Laurel Canyon Music

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Filtering by Category: Folk

Molly Tuttle - When You're Ready (05/04/19)

Artist: Molly Tuttle

Release Date: 5th April, 2019

Genre: Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

Record Label: Compass

Tracks: 11

Website:

Compass is proud to announce the release of award-winning guitar virtuoso Molly Tuttle's debut album, 'When You're Ready'. An insightful, gifted songwriter who was crowned "Instrumentalist of the Year" at the 2018 Americana Music Awards on the strength of her EP Rise, Tuttle has broken boundaries and garnered the respect of her peers, winning fans for her incredible flat-picking guitar technique and confessional songwriting. Graced with a clear, true voice and a keen melodic sense, the 25-year-old seems poised for a long and exciting career. 'When You're Ready', produced by Ryan Hewitt (The Avett Brothers, The Lumineers) showcases her astonishing range and versatility and shows that she is more than simply an Americana artist.

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Good Harvest - Far Beyond EP (17/05/19)

The brand new live EP from one of our favourite Swedish duo’s Good Harvest. This live recording features symphony orchestra Dalasinfoniettan and conductor Jonas Nydesjö. It was recorded in Kristinehallen, Falun on December 5th, 2018.

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Edgelarks - Feather (17/05/19)

  • Artist: Edgelarks

  • Release Date: 17th May, 2019

  • Genre: Folk, Americana, Roots

  • Record Label: Dragonfly Roots

  • Tracks: 11

  • Website: http://www.edgelarks.co.uk

In April 2018, Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin) retreated to a remote cottage in Ulpha, western Cumbria. They breathed in the mountain view, banked up the fire, and took their many instruments out of their cases. Then they sat down, and wrote. Tired of the navelgazing tendencies of sad songwriting, and the terrible events frequently depicted in the folk ballad tradition, they decided to turn their attention to an oft overlooked but vital facet of our lives: hope.

Swiftly, a set of songs and tunes emerged. Stories of wonder from the natural world; tales of rejoicing and long lost returns; and simple thanksgiving for their own surroundings and place in the landscape. Informed by world rhythms, British folk roots, and the duo's penchant for making as much noise as possible with only two people, the album is an upbeat celebration, an incitement to hope. The album will launch with an accompanying tour in May 2019.

Phil and Hannah have already proved themselves one of the most captivating and innovative acoustic duo’s in the UK and their fifth studio album certainly doesn’t disappoint. ‘Feather’ comprises ten original songs and a unique take on a traditional English folk song. All the excellent trademarks of previous albums are there. Phil on dobro, lap steel and beatbox harmonica and Hannah on banjo, fiddle and her distinctive vocal. Stomp and shruti box adding to the mix. Following on from his solo project ‘True North’, Phil also add more of his vocal to the new album.

Phil and Hannah comment that ‘Feather’ was borne out of a creative block. Weary from a lot of time on the road after worldwide tour, they retreated to a remote cottage in the Cambrian Lakes.

Hannah comments “We went there in the spring and breathed in the mountain air. We turned off our phones, banked the fire, stocked the fridge and wrote. Having had no time or energy the stories started to unfurl and we found that we were writing about hope. We had been lucky enough to experience solace, rest and welcome and these were now the things we wanted to sing about. We return from Cumbria with a suitcase full of new material - songs of hills, wild rain and sunshine and the circle of all things, songs for tired hearts and troubled minds.”

The album was produced by the in-demand Mark Tucker along with Phil at The Green Room in Devon.

The opening and title track of the album ‘Feather’ is inspired by finding a lone feather in the middle of a stone circle in Dartmoor. It’s a percussive, banjo driven track showcasing the duo’s wonderful musicianship. The sublime ‘Where I Stand’ was inspired by the Ogham stones and one in particular, the Dartmoor’s Roborough Down stone which commemorates two people with the underlying theme of migration.

