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Pitchfork suffers from hella white guilt.
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Nov 23, 2010 03:40
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theflyingexecutive posted:Pitchfork suffers from hella white guilt. They've actually always described it as a recognition of the extent to which the iPod has changed how we think about music. With the decisive shift from album to single, producers have been given much more free reign to create succinct blasts of awesome. That tends to (tends to) favor rap and pop artists more than traditional rock artists. Since they made that statement, there's been more explicit cross-pollination, and Pitchfork's made an effort to skew experimental to maintain their baseline cred. Dammit... I still love this writeup: http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7693-the-top-500-tracks-of-the-2000s-20-1/2/ Pitchfork posted:So you've spent the past five days clicking through pages of this countdown only to find out that the best single of the 2000s was released just 10 months into the decade. (To the ensuing nine or so years of music: thanks for showing up.) And that it's the very same song that topped Pitchfork's Best Songs of 2000-2004 list from five years ago. Now you know how your parents feel when they tune into a long-weekend classic-rock radio countdown for the inevitable valedictory spin of "Stairway to Heaven". \/\/\/\/ Oh, I'm down. Just pointing out that this isn't exactly a left-field decision by the editorial staff. The Modern Leper fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 04:01
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The Modern Leper posted:They also called Justified one of the top ten albums of the year it was released, and Outkast's B.O.B the song of the decade. This is not unforeseeable. There are many things wrong with Pitchfork, but neither of these things numbers among them
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Nov 23, 2010 04:03
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http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/kanye-west-project-runaway New cover story on Kanye. Amazing read by the editor, who got invited to Hawaii during the recording. What really saddens me though is throughout the article he talks about Kanye sleeping in the studio with engineers behind the boards 24 hours a day and him changing small things on the fly but we're never going to be able to hear it because the dude who mastered the album is a goddamn dumbass. Edit: For explanation look below. Royal Challenge fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 04:42
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theflyingexecutive posted:This is obnoxious as poo poo, I hope the vinyl release really won't take an extra month. Can you guys explain this? As someone who has never even put an album together I don't understand the pissed off people in here. Would like to learn something new.
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Nov 23, 2010 05:09
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cheese eats mouse posted:Can you guys explain this? As someone who has never even put an album together I don't understand the pissed off people in here. Would like to learn something new. These two do a better job of explaining it than I ever could: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gmex_4hreQ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war
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Nov 23, 2010 05:16
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Also want to point out that the album version of Monster takes out a lot of the little nuances in Bon Iver's performance (including the little trill he does his contribution starts). It's really noticeable, and I keep singing that part when it's not there. Switched out the Good Friday version in the album tracklist. Much better.
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Nov 23, 2010 05:30
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Just chiming in to say this album is amazing and all of the lights is ridiculous.
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Nov 23, 2010 05:36
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Wow at first I thought that it was my car that made songs like Monster sound like rear end, but looking at that waveform and I finally know its not. What a goddamn shame.
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Nov 23, 2010 05:46
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I held off until I thought the hype had died down, but, wow, Kanye returns to form! This entire album is ridiculous, but it's still a first listen.
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Nov 23, 2010 05:55
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I was blown away by this album. I enjoyed 808s, and I really loved graduation, but this this is really something special. Holy poo poo.
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Nov 23, 2010 06:18
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Royal Challenge posted:http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/kanye-west-project-runaway What an amazing article, wow. I really liked the picture that showed all of the rules of the studio. I hope they release a remastered version of the album.
