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musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2011
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An introduction, and a chart revealed over five days, with a final list and a playlist.
- musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2011: An Introduction
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50-41 |
40-31 |
30-21 |
20-11 |
10-4 |
The Top 3 |
Complete List + Spotify Playlist
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Tracks Of The Year 2011
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Tim Lee and David Welsh
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Our 2011 tracks round-up, with the best and worst of the year's offerings.
Part 1 |
Part 2 |
Part 3
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The Best (And Worst) Of Christmas 2011 In Music
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John Murphy
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A round-up of this year's Christmas-specific albums, singles and some recommendations for a ye olde yuletide playlist (*ahem*).
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Spotlight: The Smashing Pumpkins - Gish and Siamese Dream
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Andrew Burgess
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Billy Corgan and company reissue their first two albums in remastered deluxe editions. Have they aged well?
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Q&A: A Hawk And A Hacksaw
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Ahead of a short tour of the UK and the release in spring of their soundtrack to Soviet director Sergio Parajanov's film Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors, we fire some questions at Jeremy Barnes, who gamely bats answers back.
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Q&A: Peter Broderick
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A catch-up with the Berlin-based composer focusing on new album and film soundtrack Music For Confluence and his Erased Tapes labelmates.
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Spotlight: Berlin Music Days
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Chris Beanland
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Shooting the breeze with Einstürzende Neubauten founder Gudrun Gut as the German capital's venerable Tempelhof Airport showcases electronic music from Germany and beyond.
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Spotlight: The Who - Quadrophenia, Deluxified
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Neil Dowden
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The album than inspired the film inspires a deluxification.
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Interview: Katherine Jenkins
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Ben Hogwood
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On new album Daydream, Popstar to Operastar, Charlotte Church comparisons and the future.
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Spotlight: Manic Street Preachers - National Treasures
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Sam Shepherd
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A singles retrospective comprised of 38 tracks serves as a timely reminder that the Manics, if not quite national treasures yet, are well on the way to being so.
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Spotlight: The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions
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Andrew Burgess
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The much-bootlegged lost Beach Boys masterpiece finally sees an official release 44 years later with a triumphant, expansive box set.
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Interview: Mondkopf
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Will Simpson
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Paul Regimbeau has released one of the year's most essential electronic albums; Rising Doom is a propulsive, intelligent work that has seen the Frenchman compared with compatriot Vitalic. But he is no daft punk; here is a man looking to Germany for his rhythmic spoils.
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Q&A: Nils Frahm
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The Berlin-based Erased Tapes-signed modern classicist on his acclaimed new album Felt, recording techniques and fantasy future collaborations.
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Interview: Tori Amos
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Ben Hogwood
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Her latest album Night Of Hunters delves further into classical music than she's gone before. It's only right that The sometime Cornflake Girl should include names like Schubert and Debussy.
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Interview: M83
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Ben Hogwood
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Anthony Gonzalez on his new double album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, travelling between planets and his new life in Los Angeles.
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Interview: Sarabeth Tucek
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Sam Shepherd
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Following the sudden death of her father, Tucek penned an album to help with her own healing process, and connected with others' experiences of profound loss. Performing the songs on a three-week tour, it transpires, is as draining as it sounds.
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Spotlight: R.E.M.
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Daniel Paton
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Michael Stipe and co have called it a day. While their recent output was a case of diminishing returns, the band were responsible for some enduring classics too.
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Spotlight: Nirvana - Nevermind, 20 Years On
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Sam Shepherd
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In 1991, Nevermind felt like it was heralding a revolution. But with its release, the band exploded - and imploded.
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Spotlight: A Guided Tour Of Madness
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Sam Shepherd
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In how many compilations is a band's enduring worth measured?
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Interview: tUnE-yArDs
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Michael Hubbard
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Merrill Garbus talks uppy-downy cases, chakacha dancing, the commonality of riots and second album w h o k i l l.
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Interview: Monarchy
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Michael Hubbard
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After a couple of setbacks, Monarchy's debut album is finally out. It seemed as good a time as any to catch up with the masked men.
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Interview: Steve Reich
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Ben Hogwood
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Ahead of the release of his response in music to the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the composer who altered the direction of musical history discusses performances of his work, the changing nature of recording and why he's looking forward rather than back.
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Interview: Death In Vegas
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Ben Hogwood
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Richard Fearless readies a return after a seven-year hiatus - and reveals he has a backlog of albums to unleash.
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Spotlight: Riots, Reasons And Ramifications
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Michael Hubbard and Matthew Young
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In the wake of the riots and the distribution warehouse fire, an overview of problems to be solved by indie label Song, By Toad's founder.
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Interview: Moby
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Ben Hogwood |
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A conversation covering current album Destroyed, the Tea Party republicans, the debt crisis and LA living.
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Feature: Hefner
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Gareth Ware
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A decade on from its release, the band's final album Dead Media is given a deluxe release treatment.
