Tuesday, July 23, 2019

HERE LIES MAN share new track from upcoming mini-album, Antibalas members "if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat"

"An evolutionary step forward for their sound." - Metal Hammer

"A woozy wall of Afrobeat inspired fuzzbox riff worship and pounding circular rhythmic power, Here Lies Man connect the stoner rock underground straight to downtown Lagos." - The Quietus

"Here Lies Man are still really, really good at making riffy, rhythmic psychedelic rock that sounds like the '60s/'70s but still feels fresh today. Fans of anything from Nuggets to Ty Segall and King Gizzard should take note." -- Brooklyn Vegan

"This is a band ahead of their time." -- The Obelisk


Los Angeles quartet Here Lies Man share a new single from their forthcoming 7-song mini-album No Ground To Walk Upon today via PopMatters. Hear and share "Long Legs (Look Away)" HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

The first single, "Clad in Silver" is also available via YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify

Dinked, the UK collective of independent retailers, are offering an exclusive special edition of the release that comes with a signed picture of the band, a patch, and a tote bag, on purple vinyl with orange swirl. For more information see Dinked HERE.

Here Lies Man took the music world by storm in 2017 with their self-titled debut positing the intriguing hypothesis: What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat

Since that time, Here Lies Man has expanded and expounded upon their sound and ideas of heavy riff rock and psych within the ancient rhythmic formula of the clave. The L.A. based band comprised of Antibalas members have toured relentlessly over the past 2 years, while also releasing a second album, You Will Know Nothing and an EP, Animal Noises, both in 2018. 

No Ground to Walk Upon is due worldwide in August 2019. It continues with an ongoing concept of HLM playing the soundtrack to an imaginary movie, with each song being a scene. The lead single "Clad in Silver" is the soundtrack snippet of a journey to the imaginary place called home, which can never be arrived at. With every step, the character imagines getting closer, but it is a hallucination that fades in and out of perception.

Rough Trade named Here Lies Man in their prestigious Top 10 Albums of 2017. BBC 6 & Classic Rock Magazine deemed it among the year's best, as well as countless other press outlets singing its praises. 2018's You Will Know Nothing furthered the band's reputation for genre-smashing rhythmic experimentation, topping many year-end lists as well as earning features from countless metal and indie rock outlets, plus cover stories in weekly papers. No Ground to Walk Upon is the next step in the band's rapid ascent to what is bound to be influential upon riff based rock.

"We're very conscious of how the rhythms service the riffs," explains founder and vocalist/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Marcos Garcia (who also plays guitar in Antibalas) of the band's sound. "Tony Iommi's (Black Sabbath) innovation was to make the riff the organizing principle of a song. We are taking that same approach but employing a different organizing principle: For Iommi it was the blues, for us it comes directly from Africa."

No Ground To Walk Upon also includes an interesting conceptual mathematics to the entire proceedings, a theme begun on the prior album. "There are interludes between each song that are 2/3 to 3/4 of the tempo of the previous song," Garcia says. "The reason it breaks down to 2 over 3 or 3 over 4 is that everything in the music rhythmically corresponds to a set of mathematical algorithms known as the clave. The clave is an ancient organizing rhythmic principle developed in Africa."

Garcia and cofounder/drummer Geoff Mann (former Antibalas drummer and son of jazz musician Herbie Mann) recorded the mini-album much like they did their previous releases, at their own L.A. studio on a Tascam 388 8-track tape machine. Additional layers were recorded with former Antibalas keyboardist Victor Axelrod and other contributors in various other locations, all while the band continued its rigorous touring schedule. 

Here Lies Man has already spent much of the past three years on tour, with dates supporting Antibalas, Earthless and Fu Manchu, as well as headlining treks through the EU & UK. The remaining months of 2019 and 2020 will see the band once again performing at numerous International festivals (including Austin's Levitation Fest in November.)