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Nov 23, 2010 07:11
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This album is unbelievable. So many people focus on Kanye the man/child/manchild, and love to mention how he's an rear end in a top hat and pass that off as a reason not to listen to him. Those people are trying to come off as cooler than they are, and doing a poo poo job at it. Kanye's public persona gets all of the headlines because, well, it's fun to laugh at eccentric people. 30 years from now, do you think people will be talking about Kanye the person? No, they'll be talking about Kanye the artist. He already had a discography full of all time classics (Late Registration in particular) but here he has created something bold and new, a complete work that I truly believe will stand amongst the greatest albums of the pop era, going all the way back to the Sun Sessions. It's tough to put a bead on right now, but pop has permanently absorbed hip-hop as a cultural and sonic influence, in the future I believe Kanye will be viewed as the first post-hip-hop pop artist. Anyway, great album, deserving off all the praise, honestly I think everyone is so caught up in the glory of this album right now that I am looking forward to dusting it off in a year when I've fully digested the contents, and hearing just how well I know it's going to age. Also, anyone who says they aren't surprised that Pitchfork gave this album a 10 clearly never reads Pitchfork. The last album to get a 10 was Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which was well over 8 years ago. In that interim, Pitchfork has grown exponentially in exposure and importance, not to mention journalistic integrity and self seriousness. A friend of mine wrote for them up through 08 and told me it was an unwritten rule that they DID NOT give out a 10 to anything other than a reissue. Even Merriweather Post Pavilion, the universally acclaimed mainstream breakthrough of Animal Collective, their favorite pet band, got a 9.6. Regardless of what you think of Pitchfork, the fact that MBDTF got the sacred double digit speaks to just how special undeniably great this album really is. Also I agree the one flaw in this album is the stupidly blown out mastering, however the mixing is incredible, he uses empty spaces better than any charting pop act, so hopefully a more tastefully mixed edition will be used for the vinyl, and hopefully the coded download it comes with.
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Nov 23, 2010 07:42
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trigger9631 posted:What an amazing article, wow. I really liked the picture that showed all of the rules of the studio. NO HIPSTER HATS
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Nov 23, 2010 08:17
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This album has me going back through the discography and paying attention to every note, and I'm really enjoying this. Other than "Workout Plan" (which was never quite as clever as it was intended to be) I don't know if there's a bad song on College Dropout.cheese eats mouse posted:Can you guys explain this? As someone who has never even put an album together I don't understand the pissed off people in here. Would like to learn something new. 1) If everything is loud, then nothing is loud. The album is a solid wall of sounds, all at the same volume. This makes it great for jogging, radio, casual listening, etc. But there are moments on any albums where a little bit of quiet might make a return to full volume more powerful. 2) It's possible to be too loud every time you see the waveform go completely to the edge is the media saying it can't handle any more. At that point, the music will actually distort, and that is not a good thing. The idea (and this is objectively true) is that louder sounds better. Go ahead and try it sometime. Listen to a song at a normal volume, then halfway through the verse turn it up a touch. It'll sound "better" because you can hear everything clearer. So it follows that if loud sounds good, everyone tries to out-loud each other, which is the poorly written awkward midnight synopsis of what you can read in more detail in the Loudness War wikipedia entry.
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Nov 23, 2010 08:20
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Ziir posted:NO HIPSTER HATS JUST SHUT THE gently caress UP SOMETIMES
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Nov 23, 2010 09:16
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Just gonna stick this right about here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ct2z_kanye-west-hey-mama-live-grammy-200_music
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Nov 23, 2010 10:12
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:This album has me going back through the discography and paying attention to every note, and I'm really enjoying this. Other than "Workout Plan" (which was never quite as clever as it was intended to be) I don't know if there's a bad song on College Dropout. I've noticed this with sound in the media in general. Didn't know there was a term for it and that it had been happening for years.
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Nov 23, 2010 11:14
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Sorry, I don't hear what everyone is finding so special about this album. It's perfectly good, about on par with Late Registration and Graduation, but it's not anywhere near great. College Dropout and 808s are the only two albums that I would consider using that particular adjective with. It's not the best hip-hop album this year thanks to Big Boi, and it's not even the best album this month thanks to Cee-Lo The "all praise due to the most fly" line is fantastic though. Reminds me of his Malcolm X line a few years back.
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Nov 23, 2010 13:31
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maxnmona posted:Sorry, I don't hear what everyone is finding so special about this album. It's perfectly good, about on par with Late Registration and Graduation, but it's not anywhere near great. College Dropout and 808s are the only two albums that I would consider using that particular adjective with. It's not the best hip-hop album this year thanks to Big Boi, and it's not even the best album this month thanks to Cee-Lo Cee-Lo? Really? I can kinda understand thinking Big Boi's album is better, but Cee-Lo's album is a pretty big stretch. Also mods make NO HIPSTER HATS be an official NMD rule, tia.
