Music Diary 2/25/2022

     Not much happened last week comparatively, but there were good singles by Dove Cameron, Doja Cat and Grace McKagan.  I also found out Alex Lifeson of Rush has formed a new Alternative Rock band with a woman lead singer called "Envy of None," which sounds pretty good, I'll be looking forward to their first full-length release in April.

 

    This week sees the release of two major albums for this year; the Scorpions' "Rock Believer" and Beth Hart's "Tribute to Led Zeppelin."  Both have featured great singles already and I'm looking forward to how the full albums sound. There is also a release from Corey Taylor of the B-Sides and covers from the sessions around his CMFT album, released late last year, and the Foo Fighters are apparently releasing a thrash metal album under the name Dream Widow tonight at 9:00 PST.

 

    I am trying to curb MP3 spending this next month due to the K.Flay concert on the 9th and the Switch port of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on the 17th.  Not only is it a fighting game in the Persona series by the same company responsible for Blazblue Crosstag Battle, it features all the Persona characters from that game, such as Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Mitsuru Kirijo and Elizabeth, voiced again by Johnny Yong Bosch, Yuri Lowenthal, Erin Fitzgerald and Tara Platt voicing both of the last two.  This game also features my favorite Persona character, Rise Kujikawa, voiced by Laura Bailey of "Critical Role" fame.  This is her lone fighting appearance in the series, as well, she's typically a support character who tells you opponents' weaknesses and status effects.  There are other major games I'd like to try my hand at, but my other most major priority is Fire Emblem Warriors; Three Hopes, for also featuring Platt reprising her role as Edelgard, a therapeutic character in these times of massive political unrest and blatantly partisan churches.

Music Diary 2/18/2022

                Well, after that rough week last week and confronting my depression over the fact that half the nation views the Pulse Nightclub shooting, the election of Trump and subsequent Crimes against Humanity, the surge of homophobia, misogyny and racism, the deaths of my Uncle and Rachel Held Evans and the suppression of all reconciling congregation’s voices as a good, holy and just thing, I’m ready to resume blogging about music once more.

 

               I received my Guns N Roses 4 track EP early, with new songs “Hard Skool” and “Absurd” taking up the first half while the second half was live versions of “Don’t Cry” and “You’re Crazy.”  It was a good, yet short album, and hopefully not the last we’ll hear of Slash, Duff and Axl teaming up in the studio for some good hard rock.  Speaking of Slash, his new album dropped, and Duff made a guest appearance at his Seattle concert so they could play “Nightrain.”  Highlights of the new album include “The River is Rising,” “Whatever Gets You By,” “Actions Speak Louder Than Words,” “Fill My World,” “April Fool” and “Fall Back to Earth.”  Slash’s guitar work, Myles’ vocals and Todd Kerns’ bass playing is as sharp as ever and worth a listen.

 

               Eddie Vedder also released his own solo album which featured Andrew Watt (who has worked with Glenn Hughes, Ozzy Osbourne, Miley Cyrus and Elton John), Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and guest appearances by Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Ringo Starr.  Highlight tracks of the release were “Long Way,” “The Dark,” (which feels oddly spiritual considering I heard Vedder is an atheist) “Good and Evil,” “Rose of Jericho,” “Try” (feat. Stevie Wonder on Harmonica), “Picture (feat. Elton John)” and “Mrs. Mills” (feat. Ringo Starr on drums).  It provided solid rock and roll that veered between hard rock and baroque pop easily and fluidly and its easy transition between genres was a well-deserved smack to the arrogant Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, who insulted one of Seattle’s most famous rock acts at the start of this month by calling them “the most boring band in history.”

 

               This week finally sees the release of Death Cab for Cutie covering a Yoko Ono song, which was released Monday night.  The preview sounds like it won’t involve wailing like a ghost and yipping like a chihuahua and that it’s a nice, albeit slightly repetitive song.  There is also a 1983 Rainbow live album, one of their last concerts before disbanding for the Mark II reunion of Deep Purple.  Mike Zito is releasing a live album and Spirits of Fire is also releasing their second album, but the band has parted ways with founding lead singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, and the gigs he’s taken since then have ensured he will always be seen as a poor-man’s Rob Halford, I always felt this band was his one big chance to make a name and identity that was more his own.  I guess we’ll always have the Immortal Randy Rhoads album and the cover of “Children of the Grave” he did for Ted Kirkpatrick, but it’s depressing that he will forever be in the shadow of someone he can’t compete with due to how much they had to overcome; the pressure of staying in the closet and the struggles of drug addiction.  Rob Halford is a personal hero, with the decision to join the band of spite KK’s Priest and not pursue original bands and an original identity, Tim Owens chooses to be a pale shadow of a hero.

