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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Apr 19, 2022 19:54:57 GMT 1
RECKLESS LOVE - Turborider
Release Date: March 25, 2022Turborider is the fifth album by Finnish rock band Reckless Love, released on 25 March 2022 through AFM Records and produced by Joonas Parkkonen. It was originally scheduled for a 25 February release, but was postponed due to limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented them from distributing the physical copies of the album. It was released as CD, LP, and a special box set which includes a portable video game. The first single "Outrun", was released on 10th September 2021. The second single, "Eyes of a Maniac", came out on 19 November 2021. The title track was released as the third single on 21 January 2022, with a video coming ten days later. Their cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon" was released as the fourth single on 4 March 2022. The Finnish sleaze rockers return after a four-year hiatus featuring 11 tracks of synth-wave infused rock. 1. Turborider 7.5 2. Eyes Of A Maniac 8 3. Outrun 9.5 4. Kids Of The Arcade 7 5. Bark At The Moon 7.5 6. Prelude (Flight Of The Cobra) N/A 7. Like A Cobra 8 8. For The Love Of Good Times 7 9. ’89 Sparkle 6.5 10. Future Lover Boy 7.5 11. Prodigal Sons 8SummaryReckless Love have released some great hair metal over their first 4 albums but they have come back from a four year hiatus to release a slick synth laden, 80's inspired synth pop album complete with rolling drums straight out of Miami Vice and. My highlight here and the song that hooked me in was the single "Outrun", It sounds exactly like Melody Club! the rest of the album falls a bit short, decent opening with singles "Turborider" and "Eyes Of A Maniac", and I loved the Mortal Kombat sample in "Kids Of The Arcade" and "Bark At The Moon" is an Ozzy Osbourne cover, I like but doesn't really offer anything different to the original. A short prelude leads into a song called "Like A Cobra" that has the exact same intro as the theme song from "Kung Fury", and builds into another Melody Clubby feeling tune so that one is good too, the album drifts off a little after that, nothing bad, just all a bit samey, "89 Sparkle’s" has an interesting party theme with a bouncy. Things get a bit more interesting with closing tracks "Future Lover Boy" and "Prodigal Sons" though, they are actually more like Reckless Love's older stuff but with extra synths, with the latter closing the album to metallic chugging riff and a gothic feeling intro. Yeah I like, some good stuff here but it is "Outrun" that stands out here 7.65/10
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Post by greendemon on Apr 20, 2022 10:26:47 GMT 1
I hadn't heard of these guys before but you had me at 80's inspired synth pop, I just looked up 'Outrun' and as expected I enjoy it very much!
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Apr 28, 2022 18:46:20 GMT 1
GHOST - ImperaRelease Date: March 11, 2022Impera is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost, it was produced by Klas Åhlund (best known for his music with Caesars/Teddybears), h also produced the band's 2015 album, Meliora. The release of Impera was preceded by three singles: the first, "Hunter's Moon", was released on 30 September 2021 in support of the 2021 slasher film Halloween Kills and is featured as part of the film's soundtrack, the second single, "Call Me Little Sunshine", was released on 20 January 2022 and the third, "Twenties", was released on 2 March 2022. The theme of Impera mainly focuses on "the rise and fall of empires". The album received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, which indicates "universal acclaim" and charted at #2 in both the UK and USA. Tobias Forge has been hyping up this album quite a bit, saying this is to be his Black Album and that he feels obligated to go bigger with it than any record before In Ghost's case it does feel like the production value is amped up. 1. Imperium 8.5 2. Kaisarion 9.5 3. Spillways 9.5 4. Call Me Little Sunshine 9.5 5. Hunter’s Moon 9 6. Watcher in the Sky 9 7. Dominion N/A 8. Twenties 7 9. Darkness at the Heart of My Love 8 10. Griftwood 9.5 11. Bite of Passage N/A 12. Respite on the Spitalfields 9
SummaryEvery album see Ghost move in a new direction when a new leader is elevated to front the the band, although it is always Tobias Forge under a different alias, on Impera it is out with Cardinal Copia and his vintage pop metal and in with Papa Emeritus IV who brings strong AOR vibes with him on Impera, Opening instrumental "Imperium" leads straight into an absolute banger in Kaisarion, an overpowering Iron Maiden meets Queen, Spillways pays tribute to Bon Jovi and Def Leppard with a little Abba thrown in with the piano intro, Forge actually said he was hugely inspired by Def Leppard for this record and Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott was very complimentary of Ghost saying “The new Ghost record has been my go-to album for the last couple of weeks”, " It’s like a whole