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Nov 23, 2010 13:40
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Brett824 posted:Cee-Lo? Really? I can kinda understand thinking Big Boi's album is better, but Cee-Lo's album is a pretty big stretch. Cee-Lo's album is fantastic. There's not a single weak track. I would easily put it above this album, which I would rate more as "good".
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Nov 23, 2010 13:44
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maxnmona posted:Cee-Lo's album is fantastic. There's not a single weak track. I would easily put it above this album, which I would rate more as "good". To each his own, I guess. I think all of Cee-Lo's music is pretty forgettable and I don't think I've actually listened to his album after my initial listen. adjective_noun posted:Also, anyone who says they aren't surprised that Pitchfork gave this album a 10 clearly never reads Pitchfork. Or I'm just a bit perceptive and cocky. P4k has always loved Kanye (I think he got a 9.4? for LR) and this album is just made to get good reviews. It's certainly exceptional (getting a 10.0 from Pitchfork), but it's not mind blowing or anything. It just makes sense as the the album that P4k would give their first 10 to after 8 years. Brett824 fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 13:53
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Brett824 posted:To each his own, I guess. I think all of Cee-Lo's music is pretty forgettable and I don't think I've actually listened to his album after my initial listen. Yeah, at this level its entirely subjective. Neither album is doing anything new or innovative or hugely complex, so it comes down to taste. In this case, nothing Kanye is doing can top songs like these in my mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85fzs45XFwM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UwFRbJ0P_g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zldjiwOlaRg
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Nov 23, 2010 14:02
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For those in the NYC area, Kanye is performing at Bowery Ballroom tonight and tickets go on sale at noon. I checked Ticketmaster and they're priced at $100, not including fees.
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Nov 23, 2010 15:26
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maxnmona posted:Yeah, at this level its entirely subjective. Neither album is doing anything new or innovative or hugely complex, so it comes down to taste. In this case, nothing Kanye is doing can top songs like these in my mind: To be honest, I think Cee-Lo would be surprised to hear you say that. I only listened to "Bright Light Bigger City," but it doesn't even sound as though he's trying for something as ambitious as Kanye's album. Not that that's a slight: maybe Cee-Lo is more consistently great across the entire album, but it doesn't sound like he's aiming for the same kind of grand statement.
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Nov 23, 2010 15:40
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If Kanye was going for a grand statement with this album, then on that front I would rate it as a complete failure. There is nothing especially profound here, just fun production and the occasional clever one liner. To me, both albums have the same intent: to be fun and catchy pop albums. I think Cee-Lo does a much better job with that. interpunct posted:For those in the NYC area, Kanye is performing at Bowery Ballroom tonight and tickets go on sale at noon. I checked Ticketmaster and they're priced at $100, not including fees. Wow, Bowery Ballroom is really really small for someone like Kanye. No wonder tickets are so much. maxnmona fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 15:43
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Yeah, doesn't seem much point in discussing the point if all you're hearing is "fun production and the occasional clever one liner." Whether you think he succeeded or not, an objective look at the lead up to this album contradicts the notion that this is just supposed to be a fun pop album. Anyway, Nathan Rabin at the A.V. Club has given both an A-. I think it was intentional that the same person did both reviews: http://www.avclub.com/articles/kanye-west-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy,48117/ http://www.avclub.com/articles/cee-lo-green-the-lady-killer,47733/
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Nov 23, 2010 16:10
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maxnmona posted:If Kanye was going for a grand statement with this album, then on that front I would rate it as a complete failure. There is nothing especially profound here, just fun production and the occasional clever one liner. Did you even see "Runaway" the movie? I think part of the interesting element of this is the intensely personal element we get from Kanye's music. This is the first CD that we're hearing from him since he was chased out of America. Comparing this to other rap albums alone, the arrangement - both in terms of individual track arrangements and in respect to the album as a whole, this is much more creative and innovative than the traditional verse + chorus + verse + chorus that we get from most rappers. "Lost in the World" is definitely not like any other rap song we've heard, at least, not since Bring Me Down. "All of the Lights" has featured on it enough people for it to qualify as this decade's "We Are the World." To have a three-plus minute distorted vocal solo on "Runaway" is pretty out there. Even if you take the album concept alone, of this being Kanye's "Beautiful/Dark/Twisted" Fantasy, this definitely is more ambitious than Cee-Lo's album. I mean, really, if you didn't like Kanye to begin with, then I could understand not liking this, maybe. Personally, if Kanye doesn't win any Grammy's from this, then he might never win one.
