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heff88 · 7 years ago

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20 albums and 1 EP: my 2017 in music.

Hello all and welcome to my favourite records of 2017!

2017 has been quite a year for many reasons and musically is no different, as this has been one of the strongest years for new music in some time (which may or may not have to do with the current president in the white house and for one of these at least, Brexit). It has been a particularly great year for female voices in music - just under half the acts here are, or include, women or at least are female fronted, with Björk surely to join them - and I'm not sure there has been a time where women have been so well promoted. It is a stupid thing to have to say of course, but it is at least encouraging that change is happening in a positive way. It is also encouraging given the latter half of the year socio-politically has largely been concerned with how much assault and sexism women have to put up with in a very public but important manner (although again, this doesn't seem to be deterring the president, yet anyway.)

This year, I have chosen 20 (and 1 EP because I like to cheat) albums to feature, something I don't think I've been able to do before. This probably has much to do with this being my first full year as a (semi)-professional journalist, something I feel I really marked properly this time last year when I was sent to Prague to interview The Lumineers, which was a fairly mad-yet-incredible experience. However, it's not like I wasn't paying attention before, and I have made a playlist including 50 different records from 2017 I have enjoyed in some capacity and a more concise one for this list.

Since that Lumineers interview, I've had the opportunity to cover from great events and records in 2017, as well as meet a whole load of very welcoming and great people to whom I must say thanks (especially as today is Thanksgiving). To Derek of Drowned in Sound, Tallah from The Skinny, Caitlin from Uproxx and many others, thank you for your continued support and friendship, I couldn't have done it without any of you. In 2017 I got to:

Cover the BBC6 Music Festival in Glasgow, which was a really rather special weekend in my spiritual home. Interview some really excellent people, including: Jeremy Bolm, Touche Amore Angus Andrew, Liars Barry Burns, Mogwai Alex Cameron And finally, Joe Casey of Protomartyr (twice) which was by far the most difficult one, but ended up being pretty great.

I also got to keep travelling in the name of music journalism (what a trip!) by covering Mikkeller and The National's inaugural HAVEN Festival in Copenhagen (a city long overdue a visit - I loved it!) and got to see Iggy Pop be the absolute boss-man, and drink SO. MUCH. GREAT. BEER.

And even more crazily, I got sent out to CALGARY, ALBERTA CANADA to cover Sled Island. There I got to see the likes of Low, Mono and Waxahatchee play in a church, Converge play in a weird British Union Vets centre, Wolves in the Throne Room and Daughters in a dive bar and I got to see The Rolling Stones' mobile studio (which my parents visited just before I was born.) It was an amazing week I will never forget, full of incredible music and new friends, and while I didn't find Bret Hart I did get to tour the city's rather amazing beer scene, which I'm still in disbelief about, to be honest.

I also got to see and have many special live experiences this year less further afield, such as The XX's triumphant show outside SWG3, Glasgow, getting to see City of Caterpillar (!) after all these years in Berlin, Julien Baker play one of my all-time favourite songs, St. Vincent transcend mere mortal status, Mogwai play in a famous Berlin gay club for TV and Thee Oh Sees play in a tiny, cramped basement this summer.

And finally, I RELEASED MY OWN ACTUAL, PHYSICAL ALBUM THIS YEAR!!! It was tough and stressful at times, but I am immensely proud of it and owe so much to my boys Kenni and Joe Campbell who make up FRAUEN, as well as the people around us who supported it, including Lewis Glass, Gary Taylor, Kyle Wood, Sean Campbell, Louise Grace Kenny (& Owen) my wonderful partner Ann-Christin Heinrich, and everyone who put on shows and came out to see us in our favourite haunts of Glasgow, Manchester, London, Brighton, Leeds and Newcastle (to name a few!) put us up for the night, drove us, bought a record, said a nice thing and generally were awesome.

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So, onto the list. As a result of my year, I've decided to order this in release order rather than ranking, although I will point out the top five. A quick glance at this suggests that September was an absolutely ridiculous month (it was) and no I didn't forget LCD Soundsystem, whereas I have nothing in May (Do Make Say Think and Slowdive were... fine but nothing special.) I am currently catching up on stuff I missed as I am writing this, so to Julie Byrne, Aldous Harding, Kelly Lee Owens, SZA, Big Thief, Idles, Sampha, Jlin, Jay Som, Lorde, Vince Staples and as mentioned, Björk you could all find yourself making up your own list in a month's time.

A glaring but now expected omission is Science Fiction by Brand New, which up until a couple weeks ago I ranked as one of my top three records of the year. While of course, everyone should be wary of what we read online, Jesse Lacey's frankly embarrassing and vague response to the matter has, quite likely, put a disastrous end to a previously remarkable and canonised career which was setting itself up for a glorious and perfect ending in 2018. Now, it's very difficult to separate the art from the idea that this is an unsavoury at best, psychopathic at worst, white male who took advantage of his status and the surrounding scene towards young girls and called it a "sex addiction" which is highly troubling. Even his movements towards a "perfect end" to the band now feels slightly chilling, and at the time of writing, it seems as though he will (rightfully) not be rewarded with that. What a horrible turn of events for an artist and a band who have meant so much to so many people for well over a decade, the one band many have kept with them since their adolescence only for it all to go up in flames in an instant. The one (pyrrhic) positive from all this is that the continued conversation is finally giving victims a voice, and that is the most important matter which should never be forgotten.

OK, that unpleasantness behind us, let's get on with the list:

Priests - Nothing Feels Natural (January) *4th

So, just to completely undermine my ordering here, I slept massively on this band and album until the summer, almost six months after release. Thankfully, I caught them just in time to see them play live in Hamburg this June shortly after moving to Germany (oh yeah that happened too, what a year eh?) after seeing they were playing that week at the legendary Hafenklang venue. I checked out 'Jj' and was immediately bowled over, something a completely new artist to me hadn't done for some time. There's a moment in that song, a couple minutes in, where the sensation of "lifting off" occurs both in the music and listening experience, it is a thrill, to say the least. The rest of the album thankfully stood up just as highly (especially it's title track) and I admonished myself for not checking out this band clearly designed for my exact tastes. Live they were a force of nature, each member bringing something exciting, while collectively they reminded me of a tougher version of ESG's "dance-punk". So while I may have missed the boat initially, this record has quietly grown and grown in my estimation, to one of the year's standouts, and will be excited to see what they do next.

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Thundercat - Drunk (February) *2nd

The absolute boy does it again. Anyone who knows me knows Thundercat is one of my all-time boys, he'd be in my wrestling stable without a shadow of a doubt. I've been largely obsessed with Stephen Bruner since his fantastic turn on Flying Lotus's Cosmogramma and he has just got better ever since. For the first half of the year, Drunk was comfortably my favourite album of the record, knowing it would take something special to knock it off its perch (it did, but we'll come to that later). This is, paradoxically, both his most cohesive and chaotic album yet, detailing the wide range of emotions a drunk night on the tiles can elicit while also being his most confident statement musically yet. On top of that, Kendrick Lamar returns the favour for that 2016 Grammy win Bruner played a part in winning for To Pimp a Butterfly, the legendary Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald show up on the lead single, and in the album's clear highlight, Bruner completes his Tron suite with an ode to his cat of the same name.

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Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - The French Press (March) - EP of the year, for whatever that's worth.

Australian music, from Melbourne especially, is in a pretty impressive state right now. Along with the above, Alex Cameron, Royal Headache, Julia Jacklin, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Total Control (to name a few) have in recent years created a formidable scene down under, making them a globally recognised force to be reckoned with in the music world. Despite the slightly annoying name, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever hit the BBC Radio 6 Playlists around March (though sadly not the Glasgow Music festival at the time) and with the song 'The French Press' turned many heads. The song gave 'Cause = Time' (a song somehow nearly 15 years old already) by Broken Social Scene a most welcome reboot while maintaining their own charming style. One would be forgiven for thinking this EP of the same name is just a vehicle for that one single, but no, to those who went out in search for more were rewarded with an excellent six tracks from top to bottom. This was only their second release after last year's Talk Tight so it will be very exciting to see what their first full-length LP brings us, hopefully, next year sometime.

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Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (April)

What can I say, it's Kendrick. Like Priests, I took a strangely long time to get round to DAMN. and not even really for any particular reason other than... just listening to other stuff and quietly knowing this would be great when I did finally come around to it. Though DAMN. for me doesn't quite meet the insanely high mark of Lamar's previous two albums, it's still a very, very strong album from one of the best artists of the generation. While this may have the bombast of Good Kid or the sheer scale of Butterfly DAMN. still shows Lamar's incredible skill as a storyteller, dropping the listener into a fully realised world, largely because it's his reality. On top of this, he manages to write a song featuring U2 and it not be the worst thing ever! Outside of that, however, James Blake gets to return on his sparse roots on 'ELEMENT.' ahead of their co-headline tour next year, which singles 'HUMBLE.' and 'DNA.' prove Lamar's chops as an artist able to step back from his bigger concepts and make his point in three-minute bursts.