new genre of music – it’s way more Toto than death metal or any of that stuff. It’s like the song Spillways. It starts off like Hold The Line by Toto or Jane by Jefferson Starship – one of those classic 70s songs that begin on the piano before these big, chunky chords come in.". Next up we change up direction a bit with "Call Me Little Sunshine", a song ofcourse about the devil, I love the way this one chugs along a lot like one of their older songs "Cirice", check that out if you liked this one, "Hunters Moon" was the first single off the album to be released for 2021 slasher film Halloween Kills where it was the song for the credits, complete with big guitars and satanic chanting. "Watcher In the Sky" has a huge "Blue Öyster Cult" esq chorus, Tobias Forge isn't afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve. "Twenties" is somewhat polarizing, ad the first disappointment on the album, I don't feel like it works as a singe, a song or fits the flow of the album, instrumentally it has a Rammstein-esque industrial metal riff but over the top of that everything is it quite manic, not terrible but certainly a miss. "Darkness At the Heart of My Love", gets the album back on track, this one is the pure Ghost that we know, a metal tinged poppy power ballad, not unlike Bryan Adams. "Griftwood" is a bit of a hidden gem, tucked away at the end of the album with it's glam metal riffing in the style of Van Halen, it is pure arena rock. Another 30 second instrumental tales us into final track "Respite of the Spitalfield" which reveals Forge's fondness for Goth Rock. If you love shameless AOR-revivalism filled with nostalgic campiness you should at least have a bit of a good time with Impera! 8.85/10
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Post by greendemon on Apr 28, 2022 21:37:57 GMT 1
I somehow thought this would get a high score It's the first Ghost album I've heard in its entirety but I like it a lot. I was a little sceptical after 'Twenties' which didn't really land with me but I enjoy the rest of it. 'Call Me Little Sunshine' is a song of the year contender.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Apr 28, 2022 22:17:32 GMT 1
Yeah Twenties was a very very odd choice as a single, they could've closed their eyes and thrown a dart at the track list and anything else would've been a better choice. I know Tobias Forge said he wanted to get Kaisarian released but the record label went for Twenties
Think this might be my highest rating yet! Safe to say I'm loving it
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on May 10, 2022 12:38:18 GMT 1
BATTLE BEAST - Circus Of Doom
Release Date: January 20, 2022Finnish power metal stalwarts Battle Beast have returned with their sixth album, Circus of Doom. Formed in 2008 and signed to Nuclear Blast in 2012, Battle Beast consists of six masterful musicians; Eero Sipilä on bass, Pyry Vikki on drums, Janne Björkroth on keytar, Juuso Soinio on rhythm guitar, Joona Björkroth on lead guitar, and outstanding vocalist Noora Louhimo. Janne Björkroth produced and mixed Circus of Doom. They achieved quick success among metal fans with 3 #1 albums in Finland, and as high as #11 on the German charts with 2019’s No More Hollywood Endings. The band has accrued over 200 million streams worldwide, and their plans for world domination have only begun 1. Circus Of Doom 7.5 2. Wings Of Light 8.5 3. Master Of Illusion 9 4. Where Angels Fear To Fly 8 5. Eye Of The Storm 8.5 6. Russian Roulette 8.5 7. Freedom 7 8. The Road To Avalon 7.5 9. Armageddon 7.5 10. Place That We Call Home 7
SummaryIf your looking for an orchestral metallized Bonnie Tyler/Jim Steinman style collaboration then your in luck, I present to you Finnish power metal band Battle Beast with their latest album "Circus Of Doom". A lot of metal bands have a more melodic pop sound these days and I'm all for it, the album starts with some kind of creepy music box intro before bursting into life with album title track "Circus of Doom" which quickly descends into swirling symphonic melodrama, a lot of their album can be described as Nightwish meets Abba, I cant really do them justice with words but you can be sure to expect an album full of catchy hooks and tasty riffs. 2019’s No More Hollywood Endings saw them toy with the idea of power metal, injecting it with 80s synths and euro-pop sensibilities to some success, it was the single "No More Hollywood Endings" that first grabbed my attention and on "Circus of Doom" we have more of the same, hook, soaring chorus, guitar solo, melody dialled up to eleven, an album I'm sure Haven would appreciate 7.90/10
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on May 18, 2022 17:38:05 GMT 1
PUPPY - Pure Evil
