Thanksgiving Weekend Music Journal

     I didn't listen to many of the new releases last week, mostly because I'm preparing the Favorites of 2022 playlist and I'm afraid it might get overloaded with some of the great music coming out right now.  For instance, last Friday saw the release of a new Jimi Hendrix live album, a Christmas single by Noah Cyrus, a single by Grace McKagan for an EP due out December 2nd (the last release I'm considering for addition to the playlist), FLETCHER had three great tracks for her Deluxe Edition and Billy Ray Cyrus released a single with FIREROSE.  There were also two singles for albums due out next year, and as such, I'm trying to limit what I listen to so I can focus on my playlist, it currently has 213 songs (which is already a record) and I'd like to keep it under 220.

 

    Since today is Thanksgiving, I'd like to say I'm thankful for family, the Twitter interactions with voice actors and other famous people, especially Tara Platt, Yuri Lowenthal, Sarah McKnight, Abby Trott and Colleen Clinkenbeard.  I'm thankful I played the Crimson Flowers route in Three Houses and saw where Annette fit and that I played Scarlet Blaze in Three Hopes and was introduced to Monica and Marianne.  I'm thankful I got to play Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and play as Rise Kujikawa.  I'm thankful I got the Naruto Switch fighting game last December and got to see new sides to Tara Platt, Yuri Lowenthal, Laura Bailey and Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and make a team that's just voiced by Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien of Critical Role fame.  I'm thankful for my favorite music, the Mariners breaking their postseason drought, seeing Brandi Carlile, Joan Jett and Def Leppard in concert and the induction of Judas Priest and Dolly Parton into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 

 

There was a musical game of sorts happening on Twitter with the following image, so I will post it and my responses.

1.)          Yellow Submarine-The Beatles

2.)          Gimme Three Steps-Lynyrd Skynyrd

3.)          Here Comes The Sun-The Beatles

4.)          Big Screen Lies by Stryper

5.)          Breaking the Law by Judas Priest

6.)          Don’t Call Me Angel by Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana del Rey

7.)          Turn the Page by Metallica

8.)          Suicide Solution by Ozzy Osbourne

9.)          Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

10.)        One by Chris Cornell

11.)        Godzilla by Bear McCreary and Serj Tankian

12.)        Meant to Live by Switchfoot

13.)        Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N Roses

14.)        Give My Heart to You by Billy Ray Cyrus

15.)        Nothing Else Matters by Miley Cyrus

16.)        Claire de Lune by Debussy

17.)        Hot Blooded by Foreigner

18.)        House of Fire by Alice Cooper

19.)        The Climb by Miley Cyrus

20.)        Hotel California by Eagles

21.)        Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds by The Beatles

22.)        Guardians/Rising from Ruins by Judas Priest

23.)        Tears of a Clown by Iron Maiden

24.)        Outshined-Soundgarden

25.)        Watching the Wheels-Chris Cornell

26.)        (Just Like) Starting Over-John Lennon

27.)        Nothing Compares 2 U-Toni Cornell

28.)        Dub Love-Big Lugg, Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt

29.)        Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

30.)        It’s Quiet Uptown from Hamilton

 

               This was another exercise I saw on Twitter where you take each letter of your name and match it with a song you enjoy that starts with that letter to show your musical tastes.  Here’s mine:

 

D-Day Tripper (The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Whitesnake)

A-Achy Breaky Heart (Billy Ray Cyrus)

N-Nothing Else Matters (Metallica, Miley Cyrus)

I-I Ain't The One (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

E-Enough is Enough (Billy Ray Cyrus)

L-Let's Get Rocked (Def Leppard)

 

 

    The big releases this week are Christmas albums from Jimmy Barnes and David Foster with Katherine McPhee.  There's also a boxset of Tom Petty at the Fillmore West and Ringo Starr released a live album on the 22nd.  Until next week, 2022 is coming to an end and soon comes my picks of the year.

11/18/2022 Music Release Journal

            This past week started nicely, then Tuesday night hit and we learned Trump intends to run for President in 2024.  While some Democrats want to block this using the 14th Amendment, I think he will go to his appointed Supreme Court to get acquitted of January 6th, with the court outright saying the coup attempt didn't happen and it's just a political stunt for power.