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Timber Timbre - Sincerely, Future Pollution (April)

One of the most perennially underrated bands out, Canadian creepers Timber Timbre had one of the most quietly solid records of the year with Sincerely, Future Pollution. I've never been sure why they haven't quite caught the wider imagination as some of their peers, such as Grizzly Bear for instance, who sonically have had a very similar trajectory from lo-fi "freak-folk" to a more electronic indebted sound. Whatever it is, in a year where everyone and their dog were (understandably) wanting to comment on the state of things in a post-Trump/Brexit world, Timber Timbre took a more subtle approach (a word that perfectly describes the band overall) as they brought up 80's, Reagan-era sleaze into a modern context, with a healthy dose of Lynchian nightmarish images and structures. Through 9 feverish trips to the classical image of the decaying (in this case, swamp-ridden) city, we see the toxic nature of contemporary Western society poisoning everyone who embraces it, all soundtrack to lounge-jazz samples. It is perhaps the darkest, most sinister record of the year, a prevailing sense of creepiness and uneasiness permeates every beat, every noise, every line of frontman Taylor Kirk's deadpan delivery in a completely different way to say, Alex Cameron's multi-coloured coke-ridden characters. As the album's alluring cover suggests, this is all your favourite black-and-white 70s paranoia films come to life.

Listen: Sewer Blues

Hey Colossus - The Guillotine (June)

Speaking of underrated, how the hell did everyone sleep on Hey Colossus this year? Perhaps they overshot themselves on their epic 2015 double albums In Black & Gold/Radio Static High, but this for me was the best British album of the year and one of the only to really address the mess the UK has got itself into. While the sludge/psyche rock act may not be quite as chaotic or as heavy as some of their earlier output, this is easily their sharpest to date, pinpointing the rage, anger, frustrating, sorrow and even humour in the current idea of being an "Englishman". This is a loose concept album, based on very similar themes and sounds as Timber Timbre's (albeit heavier) which skewers the current public conscious, but also provides genuinely breath-taking moments on songs like 'Calenture Boy'.

Englishman

Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up (June)

Robin Pecknold's triumphant return to music and to Fleet Foxes has been one of the major stories of the year, though he received mixed responses for it. In preparation for this album, Fleet Foxes' third and first in 6 years, Pecknold debuted a few of these songs, solo, supporting Joanna Newsom last year. At the time it was just good to know he was still writing songs, but the sheer ambition and kaleidoscopic scope of Crack-Up is incredible, for a band largely known for kicking off the folk resurgence in earnest. This record is rather like an intense, feverish, psychedelic vision in which Pecknold leads our hand, a singular voice in the void, while the music moves from madness to calm and back again across 11 beautifully composed tracks. The first time opener 'All That I Need' kicks in, it takes the listener completely off-guard, washing them away in the oceans and the incoming storm on the album's artwork sleeve, and the only hope is to try to ride it out and hope you survive. It is a genuinely impressive return to form, one I'm not sure many people thought Pecknold and Co still had in them.

Fool’s Errand

Sheer Mag - Need to Feel Your Love (July)

It's not often where a band, especially as politically fierce as Sheer Mag are, just consistently put a smile on your face and make you raise a fist and shout "YES!" But that's the Philadelphia punk-via-70s-radio-rock band do in spades. They manage to elicit a feeling in their music of so-called "simpler times" while simultaneously bludgeoning you in the face with the bullshit attitudes that were just as much of a problem in the 70s as they are today (in fact, an era partly responsible for them). Led by perhaps one of the best frontpeople in music today, Tina Halliday and guitarist co-writer Matt Palmer, Sheer Mag are the quintessential punk band in everything but their sound, one which the original punks would have openly mocked at the time. The irony, of course, is that those original "punk" acts, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash etc. took largely from 70s glam-rock, they just sped up the songs and make the themes and lyrics angrier. Sheer Mag in many ways remind me of Fucked Up, another punk-band obsessed with 70s revivalism. Both bands understand with loving care and passion that to create truly great punk music, one has to look outside the obvious influences, while keeping an ear open for a catchy hook to couple with prescient themes on oppression, race, sexism, homophobia, police brutality which still plague us today. We need acts like Sheer Mag in these troubling times to remind us, there is another way.

Suffer Me

Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm (July)

Processing a rough break-up is one of music's classic tropes (hell I did it on that album I put out this year - I promise to shut up about that now) but if the recent re-evaluation of the early-to-mid Emo/Pop-Punk scene has taught us anything, it's that even these so-called "sensitive" boys can be just as much of the patriarchal problem as more aggressively "macho" acts out there (and in some instances, actually worse). This is a round-about way of saying, traditionally, we rarely get to hear the female side of the story, and if we do, it is often met with patronising audiences of "poor little girl" syndrome. So what a breath of fresh air it has been to see Katie Crutchfield's Waxahatchee project break free of the shackles of a somewhat suffocating relationship that involved both her romantic and music life and create an album that deconstructs relationships and toxic masculinity in such brilliant fashion. Over the course of these 10 songs, Crutchfield proudly wears her battle-scars and reflects upon where she was and where she is now on Out in the Storm. I saw Crutchfield twice this year, first in the aforementioned church in Calgary, solo, essentially introducing this album to a new audience, and then later, all-female live band featuring her sister Alison (who also supported and is an excellent talent in her own right) and British guitarist Katie Harkin (Sky Larkin, Sleater-Kinney) who really helped make this album shine. Every song here is a stunner, but in 'Sliver' we have one of the best songs of the year, an anthem of defiance that neatly sums up this great, great album.

Silver

Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins (August) *5th

One of the big narratives of music in 2017 was the "comeback" of mid-to-late 2000s indie-rock having a resurgence. Along with the aforementioned Fleet Foxes, we also had return records from The National, Wolf Parade, LCD Soundsystem and Liars, for instance, most of whom will show up later in this list (because I'm a nostalgic mark apparently). Grizzly Bear have been one of the most consistent acts in that world and with their 5th album Painted Ruins only continued to prove that. While I'm not sure they'll ever top my personal favourite, Yellow House, in fairness, the band made a statement that they were moving away from the more lo-fi, freak-folk and more towards chamber pop on Veckatimest. Grizzly Bear remain an amazing and consistently surprising act who reveal themselves with every listen, a tactic they've still not lost in over a decade. They can do a big pop song 'Mourning Sound' and the more subtle 'Neighbors' but they still after all this time have the ability to pull the rug from underneath you 'Three Rings', 'Four Cypresses'. While this certainly was a great year for "indie" music (whatever that really means) but Grizzly Bear remain the torchbearers.

Neighbors

Liars - TFCF (August)

I'll admit it, this album may have eluded me if I hadn't been commissioned to interview Angus Andrew this summer. I've never been a huge fan of Liars, but I've always liked their style and ambition to always try something new with every record, even if with varying results. But man, I am glad I had that experience with Andrew, because TFCF, striking artwork and all, is a mini-career benchmark for him. Liars is now just a solo act, after Andrew's partner in crime Aaron Hemphill suddenly departed from the band when recording sessions for TFCF began initially in Los Angeles. Andrew's world was turned upside down by this revelation, so his reaction was to move back to his native Australia, and become a hermit in the bush in New South Wales, outside of Sydney. The result is an album where Andrew fully immerses himself in his surroundings, using field recordings of the natural world he is currently living in as the background sound for him to write songs over. It's an intriguing experience, especially as I don't believe Liars' music have ever really been described as "emotional" before leading TFCF to sound almost like The Moon & Antartica-era Modest Mouse in places. This isn't the only characteristic though, as Andrew jumps around from genre to genre, all unified by this... buzzing of the bush that sits underneath it all. While not quite Andrew's peak of records like Drum's Not Dead or the self-titled album, this is a small renaissance in his career, and it will be interesting to see where he goes next.

Cred Woes

Mogwai - Every Country's Sun (September)

Yeah, it's another Mogwai album, which at this stage feels like a warm cup of tea and a hug, but there's no denying they keep on keeping on. In recent years Mogwai have slowed down their studio album production, favouring soundtrack work for TV and Film in recent years - such as last year's Atomic and Before the Flood, but they remain a solid act and for my money the greatest Scottish and further, British, act outside of Radiohead. Every Country's Sun is a mere reminder of the band's consistent greatness in a year where similar acts Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Do Make Say Think also had strong entries. While there are some familiar tropes on Mogwai's latest, their 9th studio album, they did add one of their poppiest songs ever 'Party in the Dark' and a more subtle use of the Carpenter-esque electronics that characterised Rave Tapes on tracks like 'aka47'. The best is indeed saved for last, however, as the album's excellent title track that closes the album is perhaps one of the band's most epic yet, one I wouldn't be surprised if featured at Celtic or Scotland games in the future.