No Ground to Walk Upon will be available on LP, CD and download on August 16th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records


HERE LIES MAN LIVE 2019:
11/09 Austin, TX @ Levitation Fest 2019



Artist: Here Lies Man
Album: No Ground to Walk Upon
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: August 16th, 2019

01. Clad in Silver
02. Swinging From Trees 
03. Long Legs (Look Away) 
04. Washing Bones
05. Get Ahold of Yourself 
06. Iron Rattles
07. Man Falls Down


On The Web:



Monday, July 22, 2019

Beehive (ex-Terry Malts) share first single of smart threadbare punk from upcoming debut


"A lo-fi and wiry punk band who write short, deceptively simple rock songs... Sprecher urgently yelps and howls desperately like a man condemned, while Amenti keeps the speed up and the sound heavy." -- The Big Takeover


Northern California duo Beehive share the first track from their forthcoming debut EP Depressed + Distressed today via The Big Takeover. Hear and share "When Can I See You Again?" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

It's the simple things that matter, right? Beehive know this well. 

The Northern California duo writes short, deceptively simple rock songs in the vein of early Wire, Suicide, The Spits and Television Personalities. Each song seems laser focused on a desperately repeated vocal phrase and repeatedly hammered riff splayed out over the emotional indifference of a Hammond Auto-Vari 64 drum machine.

Vocalist/guitarist Jake Sprecher -- who also.played in Terry Malts (SF), Smokescreens (LA) and Business of Dreams (LA), all part of Slumberland Records family - urgently yelps and howls desperate and angry lyrics like a man with no time to waste. Bassist Bud Amenti (also of Shutups) fills in any gaps with subtle walks and fills while holding down the band's monolithic sound. Beehive never stop the drum machine during their live set, there are no breaks, which adds to the intensity. 

Beehive came into existence at the beginning of 2019, but in that short time has been hitting venues hard up and down the West Coast to set up their 7-song debut EP Depressed + Distressed for release in early Fall. The EP was recorded live in the studio in one take to 1/2" tape. No messing around. 

Depressed + Distressed opens with a short intro ("Tick Tock") leading into the mantra-like wail of "Get Off My Back," as the duo holds and pummels an A-major chord, as Sprecher chants over the top. Elsewhere, "90's Trash" sarcastically rips up nostalgia for music of our youth and disposable culture. "When Can I See You Again?" seethes with desperation and obsession we've all experienced at some point, the guitars clattering and clawing, perhaps trying in vain to stop the incessant drum machine. "Wasting Our Time" wastes no time getting to the point: Our time, our lives, as a measure of existence, is only wasted by ourselves and each other. Kind of heady and deep, but utterly simple.

Depressed + Distressed will be available on 10" EP and download on September 6th, 2019 via Jester Records. Preorders are available HERE


BEEHIVE LIVE 2019:
07/26 Chico, CA @ Argus
09/14 San Francisco, CA @ Knockout
10/09 Portland, OR @ Valentine's
10/10 Seattle, WA @ Cha Cha Lounge




Artist: Beehive
Album:  Depressed + Distressed
Label:  Jester Records
Release Date: September 6th, 2019

01. Tick Tock (intro)
02. Get Off My Back
03. You're So Fascinating
04. '90s Trash
05. When Can I See You Again?
06. Don't Try
07. Wasting Our Time 


On The Web:





Friday, July 19, 2019

Warish announce full length debut on RidingEasy, share first track "Healter Skelter"

"Remember when indie rock sounded all grimy, corroded and metal-sludgy -- the last thing you'd hear in a commercial or being played at an arena show? Warish do. It's music to the ears of anyone who wants to damage their ears." -- Rolling Stone

"Warish totally rules... An awesome mixture of punk energy, biker rock fuzz, and grunge growl." -- Kerrang!

"Sludgy and punk-y at the same time, with an Iggy and the Stooges meets Misfits vibe, plus a bit of stoner rock and metal mixed in, as well." -- Consequence of Sound


Southern California trio Warish share the first track from their forthcoming full length debut Down In Flames on RidingEasy Records today. The song, "Healter Skelter" is not a Beatles cover, but rather the title refers to the Manson Family's misspelled blood scrawl at the site of their second murder in 1969. Loudwire premiered the song earlier HERE, hear and share the song now via YouTube and Bandcamp

Warish hit the road this fall in support of the album with San Francisco stoner rock progenitors Acid King, who will also reissue their legendary Busse Woods album on RidingEasy on August 30th. Please see all dates below.