One of the albums stand out songs is the breezy and carefree ‘Back From Hope’ with shared vocals and great fiddle playing from Hannah. It’s a song about a city based husband and wife who love to hike in the the Peak District. The contentment continues in ‘Wanting Nothing’ with wonderful dobro and banjo interplay, while twin guitars are the foundation to the slow paced beachcombing song ‘What We Save From The Tide’. I love the poetic parallels to the flotsam and jetsam of the creative process.

In the hypnotic ‘Oyster’ the pair explore the hope that can be found in nature, with a nod to a Emily Dickinson poem. Unusually Phil is playing banjo on the track with Hannah adding her tenor guitar. Watch out for the lovely build and an Indian mantra-like close. The gentle ‘Time Away’ advocates the importance of holidays with it’s looping rhythms that build into soaring strings and then fall back into a beautiful suspended stillness.

Full of beautiful dobro and banjo interplay ‘Growing’ celebrates a small miracle and is based on a true story of a lost and found wedding ring. While another album standout ‘Wander’ is a ‘song of belonging and welcome’ and showcases Phil’s fantastic beatbox harmonica playing. It tells the story of the loss of regional accents and offers the thought that ‘home’ should be defined by individuals and the place they put down roots rather than birthplace.

The only non original song on the album is their own very atmospheric and quite haunting version of the much recorded Traditional ballad ‘Spencer The Rover’. The album closes with ‘The Longest Day’ inspired by the turning of the year and the promise of summer. It’s a dreamy, calming finale brimming with promise with the dancing fiddle mimicking the rising of the sun in the summer sky.

‘Feather’ is a collection of ‘bright songs for dark days’, whether the darkness is perceived as seasonal or global. The album is very timely and perfectly on point, showcasing the music of one of the best Folk, Americana and Roots duos in the UK.

Phil and Hannah are currently on their UK album release tour with their London date at Cecil Sharp House on May 30th. Don’t miss them live.

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Joy Williams - Front Porch (03/05/19)

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  • Artist: Joy Williams

  • Release Date: 3rd May, 2019

  • Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Americana, Country

  • Record Label: Sensibility Recordings

  • Tracks: 12

  • Website: http://www.joywilliams.com

The excellent second studio album from Joy, who was part of the Grammy award winning The Civil Wars.

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Danni Nicholls - The Melted Morning (12/04/19)

  • Artist: Danni Nicholls

  • Release Date: 12th April, 2019

  • Genre: Americana, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

  • Record Label: Danni Nicholls Music

  • Tracks: 11

  • Website:

"A dark polished gem" - 8/10 AmericanaUK.

With the wind in her sails from receiving two consecutive Americana Music Association UK award nominations (2017 UK Album of the Year for Mockingbird Lane and 2018 UK Artist of the Year), singer/songwriter Danni Nicholls has embarked upon her next artistic journey - her third studio album 'The Melted Morning' with a new producer at the helm. Once again, Nashville, Tennessee, has played host to her musical undertaking, as the city has long held a special place in Danni's heart.

'The Melted Morning' was produced by Jordan Brooke Hamlin (The Indigo Girls, Lucy Wainwright-Roche) at the idyllic woodland studio MOXE, Nashville TN.

Closely personal yet widely relatable, the themes of this album span an array of life's takeaways; from the pain and darkness of rejection, the fear of losing yourself and the power of human connection to offering up hope and new perspectives in the face of adversities.

Love and guts, moxie and magic… that's the stuff dreams are made of, and Danni Nicholls' dreams are coming true.

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Mile Twelve - City On A Hill (29/03/19)

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Artist: Mile Twelve

Release Date: 29th March, 2019

Genre: Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Roots

Record Label: Delores the Taurus Records

Tracks: 10

Website: https://www.miletwelvebluegrass.com

Although their sound is rooted in traditional bluegrass, Mile Twelve surveys a broader landscape on their newest album, ‘City on a Hill’. All five band members bring their own influences and observations into the music, resulting in a project that feels contemporary, thoughtfully crafted, and relevant. Produced by Bryan Sutton and engineered by Ben Surratt, ‘City on a Hill’ follows significant recognition from the bluegrass community, including three IBMA Momentum Awards. With members based in Boston and Nashville, the lineup includes David Benedict (mandolin), Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle), Evan Murphy (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), and Nate Sabat (bass, lead vocals).