Release Date: May 6, 2022Puppy were one of the first bands I covered in this Razzle's Album Rating series back in 2019 with "The Goat" (7.58), three years later we have a new album to sink our teeth into called "Pure Evil". For those who don't know, Puppy are an English grunge rock band from London, formed in 2014. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/guitarist Jock Norton, bass guitarist Will Michael and drummer Billy Howard Price. They are currently signed to Rude Records. Puppy have performed at several music festivals held in the UK over the last few years including Glastonbury Festival, Download Festival, Bloodstock, Slam Dunk Festival and 2000 Trees Festival. Puppy borrow heavily from 90's alt rock with their big riffs and pop hooks, at times they sound remarkably like Ghost with their hypnotic mix of melodic but heavy riffs with a sinister occult undercurrent running through their debut record so lets see how their new album stacks up in comparison 1. Shining Star N/A 2. The Kiss 8.5 3. My Offer 8 4. Wasted Little Heart 7 5. Hear My Word 6.5 6. Spellbound 7 7. Dear John N/A 8. ...And Watched It Glow 7.5 9. Holy Water 7 10. Sacrifice 8.5 11. Angel 9 12. Shame 6.5 13. Glacial 9SummaryThe band themselves have stated that their goal, musically, "was to aim for somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and Black Sabbath". For me Puppy converge where stoner metal, nineties alternative grunge and garage rock all meet, which ticks a lot of boxes for me, on their new record they have kept true to their sound of big riffs and pop hooks and built on it with "Pure Evil", things get really sludgy at times especially on "Sacrifice" which is my highlight of the album along with new song "Glacial", this is grungy stoner rock done right, honourable mentions also go to previous singles "Angel" and "The Kiss", overall this is an impressive second album, so good I'm on the third run through of the day 7.68/10
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Post by greendemon on Jun 3, 2022 11:07:14 GMT 1
I'm so behind with albums this year - too many singles to listen to This one is on my radar, really like 'Glacial' and 'My Offer', one of them will be making an appearance in my next chart.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Jun 3, 2022 11:33:34 GMT 1
Yeah im so far behind too, need to have a week of just listening to albums
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TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,510
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Post by TheThorne on Jun 3, 2022 11:42:25 GMT 1
Yeah im so far behind too, need to have a week of just listening to albums Like holidays as I can catch up big time although still need to do Lingovision
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Post by greendemon on Jun 3, 2022 11:55:34 GMT 1
You both do but there's still another week and am waiting for quite a few people still so plenty of time.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Jun 3, 2022 11:56:01 GMT 1
Yeah im well behind on Lingovision too, will get that done over the weekend
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Jun 6, 2022 18:41:48 GMT 1
SEA GIRLS – Homesick
Release Date: March 18, 2022Ok time for another, this time we have the London four-piece's second album "Homesick", released less than 2 years after their debut. The band recorded the album remotely with their long-time collaborator Larry Hibbitt and Los Angeles-based producer Jacknife Lee. They admitted that the distance and time zones that separated them from Lee in America were challenging. Like their debut album this also charted at #3 in the UK and as supported by 5 or 6 singles so I know plenty here, I will be listening to their DELUXE edition which seems to simply just have 3 more tracks than the original release, track 3, 13 and 14. 1. Hometown 9 2. Sick 9 3. DNA 9.5 4. Lonely 8 5. Someone's Daughter, Someone's Son 7 6. Sleeping with you 7.5 7. Paracetamol Blues 7.5 8. Again Again 9.5 9. Lucky 7.5 10. Higher 7.5 11. Cute Guys 6.5 12. Friends 8 13. Watch Your Step 8 14. I Got You 7
SummaryGreat start to the album with 3 big singles and for me the best song om the album DNA which was added for the deluxe release, after that things get a bit samey until banger of a track "Again Again". With one album and four EP’s under their belt they are amassing quite a good back catalogue of songs but "Homesick" is pretty hit and miss. On thier new alum their frontman said "The songs were a lot about identity, what I think about life, who am I?. When I got into a band, I wanted to get away from home, to create my identity. But then, you’re sort of forced to remember what it’s like to be a child. We didn’t want to embellish any of the songs too much. The first album, we had a lot of fun in the studio. ‘Let’s put that on it. Let’s put this.’ And this was about being brutal. A lot of these songs, thematically, lyrically, cut a little bit harder. I’m not really singing about, I don’t know, rainbows and dragons. There was a total honesty to writing these songs and a lot of them came quite easily." I'm a big Sea Girls fan and this is a solid but slightly rushed second album imo, has some great songs and some mediocre songs, not entirely sure what to make of closing track "I Got You" though, I cant unhear an acoustic version of "In Bloom" by Nirvana, gibe it a listen, you will see what I mean 7.96/10