 

            On the plus side, I got Tweets liked by Bear McCreary, Caitlin Glass (Mina in My Hero Academia) and Tegan and Sara, the first to a response to the question "What is great about your hometown," I said "Bear McCreary and Hilary Swank went to High School here, Ben Gibbard and Carrie Brownstein went to college here."  Caitlin Glass' like came from wishing her a Happy Birthday and Tegan and Sara's like was because I praised their cover of the Chipmunks' Christmas song (you should check it out, they pitched themselves up when not singing and Sara plays the role of Alvin).  I also loved that Julio Rodriguez was awarded a Silver Slugger and Rookie of the Year, but I'm also mad that Teoscar Hernandez played in the game I attended this year and I didn't take a picture of him, taking pictures of George Springer, Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, Ramiel Tapia and Alek Manoah instead.  I can't change the past, but it does bug me when stuff like this happens, I'm still a little mad that Franklin Gutierrez played for the Indians in a game I saw in 2008 and I didn't take a picture of him and he became a Mariner for the next 6 seasons (though he had stomach troubles for a huge portion of that time).

 

               As for good music last week, it easily begins with the Guns N Roses Deluxe Editions I wouldn’t shut up about.  Every track I wanted to hear was worth it, all were good for my 1992 playlist and some were good for both it and my favorites of this year.  Speaking of, here’s my albums of the year, and a Tweet of all but the last 4 got 2 likes on Twitter, one from the rapper Big Lugg:

 

Albums of the year:

Hard Skool EP-Guns N Roses

Envy of None

ATTENTION Live-Miley Cyrus

Kaiju Crescendo-John DeSentis and Michiru Oshima

Denim & Rhinestones-Carrie Underwood

Fire Style-Big Lugg & Yuri Lowenthal

Patient Number 9-Ozzy Osbourne

The Hardest Part-Noah Cyrus

-This is where Twitter made me split it

Girl of my Dreams-FLETCHER

In These Silent Days, In The Canyon Haze-Brandi Carlile

Radiance-The Dead Daisies

Steven Curtis Chapman-Still

 

               Other highlights for this last week included Larkin Poe’s album, Last in Line’s EP, Lee Aaron’s single and Steve Vai’s single for an album that will be released in January, which was recorded 30 years ago and hasn’t been released until now because the singer died shortly after it was recorded.

 

               This week has the first single from Ronnie Romero’s second covers album, a new version of the Black Sabbath song “The Shining” off the 1987 album The Eternal Idol, which had Bob Daisley on bass, Eric Singer on drums and Tony Martin singing.  The 40^th anniversary Deluxe Edition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is also going to be released, as is a 1969 live performance in Los Angeles by Jimi Hendrix.  A deluxe edition of FLETCHER’s album is also coming out, as are super deluxe editions of Queen’s album “The Miracle,” originally released in 1989.  There will also be singles from Grace McKagan and BabyMetal.  Until next week.  After certain releases on December 2^nd, I will announce my favorite songs of 2022.

2022 in Music

                I’m not releasing my favorite music of the year just yet, as upcoming releases from Jimi Hendrix, Queen, FLETCHER and Ringo Starr are likely to change it on Spotify, at least, but I’d like to summarize the year in my favorite music.  I recently tweeted my artist of the year are Envy of None, FLETCHER and Big Lugg with Yuri Lowenthal, the main reason is I expected none of these three existing at the start of the year, let alone releasing some of my favorite music this year.

 

               Envy of None is an Alternative Rock Band centered around Portland, OR-based singer/songwriter Maiah Wynne and Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson.  Unlike Rush, though, the music is quieter, focusing on soft emotions.  The low anger in “Liar” is reminiscent of Evanescence, there’s a dreamy quality to “Kabul Blues” and a desperate quality of longing in “Old Strings.”  The album closes with a quiet, sad Lifeson instrumental titled “Western Sunset” dedicated to Neil Peart.  It made me more interested in Rush, who are far more bombastic with powerhouse riffs, soaring Geddy Lee vocals and tireless drumming, effectively making them the Canadian National Rock Anthem, but both are good expressions of emotions.  I think a lot of us forget there are multiple sides to people, loud sides and quiet sides, and sometimes, you don’t want to do what people have come to expect of you because you’re a little weary of it.  It doesn’t mean you stop completely, Lifeson and Lee teamed with other drummers at Taylor Hawkins tribute shows to perform Rush songs, but maybe that isn’t your main focus for now.