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Jenny Lewis - On The Line (22/03/19)

  • Artist: Jenny Lewis

  • Release Date: 22nd March, 2019

  • Genre: Rock, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

  • Record Label: Warner Brothers

  • Tracks: 11

  • Website:


Jenny Lewis has confirmed her highly anticipated return with her fourth solo album, 'On The Line' the follow up to 2014’s critically acclaimed 'The Voyager' out on Warner Bros. Records.

The 11 all new original songs were written by Lewis and recorded at Capitol Records’ Studio B, and feature a backing band of legendary talent including Beck, Benmont, Tench, Don Was, Jim Keltner, Ringo Starr and Ryan Adams.

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Thea Gilmore - Small World Turning (17/05/19)

  • Artist: Thea Gilmore

  • Release Date: 17th May. 2019

  • Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter

  • Record Label: Shameless Record

  • Tracks: 12

  • Website:

Thea Gilmore releases "Small World Turning" on May 17 - her first new collection of songs since 2017's "The Counterweight" which was her 3rd successive top 40 album. She also embarks on a UK tour with her band and support from Matt Owens (Noah And The Whale).

An artist of enduring international acclaim (Bruce Springsteen regularly names her as a favourite) and a justly revered lyricist, Gilmore's musical settings have taken many ingenious detours in recent years. "Small World Turning" nails it's colours to a very different wall from the get-go. Acoustic guitars are back to the fore, and a quintessentially rootsy array of instruments frame them - fiddles, whistles, mandolins, tenor banjos are all in abundance. "Small World Turning" is an album with an unashamed folk flavor and features contributions from Cara Dillon, Seth Lakeman, Sam Lakeman, Katriona Gilmore, Jamie Roberts and BBC Radio 2's Young Folk Award winner 2013 Ciaran Algar.

A gifted and exceptional artist at the peak of her powers, Thea Gilmore has delivered a vibrant and deeply resonant album, rooted in folk music but completely transcending any genre related limitations.

"Unarguably one of the finest singer-songwriters of her generation" Sunday Times Culture "The best wordsmith of her generation" The Independent

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The Little Unsaid - Atomise (24/05/19)

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  • Artist: The Little Unsaid

  • Release Date: 24th May, 2019

  • Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter

  • Record Label: Reveal Records

  • Tracks: 12

  • Website: http://www.thelittleunsaid.com

The Little Unsaid release their new album "Atomise" on May 24th 2019 via Reveal Records. Twelve wonderful new songs by one of my favourite Uk singer-songwriters, The songs reflect upon an atmosphere of division and unrest that currently weigh our society down but John Elliott's lyrics seek to explore those little pools of light in the darkness; moments of real connection, meaning and magic amidst all the chaos.

‘Atomise’ was written through the late summer of 2018, Elliott shutting himself away from the outside world in a remote rural Pembrokeshire cottage. Demos were recorded solo in the same cottage on an old upright piano, and these were later taken to the band's North London studio where Tim Heymerdinger played drums, and John added further instrumentation with recording engineer Sonny Johns (Fatoumata Diawara, Portico Quartet) at the helm. Many of John's skeletal demos were maintained in the final recording sessions as their distinct solitary mood, complete with creaking piano keys and nearby birdsong had captured something very special.

