The Album Review Club - Week #124 - (page 1478) The Magical World of the Strands - Michael Head & The Strands (2024)

Mancitydoogle said:

Not sure about the BAD comparisons, but is Bill Carter Joe Strummer’s younger brother? very similar voice and phrasing, I’m getting more of a JS and The Latino Rocka Billy War and perhaps JS and The Mescaleros vibe more than The Clash.
Enjoying it though.

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He’s very Clash-esque but Thompson (bass) is funkier and bluesier than Simonon and Harris is faster and more crazed/skilled on drums than Headon (or whoever else the Clash had), IMO. So to me SBM are the better rhythm section. But the Clash as songwriters — especially on LC — didn’t have many peers.

My first pick The Southern Rock Opera by The Drive By Truckers doing a tour The Southern Rock Opera revisited 2024.
Sadly no UK dates so far.

bennyboy said:

My first pick The Southern Rock Opera by The Drive By Truckers doing a tour The Southern Rock Opera revisited 2024.
Sadly no UK dates so far.

Drive-By Truckers

Follow Drive-By Truckers and be the first to get notified about new concerts in your area, buy official tickets, and more.

www.bandsintown.com

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Thanks for the PSA. Coming to my city in a 1K capacity SRO venue. I'll be front row again if all goes well!

bennyboy said:

My first pick The Southern Rock Opera by The Drive By Truckers doing a tour The Southern Rock Opera revisited 2024.
Sadly no UK dates so far.

Drive-By Truckers

Follow Drive-By Truckers and be the first to get notified about new concerts in your area, buy official tickets, and more.

www.bandsintown.com

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Great heads up! I love single/double album only shows.

bennyboy said:

My first pick The Southern Rock Opera by The Drive By Truckers doing a tour The Southern Rock Opera revisited 2024.
Sadly no UK dates so far.

Drive-By Truckers

Follow Drive-By Truckers and be the first to get notified about new concerts in your area, buy official tickets, and more.

www.bandsintown.com

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are over in November though

Out on blue 6 said:

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are over in November though

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Weirdly i do not like them.

bennyboy said:

Weirdly i do not like them.

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Let's hope Drive By come over then

I'd not heard of these before and it's always nice to listen to something new.

When I listened to the album, I found myself thinking that a lot of the songs reminded me of other bands. I think it was mainly the guitar/drums/production that did it. For some reason I was getting a ZZ-Top feel when the song started, Holiday Head had a Motley Crue vibe, Smash was Talking Heads etc. I did quite like the singers voice though! Feel free to say this is nonsense, but that's how it sounded to me! I wasn't a fan of the production either, it sounded very tinny to my ears, but I do appreciate that was the style when it was recorded. I do find that in the 80s the production either is magnificent, or awful. One by Metallica suffers from awful production with little bass and this has that same production and it really lets the album down for me.

In the end I think I spent more thinking about what the next song would remind me of and I think that's part of the problem I had with this album. I just think it sounded more like other bands than 'them'. That might sound bad, but I did enjoy trying to figure out who they reminded me of! :)

I didn't dislike the album and there was some decent hooks in there but a combo of the production and the similarity to other bands who I prefer mean I'm unlikely to come back to this one I'm afraid. That said, it's certainly not a bad album but just not quite my cup of tea.

6/10

Out on blue 6 said:

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are over in November though

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I’ll be going to that.

bennyboy said:

Weirdly i do not like them.

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Both are fantastic live and I've seen them both separately. But I get it, one is a bit harder southern rock than the other.