Party in the Dark

Alex Cameron - Forced Witness (September)

Well, this one came from left-field. Again, like Liars, I may well have missed this one had I not been sent to interview him, and even then, my enjoyment wasn't assured given Cameron's retroactive sound and questionable lyrical content. However, when it quickly became apparent that Cameron is playing a role lampooning the toxic masculinity his characters exude which is seemingly openly everywhere in 2017. While some fans were disappointed Cameron moved away from his singular, lo-fi sound of his debut Jumping the Shark, his move towards 80s sleaze-pop, like Timber Timbre, is an excellent vehicle in which his rather pathetic characters exist. It's an intriguing idea, as rarely do musicians or artists "play the loser", something that only tends to exist in the world of acting. In many ways, Cameron is a performance artist, although in seeing him live (in his semi-hometown Berlin where he recorded the album) he unmasks and speaks about his songs candidly. Whatever it is, Forced Witness is an excellent album full of excellent, catchy ditties, especially his duet with Angel Olsen, who plays her own interesting role in the background of this album, that explore some fairly dark themes with a sense of humour and irony that stay, just about, on the convincing side.

Stranger’s Kiss (duet with Angel Olsen)

The National - Sleep Well Beast (September)

Another year, another solid National album. The National will, it seems, always have a spot on my list, though Sleep Well Beast didn't crack the top 10 when I was voting in my respective publications. Sleep Well Beast, The National's seventh studio album, sees the band try and mix things up with the seemingly inevitable turn towards electronic music that basically every guitar-based band eventually dabble in. The results are mostly successful, though in many ways this isn't as much of a departure as first suggested, remaining very much a National album. The one disappointment, in fact, is that it _doesn't_ go further in it's "electronica" as tracks like 'Guilty Party' prove there are some legs there, but towards the end, they become a bit over-reliant on pretty much one style which gets a little trying. In fact, Sleep Well Beast is probably their most piano-based record as opposed to guitars or electronica, which leads to beautiful opener 'Nobody Else Will Be There'. Meanwhile, the band step back into their older territory on tracks like 'Day I Die' and the somewhat unfairly maligned 'Turtleneck'. It's nowhere near the band's best, but The National are like a familiar friend you can not see for years and dip in with and catch up like no time has passed and will always be welcome to visit. (Fun fact, Ann and I were present for the shooting of the ‘I’ll Still Destroy You’ video as it was at their HAVEN festival, however sadly we didn’t get in!)

I’ll Still Destroy You

Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun (September)

Chelsea Wolfe has slowly been getting better and darker throughout her career. Personally, I'm a little surprised Hiss Spun hasn't featured on more end of year lists, as it is a star turn from the still young LA-based goth, aided massively with Kurt Ballou's MASSIVE production and guitar chops from Queens of the Stone Age's Troy van Leeuwen. Perhaps its because she's fully embraced her "metal-side" that critics have been a little allergic to it, I'm sure there would have been a few raised eyebrows at Aaron Turner (ISIS/Old Man Gloom)'s roar at the end of the excellent 'Vex'. Either way, this is an album from an artist clearly in the ascendancy, and may well prove to be a stepping stone to a masterpiece in the future. Of all the artists currently out there, she's certainly got the most potential for it.

16 Psyche

Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrive Woven (September)

Continuing on with Metal, here is by far the heaviest entry on this list (though Converge, of course, run them close) from Olympia, Washington's Wolves in the Throne Room. I had the pleasure of getting to see the American Black Metal legends (I think we're good to give them that title now) this summer in Calgary and it was an overwhelming experience. To those who don't know, it may seem at odds to describe extreme, heavy metal as "beautiful" but that is Black Metal. Its atmosphere achieves a sensation that is transcendent when done right and WITTR are masters of it. From the second 'Born in the Serpent's Eye' begins, the listener is immediately fully submerged. From there on, this is yet another masterpiece in the band's already exemplary canon and it is good to have them back to winning ways after the disappointing left-turn 'Celestial'.

Born from the Serpent’s Eye

Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent (September) *1st place

Head and shoulders above, this is the best album of the year. Protomartyr have been quietly getting better and better with every record, and almost achieved a perfect record in 2015's The Agent Intellect, a record that has aged incredibly well since its slightly underrated release. Now, there's no avoiding it, the band's first album for Domino records is seeing a much bigger audience for the Detroit post-punk band who next year could well see themselves at the higher end of many festival slots. Simply put, Protomartyr are the most exciting punk act in the world right now. No one is doing anything as interesting, exciting, challenging as Protomartyr, their heavy, philosophical themes mixed with their highly original sounds. Just listen to the opener 'A Private Understanding' and see. Who else would dare open an album and a lead single with one of the weirdest drum-beats every committed, an off-key guitar line, frontman Joe Casey delivering the line "Not by my own hand/Automatic writing by phantom limb/Not with my own voice/Pleurisy made to stand on two legs". While Casey is pretty humble and coy about his band's success and journalists (myself included) who wanted to impose mad theories about "BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?" when really the answer is "truth is a slippery thing, just listen to it." Sage advice indeed, when the music is this good.

A Private Understanding

Wolf Parade - Cry, Cry, Cry (October)

Wolf Parade's triumphant return last year with an EP and Tour was one of the highlights of 2016. Their show at the Scala was one of the best of the year, a renewed vigour that was clearly waning by the end of the previous run was back and they looked fresh and happy to be here. It is perhaps no surprise then that they were able to translate that to the follow-up LP, 'Cry, Cry, Cry' (which came out on my birthday this year). Yes, it's a cleaner more polished sound, but goddamn they can still write a song. In 'You're Dreaming' and 'Valley Boy' we have great pop songs from Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug respectively, but it's when the album goes BIG that it really shines, on such epics as 'Flies on the Sun', 'Baby Blue' and 'Weaponized'. Of course, 'Cry, Cry, Cry' isn't close to their incredible debut, but that's an impossible standard to meet, so the band don't even try it, instead streamlining their later sound into something more confident and coherent (see: 'Am I an Alien Here') and it's a very welcome to have them back.

You’re Dreaming

St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION (October)

A bit like Alex Cameron's Forced Witness, MASSEDUCTION is very much a response to celebrity and paparazzi. Though Cameron doesn't really sing about that (it doesn't really fit with the character) the title and artwork certainly do allude to it, while one of the major themes of MASSEDUCTION is on this. Annie Clark had a very public break up with Cara Delevingne which also takes up much of the record, but you can't really pin this album on any one particular event or theme, other than Clark's re-evaluation and sexual freedom. MASSEDUCTION is an experience worth seeing live, which made the album work for me, which I was initially a little tentative about. I saw glowing reviews but didn't quite match them up to the music. Then, seeing Clark "live" (which has caused much controversy), everything made sense. After a first half set where she ran through her greatest hits in release date order, the second half saw her perform the album in full and it really was a performance. Then everything clicked, in what could be Clark's best record to date, which is an already very high benchmark to clear.

New York

Fever Ray - Plunge (October)

Speaking of sexual liberation, (what a segue!) a couple weeks after St. Vincent's album, Karin Dreijer Andersson, better known as Fever Ray, surprised fans with a new album which plays on similar themes to Clark's. While Dreijer's not quite in the public eye the way Clark has become, she instead crafts an album about sexual politics which is dangerous-yet-endearing and seems particularly pertinent in this current spate of highly public reportage of sexual assault incidents currently ongoing. As ever, Dreijer proves why she is such a force of nature in composing these tracks, which are challenging and danceable, poppy and angry etc. with 'To the Moon and Back' she has a defining statement, a manifesto and a rallying cry, carrying on the theme's from The Knife's possible final record Shaking the Habitual perfectly.

To the Moon and Back

Golden Teacher - No Luscious Life (November)

One of Glasgow's best bands, Golden Teacher's debut full length has been waited on for some time. Really, this sextet are best experienced live, as every show immediately becomes a party. It can be difficult sometimes for highly-energised acts to capture that on record, but thankfully Golden Teacher manage it with the help of Emily McLaren & Stuart Evans at Green Door Studios. Golden Teacher are for me the quintessential Glasgow band. They exist in a liminal zone that links the city's art-punk scene with the world-famous electronic scene, hence their inclusion on the legendary Optimo's label. The record mix funk, world and electronic music with a punk energy and are an absolute thrill to experience, it would be impossible to not put this record and not feel the groove.

Spiriton

Converge - The Dusk In Us (November) *3rd Place

And finally, rounding out this excellent year are one of my all-time favourite bands, Converge. While I don't really listen to much heavy music these days, Converge are the exception to the rule in many ways. They exist in their own space within music that is fiercely inventive and original. I recently had an argument with a few people about what genre to classify Converge as and simply put, it's an impossible and unnecessary task. Converge simply don't fit into any easy genre classification, they are just Converge. What is a surprise was that, though Converge have never really had a dip in quality, the fact they have been able to produce such a career highlight this late into their salad days is nothing short of remarkable but also typically them? The Dusk in Us is an incredible achievement by all involved. It is perhaps Ballou's best production job to date, Newton and Koller's most controlled performance and, crucially, Jacob Bannon's most assured vocals to date. It seems ridiculous that the 25-year-old band keep finding ways to better themselves, but here we are. Kudos to you Converge for remaining such an inspirational figure not just in the heavier genres, but music as a whole.

A Single Tear

Thank you for reading! Have a happy new year and great festive season.

#Best of 2017 #music #albums #Converge #priests #thundercat #protomartyr #Grizzly bear

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mask131 · 7 years ago

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The Chocolate Factory Kids : Deleted children, mystery solved ?