The Little Unsaid violist Alison D'Souza assembled a string quartet in Stoke Newington's 16th century church to lay down the string parts on "Atomise" and the final mix was created in Oxford by composer and orchestrator Graeme Stewart, who's credits include film music with Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead). Praise for The Little Unsaid: 'Entrancing…deeply atmospheric…songwriting of a real rich quality, all held together by an intensity of approach, by a focus on the emotional weight music can carry' Clash Magazine 'The first thing you notice about these songs is their emotional honesty. Elliott writes about mental illness from the point of view of someone who has lived through it and come out the other side, someone who is acutely aware of how close he still is to his demons. But his songs are full of hope, full of the potential for a better future despite the continued proximity of depression.'

The Little Unsaid began life in a tiny West Yorkshire town when a teenaged John Elliott rescued an old PC and microphone from the trash and began making records with them. Since then with long-time collaborators Tim Heymerdinger (drums), Alison D'Souza (strings and FX) and Mariya Brachkova (Moog bass and backing vocals) the band has toured the UK and Europe extensively, played major UK festivals including Glastonbury, garnered a dedicated following and released several independent albums, before signing with Reveal Records in 2018.

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Darlingside - Look Up and Fly Away EP (22/02/19)

  • Artist: Darlingside

  • Release Date: 22nd February, 2019

  • Genre: Folk

  • Record Label: More Doug Records

  • Tracks: 6

  • Website: http://www.darlingside.com

It’s always very exciting when one of our favourite US quartets release new music. ‘Look Up And Fly Away’ the brand new EP from Darlingside has come as both a surprise and at the same time a special treat.

The EP is comprised of six songs selected from a handful of outtakes from the band’s highly acclaimed 2018 album Extralife. The EP showcases once again Darlingside’s seamless harmonies, unique skill as multi-instrumentalists and intricate songwriting. It shares some similar themes to ‘Extralife’ including exploring nostalgia and the different stages of life and ultimately the concept of death.

The EP starts with the reflective ‘Rodeo’. Super songwriting, elegant harmonies, a soft horn arrangement and lightly picked acoustic guitars. Lyrics like “The clerk is a man behind glass, behind his eyes is the past” conjure dreamlike images of nostalgia. The theme of nostalgia continues in ‘Bright as the Day’ as they recount his past younger days. Bright accordion, mournful fiddle and acoustic guitars combine with their trademark harmonies.

Next up is the title track, the self-empowerment hymn ‘Look Up And Fly Away’. It reminded me of a cross between the Beatles and CSNY. With themes including ‘sunny skies’ and ‘fighting for myself’, and ‘finding your place in life’. It has a very positive tone and lifts the overall mood of the EP.

The pace slows down again with the orchestrated and layered ‘Heart Again’, which drifts between solo vocals and heavenly harmonies. I love the richness of the chorus. Things change up again with the wonderful ‘Paradise Bay’, one of the stand outs on the EP. It opens nearly as an acappella song with an underlying drone. The crisp retro harmonies sounding like classic CSNY. The short final track ‘Untitled’ is a simple instrumental that closes out what is an extremely strong collection of music.

Ruth Notman and Sam Kelly - Changeable Heart (15/03/19)

  • Artist: Ruth Notman & Sam Kelly

  • Release Date: 15th March, 2019

  • Genre: Folk

  • Record Label: Pure Records

  • Tracks: 10

  • Website: www.notmanandkelly.com

‘Changeable Heart’ is set to be one of most exciting UK folk releases this year. It stars two of the finest young singers to emerge from UK folk scene in the last few years, Sam Kelly and Ruth Notman. The added sparkle on the album is provided by Damien O’Kane who produced the album. It has the feel of one of Kate Rusby’s recent albums as Kate has a similar vocal style. These are songs of love from every perspective, spurned, fragile, brave and saucy.

The multiple award winning Sam is very well know for his work with Sam Kelly and The Lost Boys and The Changing Room as well as producing many excellent folk albums. Ruth was a finalist in the 2007 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards (in her duo Bryony Bainbridge) and it is so great to see her back releasing music. Sam had long admired Ruth’s musical talents and decided to contact her out of the blue. Ruth was completing her medical studies at the time. They met up and the stage was set for this wonderful new duo album.