Valentine's FE3H Short Story 2022

Just written for fun last week, featuring Edelgard, Byleth, Petra, Dorothea, Annette and Caspar, my favorite couples in the game.

 

                It was the Day of Devotion in Enbarr, the capitol of Fodlan and three couples were sitting at a banquet table in the dining hall.  There were the palace’s residents, Empress Edelgard and Queen Byleth, the rulers of the once-vassal state, now-ally, Brigid, Queen Petra and Dorothea, and the inheritor of House Dominic and a high-ranking officer in the Imperial army, Annette and Caspar.  Annette had brought glazed cinnamon rolls and everyone was eating one, Edelgard especially pleased since, like the ginger singer/mage/chef, she loved sweet pastries dearly.  “It’s so good to get together.” She said, hugging Byleth to her side.  Byleth playfully smeared some glaze on Edelgard’s cheek.

 

               “I always love being with you, El.” She said with a smile.  “How is Brigid; Petra, Dorothea?”

 

               “We are doing fine.” Smiled Dorothea.  “Adrestia is becoming much more famous for its current compassion than the past wars they fought with Brigid, so people are glad for the alliance.  You, Edelgard and Petra have great mutual respect and compassion, which puts the citizens at ease.”

 

               “Our bond like sisters has made people glad for our alliance.” Petra said to Edelgard.  “I could not ask for a better friend or a better sister-in-arms.”

 

               “You are quite the leader, Petra.” Replied Edelgard.  “You are stirring, inspiring, and you bring out the best in everyone you meet.”  Petra smiled and blushed.

 

               “Professor, or maybe, Queen Byleth…why did you have Edelgard and I sing choir and at lunch so much?” asked Annette.

 

               “I sensed something about the two of you, that you’d work better together if you got a feel for each other outside of combat situations.” Replied Byleth.  “You both like music and sweets, I enjoyed having tea with both of you, and Petra.  I’m glad you both married wonderful people.”

 

               “Yeah, Annette’s the best partner on or off the battlefield I’ve ever had!” smiled Caspar.

 

               “You’re really great, too, honey!” giggled Annette back.

 

               “I’ll say Brigid is beautiful, but Petra, she’s even better.” Smiled Dorothea.

 

               “Thank you, my beloved!” giggled Petra, giving Dorothea a quick peck.

 

               “I must thank you for helping to keep the army in line, it is almost like you’re their mother.” Smiled Edelgard at Annette.

 

               “I studied tactics at Garreg Mach and I love helping Caspar whenever I can.” Blushed Annette.

 

               “Yeah, and I help her, too.  I made sure these cinnamon rolls were just right.  The first batch exploded in blue and red smoke.” Admitted Caspar.  Annette blushed sheepishly.

 

               “Honey!” she said, embarrassed.

 

               “It’s okay, Annette, Byleth handles the cooking.” Said Edelgard, rubbing the mage’s back.  “Every meal I make comes out burnt.”

 

               “She tried a steak once; we gave it to Sir Ashe so he could use it for target practice.” Said Byleth.  “He actually broke an arrow on it.”  Annette and Edelgard chuckled slightly at the thought/memory.  Edelgard then decided it’d be best to change the subject before Byleth mentioned how she incinerated a salad.

 

               “I propose a Day of Devotion toast, to us three happy couples!” declared Edelgard, raising a glass of chocolate milk.

 

               “To us!” agreed the other five, clinking their glasses together, promising in their hearts to remain friends forever.

