John Mayer's "Wave", Gaming Franchises Return

Since it maximized seven days of sales that counted towards your weekly total, weekend included, new music albums used to only drop on Tuesdays. Other industries then followed that release pattern but streaming, instant downloads and other factors then opened up other days of the week. In the essence of Tuesday nostalgia, we’re bringing you the best drops from the last week in the world of music and video games. Time to get excited about Tuesday, again. 

Music

AFI, “The Blood Album” – I went through a handle of musical phases while I was growing up. We all did and I spent a little longer than I probably should have listening to alternative or punk rock. AFI was there, along with their breakthrough album “Sing The Sorrows”, when I spent an entire summer learning how to kick-flip over a dozen years later, they haven’t left. A quick run through of their discography, which spans ten studio albums, shows a handful of shifts in their sound throughout the years. “The Blood Album” is a strong return to punk form though.

John Mayer, “The Search for Everything – Wave One” – John Mayer hasn’t released an album since 2013 and while we won’t get the full version of his 10^th album for a few months, the world received the first four songs earlier this week. Mayer will be releasing “The Search for Everything” four songs at a time, every month, until it arrives in full. Judging by the first four songs on “Wave One”, the wait for Meyer to return to return to prominence has been well worth it.

Starset, “Vessels” – The cover of Starset’s second studio album reminds me of the spaceships from Oscar nominee Arrival. An nondescript pod barely hovering over the ocean, perhaps symbolizing that Starset’s nondescript sound. They describe themselves as cinematic rock but from a heavy rock base, to electronic compliments and vocals that are both hypnotic and in your face, all at the same time, lines and genres are perfectly blurred throughout “Vessels”.

Video Games

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – While I am desperately holding on hope that the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie is at least watchable, it’s tough for franchises to live forever. Resident Evil’s newest installment sets the franchise up to not only live in the new-age of gaming but rule the VR world. With what Game Informer is calling a “truly terrifying horror experience” and “beautifully disturbing” graphics, this first-person exploration proves why Resident Evil will always be at the top of the horror gaming world.

Yakuza 0 – If you are a fan of “open world” games such as Grand Theft Auto, SEGA’s latest installment of their Yakuza series is one to check out. While GTA has had numerous geographical locals, SEGA has always stayed true to their Japanese roots and that isn’t changing in this prequel. Set in fictionalized 1988 Tokyo, “Yakuza 0” offers a main storyline path and interesting side stories, that make exploring SEGA’s newest criminal underworld somewhere you want to get lost in.