Recorded at Kate Rusby’s lengendary Pure Records studio the album features six new takes on traditional songs and covers of Ewan MacColl and Paul Brady classics. Ruth penned the poignant ‘As You Find Your Way Home’, while Sam and Ruth co-wrote the new albums stand-out and soaring title track ‘Changeable Heart’.

Ruth play piano & accordion while Sam plays guitar on the album. They are joined by Damien O’Kane (guitar and banjo), Josh Clarke (percussion, synths, electric bass), Anthony Davis (keyboards and strings) and Ross Ainslie (whistles).

The album begins with the beautifully seductive and gentle ‘The Bold Fisherman’ before launching into their wonderful and my personal favourite ‘can’t live with them, can’t live without them’ title track’ ‘Changeable Heart’. The mood changes to light comedy for their spirited take on the infectious traditional folk ‘The Cunning Cobbler’, a cuckolding tale of the butcher, the butcher’s wife, the scheming cobbler…… and a policeman.

Ruth’s gentle and sensitive piano playing introduces the Scottish pastoral folk song ‘Caw The Yowes’ [“Drive the ewes to the hill”] collected by Robert Burns in 1794. I love the blend of Sam and Ruth’s vocal. This continues in the delicate love story ‘Sweet Lass Of Richmond Hill’.

The classy traditional Irish air ‘My Lagan Love’ builds into a rich and haunting soundscape with Damien and Josh adding electric guitar and percussion into the mix. This track would be great for a TV or film soundtrack. Ruth’s poignant ‘As You Find Your Way Home’ is edged with her lamenting beautiful accordion. This blends perfectly into ‘Young Brian Of The Sussex World’, with Ross adding whistles and lifting the song towards a happy ending.

Next is a stripped brooding cover of Ewan MacColl’s ‘School Days Over’, a song marking the end of childhood and the start of a miner’s life. The album closes with a cover of Paul Brady’s 1985 political anthem ‘The Island’. The song parallel’s the Lebanese Civil War with the troubles in Paul’s native Ireland.

The album is wonderful, classy collection of folk music. It welcomes back the very talented Ruth back into the UK folk scene, partnering her with one of the fastest rising young male stars.

Ruth and Sam are on a UK tour in early April with their London date at Rich Mix on April 8th. On the strength of this fantastic album, it’s a date you don’t want to miss.

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Flight Of The Conchords - Live In London (08/03/19)

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  • Artist: Flight Of The Conchords

  • Release Date: 8th March, 2019

  • Genre: Folk, Pop, Comedy

  • Record Label: Sub Pop

  • Tracks: 22

  • Website:

In October of 2018, ten years after the launch of their hit HBO series, musical comedians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement returned to HBO for the all-new comedy special. Live in London was taped before a live audience at the Eventim Apollo and featured the Conchords performing songs from the sold-out UK and Ireland edition of "Flight of the Conchords Sing Flight of the Conchords Tour." New Zealanders McKenzie and Clement debuted on HBO in 2005 in an edition of the comedy series "One-Night Stand," returning to the network in 2007 for the debut season of their acclaimed, Emmy-nominated series "Flight of the Conchords," which followed fictionalized versions of their lives in New York City. The duo also signed a worldwide deal with Sub Pop Records for their recorded music, going on to release the Grammy-winning EP, The Distant Future in 2007, followed by two full-length albums - their self-titled debut in 2008, and I Told You I Was Freaky in 2009.

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Megson - Contradicshun (08/02/19)

Megson request that you join them on a journey of contradictions and conversations. From Victorian domestic disagreements to 21st century martial arts misadventures, all the perplexities of the human condition will be laid before your ears.

Stu and Debbie Hanna (aka Megson) began writing and collecting the songs for ‘Contradicshun’ about two year ago when they stumbled across the title song, an obscure composition by Geordie Victorian balladeer Joe Wilson in ‘Tyneside Songs, Ballads and Drolleries’ (1870). This song sparked the idea to write and collect an album of songs with the subject of contradictions and conversations. Exploring the ‘two sides of the same coin’ theme.