 

               FLETCHER is a new pop act who released her first full-length album this year, which comes across as a concept album around a lesbian breakup.  This is ground I don’t know if the music industry has done before, but it details hurting hearts, jealousy of her ex’s new girlfriend in “Becky’s So Hot,” which had a steamy music video with Bella Thorne, self-acceptance and finding new love in “Her Body is Bible,” my new favorite women-centered same-gender love song that’s not from RWBY or “She’s Not Him" by Miley Cyrus.  The album takes you on an emotional ride through breakup to self-acceptance and possibly new love through its tracks, and it’s not done yet, there will be a deluxe edition release on November 18^th with new tracks inserted in, adding more to FLETCHER’s journey.

 

               Big Lugg is a rapper and Yuri Lowenthal is a voice actor you may know as teenage Ben Tennyson, Yosuke Hanamura in Persona 4, Marth in Fire Emblem/Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Alucard in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.  With this album, though, you probably recognize him as Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto.  Yes, this is a rap album about Sasuke Uchiha with other Naruto voice actors making guest appearances and rapping their own songs, such as Ben Diskin (Sai in Naruto, you may also know him as Caspar in Fire Emblem; Three Houses), Cissy Jones (Kaguya in Naruto, Delilah in Firewatch) and, of course, Tara Platt, Yuri Lowenthal’s real-life wife (Temari in Naruto, Mitsuru and Elizabeth in the Persona series, Kali Belladonna in RWBY, Edelgard in Fire Emblem; Three Houses).  I do like the Tara Platt tracks best, I find her voice therapeutic in a lot of her roles, and as such, prefer playing video games with her characters, which is why I’m hoping Edelgard, like Marth, will return in Fire Emblem; Engage and that there will be another Switch game where you can put characters played by her and Abby Trott on the same team, Abby Trott (Annette in Fire Emblem; Three Houses, Nezuko in Demon Slayer, English singer of “Lifelight” in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) is another personally therapeutic voice.  I am also glad I bought the Switch fighting game, where I can make voice actor in-jokes with the above characters plus Ino (Colleen O’Shaughnessey-Monica from Fire Emblem Warriors; Three Hopes (the character also appeared in Three Houses, but I prefer the Three Hopes version because she’s not Kronya in disguise, but a lesbian with a huge crush on Edelgard, who is bisexual)), Sarada and Kushina (Laura Bailey) and Gaara (Liam O’Brien).

 

               There were a lot of releases of note and I mentioned we’re not quite done, so here’s the CliffsNotes on established people.  Miley Cyrus had her first live album, which resurrected “Fly on the Wall” and “The Climb” and had her takes on “Heart of Glass,” “Jolene” and “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the last being the best version of that song I’ve heard by someone with a last name that isn’t Cornell and helping me get closure on my uncle’s death after 4 years.  Ozzy Osbourne released what is probably his last album and also probably his best since “Tribute” over 40 years ago.  Guns N Roses had a great EP in February and amazing old live tracks from 30-31 years ago, some recorded on my 2^nd birthday and 2 featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry as they cover Aerosmith.  The Dead Daisies had great live releases early in the year and an equally great studio album in September, as well, Glenn Hughes still has it past 70.  There was a deluxe edition of The Beatles’ Revolver which showed the process behind “Yellow Submarine” and “Rain” and Julian Lennon covered his dad’s hit “Imagine” as a plea for peace due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.  In September, there was a new release of David Bowie and Jeff Beck performing a live mashup of “Jean Genie” and “Love Me Do” that was really fun.  Noah Cyrus released an amazing debut full-length album, but people like me who’ve followed her since 2016 knew she was going to be amazing through her career.  The Retaliators had a good metal soundtrack, especially the tracks by Asking Alexandria, Classless Act and Eva Under Fire, who also had a great cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways” this year.  Lastly, Carrie Underwood had a great song for the Cobra Kai series, a really good album and an amazing Ozzy Osbourne cover (Mama, I’m Coming Home), while Brandi Carlile re-did last year’s album well and added her own version of “Space Oddity,” which I loved.