Imagine if early, weird Aberdeen Nirvana were crossed with low budget horror-obsessed garage-punks. You'd have sinister vibes with a visceral, twisted weirdness and bludgeoning riffs. Some might call it nightmarish, we call it Warish

Warish is a very newly minted SoCal trio formed in early 2018 that has wasted no time making its presence known. The band formed when guitarist/vocalist and pro-skater Riley Hawk (son of skating legend Tony Hawk) and drummer Nick (Broose) McDonnell decided they wanted to try their hand at something more distinct than they'd done previously.

"We wanted to do simpler riffs and a fun live show," Riley explains. "A little more punk, a little bit of grunge... a little evil-ish."

Their sound takes cues from a variety of cool underground sounds and twists it all into an energetic and exciting fist to the face of dark fury. Hawk's effect-laden vocals hearken to 90s industrial monsters Ministry and David Yow's tortured caterwaul in Scratch Acid. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Cobain's and Buzz Osbourne's wiry contortions. The rhythms bash and pummel right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated and the horrors keep coming throughout the band's uh, warlike assault.

Down In Flames will be available on LP, CD and download on September 13th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE

WARISH LIVE 2019:
08/30 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
09/20 Portland, OR @ Star Theater - Hesh Fest *
09/21 Seattle, WA @ Highline *
09/23 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater * 
09/24 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown *
09/25 Chicago, IL @ Reggies * 
09/26 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle *
09/27 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
09/28 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place *
09/29 Boston, MA @ Sonia *
09/30 New York, NY @ Knitting Factory * 
10/01 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's *
10/02 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall *
10/03 Raleigh, NC @ Kings *
10/04 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight *
10/05 Atlanta, GA @ The 529 *
10/06 New Orleans, LA @ One Eye Jack's *
10/07 Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey *
10/09 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister *
10/10 Mesa, AZ @ Club Red *
10/11 Los Angeles, CA @ Satellite *
10/12 San Francisco, CA @ Chapel *
11/09 Austin, TX @ Levitation Fest

* w/ Acid King


Artist: Warish
Album: Down In Flames
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: September 13th, 2019

01. Healter Skelter
02. You’ll Abide
03. Big Time Spender
04. Bleed Me Free
05. In A Hole
06. Bones
07. Voices
08. Fight
09. Shivers
10. Runnin' Scared
11. Their Demise








Tuesday, July 16, 2019

A//TAR share "solemn post-metal" first track from forthcoming debut via Metal Injection

"A//TAR brings solemn post-metal and sludgy doom with the crushing ferocity of Souls At Zero-era Neurosis and cinematic metal of Amenra." -- Metal Injection


Portland quintet A//TAR share the first track from their forthcoming debut today via Metal Injection. Hear and share "Horology" HERE.(Direct Bandcamp.)

A//tar launch a West Coast tour in September following the album release. Please see current dates below. 

Hailing from the dark and gloomy Pacific Northwest, Alltar (stylized as A//tar) deftly combines elements of Post-Metal, Doom, and Sludge; and in an act of pure alchemy, wholly creates their own image. In the midst of the bass-heavy, distortion-laden wall of sound lies an element of somber, melodic beauty. 

The Portland, OR quintet are masters of slow-burn dramatic tension and explosive riffs with impassioned vocals giving their songs a formidable intensity. Reminiscent of the crushing ferocity of Souls At Zero-era Neurosis, the cinematic metal of Amenra, and multifaceted haze of Cult of Luna, A//tar are a return to thoughtcrafty heavy music.

Founded by guitarist Tim Burke (also of Hound The Wolves) in 2016, the band has developed through a careful, deliberate evolution to reach its perfect lineup with Juan Carlos Caceres (vocals, Moog), Nate Wright (drums), Colin Hill (guitar, samples) and Casey Braunger (bass.) With the same deliberation, the band spent the latter half of 2017 recording their 4-song debut album at 3 different studios in Portland, then mixing and mastering in Spring 2018. A record label came into the picture soon thereafter, though the album release was held up as the label’s funds were scarce. Eventually, the label folded and the band wrestled back their masters, choosing to self-release, now well into 2019. 