 

The End

Personal Top 50 Love Songs As of 2/14/2022

     Well, it's the Holiday of Romance, so I decided to show off my playlist of my Top 50 Love Songs as of now.  This playlist tends to have a new song or two every year, but we'll see.  Anyway, right now it is as follows:

1.) Heart of Gold-Johnny Cash

2.) Malibu-Miley Cyrus

3.) Jet City Woman-Queensryche

4.) Why Can't This Be Love (Live)-Sammy Hagar and the Circle

5.) Never Thought I'd Fall In Love With You-Billy Ray Cyrus

6.) BWU-Tegan and Sara

7.) Yesterday-The Beatles

8.) Oh! Darling-The Beatles

9.) Sweet Child O' Mine-Guns N Roses

10.) Jealous Guy-John Lennon

11.) Stand By Me-John Lennon

12.) Just Like Starting Over-John Lennon

13.) Woman-John Lennon

14.) She's Not Him-Miley Cyrus

15.) I Would Die For You-Miley Cyrus

16.) Love Reign Down-Black Label Society

17.) Treasure-Jeff and Casey Lee Williams

18.) Something (Live)-Paul McCartney

19.) Something-The Beatles

20.) Photograph-Ringo Starr

21.) Six O'Clock (Extended Version)-Ringo Starr

22.) I'm Yours-Ringo Starr

23.) Anastasia (Live 2019)-Slash, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators

24.) Good Hearted Woman (Live)-Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson

25.) Bmblb-Jeff and Casey Lee Williams

26.) Give My Heart To You-Billy Ray Cyrus

27.) Yellow-Coldplay

28.) If She Ever Leaves Me-The Highwomen

29.) Like No Other 2021-The Dead Daisies

30.) Is This Love-Whitesnake

31.) Fat Bottomed Girls (Live, Bohemian Rhapsody)-Queen

32.) See You On The Other Side-Ozzy Osbourne

33.) After All-Whitesnake

34.) Love-John Lennon

35.) Open Arms-Journey

36.) Forever Fall-Jeff and Casey Lee Williams

37.) Don't Let Me Down-The Beatles

38.) I Need You-The Beatles

39.) Ain't Got No Money-Bob Seger

40.) My Kinda Girl (Live)-Chickenfoot

41.) Tush-Joan Jett

42.) Crimson and Clover-Joan Jett

43.) Faithfully-Joan Jett

44.) Only God Could Stop Me Loving You-Billy Ray Cyrus

45.) Nothing Breaks Like A Heart-Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus

46.) Whole Lotta Love-Zepparella

47.) Whole Lotta Love-Led Zeppelin

48.) Whole Lotta Love (Live)-Sammy Hagar and the Circle

49.) Whole Lotte Love-Santana feat. Chris Cornell

50.) Without You (Southern Rain)-Billy Ray Cyrus

Resolving the personal gaming crisis

                I forgot something important about Edelgard that I remembered browsing through my gallery of saved fanart.  On the outside, she is an angry, furious, refined young woman, inside, she is a sad, hurting small girl in desperate need of nonjudgmental companionship, which she doesn’t really get from anyone else on her team, the closest are Petra and Dorothea.  That’s why I haven’t wanted to play the other routes, that’s why I wanted to refine my first playthrough in New Game+, that’s why I want to play as her in Three Hopes and that, plus the fact that she’s bisexual, is why she’s so therapeutic.  I don’t have the money to save people from homophobic hate crimes, I can’t save people from abuse, but in this game, I can do something good that releases chains on my heart due to my inabilities that makes me feel better.  I am going to play the game, but it will be some time before I’m ready to play it, I’m exhausted from going through it a second time and my experiences in Metroid Dread and other games right now.  I do know I’ve gone over the line with Tara, I tweet at her way too often and she actually seems to prefer replies to the random stuff she posts, and right now, the front page of Twitter is too full of sniping, grousing and politics (both actual politics and baseball politics) to handle, so I don’t know when or if I’ll be back there.  However, I will post the Persona 4 Arena Ultimax screenshots and Three Hopes screenshots there so I can tag Tara and Laura Bailey, because Rise Kujikawa and Edelgard are major reasons why I like those series.  I also am interested in playing the Demon Slayer game that was announced yesterday (since Abby Trott, who voices Annette in Three Houses, might be in it, if it’s just in Japanese, I’ll likely skip it) and the new Xenoblade makes me really want to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2, not only to learn about Smash fighters Pyra and Mythra, but also “Welsh catgirl” Nia.  When it comes to upcoming, I’m going to add Three Hopes for certain alongside Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Splatoon 3.