Miranda Mary Piker… The most well-known of the deleted characters. Everyone (well at least all the ones who did their research) know her for being the school-obsessed little girl… However, she wasn’t always like that. What not many people know is that there was TWO Miranda. Let me explain. When Roald Dahl created Miranda (as Miranda Groper then Miranda Mary Piker) she was, until the fourth draft, in the author’s own words, “the filthiest, rudest and most disobedient creature you could imagine”. The fourth draft also mentions her as the “girl allowed to DO anything she wants”. She’s the character as illustrated by Lauren Child (picking her nose with the tongue sticking out). And her original demise was the following: she swam in the Chocolate River despite Wonka’s interdiction (because she was against any form of order or authority) and thus ended up in the pipe leading to the Peanut Brittle room. This was her song: "Oh, Miranda Mary Piker, How could anybody like her, Such a rude and disobedient little kid, So we said why don't we fix her In the Peanut-Brittle Mixer, Then we're sure to like her better than we did. Soon this girl who was so vicious Will have gotten quite delicious And her parents will have surely understood That instead of saying, 'Miranda, 'Oh the beast we cannot stand her!' They'll be saying, 'Oh, how tasty and how good!'" A song for a rude and a disobedient little kid, a vicious beast of a girl, who was the nightmare of her own parents. However, in the fifth draft, when Marvin Prune was deleted, Miranda Mary Piker became her complete opposite. She was a school-obsessed and prideful little girl, the most well-known version of her, with a school headmaster for a father. Her chapter is the Spotty Powder one as we know it. She was the little girl with glasses and braided pigtails drawn by Quentin Blake. Her song was this one: "Oh, Miranda Mary Piker, How could anybody like her, Such a priggish and revolting little kid. So we said, 'Why don't we fix her In the Spotty-Powder mixer Then we're bound to like her better than we did.' Soon this child who is so vicious Will have gotten quite delicious, And her classmates will have surely understood That instead of saying, 'Miranda! Oh, the beast! We cannot stand her!' They'll be saying, 'Oh, how useful and how good!'" Still vicious, still a beast, but now priggish and revolting, not disobedient and rude anymore. And now she is the nightmare of her class comrades, not her parents.

One might ask… Why such change? Why turn Miranda into her own polar-opposite? I think I can answer to this question… and by the same way, answer to another great question: who was Marvin Prune? Marvin Prune, existing since the second draft and up to the fourth draft, is only described as a “conceited boy”, but we never found out what could have happened to him. This lead some artists to invent their own version of Marvin Prune (I can mention two great interpretations, the one of Jimmy-C Lombardo, on DeviantArt ; and the one of danguy96, here on tumblr) However, someone posted something about Marvin Prune on Wikipedia. We can read the following: "The Children's-Delight Room" Roald Dahl originally planned for a child called Marvin Prune to be included in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl submitted the excised chapter regarding Marvin Prune to The Horn Book Review in the early 1970s.[ Rather than publish the chapter, Horn Book responded with a critical essay by novelist Eleanor Cameron, who criticized Dahl's worth as a human being. Although it was believed that Horn Book never returned the chapter, Marvin Prune's chapter is actually available, but it has not yet been published. "The Children's-Delight Room" was reworked into "Spotty Powder". It is present in two versions. One features the workers from "The Vanilla Fudge Room" but also include "tiny whispery voices" who sing the songs after each child's exit, and Charlie with his mother and father. The second version features Grandpa Joe, Charlie's grandfather, who is present in the final book, and the Oompa-Loompas. In the version with the voices, the voices actually sing two songs, a two-verse type one found in "The Vanilla Fudge Room", plus a longer one like the type that is found in the final book. Like Miranda, Marvin loves school and suffers the same fate as her—supposedly getting ground into powder. What I can confirm because I saw it on other websites: there was indeed a “Children’s Delight Room” deleted chapter that was sent to The Horn Book Review, and that’s when the chapter was “lost”. And indeed, the “Children’s Delight Room” was reworked into the “Spotty Powder” chapter. However, there’s no other sources mentioning all of the other information (Marvin being a school-obsessed boy for example). But… but… if this information is revealed to be true, it could fit perfectly with all the info we have. If indeed Marvin Prune was a proto-Miranda Mary Piker, everything is explained. Remember that Miranda was “remade” into a school obsessed girl after Marvin was deleted, in the fifth draft? The draft from which come “Spotty Powder”? It could be explained by the fact that Dahl wanted to keep Marvin’s personality so much that he implanted it on Miranda (since his original chapter was kept and never returned by the Horn Book). And if Marvin Prune was supposed to be Miranda before Miranda herself was Miranda (yeah, that’s logic), then the “conceited” adjective is perfect. Remember that Miranda was mentioned as having a “smirk on her mouth” and “whenever she spoke it was always with a voice that seemed to be saying “Everybody is a fool except me””? Very conceited indeed. Put that on Marvin and you have a perfectly conceited boy. However, beware! I’m not validating at all what Wikipedia is saying. It may be completely false. I’m just saying that it is, in my opinion, a highly probable possibility given all the side-information I could gather and when paralleled with Miranda Mary Piker’s evolution.

EDIT : Two more ideas behind the fact that Marvin Prune was supposed to be a proto-Miranda.

1- Marvin appeared in the second draft, in order to replace the deleted Clarence Crump, Bertie Upside and Terence Roper ; just like Henry Trout was here to replace Wilbur Rice and Tommy Troutbeck. And what is the main information we can gather of the three boys in the “Warming Candy Room” chapter ? They are arrogant. They believe in logic and science, and that’s why they refute the “cold hotness” of Wonka. They believe they know best than Wonka, and that they will prove him that they are right. Quite conceited, right ? And by “conceited” I mean a Miranda-type of “conceited”, don’t you think ?

2- We have to interpret “conceited” according to the background of the book. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was written during the 60s. If we interpret “conceited” as vain, it’s because of our modern view. It’s because we are living in a society plagued by the narcissism of the youth, by the cult of the appareances, by aesthetic obsession. But at Dahl’s time, these things weren’t truly existing, or at least they weren’t so prominent. So, at his time, what could have been the people who could be unbearable and conceited and rude in their disdain ? Intellectuals. Students who thought they knew best than teachers or than their parents. The little Mr. and Mrs.Know-It-All.

Anyway, to conclude, that is who I think Marvin Prune was in the old drafts : A priggish and revolting child hated by his classmates. A very intelligent boy and top student, but also a conceited child whose love for school turns into a near obsession. The son of a school headmaster that never missed a day of school in his life and is convinced children should always work and never play. He has a smug face, a constant smirk, and whenever he speaks his voice sounds like 'Everybody is a fool except me'. However, I don't think he was as rude and insulting as Miranda Mary Piker (I think it's the leftover of the time where she was the disobedient and vulgar little girl). Maybe he was just conceited and disdainful, but still kept some form of dignity and good-manners? Maybe...

#thechocolatefactorychildren #charlieandthechocolatefactory #marvin prune #mirandamarypiker #evolution #theory #book #deletedchildren

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somecynicalanimator · 6 years ago

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Module - Intro to Making Of

This is my statement of intent for this project, detailing my goals for this project, and module overall. I originally couldn’t decide between ToonBoom Harmony or Traditional 2-D animation for this project, but ultimately I chose to go with ToonBoom having never experimented with it before. I also created some documentation footage, for the video essay.

Cameron Davison, Intro to Making Of

Video Essay: Ageing Oscar

11/2/2019, First Year

Topic For my video essay project, I will be focusing on an idea I had involving a dog being called by its owner, in which it would wake up, run out of its bed to play with its owner outside. The two would come back inside, the owner having aged from a young boy into a young man while the dog would have aged from a puppy into an old dog. The two would age over the course of the animation, likely representing over a decade’s worth of time. I intend on producing a 2-D animation, in ToonBoom.

Rationale

The reason why I chose to work on this project is because the idea present within the work interests me, playing off of a personal fear of mine that as we get older, that time seems to pass quicker (Or at least that’s our perception), and that before I know it, my dog will be old, as will I. My fascination with this idea is how, while it manifests itself as concern for pets, it can be applied to people to, including myself. I think it will be interesting attempting to convey these feelings through my animation, although through a hopefully happier lens, as though the animation conveys how while time passes quickly, every moment is cherished (Or something to that effect). My choice of animation method, ToonBoom, is based upon my fascination with 2-D animation, as I want to experiment with it.

Inspiration

While my work will be largely based upon my personal feelings and experiences, I think that there are a number of different avenues for inspiration I can take, in terms of art style, shots, and technique. One particular animation that I feel inspired me with this idea s A Tale of Momentum and Inertia, in that it inspired me to try to tell a story without visuals, based purely on visuals and maybe sound effects, but without dialogue, which is what I intend to do.

Limitations

I think in terms of limitations my greatest limitations for this project will be that, when working with ToonBoom, I have little experience with the program. While it’s this desire to try new things that drove me to choose this method of animation, I feel my lack of knowledge with the program may be a limiting factor in the project, given that I will need to dedicate time to learning how to work with the program.