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Jul 12, 2022 18:37:59 GMT 1
Alt-J - The Dream
Release Date: February 11, 2022The Dream is the fourth album by English indie rock band alt-J. It was promoted with the single "U&Me", which was released alongside the album's announcement on 22 September 2021. "Get Better" was released as the album's second single on 3 November 2021 and was accompanied by a pixel-art music video. "Hard Drive Gold" was released as the album's third single on 5 January 2022. "The Actor" was released as the fourth single on 7 February 2022. The album received a four-star rating from The Guardian, who said it was a "stroll around the curiosity shop". In the same review the band's embrace of American sounds was noted. Personally Alt-J have always been hit and miss with me, they are a little like a modern day Pink Floyd with a little Radiohead and Vampire Weekend thrown in there, very experimental at times, I like it when they stick to the poppy sound like on "Breezeblocks" and "Left Hand Free" 1. Bane 7.5 2. U&ME 9 3. Hard Drive Gold 7.5 4. Happier When You’re Gone 6.5 5. The Actor 7 6. Get Better 7.5 7. Chicago 6.5 8. Philadelphia 7.5 9. Walk a Mile 5 10. Delta N/A 11. Losing My Mind 5 12. Powders 5.5SummaryA standard alt-j album that provides some beautiful moments sprinkled amongst some pretty mediocre stuff. I've always had trouble with Alt-J because I've enjoyed their singles but the full album experience doesn't do it for me and The Dream is no exception. The album gets more and more abstract (even by alt-j standards), I recommend giving the album a listen if you love Art Rock but turn off after "Philadelphia" because the album which was decent up until that point falls off a cliff hard 6.77/10
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Jul 13, 2022 17:39:15 GMT 1
THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE – FascinationFrom the band whose landmark album Walking With Strangers has been called the "Sgt. Peppers of Dark Wave" comes their 12th release and most intimate offering to date. " Fascination" is at once the most fully realized album with the bands signature blend of haunting vocals, captivating electronica and aggressive guitars and their most accessible. All the lessons of the last 20 years in one great record. The singular world they have carved out for their hundreds of thousands of fans around the world is ready to be shared with millions of others. For those of you out of the loop, The Birthday Massacre are a Canadian rock band formed in 1999 in Ontario, probably best described as slightly gothic synth rock with elements of new wave Release Date: February 18, 2022
1. Fascination 8 2. Dreams of You 9 3. Cold Lights 8 4. Stars and Satellites 8 5. One More Time 9.5 6. Like Fear, Like Love 8 7. Once Again 7.5 8. Precious Hearts 8 9. The End of All Stories 7
SummaryThe Birthday Massacre has carved a niche for themselves by pairing angelic vocals with entrancing synths and things are no different on "Fascination", this one follows in the footsteps of 2020’s Diamonds, which got an 8.16 back in 2020 when I reviewed that one. It is just so hard to dislike anything they release, the vocals are always clean and angelic, the guitars heavy yet poppy, killer synths. The music on "Fascination" is even more fantastical and filled with whimsy than usual, with sprinklings of star spangled keys and some nice 80s drum loops, "One More Time" is my highlight here bang in the middle of the album, this one is so 80s it hurts, single "Dreams of You" is a banger too. "Fascination" is powerful, atmospheric and passionate, with the usual 80s vibes and their goth rock elements blended with the synth rock, another good release by them 8.11/10
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Post by greendemon on Jul 14, 2022 0:24:05 GMT 1
I've liked most of what I've heard from them and thought this was a really solid album.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Jul 28, 2022 16:22:21 GMT 1
WHITE LIES - As I Try Not To Fall Apart
Release Date: February 18, 2022As I Try Not to Fall Apart is the sixth studio album by British post-punk band White Lies. The album had four singles released ahead of its release: the title track, "I Don't Want to Go to Mars", "Am I Really Going to Die", and "Blue Drift". It peaked at #14 in the UK album chart. From what I remember of the singles (which i really liked) it's a bit of a different sound for White Lies, the vibe i got was 80's and quite poppy so lets see if the rest of the album lives up to the same high standards. 1. Am I Really Going to Die 8.5 2. As I Try Not to Fall Apart 8 3. Breathe 8 4. I Don't Want to Go to Mars 9.5 5. Step Outside 8.5 6. Roll December 8 7. Ragworm 7.5 8. Blue Drift 8 9. The End 7 10. There Is No Cure for It 8SummaryAs I touched on earlier this is very much White Lies daring to go a bit pop, the music has a nice groove to it and the vocals have a swoony Bowie-esq quality to them but right from track one frontman Harry McVeigh is agonising over his mortality in "Am I Really Going to Die", which is a surprisingly poppy number given the theme. Throughout "As I Try Not To Fall Apart" we have thoughts on consumerism, superficiality existence and the futility of living so pretty deep for what is their poppiest album. My favourite lyric from the album is from "Breathe" - "The illusion of forgiveness is a party trick". This album definitely hits that sweet spot between sounding commercial and radio friendly but with the depth, meaning and personality of a cult classic. 8.10/10