“Upon the A//TAR we place our past,” the band declares. “Through the triumphs and tribulations of human-kind. From the technical and artistic birth of society’s achievements in art and technology, as well as the rise of power, war, destruction, and the control of humanity. Through the inevitable dark decay and cold loss, our music is inspired.”

Hallowed will be available on CD and download on September 6th, 2019. Pre-orders are available HERE


A//TAR LIVE 2019:
09/21 Boise, ID @ The Shredder
09/22 Reno, NV @ TBA
09/23 Sacramento, CA @ TBA
09/24 San Jose, CA @ The Ritz
09/25 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Blue Lagoon
09/26 Oakland, CA @ The Golden Bull
09/27 Portland, OR @ TBA
09/28 Seattle, WA @ The Highline




Artist: A//tar
Album: Hallowed
Label: Monochord Records
Release date: September 6th, 2019

01. Horology
02. War Altar
03. Induction
04. Spoils


On the Web:




Firebreather share first track from forthcoming RidingEasy Records debut via Brooklyn Vegan

"Firebreather veer towards roaring, High On Fire-esque sludge, and they’ve got the chops and the grit to pull this kind of thing off." -- Brooklyn Vegan


Swedish trio Firebreather share the first track from their forthcoming debut on RidingEasy RecordsUnder a Blood Moon today via Brooklyn Vegan. Hear and share "Dancing Flames" HERE.(Direct YouTube.)

Fire is what happens when a carbon based object is consumed by oxygen. That chemical reaction is fitting to the sound of Firebreather: The riffs are suffocating, the rhythms fast moving and all-consuming. It's so blindingly and deafeningly monolithic, don't be surprised to find yourself gasping for air while listening.

The Gothenburg, Sweden trio has a streamlined focus on driving, symphonic riffs in the vein of High on Fire, Inter Arma and their tour- and label-mates Monolord. The guitar and bass tones are, quite simply, entrancing. Like watching flames engulf a forest, the billowing guitar tones are simultaneously beautiful and destructive, while the rhythms sway and lunge with vicious precision.

"It's riff based, heavy as fuck, but with a groove to it," explains vocalist/guitarist Mattias Nööjd, formerly of popular Swedish doom merchants Galvano. "We had gotten off a tour with Monolord in February of 2018 and by that time we had the song 'Firebreather' done," but soon thereafter new drummer Axel Wittbeck joined the fold.

"Once Axel had joined, it was like the flood gates opened," says bassist Kyle Pitcher. "The rest of the album just came together." Under a Blood Moon was recorded at Elementstudion in Gothenburg with engineer Oskar Karlsson, who also recorded the band's lauded 2017 self-titled debut on Suicide Records. 

Album opener "Dancing Flames" sets the stage for the onslaught to come with a slinking, serpentine riff over slow churning rhythms. Nööjd's hushed, gravelly vocals sink into the mix, more like a baritone guitar than a human voice. "Our Souls, They Burn" nicely exemplifies the band's furious grind that makes even faster tempo songs sound impossibly heavy, like a slow motion stampede. Elsewhere, "We Bleed" perfectly sums up the band's focus on the riff and groove, honing in on the power of hypnotic attrition. Closing epic, "The Siren" opens with lugubrious, slightly swinging drums and rumbling bass building tension over delay- and phaser-soaked guitar harmonics, until a massive, sliding riff crashes headlong into the proceedings. The song seems to cleverly shape shift across several harmonic and rhythmic parts, without losing the core groove underneath. A short pause for breath, then it's off to the races with a galloping crescendo for succinct closure. 

Under a Blood Moon will be available on LP, CD and download September 27th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Preorders are available HERE.