Resources

I will need a computer with ToonBoom installed in order to work, as well as a scanner to scan my drawings and other physical work onto computer, as well as access to the internet for research, not to mention I could potentially try doing some foley work for the animation. Schedule

During the next couple of weeks, I will begin working on a script for the animation, while also trying to come to grips with ToonBoom. Meanwhile, I will be designing my characters, producing model sheets, before then moving onto to backgrounds in week 5. During these two weeks I will be working on storyboards, and other conceptual work. Week 7 I will begin recording foley audio (If I end up choosing to do so), before moving on to starting work on the animation. Starting in week 9, I will begin compiling all of my work into a video essay, using all the material I have to produce a video essay. I’ll also be compiling my Showreel and Learning Journey Presentation concurrently with everything else.

#animation #animated shorts #statement of intent #making of

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pafsins2 · 8 years ago

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Everything Wrong AND Right with Phineas and Ferb

We've now covered the “sins' in every single episode plus some side things. In some, we go over the sins the show in general has. However, I think it's time to look at those closer. That's right, we are looking at the sins of the show in general. And also the wins because hey, bette end this on a good note.

This will be ...interesting.

SINS:

1.Disney Channel

2.Some actors from said channel are here because synergy.

3.On two occasions they switched premieres to a channel not many get because reasons.

4.The channel also aired episodes out of production order for no reason usually, and their airing of the show in general had so many problems. If they aired it right, the show would have had a shorter run.

5.The fanbase had ….problems, let's leave it at that.

6.”Teenage girl obsessed with her phone' cliche

7.”Love interest that exists for that reason” cliche

8.”Girl next door with an unrequited crush” cliche

9.”Bully” cliche

10.”Smart one” cliché. Bonus points for him being a token.

11.Despite the “No idiots” rule, Stacy comes close enough in some early episodes.

12.Phineas' voice early on.

13.Doof's voice got ...mixed as time went on.

14.”Quiet one” cliche

15.Ferbnessa gives us ANOTHER unrequited crush!

16. Btw, when they show premiered, they did by airing many new episodes in February 2008, one a day for the most part./ That's fine but it's more or less the pecussoer to the bomb foarmt used today and it's become a huge problem recently. I don't wanna say this show is to blame for it but...

17.”Ineffectual silly villain' cliche

18.”Ugly Guy with Hot daughter” cliche

19.”Dumbass Dad” cliche

20.Tons of Creator Cameos everywhere.

21.”Fanboy” cliche

22.Albert more or less broke their no jerks rule. I can excuse one off or villains though.

23.Django,Jenny, and Coltrane get a sin for more or less being pointless as they are not missed after being dropped.

24.Also, “Hippie” cliché.

25.The show's messed u p timeline is worth an extra sin. +1

27.This show has a formula so thus it is the same thing every episode, even though it's really not.

28.Show uses lampshade hanging to cover some problems.

29.”Fans complain when the show does something different” cliche

30.Season 4 had tons of unresolved plot lines, from Montessa to the Norm/Chloe thing. That's ever so slightly lazy.

31.I could sin any of the running gags for any reason as some could get slightly old, sometimes.

32.Foreign Leaks. Thar is all.

33.Phinbella.

34.There did not need to be well over 60 episode segments in Season 2 and 3.

35.It's always clear when they did not plan certain things in advance, so there's plenty of contradictions. See doof turning good.

36.That Ballon-y scene.

37.Candace Gets Busted.

38.Bujeet and Perryshmirtz are cool and all but they border on abusive relationships. Unfortunate Implications ahoy! (And also the bestiality)

39.The show is actually mostly good with it's Celeb Cameos, but sometimes they amount to 'oh hey, a sports guy no one's ever heard of”. Disney loves doing this for some reason.

40. The show is so good with continuity that it always sticks out when they have errors.

41. The show has animation errors sometimes so it's a 0/10

42.And the final sin I could come up....is this placeholder for any I miss because I've thinking for a while and this all I got.

SHOW SIN TALLY: 42

SENTENCE: Busted

Well, that was interesting. Tried to put it as many as possible, between ones I referenced before and some new ones. As usual, most of these are jokes although I did some actual complaints here and there. Kind of ran out at a point though. Now onto some gushing.

WINS:

1.Dan and Swampy became more of a win because of this but they were already a win, if only for Rocko's Modern Life alone.

2.The show took a whopping 13 years to air from it's inception. Win points for not giving up in that time!

3.When they made they show, they expliting did not want to be mean spirited or have any real idiots or jerks, like so many other shows at the time. Nice,.

4.For all the crap I give Disney, they deserve credit for picking up the show and treating it well enough in the beginning.

5.I'll go more voice actors in a bit, but I always like it when the creators voice characters especially when they are actually good at voice acting.

6.While the animation is mostly simply good, not only is it still good later seasons get REALLY good, especially the backgrounds and shading in Season 3.

THE SONGS. They managed to have one song in each episode with even the weakest being good. There is a great range of styles and they manage to catchy and extremely awesome. +5!

11.Extra points for the cast being full of great singers, as well as the background people like Danny Jacob, Laura Dickson, and my favorite, Aaron Jacob.

12.They got some awesome guest stars, from Clay Akein, to Jon Stewart, to Kevin Smith, and the list goes on.

13.The show was on for 4 Seasons and never truly dipped in quality. True, the run wasn't perfect but it was always at least good, despite what some people might have you think.

14.The show came in the late 2000's, when animation was at a kind of a low point. A show this good coming out in 2008 is enough of a win but I am fairly sure this at least kinda lead to the 2010's animation Renaissance. In the least, it needs credit for 100 percent being the reason Gravity Falls was greenlit.

15.Above all else, this show is just funny. There's good variety, but it's mostly dialogue driven which works very well. Even the weakest episodes, have one good laugh.

16.Despite having the formula, it worked because they would always toy with it, making it a fun game to see how it would be different this time. It lead to lots of good humor.

17.Plus, they are very much willingly to shake it up, especially in later seasons.

18.The show had about 10 “specials' only one was below great. Awesome.

19.The show is really good at parody, it clearly respects everything it homages which is how we get Phineas and Ferb Star Wars.

20.I'd say there's a decent amount of diversity here, with the females being able to kick butt and have 3 dimensional personalities even if they do get involved in romance sometimes. Not to mention Baljeet being great as well.

21.Any show that gets a movie is a win especially the greatest DCOM ever made. Besides the one with Kirk Cameron as a dog, of course.

22.The creators are really good at keeping in touch with fans over Twitter, and even listening to them given they made the Ginger thing canon. This goes for the writers two, given a certain thing I did with one writer.

23.The show has good morals in general but there's one big one: Make the most of everyday. They take advantage of the summer setting to do this, and it's done really well.

24.The creators have said that the show is more or less about Candace or Doof as they change and are more complex. This was a good move since it mostly works and the boys were still the focus at the end of the day, at least enough.

25.Time to into more specific wins. Phineas is a good lead for his optimistic nature and how some specials make it more complex, especially Summer Belongs to You. He also has some subtle comedy lines. Vincent Martella sold both big sides to him.

26.Ferb is just awesome with his silent nature and can be quite the badass. Thomas Sangster has a good voice for this.

27. Candace could have been unlikable or a big butt monkey, but they not only balance these elements but she ended being a 3 dimensional character. There have been essasies about how great, hilarious, and likable of a character she is. Plus, she proved how great Ashley Tisdale can be.

27.Perry the platypus/Agent P is not only badass but the writers/animators good a good job of giving him a personality to make his scenes more dynamic.

28.Doofenshmirtz is one of my favorite characters now. I went into this in LDOS wins but in short, he's hilarious and has tons of quirks that make him complex, as This is your Backstory really showed. And he really showed Dan's talents, too.

29.Vanessa provides great snark, and her relationship with Doof was really nice. And I don't think to say that Olivia Olson is awesome.

30.Monogram is under appreciated. He's pretty funny and he doesn't outstay his welcome since he's only in each episode for a minute, but he also works when stretched, even in OWCA Files

31.Carl is great. Besides being funny, he and Monogram work well together and episodes like Where's Perry develop him nicely. Tyler Mann is great, which makes it odd he hasn't been in too much.

32.Isabella is cool as she's proven herself very nicely in the series, especially in Season 4 with Pharmacists and Star Wars. And you know, this is shocking for me to say, but Phinebella works fine and it's really the fantards I hate. Alyson Stoner is cool too.

33.Norm. That is all.

34.Buford is a great for he developed over Season 1 as he went from just a bully to having hidden depths and such. He is also really funny.

35.Baljeet is great too, don't have much to say though. He's a funny smart character and I like that they can make him jerk-ish without going overboard.

36. And of course Bujeet is a win.

37.While I can say why Irving was Divisive, I quite like him for his amusing nature. Plus, they made him better as the series wne ton and Jack McBrayer did a good ob.

38.While I wish they used Albert more, I still like him, especially because of Dedrich Bader

39.I like Linda. She actually gets some good lines and is charming in her own way. Not sure why some actually dislike her. Caroline Rhea does pretty well as her too.

40.Lawrence is awesome. They played the dumbass dad thing straight with Doof so they subvert it with him by just making slightly silly, and very likable. Richard O Brian voicing him is a win too.

