung's 'Strange & Beautiful' Album Available in New DualDisc Edition Featuring Exclusive Short Film, 'Hello. I Am Matt. How Are You?'

Strange & Beautiful, the critically- acclaimed U.S. debut album from Aqualung, the ongoing musical project of British prodigy Matt Hales, will be made available in a new DualDisc edition on Tuesday, January 17, 2006.

Release of the Strange & Beautiful DualDisc will precede Aqualung's latest series of American tour dates as support act on the upcoming David Gray tour beginning March 1 in Atlanta, Georgia (full tour itinerary follows).

The DualDisc edition of Strange & Beautiful features the complete album on the audio-only side. The DVD side includes the entire album in PCM Stereo as well as the short film, "Hello. I Am Matt. How Are You?," directed by Matt's brother, Ben Hales.

A treasure trove of exclusive new Aqualung material capitalizing on the full artistic potential of DualDisc, "Hello. I Am Matt. How Are You?" provides rare and intimate glimpses of Aqualung through new interview and behind-the- scenes footage, includes previously unreleased performances of "Brighter Than Sunshine" and "Strange & Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)," captured live at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire Theatre, and in a revelatory look at Aqualung's creative process and genius, shows fans "It's Easy To Play The Aqualung Way -- How To Play 'Strange & Beautiful'," a wry and witty homage to instructional music videos.

Aqualung is set to perform "Brighter Than Sunshine," his US Triple A radio smash, on "The Tony Danza Show" on Thursday, February 2 (check your local listings).

With two of his songs -- "Brighter Than Sunshine" and "Strange & Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)" -- already on-track to becoming perennial pop music classics, Aqualung, a VH1 "You Oughta Know" artist, is one of the year's most compelling emerging artists.

With tracks remastered for its inaugural release in America, and song selection curated by Hales, Strange & Beautiful provides a perfect introduction to the music of Aqualung, an impeccably cohesive collection culled from Aqualung's critically-acclaimed best-selling UK albums, Aqualung (2002) and Still Life (2003). American audiences may already be familiar with Aqualung's music through its appearances in such hit TV programs as "Smallville," "Nip/Tuck," "The OC," "Scrubs" and other applications including the HBO/Cinemax winter imaging promotional campaign.

Strange & Beautiful includes Aqualung's breakthrough single, "Strange & Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)," the mesmerizing track which first introduced Hales' music to the public in 2002 via an enormously successful Volkswagen Beetle television ad campaign. Powerful and enigmatic, the single version of "Strange & Beautiful," from Aqualung's self-titled debut album, hit the UK singles Top 10 (#7) that same year.

Strange & Beautiful features four other UK hits from Aqualung, including that album's second single, "Good Times Gonna Come," and "If I Fall," the title track from Aqualung's double-disk EP.

Rolling Stone, in its 4 Star review of the album, praised Aqualung's " ... keenly focused keyboard-based drama that blows away all pretenders trailing in Coldplay's wake."

Entertainment Weekly gave Strange & Beautiful, an "A-," delighting in the "gorgeous ... swoons by British balladeer Matt Hales, highlighted by the must- hear title track."

"Aqualung breathes a strange beauty into these atmospheric, keyboard- driven tracks with his choirboy tenor and sumptuous arrangements that at times achieve an almost classical grandeur," wrote People magazine its 3 Star review.

The LA Weekly called Matt Hales " ... a 21st century crooner ... " while Time Out NY welcomed a " ... romanticism (that) comes off as touchingly sincere and the ballads go straight to the heart."

" ... an iPod rock masterpiece for tuning out the drama and tuning into your emotions," proclaimed Seventeen.

  Aqualung/David Gray tour dates

  03/01/06  Atlanta, GA             Fox Theatre
  03/02/06  Nashville, TN           Ryman Auditorium
  03/03/06  Cleveland, OH           Palace Theatre
  03/05/06  Milwaukee, WI           Riverside Theatre
  03/06/06  Indianapolis, IN        Murat Theatre
  03/07/06  Cincinnati, OH          Taft Theatre
  03/09/06  Houston, TX             Verizon Wireless Theater
  03/10/06  Grand Prairie, TX       Nokia Theatre
  03/11/06  Austin, TX              The Backyard
  03/13/06  Denver, CO              Colorado Convention Center
  03/14/06  Salt Lake City, UT      Kingsbury Hall
  03/16/06  Portland, OR            Rose Quarter - Theatre Of The Clouds
  03/19/06  Oakland, CA             Paramount Theatre
  03/20/06  San Diego, CA           Copley Symphony Hall
  03/21/06  Los Angeles, CA         Gibson Amphitheatre

  http://www.aqualung.net/
  http://www.aqualungmusic.com/
  http://www.columbiarecords.com/

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Media - Benny Tarantini, +1-212-833-5858,
Benny.Tarantini@sonybmg.com, or Tour Press - Sandee Gardner, +1-310-449-2902,
Sandee.Gardner@sonybmg.com

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/
http://www.aqualung.net/
http://www.aqualungmusic.com/