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Nov 23, 2010 16:11
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I did see Runaway. It was hilarious (I hope intentionally so, but it's hard to tell with Kanye). Kanye was not chased out of America. People thought that something he did at an awards shows was stupid, he's not exactly a martyr outside of his imagination and apparently the mythology some of you are building up in your heads. I do like Kanye. And I like the album, pretty much. But you're ascribing more weight to a pop record than it can possibly take. It's a little weird. Also if you think this album is musically innovative, then I don't know what to tell you except maybe listen to more music. The post above this is just reaching to the point of absurdity.
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Nov 23, 2010 16:24
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maxnmona posted:I did see Runaway. It was hilarious (I hope intentionally so, but it's hard to tell with Kanye). "listen to more music." Okay. I wouldn't go around making blind accusations about how much music people listen to in order to prove your point.
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Nov 23, 2010 16:40
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I want Kanye to tour for this album, but I know its going to be a lot of money for good tickets  . $100 for Bowery room tonight? drat
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Nov 23, 2010 16:48
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Surfingelectrode posted:That's what happens when you have Vlado Meller master your album. This is what the actual album sounds like? I noticed a lot of clipping, but I thought I just got a bad rip. What a disappointment.
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Nov 23, 2010 17:08
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maxnmona posted:I did see Runaway. It was hilarious (I hope intentionally so, but it's hard to tell with Kanye). There's no reason for me to continue this discussion, but it really sounds as though you're conflating whether the effort was successful with whether an effort was made. Whether you think that he is justified in feeling the way he feels, it's pretty clear that the artist is working through what he perceives as a tremendous emotional burden. Whether you think he succeeded at it, he has made a clear effort (across multiple forms of media) to make some type of statement about his place in the world. It's going to fail if solely judged as a "fun-pop" album, because that's not what it is: though there are several songs that stand alone as amazing pop singles, it's clear he wasn't trying to create "club-bangers" (based on Kanye's commercial history, it's not as though he couldn't if that was his intent). tl,dr: Your subjective opinion on the album's qualities is valid, but you're basing it on an objectively incorrect view of the album's origin and intent.
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Nov 23, 2010 17:08
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maxnmona posted:Neither album is doing anything new or innovative or hugely complex, so it comes down to taste. SpiritualDeath fucked around with this message at 17:46 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 17:41
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What, specifically, is groundbreaking or innovative? Those terms are overused to the point of losing their meaning because certain types of music fans can't seem to like an album unless they think it's doing something no one else has done before (almost no albums, even the great ones, have ever actually done something no one else has done before). Can't people think something is good or even great without trying to paste silly terms like "groundbreaking" on something that is manifestly not?
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Nov 23, 2010 17:49
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I'm paying a bunch of money to try to get these tickets and to change my flight to be earlier. I am officially crazy. Kanye has made be do an insane thing. e: fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk I didn't get tickets. Fuckkkk. Brett824 fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 17:51
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maxnmona posted:What, specifically, is groundbreaking or innovative? Those terms are overused to the point of losing their meaning because certain types of music fans can't seem to like an album unless they think it's doing something no one else has done before (almost no albums, even the great ones, have ever actually done something no one else has done before). http://rateyourmusic.com/review?id=33683538 http://rateyourmusic.com/review?id=33694520 I'm not saying anything. But there you have it.
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Nov 23, 2010 18:01
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Runaway: The first vocoded voice solo I've ever heard on a rap album. It's almost my single favorite moment.
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Nov 23, 2010 18:10
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I'm disappointed with the album mix of Runaway. I think he did way too much with the "Who got ya?" backing samples and filled in some of the awesome space that was filled with piano and strings on the pre-album mix. I get what he's trying to do with the autotune solo, but it sounds kind of out of place with the piano and strings. Plus it clips like crazy. Still, that's my biggest complaint and that should say something. This is an amazing album and is probably one of the best hip hop albums released in the past 5 years.
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Nov 23, 2010 18:20
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Nicki Minaj's verse on Monster is loving insane
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Nov 23, 2010 18:25
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