Looks like some of the Epstein files were released. Trump was protected from being mentioned, but underlings aren't so lucky. Peter Thiel is on the list, Steve Bannon is on it, and most of all, ELON MUSK is on the list. I mean, it's obvious, but to get a confirmation is deliciously delightful.

Song recommendation: Dare by To Octavia. youtu.be/A5qk90piOfw?...

For today's music listening, I heard Dangerkids' blacklist album. I thought it was quite good. A pretty strong metalcore sound. It seems my initial impressions of the genre were a bit misguided, since I imagined it being a lot heavier. Still, very good.

For today, I heard some more BMTH tracks. Specifically, those were DiE4u and sTraNgeRs. Definitely a stronger emo sound. I like when people try to describe their song as a future version of a genre. Such as BMTH with "future emo" for Next Gen, and Shoji Meguro's "future pop" for Persona 3.

I did NOT expect Atlus to just drop a proper music video for P3 Reload. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqwc...

Song recommendation: The House of Wolves by BMTH (2013). A banger heavier metalcore track that tackles the issue of people pushing their religious beliefs on those in a rough place. As frontman Oli Sykes says, "death is the only salvation for me". youtu.be/4wTkNDTudys?...

Today, I listened to a metalcore band called The Word Alive. I heard around 4 tracks across their discography. Definitely closer to the Of Mice & Men sound as opposed to the more traditional brutal sound. Tyler Smith sings well, and Tony Pizzuti (now a SWS member!) & Zack Hansen's riffs dominate.

Decided to go super classic today with my music listening. I heard the OG metal song, "Black Sabbath" (1969/70). Today it's not that heavy, but back then it must have been terrifying to hear. I can feel the darkness from Ozzy's lyrics and Tony's riffs. youtu.be/zBj4HtEWFGY?...

Song recommendation: Burn It Down by Linkin Park (2012). Honestly, such a cool electronic rock song. youtu.be/zgEKLhvCCVA?...

Very interesting article. I can definitely see what Uematusu-san thinks. Too many games play it safe with the music, especially with the big developers. Luckily indie titles are keeping game music weird (unique). Such as Hades II with Mr. Korb's halloween prog-rock. www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...

Aside from upcoming music from To Octavia and SWS that should be coming this year, I can expect a peak soundtrack from Shoji Meguro with his Guns Undarkness game. I don't know if it will be good overall, but its music is definitely going to be awesome.

I'm very glad to have a Wii copy of the two Galaxy games. So I have no need to touch those Switch versions.

That was way too long not hearing new music. So, I heard more music. Specifically, the Living Things album by Linkin Park. This one preserves the more electronic sound from A Thousand Suns, but pushes in a more energetic rock direction. ATS and LT are both much better than Minutes to Midnight imo.

I only found out super recently that To Octavia is finally releasing their first studio album this October. They've been around since like 2018, so I'm glad to see they finally are putting together a full record. I heard the 3 singles they've released, and they're good.

Charlie Kirk is dead. And what do I feel? No sympathy. I am very against murder (as any good person should be, which fascists aren't), but that fascist reaped what he sowed.

Song recommendation: Overflow by Linkin Park. Truly serene track. Makes me think of A Thousand Suns. youtu.be/qaMxFaIZiKY?...

Song recommendation: Nobody's Listening by Linkin Park. This one is the most rap-focused LP song I've heard, since Mike really pops off here. Great bamboo-flute focused beat, with just enough occasional guitar strumming and Chester vocals to remind us it's still LP. youtu.be/QJ87793QXes?...

Hearing some VGM too, giving a listen to "Abandoned Factory" from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP) by Toshiki Konishi. Here, Konishi shows he also nails more electronic music. And apparently, he decide area exploration music must also be amazing. youtu.be/kiKlFenAl-U?...

More music listening for today (9/5/25). I went through the rest of BMTH's Sempiternal, which I found to be pretty good, and Kellin Quinn's other side project "Downer Inc." which had solid music too.

More music listening. I heard the album A Collection of Greetings from Kellin Quinn's ambient pop side project with Aaron Marsh, "Haunted Mouths" (2025). Much more vibey compared to his other works. Apparently Kellin will be using this experience when writing the next SWS album!

Another day, another song to hear. More cult-y themed heavy music! It is pretty cool to hear. youtu.be/38En_TYdxcI?...

VGM Recommendation: Additional Battle theme from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP) by Toshiki Konishi. MAN, Konishi can write a good guitar-driven melody. Right behind Meguro himself. It's a hard rock sound but with a bit of emotion. Dare I say, slightly epic. youtu.be/7VLBsy3rlRA?...

Finally touching more VGM. I'm trying out music from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP), particularly the action type tracks from Toshiki Konishi. Honestly, this guy is SUPER underrated, even if my favorite composer is still Meguro-san. Konishi can really nail a guitar tune.

Song recommendation: Despedida by Masahiro Andoh, performed by T-Square (and some Brazilian friends). Very fun Latin jazz style track to listen to. As always, the flute-acoustic guitar combo is an automatic W for me. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJY3...

Another day to hear new music. I gave a serious listen to BMTH's "Suicide Season" album. Lots of brutality even compared to There is a Hell. Some songs were standardly edgy, while others let the brutal heaviness communicate raw emotion. The last few full-length songs were actually quite good.

I went for some more T-Square. This album is "Brasil" (2001). T-Square decided to go on their Latin jazz arc while recording with Brazilian musicians! I feel this style is much more to my taste than the Chick Corea style. T-Square just has a "tighter" sound. The added guitar also helps.