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Aug 23, 2022 22:23:07 GMT 1
SEA POWER - Everything Was Forever
Release Date: February 18, 2022Sea Power (formerly British Sea Power) release their first new album in five years "Everything Was Forever". Their music has won them some remarkable admirers – Lou Reed, David Bowie and London's National Maritime Museum. Indeed, the BSP fanbase now includes Doctor Who, Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes. Now in their third decade as a band British Sea Power continue to make bold, galvanising, idiosyncratic marks on the world. Race horses and massive ocean-going yachts have been named after the band. London's National Maritime Museum recently opened a new £35m exhibition wing. Visitors are greeted by huge, sculpted quotations from Shakespeare and Coleridge – and a lyric from British Sea Power. 1. Scaring At The Sky 6 2. Transmitter 9 3. Two Fingers 9 4. Fire Escape In The Sky 7 5. Doppelgänger 7.5 6. Fear Eats The Soul 6.5 7. Folly 8 8. Green Goddess 7.5 9. Lakeland Echo 6.5 10. We Only Want To Make You Happy 7
SummarySea Power, as we know now minus the British return with a very British Sea Power album, unlikely to banish their cult status but we have their usual ethereal, grandiose sound, my favourite British Sea Power songs are the ones that have that classic BSP sound, almost mechanical, with chanting in the background both heavy yet poppy, they are quite the enigma, I remember seeing them live and they spend the first half an hour of the set setting up plants as stage props then went on to play a load of B sides, album tracks and the weird "Man of Aran" soundtrack lol. I don't like it when they get too weird, songs like "Transmitter" and "Two Fingers" are classic BSP at their best though, but like most BSP albums, a few too many abstract, ethereal, slow songs I just cant get into, worth a listen but think I will stick to the singles 7.40/10
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Post by greendemon on Aug 24, 2022 9:10:46 GMT 1
I loved 'Remember Me' waaaaay back in the day when they were still BSP. Somehow I've missed this one completely - will need to check it out.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Aug 24, 2022 14:17:28 GMT 1
THE 5:55 - Focus MoronRelease Date: January 18, 2022The 5:55 (pronounced THE-FIVE-FIFTY-FIVE) was born out of the dark basements of fraternity houses along the I81 corridor. A lack of local music venues meant fraternity and sorority parties were the ideal space for the band to perform. They quickly realized this was a blessing in disguise. One party later, The 5:55 was booked for nearby college shows nearly every weekend. After that first year, word poured out faster than cheap beers at happy hour, and soon the band was playing colleges all across the country. The band teamed up with Producer Matt Squire and Producer Austin Bello to record their debut album. They were in the studio when the world suddenly came to a grinding halt, but that didn’t stop them from working. Squire and the band decided to develop technology to make recording remotely possible. They quickly found what they put together also applied to multi-location live streaming. So Entangled Audio was formed. Entangled Audio allows for an intimate experience with the listeners. The technology provides the listener to interact with the band on a personal level, asking questions about the song, requests to hear their favourite track, and questions directed towards the band in general. This experience is much more personal and engaging than traditional live streams. 1. Lost in the Motion 7.5 2. Worriers 9 3. Up All Night 8 4. Drivin' Me Mad 7 5. Poly 7 6. The Mourning 7 7. Wasted 8 8. She's Got Eyes 8 9. Losin' It 7.5 10. 4Years 7.5
Summary"Focus Moron" is the debut self produced college band from Washington who list their influences as Blink-182, Green Day, Sum 41, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, My Chemical Romance, Muse, Rise Against, Linkin Park, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Foo Fighters, Avenged Sevenfold and you can hear some of these influences in their indie pop rock sound. There is nothing to dislike here, its all fun indie pop with a pop rock, my favourite track is still "Worriers" which I charted at #4 earlier this year but I recommend giving the full album a listen because for a self produced album by a bunch of kids from Washington this is great, think they popped up on Spotify New Rock section back in February, either that or "Gerard at soundofus" new release schedule 7.65/10
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