41.Phineas' Grandpa is cool because Barry Bostwick and Ferb's is good because Malcom McDowell. The grandmothers are cool too I guess.

42.Stacy is great. She gets some amusing dumb jokes without going too far and plenty of episodes made her awesome. Even if the whole Perry thing went nowhere. Kelly Hu is good too.

43.I like the Fireside Girls as well, especially Ginger given she got a bigger role due to Stacy. All their VA's are great, don't feel like listing them all.

44.Rodney is a fun rival for Doof, and LOVEMUFFIN in general is great.

45.I also like plenty of the smaller characters such as Charlene, not to mention the great one offs.

46.Forgot to mention before, but the continuity of the show still blows me away, with at least one callback in each episode.

47.It would exhausting to have a win for each writer or something like, so this goes out to all the great writers the show has had, including the one offs. I should say writers/story boarders as the show is board driven, after all.

48.There's tons of great episodes to mention but my favorite is Nerds of a Feather so...there.

49.The show made me cry over the weirdest things.

50.And a different note, seeking out the fandom of the show has made me meet some cool friends, some of which I am still in contact with. That's pretty amazing and one of the reason this is personal to me, even with all the ups and downs. I'm very glad it exists and Dwampy got to do another one with MML, which so far is pretty solid.

SHOW WIN TALLY: 50

REWARD: 104 Days of Summer Vacation!

That was a lot more fun to do than the sins. Got gushy but that was the point. I did these sins in the first place out of love. Think of it as an Affectionate Parody. So there you go, we're more or less done, barring some specials I may do out of boredom.

This was a very long but fun ride. As I said, I never thought I would finish this but I made it. Took 3 years but ah well. I have more fun nitpicking than most people, it's weird. This was a fun project, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Even after I had to get a new tumblr after being locked out.

But I'm not doing sins. This was so much fun that , to quote Dan and Swampy,. I'm gonna do it again! Tomorrow or so, I'll start a vote for what Show I cover next Not saying the options until then. I'll do a post on here to link to it, as well linking it in the other usual places.

It'll be fun. I'd like to thank the hard working people who brought this show to life, Cinema Sins for giving my the idea, as well as LittleshyFim, and most of all, readers like you. Thanks. After all this, you likely only have one questions left.

Does this answer it?

See you later.

#Sins #Special Sins #Phineas and Ferb #Cinema Sins #Dan and Swampy

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kiribbeanplays-blog · 8 years ago

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Character Critiques - Machop Family

From brains and back to brawn, the Machop family is next to review!

Machop is one of the more difficult cases for me to review. As I’ve mentioned in past articles, my childhood had an incredibly strict definition of what makes a character worth even looking at. Originally, I didn’t care about Machop nearly as much as the fire-spitting not-really-a-dragon, Charizard.

Fortunately, my tastes have expanded as I’ve grown older. It took several years, but I’ve finally grown an appreciation for Machop and its evolutions.

Unfortunately, Machop still doesn’t rank very high in my book. It’s an okay design, but it’s cursed with artistic choices that make it feel downright clunky - at least to me, personally.

On paper, Machop’s core concept is highly amusing. It’s a child-sized, muscular lizard-man that can hurl a hundred adult humans without so much as breaking a sweat. A few Pokédex entries mention that Machop will casually use Gravelers as dumbbells (which are approximately five and a half times heavier than Machop). I love the mental image of a Machop plucking a confused rock monster from where it stands - not for hunting purposes, but just for exercising its muscles.

I have no problems with the ideas behind Machop. It’s the visual design that bugs me - but not even the entire thing. There are only incredibly specific details that I deem “clunky.”

Luckily, there are plenty of images I can use to illustrate my point. With that, I’ll go down a short list of what I think “doesn’t” work on Machop’s design, followed by what I feel is more fitting.

Firstly, I’ve never cared for Machop’s “vanilla” feet. What appear as short and stumpy limbs in Ken Sugimori’s art is actually the result of foreshortening. In profile, they’re actually boring, featureless loaves of bread that look like how I used to draw feet as a child.

The foreshortening accidentally creates a greater, visually striking shape. I think Machop looks more interesting with abstract, almost hoof-like feet. It’s a little bizarre, sure, but in a good way.

Secondly, while I don’t hate Machop’s general body shape, I also think it looks better in older artwork. There was a time Machop practically had a beer gut, with various degrees of exaggeration depending on the artist who drew it.

Especially with the Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire sprite, I argue that Machop can look downright unsettling with such weird proportions. It injects an extra indescribable alien feel to the rest of its design.

Oh, and this Japan-exclusive Battrio puck? Everything about it looks bad.

This is by far the worst Machop art I’ve ever seen. I’m at a loss for words. Just… don’t make it look like this.

I may only have a couple (arguably minor) problems with Machop’s design. However, when this character is so minimalistic, every detail counts. A simple change of its feet or belly shape stand out sharper than a character with many smaller details.

Machop isn’t an awful design, but a couple personal gripes prevent it from being something I’d consider great.

Also, can we take a moment to admire Machop performing armpit farts in Diamond and Pearl?

If you’re going to make a lizardman monster, why not go all out and make it as humanlike as possible?

Machoke may simply look like a cartoony human wearing a lizard mask, but that could be taken as a complement. I grew up watching a lot of cheesy-awesome science fiction media, where monster designs like these are commonplace. Because of that, Machoke feels like a loving parody!

I mean, Machoke looks like something Captain Kirk or the Robinson family fought against. It’s brilliant!

Unlike with Machop, I have little to no complaints about Machoke’s design. It’s another simplistic design, but all the little details fit nicely.

I love how Machoke’s crest doubles as a mohawk. The triangular “Anime eyes” add to the cheesiness of its design in an endearing way. Most of all, I like how the red stripes on its arms help highlight its muscular build.

Although, those stripes gain a creepy factor the more I analyze them. Are they just red tattoos, or visible blood vessels? Or is it torn skin because Machoke is literally ripped?

Eugh, what an eerie thought. Since the Pokédex doesn’t go into detail about this topic, it’s safe to assume they’re just markings.

I only scratch my head over one part of Machoke’s design: the obvious belt and pants it’s wearing. I get that the belt symbolizes Machoke’s love for martial arts. From a lore standpoint, however, it’s confusing. Do all Machoke sew their own garments? Where do they get the belt from? More importantly, how does Machop spontaneously evolve pants onto its body?

Well, no matter the mystery, I’m kind of glad that Machoke isn’t buck naked instead. Based on personal observation, we humans instinctively get nervous when staring at nude, crotchless aliens that share the same anatomy as ours. I guess it’s because we’re such self-conscious animals.

Even if it breaks continuity, we have to clothe these fictional creatures to break the awkwardness. The blue cats in James Cameron’s Avatar are a perfect example of what I mean (they reproduce through their hair, which is always exposed. What exactly do they have to hide at the bikini line?).There’s no proof that Machoke’s belt was added for this reason, but I think it’s fair speculation.

Moving on from that overanalysis, there’s still discussion to be had in Machoke’s personality. At first glance, it’s nothing unexpected; as a bodybuilder, Machoke loves to constantly flex and showcase its muscles. It’s easy to assume that Machoke would be a hotheaded narcissist, right?

As it turns out, Machoke is quite a humble Pokémon. It loves to work out, but isn’t explicitly competitive. Its waistbelt is designed to restrain its full strength, or else it’d be an overwhelming powerhouse. This may suggest that Machoke always ensures a challenging but fair fight against its opponents. Despite its obsession with training, Machoke actually shows impressive sportsmanship.

In addition, Machoke takes immense pride and joy using its strength to help others. Most commonly, it lends a hand at construction sites. But other instances, such as the Anime, illustrate Machoke helping little old ladies carry heavy baskets around. I absolutely adore the “gentle giant” concept going on with Machoke!

I’m just about ready to wrap up this (surprisingly lengthy) review on Machoke. There’s just one more minor topic I want to discuss.

In the past, I’ve brought up how several idle animations for Pokémon were very different back in Stadium and Colosseum/XD. Machoke in particular has always stuck in my memory as having the most contradictory idle movement ever.

All that talk about Machoke looking tough, but actually having a sweet personality, is not illustrated here. The way it’s hunched over and swaying its arms makes Machoke look more like a gorilla. It feels more like a primitive killing machine, rather than a collected brawler.

Compare this animation to Machoke’s generation VI+ sprite:

This is one of the times I actually approve a stiffer, subtly-moving idle animation. Machoke is standing its ground, but also keeping that calm and modest demeanor talked about in the Pokédex. This feels much more in-character than the older animation. I’m glad that Game Freak went with this decision.

Machoke’s prominence in the games and TV shows has helped flesh out its character over the years. I may not think about this Pokémon a whole lot when discussing the franchise, but I can talk a surprising amount about its design. All in all, Machoke is a solid character.

I didn’t think things could get even more cheesy awesome after Machoke, but Machamp has proven me wrong.

This four-armed, duck-faced muscle man looks like it could show up as an adversary for WWE. It even has a rash fighting spirit to go with its looks.