FIREBREATHER LIVE 2019:
Sep 20 Gothenburg, SE @ Musikens Hus w/ Halshug
Oct 01 Utrecht, NL @ De Helling *
Oct 02 Brussels, BE @ Magasin 4 *
Oct 03 Pratteln, CH @ Up In Smoke Festival *
Oct 04 Reims, FR @ La Cartonnerie *
Oct 05 Paris, FR @ Saturday Mud Fever Festival *
Oct 07 Dortmund, DE @ Junkyard *
Oct 08 Nuremberg, DE @ Z-Bau *
Oct 09 Cologne, DE @ Helios 37 *
Oct 10 Mainz, DE @ Schon Schon *
Oct 11 Hamburg, DE @ Molotow *
Oct 16 Oslo, NO @ John Dee *
Oct 17 Gothenburg, SE @ Sticky Fingers *
Oct 18 Malmo, SE @ Babel *
Oct 23 Linkoping, SE @ The Crypt *
Oct 24 Stockholm, SE @ Close Up Baten *
Oct 25 Tampere, FI @ Olympia *
Oct 26 Helsinki, FI @ Nosturi *

* w/ Monolord




Artist: Firebreather
Album: Under a Blood Moon
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release date: September 27th, 2019

01. Dancing Flames
02. Our Souls, They Burn 
03. Closed Gate
04. Firebreather
05. We Bleed
06. The Siren














On the Web:




Monday, July 8, 2019

Ether Feather shares new track & trailer, L.A. hooky heavy psych by Man Man, Lydia Lunch, Mike Patton players

"Built upon Ryan's impeccable drumming, it is buoyed by delightfully aggressive bass lines and Young's searing guitar work. It asks to imagine a fusion between progressive rock of the 1970s and the blues-based heavy rock of acts such as Budgie and Pentagram while sounding thoroughly up-to-date." -- PopMatters


L.A. trio  Ether Feather share the first track from their forthcoming full length debut today via PopMatters. Hear and share "Your Half In The Middle" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

What resides in the ether? Floating like a lead balloon in Ether Feather’s inverse universe is the meeting point between Black Sabbath, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kyuss and Captain Beefheart

The Los Angeles trio’s sound is a weighty, swinging brand of desert rock influenced heft informed by elements of No Wave, free jazz and post-punk. It’s not jammy for jam’s sake, nor is it neo-jazzbo navel gazing - it’s crafty and astute, head-bobbing thud with a flair for tasteful melodic quirks. 

Ether Feather is the brainchild of L.A.-by-way-of-Chicago drummer/vocalist Dylan Ryan, who has also played with Man Man, Cursive, Red Krayola and more. The newly minted trio includes guitarist Tim Young (guitarist on the Late Late Show and studio player: Todd Rundgren, Mike Patton, Fiona Apple) and bassist Sylvia Black (Lydia Lunch.) The band arose from a previous incarnation called SAND, featuring Ryan and Young, which had released two albums in 2013 and 2014 respectively. 

“By the time I started writing the third Sand record, it became clear the music was shifting from the Mahavishnu-esque mid 70's-fusion to more part-oriented structures and the songs seemed to want vocals,” Ryan explains. Encouraged by engineer Andrew Murdock (Alice Cooper, Lou Barlow) while tracking new songs, the band embraced stylistic shifts and emerged anew with an EP, Other Memory in 2017. After touring that material a couple of times with bands like Cursive and Minus the Bear, Ether Feather further honed its sound to form the hook laden 8-track debut album, Devil - Shadowless - Hand.

“Ether Feather is definitely a band where we can try weirder stuff and stretch out creatively in ways that may not be appropriate in other musical situations,” Ryan says. “We can mix and blend aesthetics and make hard turns. Tim was in the Pacific Northwest during the first wave of grunge and brings something very different from me to the table, having come up in the late 90's Chicago No Wave/Free Jazz/Metal scene.” 

Album opener “Falconer” pits a chugging Helmet-eque guitar riff against Ghost-like harmonies and indie rock rhythms before busting open with a beautiful stadium rock guitar solo. Elsewhere, “Your Half In the Middle” floats along, led by the Byrds-esque vocal harmonies of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” with similar juxtaposition of melody and ominous tones. “New Abyss” flexes the band’s jazz chops, but moreso in the manner of Richard Hell & The Voidoids or the Minutemen waxing prog-punk. Throughout, every song is full of surprising and enchanting musical twists that keep each song exciting and demanding repeat listens. 

