The Magical World of the Strands is an album that ages well and in hindsight what rises to the top is a triumph over adversity, as it travels through addiction and out the other side. The album gives off the aura of overwhelming beauty and calm which sometimes results from opiate ingestion. Like the other Northwestern Songwriters of the 80’s and 90’s most notably Noel Gallagher, Michael Head’s biggest fan and supporter. He has faith in the romantic notion of rising above his working class north country roots. He is not an anthem writer, but rather a bruised soul writing in an ethereal and evocative style. The beauty in the music and the lyric is the underpinning of the release as it follows in the tradition of the storied Romantics of England’s prose tradition.
The Magical World is an amalgam of pastoral Merseyside with the Velvets, Simon and Garfunkel, the Byrds and Love all being blended into its delightful concoction. One thing to take away from the album is that it will deliver something different to the listener with each spin. It should be listened to in its entirety to appreciate all the textures and emotions that are on display. From: https://www.xsnoize.com/album-review-michael-head-the-strands-the-magical-world-of-the-strands/