Japanese culture seems to love comically muscled superheroes. Think of Alex Louis Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist and Hildebrand's father in Final Fantasy XIV. Machamp is another one of those wacky, purposefully over-the-top characters, often wearing little more than their underpants.

I’m puzzled that I never liked Machamp as a kid. I tried (in vain) to watch as many Power Rangers episodes as I could, so this campy Pokémon should have been right up my alley. Alas, I instead ignored it for being “too ugly” or something.

I know I’ve been bashing my childhood in these articles as of late, but come on, past me! Look at what you’ve been missing!

What’s really sold me with Machamp is its appearance in Pokkén Tournament. I’ve yet to play it myself, but I’ve seen its wonderful animations through Youtube videos.

This is everything I was hoping for when I made the previous WWE connections. The way Machamp struts its musclebound prowess, gleefully poses like a superhero, and throws temper tantrums when things go awry are absolutely perfect for its character. Best of all, Machamp incorporates all these comical human behaviors while keeping that “mutant animal” aesthetic just like its other fellow Pokémon.

Funnily enough, I originally didn’t expect this Character Critiques to be so glowing. Machop’s family - and especially Machamp - were Pokémon I’ve never given much thought over. But now, I’ve realized how much Machamp embodies the appeal of the cheesy-but-awesome media I’ve always loved.

#article #character critiques #pokemon #machop #machoke #machamp #pocket monsters #game freak #nintendo

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talkingwithburritospodcast · 7 years ago

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Wunza Movie, Wunza Singer - TWB75

Wunza a movie and wunza a podcast about wunza movies, James Cameron, and Taylor Swift. What happens when your favorite show ends or gets canceled? Your automatic response is to price the cost of tickets to Hollywood so that you can burn the entire city to the ground… Vesuvius style. I’m talking to you Netflix; it wasn’t that you canceled Sense 8, it was that you were so smug afterward that people had no other choice but to berate your customer service reps with annoying phone calls begging you to bring back the show. Comment on this episode, ask a question or share what entertains you by visiting our website.

EPISODE MENU

[1:18] Roger Ebert and the wunza movie. [1:50] Hitman's Bodyguard and don't you think the roles should have been reversed. [3:02] One of my favorite wunza movies is 48 HRs with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. [7:51] Kylo Logan; let's review Lucky Logan. [12:21] James Cameron got in some hot dookie after stating the truth about Wonder Woman... the film. [26:03] Throw Atomic Blonde into the mix of feminism. [31:58] What to do when your favorite show is canceled or not renewed, which means canceled. [32:41] Downward Dog, I really love that show and ABC canceled it this summer. [34:48] Sense 8 canceled after two seasons. C'mon, couldn't we at least get three? [43:36] What you can do when your favorite show ends. [50:36]Listener question. [53:37]Taylor Swift really needs to sit down and be humble.

FOR STARTERS

Robert Ebert to this day is my favorite movie critic; Ebert and Stephen King when Stephen King reviews movies for EW. Roger Ebert.com is my source for trusted movie criticism these days and also, there is this pop culture writer I enjoy reading who writes for Wired Magazine, her name is Angela Watercutter and if there is anyone worth reading these days, her stuff is worth the pop culture indulgence. Roger Ebert phrased this term, the wunza movie, which consists of two individuals: one is a blank and the other is a blank and together they will do blank. Example Two: Nic Guys One is a small-time private dick and the other a muscle for hire who must work together to solve a murder. Example Two: 48 Hours. One is a crook and the other is a cop working to capture a prison escapee. Example Three: Hitman’s Bodyguard One is a disgraced bodyguard and the other a hitman who is the key witness in the trial of a Russian leader suspected of the genocide.

Not-so-Bosom Buddies and Hitman's Bodyguard

Hitman’s Bodyguard was more a spoof of a 48hrs and Nice Guys or the wunza movie. Although, nice guys and 48 hrs contained many humorous moments worth the laughter, the story maintains rooted in the human element and the evolution of the relationship between the two different people forced into this unfortunate situation.

The Human Element

The human element is where Hitman’s Bodyguard misses out on an opportunity to become one of those wunza movies we take seriously. Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds make an awesome duo, however, their roles should be reversed; Sam should be the bodyguard, an older experienced man of duty, with Reynolds as the young cocky hitman. Jackson's portrayal of a hip energetic fast-talking assassin played perfectly in line with his coolness, however, it didn’t bode well for the fatherly relationship he later established with his younger bodyguard.

Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond

Consider the relationship between Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond; these two detest one another as did Bryce (Reynolds) and Kincaid (Jackson) the two characters in Hitman’s Bodyguard, but which pair was more believable? Cates and Hammond’s relationship developed after a series of detours, rundowns, and attempts at Hammonds' escaping custody. Cates continually taunts Hammond throughout the movie, never really showing any remorse or concern for his well-being — 48hrs ends with Cates punching Hammonds in the face. The two were jokey but not in that slapstick sort of way; their comedy materializes from the many potholes they experience in search of Ganz, Hammond’s former partner in crime.

Byrce and Kincaid

Bryce and Kincaid weren’t able to necessarily share in one another’s misery necessary to develop a true pseudo-relationship. Maybe it was because they had killers on their backsides attempted to thwart their attempt to get Kincaid to the courthouse in time before the dismissal of the case a corrupt government official, or maybe it was all this back and forth with the government and Interpol that disrupted the continuity of the wunza story. Whatever the case, Kincaid, and Bryce were very likable but not well established as two individuals we should care about; they were more comedians than a hitman and bodyguard.

Selma Hayek Should Guard Her Hitman’s Body

The best comedic moment came with Hayek’s foul-mouthed tirades. As Sonai Kincaid, Selma Hayek plays wife to the Hitman who's doing time by association for her husband’s misdeeds. When we first meet her, she lays on the thick Spanish accent with such profanity-laced fluidity to a couple of FBI agent that just warms the vulgarity in all of us. The previous movie I saw her in was How To Be A Latin Lover, and although she’s a good English speaker, she’s even better when they let her Spanish fly.

Logan Lucky and This Side of The Come Up

Heist movies are dependent on the stakes involved and for Jimmy Logan, the stakes are rather modest: he just wants to catch a break and the Indy 500 is right for the pawn. read the review

SCOOP DU JOUR: What to do when a show you enjoy ends or is canceled

Petition.

Watch something new

Read a book.

Question: Is it better to start a show late or watch and wait for an episode each week?

We're On Your Favorite Social Media App! @talkingburritos and #showyourburrito, let me know your thoughts on this episode.

THIS, THAT, AND OTHER NEWS

Columnists berate James Cameron over sexist statements about Wonder Woman that were not entirely wrong. Wonder Woman is an overrated success. There was no malice to his statements, however, defenders (and Patty Jenkins herself) have dragged Cameron through the mud because he's not a woman, which, I took offense too because he his a Hollywood director and he knows a bit about the ilk of studio heads and producers who only see dollar signs.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

FLAVA TEXT THIS WEEK:

Nice guys finish last, and Shane Black is a nice guy.

Episode Length 01:01:43

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Talking With Burritos Presents A New Episode!

#Podcast #Movies #Entertainment #Film #Blog

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movietvtechgeeks · 8 years ago

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Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/drake-not-done-j-lo-shes-busy-balling-rod/