Song recommendation: Hit The Floor by Linkin Park. After a second listen, this really does it for me. A very heavy song with a very strong hip hop sound (even for LP). Mike and Mr. Hahn really give it a cool sound, and of course Brad's chunky guitars complete it. youtu.be/oMals9XXQY8?...

Hearing more T-Square. Starting with the album "Friendship" (2000), which was when the band form was dissolved by Masahiro Andoh and replaced by a duet between Andoh and Takeshi Itoh (alongside session musicians). After all those years apart, they hadn't lost the slightest bit of chemistry.

I suppose I will be looser with the "each day" thing. But I did hear new music today. I heard Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight album. I already knew "What I've Done". So, the opener "Given Up" was VERY cool. But my takeaway: not enough Mike, and I prefer when their rock is heavier. So I prefer ATS.

Song Recommendation: "Russian Roulette Is for Lovers?" by Zebrahead (2021). www.youtube.com/watch?v=goAI...

"VGM" recommendation: Time to Make History special mix by Toshiki Konishi, for the Persona 4 Animation. Konishi-san is quite underrated among the Atlus sound team, but he has serious skills! It leans on a hard rock sound while keeping Shihoko Hirata's pop-like vocals. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu9j...

Song recommendation: A Dream In A Daydream performed by T-Square, and composed by Keiji Matsumoto (2000). They opened this album with some serious innovation, with some electronic dance beats, "house" piano and turntables. Really kept things fresh in the later years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJPk...

Day 130 of listening to new VGM. Gradually going through Chrono Trigger for now, but I heard "Boss Battle 2" by Yasunori Mitsuda. My least favorite of the tracks so far, but still a solid piece in itself. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ee5...

Day 108 of listening to new songs. I went to hear the album "A Thousand Suns" by LP. This is completely different to the rock I've heard from them, but it somehow works? I can feel the heart and soul in the record. It's the most artsy LP record I've heard. Much more Chester-Mike balance than usual.

Day 107 of listening to new songs. I heard "Supersonic" from Jamiroquai. Definitely a more experimental song, and I wouldn't necessarily put it on a playlist. But I still greatly respect the craft behind it, since it does have a sort of cool and moody vibe. www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Sh...

Day 129 of listening to new VGM: Boss battle 1 from Chrono Trigger by Noriko Matsueda, arranged by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. I can sense the Uematsu touch for the intensity, but I think the swing element might be Matsueda's. www.youtube.com/watch?v=US1c...

Whoops, lost the VGM every day streak. Oh well, day 128 of listening to new VGM: The battle theme from Chrono Trigger, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. I'm already intrigued by the game's music, since it has a very different sound to Final Fantasy. More catchy for sure. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQGm...

Day 106 of listening to new songs. I heard "Canned Heat" from Jamiroquai. It gives the same funky, fresh vibe as "Virtual Insanity", with a music video that keeps the same wacky, surreal vibe. This time, Jay Kay is jumping through walls like they're SM64 paintings! www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE4V...

Song recommendation: Pulling Teeth by Zebrahead (2024). They're really embracing that heavier, more mature sound, and I like it. youtu.be/ja3-6Q5fpDo?...

A fan artist managed to remake one of my Paper Mario fan works. They brought it to the full potential here!

VGM Recommendation: "全ての人の魂の戦い" (aka The Battle for Everyone's Souls) by Shoji Meguro from Persona 3. Unlike other tracks, this one goes all out on a symphonic metal style with some electronic elements. And it's EPIC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk-B...

Yet another T-Square album to listen to. It's just called "T-Square", released in early 2000, where Andoh-san felt he hit a wall regarding creativity (hence the album cover), and planned on dissolving the band. So, they innovated to the max. There's even some turntables in a few songs!

Day 105 of listening to new songs. Last BMTH song for a bit, but I went and heard "Chelsea Smile", from their second record. EXTREMELY heavy even compared to Alligator Blood and It Never Ends. But certainly more controlled than Pray for Plagues, so I think it is pretty good.

Song recommendation: "Make It Stoned" by Masahiro Andoh, performed by T-Square (1999). I don't do any pot, but this would be a perfect track to get stoned to. Andoh's guitar line is enough of a psychedelic. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSkA...

Day 127 of listening to new game music each day. I heard "Wiping All Out" composed by Shoji Meguro, and performed by Lotus Juice and Mayumi Fujita. Very interesting song. LJ is great as always, but Fujita killed it too! www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUiq...

Day 105 of listening to new songs. I heard BMTH's "Antivist" from Sempiternal. Quite a pissed off song! Considering the lyrics, yeah it makes sense. Of course, that called for an extra heavy track. Definitely gives a sound like their third album, so it's very cool. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sZ5...

It's been long enough to show another full view of the Bug Fablers' work on Wplace. Regarding the finished works, I did a large number of the ones on the bottom right. Meanwhile a Bianca fan is going all in with a GIANT portrait.

Song recommendation: From Taniavur performed by T-Square (composed by Masahiro Andoh). Desert meets jazz fusion in a really fun way. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy30...

Listening to more T-Square music today. Heard their album "Sweet & Gentle" (1999). I had initially thought a switch-around of members would limit their music, but they never lost the magic or creativity. Honestly, late 1990s T-Square is my favorite so far. I do slightly prefer "Gravity" to this one.

Day 104 of listening to new songs. I heard "Shadow Moses" from BMTH, the first single from Sempiternal. I much prefer this one to "Can You Feel My Heart", and yes, it's because it's heavier. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k9q...