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Interview: Seasick Steve
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Ben Hogwood
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Steve Wold assesses his journey so far.
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Obituary: Gil Scott-Heron
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Ben Hogwood
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The godfather of rap, more legend than man, has died.
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Interview: Van Dyke Parks
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Ben Hogwood
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In a wide ranging interview, the producer and composer confesses his fears, favourites and hopes as he prepares to release a series of six new singles.
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Interview: k.d. lang
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Rosie Wilby
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With her first full band record since her work with The Reclines, her years of introspection are put behind her. |
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Interview: Jon Hopkins
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Ben Hogwood
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His new collaboration album with King Creosote, Diamond Mine, came mere months after a soundtrack album for Monsters. Both were lauded. Just what is the secret of his prodigious strike rate?
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Interview: Katy B
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Ben Hogwood
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With an album titled On A Mission, this is a lady leaving no doubt about her intentions. But how's she managing the transition from underground to mainstream awareness?
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Obituary: Poly Styrene
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Andrew Burgess
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The X Ray Spex punk rock icon has died.
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Obituary: TV On The Radio's Gerard Smith
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Andrew Burgess
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The Brooklynites' bassist has lost his fight with lung cancer, the band announced today.
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Spotlight: Record Store Day 2011
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Andrew Burgess and Max Raymond
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From vinyl-only album releases to a plethora of big-name split 7" singles, via in-store acoustic showcases, every man and his dog is getting involved this year.
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Analysis: musicOMH's Most Read Album Reviews, 2011 Q1
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Michael Hubbard
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It's official: Adele is bigger than Radiohead.
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Q&A: Summer Camp
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Gareth Ware
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Ahead of tour dates with Metronomy and Wild Beasts, Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey chew the fat over their upcoming album.
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Q&A: Darren Hayman
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Gareth Ware
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With his January Songs collection, in aid of victims of the Japan tsunami, in the bag and the third part of his Essex trilogy of albums set for release, a catch-up with the sometime Hefner front man was in order.
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Interview: Patrick Wolf
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Max Raymond
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Ahead of a short UK tour and the release of his fifth album Lupercalia, he explains why he's happy to leave a lot of things to chance.
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Spotlight: Queens Of The Stone Age
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Sam Shepherd
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Josh Homme's self-titled debut Queens Of The Stone Age album gets reissued, listened to and written about.
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Spotlight: Planet E - Detroit techno 20 years on
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Ben Hogwood
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Carl Craig's Detroit techno label celebrates its 20th anniversary with a compilation and world tour. So is it true that techno isn't dead?
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Interview: Marianne Faithfull
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Darren Harvey
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With a new album imminent, we felt it was high time we caught up with one of music's great survivors.
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Spotlight: Scritti Politti
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Jude Clarke
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As Green Gartside's career gets retrospective treatment with Absolute, how kind has history been to this most thoughtful of pop acts?
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Interview: Gruff Rhys
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Ben Hogwood
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Pedalling another solo album, the Super Furries front man meanders through a career of collaborations and copious compositions.
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Interview: Cut Copy
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Ben Hogwood
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Australians bearing cowbells chew the fat.
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Obituary: Gary Moore
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Ben Hogwood
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Blues and rock fused together to great effect in the guitarist's work, as part of a career taking in stints with Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II and Skid Row.
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Spotlight: George Michael's Faith
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Talia Soghomonian
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A little later than originally planned, the sometime Wham! man's debut solo album gets the remastering treatment. Time then for a look back at the highs and lows that've happened since...
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Obituary: John Barry
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Dan Marner
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The soundtrack composer, best known for his James Bond themes, has died in New York City aged 77.
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Q&A: The Go! Team
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The Brighton survivors talk us through their comeback album Rolling Blackouts.
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Q&A: Hercules And Love Affair
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Andy Butler talks us through the disco bunnies' second album Blue Songs.
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Q&A: Jonny
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Euros Childs of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci on his new project with Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake.
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Obituary: Broadcast's Trish Keenan
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Dan Marner
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A look back at the work of a pioneer.
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Interview: Anna Calvi
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Ben Hogwood
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As her debut album breaks cover, the Domino-signed Sound Of 2011 shortlister waxes lyrical on having Brian Eno as an admirer - and backing vocalist.
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Q&A: The Decemberists
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Jenny Conlee on the American folk standard bearers' latest album The King Is Dead, stripping things back to basics, climbing the charts and roping in R.E.M.'s Peter Buck.
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Interview: Richard Thompson
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Daniel Paton
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Four decades, 500 songs, 13 albums and an OBE to his name, last year's Meltdown curator and Fairport Convention founder explains why the passion still burns bright.
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Interview: British Sea Power
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Ben Hogwood
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The newly expanded line-up pull back the curtains on their fifth album Valhalla Dancehall.
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