The music was recorded in their self-built garage studio as well as a cobbled together studio in their beloved 2002 5 berth Avondale Dart caravan. The acoustics of the caravan brought out the best of the banjo and fiddle on the album though the sound of passing postmen and local wildlife can no doubt be faintly heard in the background.

This is their 9th studio album and 13th record produced for their own cottage industry label EDJ Records & Production which has produced and released albums for Benji Kirkpatrick, Kelly Oliver, Show Of Hands, The Young 'Uns and Lucy Ward amongst many others. Lyrically this is their most ambitious album to date, every word finely tuned to fit the meter, music and narrative & drawing inspiration from classic folk songsters like Ewan MacColl, Pete Seeger and Vin Garbutt.

Again this is an album rooted in Megson's native North East with many of the songs taken from 19th Century Tyneside manuscripts like ‘Rhymes of the Northern Bards’. But unlike other Megson album there is also a nod to their East Anglian residency with a song about a fictitious Cambridgeshire Judo team.

Joining Stu & Debbie are the always excellent John Parker (Nizlopi) on Bass, session musician Patrick Duffin (Percussion) and their neighbour Paul Youdan (Backing Vocals). Since releasing their last album ‘Good Times Will Come Again’ in 2016 Megson have been nominated for their fourth BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and have performed over 200 packed out shows across the country.

The album opens gently with ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably’, a soul searching exchange about the humdrum ‘hamster wheel’ of life. The title reminded me of the start of every ‘Listen With Mother’ radio show in the 1960’s. The mandolin sparkles in the powerful title track ‘Contradicshun’, a 19th century plea for harmony rather than discord which was written by Joe Wilson. A song as current ow as when it was written almost 150 years ago.

Another song which is right on point is ‘The New Girl’ a touching story of migrants viewed with suspicion by some when they travel to a new country. Despite the fact that many of our towns and cities have been built by the self same people. ‘All of us are travellers stumbling through life’ explores the idea than we are all citizens of both somewhere and nowhere. Very little is known of the lyrics of ‘Voice Of A Nation’ found in the 1812 collection ‘Rhymes Of The Northern Bards’. The arrangement scorns the democratic system of the time and backs the parliamentary reform call which culminated in a cavalry charge on more than 60,000 people in the 1819 Peterloo Massacre.

Although at first unlikely bedfellows in ‘Toast :Jackey and Jenny’, Stu and Debs have combined a hearty drinking song with a cautionary temperance song written by James Rewcastle in the early 19th century, It compares the pro’s and con’s of both viewpoints. Which side will you support? More tea vicar?

With Debs taking the lead and drawn from ‘The Northumbrian Minstrelsy’, the elegant and eloquent ‘I Drew My Ship Into The Harbour’ is a night visiting song gone wrong. A must see live track is ‘Two Sides Of Every Conversation’ a humorous and clever exchange between a married couple who recall key events in their relationship let say……rather differently. Wry and quirky but very funny, The type of song which Stu and Debs really excel..

‘The Keach In The Creel’ (or caught in the basket) is a traditional Child ballad. It recounts the story of a bonny lad lowered in a basket into his lover’s room. It sees Stu on banjo & mandolin and Debs on accordion. For all those who love Megson’s excellent ‘The Longshot’, the next track the ‘Barrington Judo Club’ could be your new favourite. Giving a nod to their East Anglia stomping ground, Stu takes the lead in a song which follows the wiitty, clever but fictitious story of a local Judo club and their day to day struggles. Watch out for the punchline. ‘A Week Away In The Caravan’ is a semi autobiographical story from Stu and Debs holiday memoirs and dedicated to all fellow caravan owners,

A Megson album is always the hallmark of high quality cleverly written and arrangement folk music, full of heart. social conscience and a keen sense of humour. Another big winner from Stu and Debs.

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