Devil - Shadowless - Hand will be available to stream and download on September 6th, 2019. 




Artist: Ether Feather
Album: In Devil - Shadowless - Hand
Label: Ether Feather
Release date: September 6th, 2019

01. Falconer
02. Interstellar
03. Haggard Hawk
04. New Abyss
05. Cayenne
06. Dawn of Orion
07. Your Half In The Middle
08. The Ultimate Halcyon












On the Web:


















Tuesday, July 2, 2019

ZIG-ZAGS premiere low budget horror video for "Killer of Killers", announce more tour dates

"Sounds like Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica meets Motorhead but with claustrophobic garage rock production. It’s a real ripper." -- Brooklyn Vegan

"A potent dose of galloping, cartoonishly vicious rock'n'roll -- material previously perfected by bands like Motörhead and Megadeth." -- Pitchfork

"Noisy, aggressive, and raucous music that careens between garage rock and heavy metal like an amusement-park ride." -- Stereogum


L.A. punk-metal trio Zig-Zags premiere a new video from their recently released fourth album, and debut on RidingEasy Records, They'll Never Take Us Alive today via CvltNation. Watch and share the low budget horror spoofing "Killer of Killers" HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

Metal Injection also recently shared the wildly intense video for anthemic album opener "Punk Fucking Metal" HERE. (Direct YouTube.) 

Kerrang! Magazine also recently streamed the full album alongside an in-depth interview HERE. LA Weekly recently named Zig-Zags "Best Metal Band" in their annual Best of L.A. Music issue. 

Zig-Zags are in the midst of a busy year of non-stop touring throughout the EU, UK and US. The next leg kicks off in Europe next week. Please see complete dates below. 

They'll Never Take Us Alive is available on LP, CD and download, released on May 10th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Purchase it HERE


ZIG-ZAGS LIVE 2019:
07/06 Nikolsdorf, AT @ Sticks & Stone Festival
07/07 Wien, AT @ Venster99
07/09 Bratislava, SK @ Kulturak Klub
07/10 Berlin, DE @ Toast Hawaii
07/11 Hamburg, DE @ Komet
07/12 Erfurt, DE @ Stoned from The Underground
07/13 Ludwighsafen, DE @ Ein Schoner Tag im Freien
07/15 Tolosa, ES @ Bonberenea
07/16 Madrid, ES @ Wurlitzer Ballroom
07/17 Barcelona, ES @ Rocksound
07/19 Helsinki, FI @ Hori Smoku Summer Boogaloo 2019
07/20 Den Haag, NL @ Grauzone Summer Special 
07/21 Bristol, UK @ The Old England
07/23 Liverpool, UK @ Drop The Dumbulls
07/24 London, UK @ The Black Heart
07/25 Le Havre, FR @ Fort de Tourneville
07/26 Lille, FR @ La Gare Saint Sauveur
07/28 Rokycany, CZ @ Fluff Fest
07/30 Wiesbaden, DE @ Schlachthof
07/31 Koln, DE @ MTC
08/01 Kassel, DE @ Goldgrube
08/02 Waldbad Stolzenhain, DE @ Elite Culture Festival
08/03 Schierling, DE @ Labertal Festival
08/04 Slavonice, CZ @ Barak
08/08 Santarem, PT @ InStr
08/09 Moldeno, PT @ Sonic Blast Moldeno
08/10 Sinzendorf, DE @ Void Fest
09/21 Portland, OR @ Dante's - Northwest Hesh Fest

11/09 Austin, TX @ Levitation Festival 



Artist: Zig-Zags
Album: They'll Never Take Us Alive
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release date: May 10th, 2019

01. Punk Fucking Metal
02. Killer of Killers
03. Fallout
04. No Way Out
05. Ms 45
06. The Shout 
07. Why I Carry a Knife
08. They'll Never Take Us Alive
09. Nothing To Do
10. God Sized


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