Drake not done with J-Lo but she's busy balling with A-Rod

While he is no longer in relationship with Jennifer Lopez, Toronto-born rapper Drake is still talking about her – well, singing about her. On Saturday, March 18th, Drake released his highly anticipated album More Life. Featuring 22 new songs and a bunch of big name collaborators, such as Kanye West, 2 Chainz, and Travis Scott, the artist’s new album is already generating tons of buzz. One of the songs on the album’s track list that is getting plenty of attention, in particular, is the song “Free Smoke.” In the song, Drake sings out lyrics that refer to his former flame, Miss Lopez. In “Free Smoke,” Drake candidly raps, “I drunk text J. Lo/ Old numbers so I bounce back/ Boy Wonder gotta bounce back” – implying that he no longer has a valid phone number for his ex. Although Drake alludes to not staying in touch with Jennifer in his lyrics, sources close to the star claim that they are actually on good terms. An insider recently revealed to E! News, “[Drake and Jennifer] have just cooled things off a bit…they are in each others’ lives, just doing their own thing now.” Meanwhile, while Drake is busy with the release of his new music, Jennifer is busy with her new beau Alex Rodriguez. Just a few days ago, Jennifer was seen spending quality time with Alex in Miami. You can now listen to Drake’s album More Life in full on most music streaming services. Take me out to the ballgame, A-Rod. You got it, J-Lo. Back at spring training with the New York Yankees as a guest instructor, Alex Rodriguez watched part of Saturday's exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles in a suite with singer-actress Jennifer Lopez. The two are said to be dating. A-Rod has been linked romantically to other Hollywood stars in the past, including Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz. Rodriguez was released by the Yankees last August with more than a season left on his $275 million, 10-year contract. The 41-year-old former slugger began his first stint as a guest instructor with the team last month and said his playing days are over. Fox recently announced a multiyear deal with Rodriguez that expands his broadcasting role with the network. A-Rod hit 696 home runs during 22 years in the big leagues, leaving him fourth on the career list. He was suspended for the 2014 season for violating Major League Baseball's drug agreement and labor contract. Late on Wednesday, young model Kendall Jenner’s home in Hollywood Hills was burglarized. An unknown thief (or group of thieves) managed to break in and get away with around $200,000 worth of her jewelry. Inevitably, the starlet was not happy with the whole situation and has since opted to fire the security guard who was on duty at the time. New reports about the incident have since been released by media outlet TMZ. It turns out that Kendall was actually hosting a group of friends at her house on Wednesday evening and she just briefly stepped out, while a number of her guests stayed in her home. Law enforcement believes that the robbery took place during the time that Kendall had left her residence, despite the fact that she still had [thought-to-be trustworthy] guests hanging around. With these new details revealed, it does appear that the robbery was an inside job. However, this did not stop Kendall from taking immediate action – starting with her security team. According to TMZ, Kendall fired the security guard who was on duty Wednesday evening. This guard was stationed in front of her property and reportedly let in an uninvited guest to the 21-year-old’s home during the brief period of time in which she had stepped out. Fortunately, Kendall has a complex security camera system set up and police are utilizing the surveillance footage from the night to try and find whoever is responsible for the theft. While it is not clear what exactly was stolen from the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, TMZ reports that the intruder(s) got away with at least a Rolex and a Cartier watch. Katy Perry revealed on Saturday night that she’s done more than just kiss girls. The pop star was honored at the Human Rights Campaign Gala in Los Angeles where she revealed she explored her sexuality as a teenager. “How was I going to reconcile that with a gospel singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps?” Perry, 32, shared while accepting the National Equality Award, according to E! News. “What I did know was I was curious, and even then I knew sexuality wasn’t as black and white as this dress,” she said. “And honestly, I haven’t always gotten it right, but in 2008 when that song came out I knew that I started a conversation and a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along, too.” Because of her religious upbringing — both of her parents are pastors — she spent much time praying “the gay away in my Jesus camps.” Her perspective on sexuality shifted after she made the leap from Gospel music to the mainstream. “I found my gift, and my gift introduced me to people outside my bubble and my bubble started to burst,” Perry said. “These people were nothing like I had been taught to fear. They were the most free, strong, kind and inclusive people I have ever met.” Tim Allen says that living in Hollywood right now is akin to Nazi Germany. The comedian made the claim while appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “You gotta be real careful around here,” Allen noted. “You get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody else believes. This is like ’30s Germany.” Allen, 63, plays an outspoken conservative on the sitcom “Last Man Standing” and is one of the few actors in Hollywood to profess having right-wing leanings. When Kimmel asked him about attending the inauguration ceremony the “Home Improvement” star’s eyes bulged and he stammered: “I was invited, we did a VIP thing for the vets, and went to a veterans ball, so I went to go see Democrats and Republicans.” “Yeah I went to the inauguration,” he added. According to Blac Chyna, her and Rob Kardashian are just going through a rough patch. “I feel like every person who’s in a long-term relationship, or who is committed to their person, goes through ups and downs,” she told Cosmopolitan South Africa. “Everything isn’t always going to be peaches and cream.” Chyna, the cover star of the magazine’s April issue, says the two are “fighting for each other – even though they’re living apart. “I’m in it for the long haul,” the 28-year-old insisted. “I feel like everything isn’t going to be perfect, but I know we love each other, and the people we surround ourselves with are rooting for us.” And despite the pair’s on and off again status, their daughter Dream remains a priority. “We have a whole other human being that looks up to us, so we have to make sure she’s taken care of,” she's said of their baby who was born in November. The sole son of the Kardashian family – who turned 30 on Friday – is “a wonderful dad.” “I think it’s because he had such a great father,” Chyna said. Josh Duggar and his wife Anna are looking to the future. “We are delighted to share with you that we are expecting a new baby boy later this year,” the couple said in a statement on the Duggar family’s website. “Beauty comes from ashes and we cannot wait to see and kiss the face of this sweet new boy!” While the announcement didn’t mention the 29-year-old Josh’s sordid past, the couple acknowledged a “breach of trust.” “For nearly the last two years, we have quietly worked to save our marriage, focus on our children, and rebuild our lives together as a family. Doing so is never easy after a breach of trust,” the statement read. “We’ve learned that a life of faith and rebuilding a life together is simply done one day at a time.” In 2015, Josh admitted to molesting five girls as well as cheating on his wife via the affair enabling website Ashley Madison. In the time since the scandal rocked the “19 Kids and Counting” family, the reality star has attended a faith-based rehab and worked with a counselor to salvage his marriage. The couple is already parents to Mackynzie Renée, 7, Michael James, 5, Marcus Anthony, 3, and Meredith Grace, 1. Earlier this month, the religious brood showed support for Josh on his 29th birthday “We love you, your amazing wife and sweet children. We pray that you diligently follow and serve the Lord with your whole heart all the days of your life and that this year is a wonderful year for you and your family,” the family said on Facebook. While you wouldn’t know it from the tabloid headlines, which are filled with stories about her new relationship, superstar Jennifer Lopez actually has other notable things going on in her life right now. In fact, the starlet just got the word that she will be returning to the small screen as the star of NBC’s hit crime drama Shades of Blue. On Friday, the Entertainment President at NBC, Jennifer Salke, announced that the network has renewed Shades of Blue for a third season. This is a particularly big accomplishment for Jennifer Lopez, and the rest of the show’s cast, as the second season of the series just started airing a mere two weeks. In the official statement announcing the series’ renewal, Jennifer Salke noted, “[We here at NBC are] so hugely appreciative of everything Jennifer [Lopez] and Ray [Liotta] do, and know it is due to their dedication, as well as the hard work of our incredible cast and producers, that Shades of Blue has so clearly and compellingly earned a third-season renewal.” The NBC executive went on to add, “The show continues to mine powerful stories that always leave us hungry for more.” In addition to Shades of Blue, NBC also just recently announced the renewals of several other shows, including: This is Us, Superstore and The Good Place. You can catch Jennifer in Shades of Blue when it airs on Sundays at 10/9c on NBC. On Thursday, it was announced that supermodel Tyra Banks would be returning to her role as host of the reality competition America’s Next Top Model. In 2016, after hosting 22 seasons of the show, Tyra shocked fans when she decided to step down from her hosting gig. For season 23, singer and media star Rita Ora took over the reigns and judged a brand new batch of hopeful models, alongside a panel of fashion experts which included stylist Law Roach, model Ashley Graham and Paper magazine’s Creative Consultant Drew Elliot. While Rita did fairly well in the role, especially considering the enormous shoes she had to fill, she will not be returning as host for season 24. Executive producer of America’s Next Top Model, Ken Mok addressed Tyra’s unexpected decision to return after just a short, 1-season absence. Ken told the press, “Tyra has always been the heart and soul of the franchise and her absence was deeply felt by our fiercely loyal fans who missed their Queen of the Smize. We’d like to thank Rita Ora for being a great partner and total pro. She infused this new iteration of ANTM with passion and creativity, and we wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.” Although Tyra has officially stolen back the ANTM spotlight from Rita, there is no bad blood between the two beauties. Following the announcement on Thursday, Tyra and Rita exchanged some kind words over Twitter. Tyra posted, “Mizz [Rita Ora], you exemplify Business Boss Brand to the fullest! Thank you for all the amazingness you brought to ANTM,” in which Rita replied, “Thank you, Tyra! Was such an honor and pleasure being on your show. Everyone welcome Tyra back!!” Rita & Tyra, Twitter posts: https://twitter.com/tyrabanks/status/842497262802554881 https://twitter.com/RitaOra/status/842501937664729088 At this point, it has not been revealed who will be joining Tyra on the judging panel for season 24. Stay tuned for more ANTM updates! While she may be doing a lot better and is [somewhat] back in the spotlight these days, former Disney starlet Selena Gomez is definitely not looking to be wrapped up in the craziness of Hollywood for the long haul. In the latest issue of Vogue magazine, Selena talked candidly about what her late-2016 stay in rehab was like, as well as her desperate desire to live a more normal life. The Spring Breakers actress said in her interview with the publication, “You have no idea how incredible it felt to just be with six girls [in the rehabilitation program]. Real people who couldn’t give two s*** about who I was, who were fighting for their lives. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but it was the best thing I’ve done.” Selena also went on to address her toned down presence on social media, as she explained, “as soon as I became the most followed person on Instagram, I sort of freaked out. It had become so consuming to me. It’s what I woke up to and went to sleep to. I was an addict, and it felt like I was seeing things I didn’t want to see, like it was putting things in my head that I didn’t want to care about. I always end up feeling like s*** when I look at Instagram. Which is why I’m kind of under the radar, ghosting it a bit.” In terms of maintaining her star status, Selena admitted that she is looking forward to the day she is no longer one of the most famous celebs in the world. Selena candidly told the magazine, “I just really can’t wait for people to forget about me.”

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

#ARod #Celebrity Gossip #Drake #Featured #JLo #Josh Duggar #Katy Perry #Kendall Jenner #Selena Gomez

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