I curated 9 of my favorite music videos by artists who fall into the ~*indie*~ genre. Not in any particular order. I don't judge good music videos by story lines or dumb stuff (lol) but ..by how pretty they are or how well they've remained in my memory, even years after I've seen them. This list is in no particular order... not playing favorites here. well okay, maybe with the first one. hehe. Enjoy! Beirut - Elephant GunIt appears that whomever directed the lyrical choreography told the dancers to perform but like, also look like they were sleeping, but not really. It's the best part. Also, whenever I try to imagine this guy in my head, I picture Devendra Banhart yet they look nothing alike??? I Feel It All - FeistLeslie Feist of Feist is so skilled in the happy songs department. Feel It All makes me thoroughly happy no matter how many times I listen to it. I find that it is very difficult to make a "happy" music video without making it look like a cheesy cruise commercial but she did a pretty darn good job at it. Who else would've thought of expressing joy by hitting barrels full of fireworks? Best Friend - The DrumsThe first time I watched this music video I was in tears. At that point, I don't think I was very accustomed to Jonny Pierce or The Drums (they're now one of my favorite bands and have been for a good 6 years now) and I couldn't help but laugh at his dance moves or the way he dives into the set through the window. It's wonderful. Radar Detector - Darwin DeezHow sweet it must be for the person you love to compare you to a device that leaves a lot of people in traffic court. I was a bucket full of giggles when watching this music video as well but I'm positive that it was intentionally comical, along with Darwin's other music videos. It is very quirky, just like the lyrics. "You and I buy star maps and ding-dong-ditch a televangelist" is the epitome of millennial love I guess. Holocene - Bon IverI've always wanted to experience a day like the one the boy in the music video is having but then again, being alone in the middle of who knows where in Europe (or anywhere where there is nothing but goats and greenery) just doesn't uhhh.. Undercover Martyn - Two Door Cinema Club7 years have past and I still have not any clue of what this song could possibly mean. Who is Martyn? Were his parents hippies? Why is his name spelled that way? Why is there a line in the song that says "sick in the car seat cause you're not up to going?" Where are detectives Mary-Kate and Ashley when you need them? (note: just NOW I've realized that most of the American music I listen to is music I listened to a long time ago. I don't want to sound like a lame-o but since the genres I listen to are all shifting into this weird "I only care about my aesthetic" soundcloud kinda thing and bands that sound like The Kooks or The Shins or even Two Door Cinema Club is is on the newer side don't exist anymore??) I have so much to say about Two Door Cinema Club's Tourist History in general and the nostalgia is radiating in my heart therefore I MUST write an entire essay about it. Wait for it. I digress. Luna - Bombay Bicycle ClubWho doesn't love synchronized swimming (ok me) and purple highlighted filters?? It's Real - Real EstateAlso hilarious. Towards the end of the video it seems as though the band is playing their hardest to please the dogs that are sitting before them. I discovered this band a few years ago and they've also become a favorite of mine. It is difficult at some times to find more information about them because they are named Real Estate, but... I guess we know what we need to know which is that they love lo-fi beachy-sounds and dogs. Grown Ocean - Fleet FoxesAh, easier times which weren't very long ago but seem so. The times where it was socially acceptable to use the Mayfair filter. The song and music video are...refreshing. That's all I can say really. Both feel like driving with the top down in a beach city while drinking a mint lemonade.
We’ve all been there. We end up in a position that requires to have an abundance of faith, we pass the test, and it’s over. We feel accomplished. So accomplish that it feels like even God Himself is patting us on the back, telling us that we’ve done a great job. But then...an attack comes. As Jackie Hill Perry has said in a sermon of hers, the enemy is after your faith. Faith. He is after your faith in God. That’s it. He’s not after the transmission on your car, nor your marriage, but your faith. “Are you going to continue to trust God even after this thing that happened” is a scary thought, and also a lie from the devil. We tend to be moved easily (the Bible describes this as being moved like waves in the sea) and in that state, we are unable to perform to our very fullest potential of which God created us to perform.
As I stated earlier, surely, many of us get to the point of passing the test of faith. It seems easier than the last test because we understand God more and we know the right scriptures concerning the situation. (Well, we should.) But, that it isn’t always the case. Though it seemed like we were forward after acing last season’s test, a new one arrives, and suddenly (usually depending on the size of it,) we forget how to swim. In these times, it’s almost as if we can hear God screaming, “did I not get you through it last time?” And “ am I like humans where I’d lie and have to repent?” (Numbers 23:19) Over and over again but we...just ignore it. Well, why? The devil is after your faith. You are in charge of the thoughts you entertain. You know that the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy and that God is not in any part of that. You know that God has plans to prosper you, not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future. You know that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. You know that you are blessed from the top of your head from the soles of your feet. So, why do you worry? If He who is within you is He who is in the world, why do you even bother entertaining anything in opposition of God’s truth? To know that all of these things I’ve listed above (and the rest of them, mainly found in the book of Psalms) are true and to continue to show distrust in God is calling Him a liar. If your loyal, faithful husband knew the easiest way to solve a problem you had that just seemed impossible to fix; and you chose to ignore him and just stress out, would that show your husband that you trust him? Absolutely not. God looks for us to keep the faith and good fruits we obtain in every season not so they’ll be replaced or “upgraded” with better ones, but so that we collect them and apply them all as lead by the Holy Spirit. My challenge for you in the month of January to walk by faith, from faith, and into faith again - in every situation. Show God that you trust Him, and see where it takes you. love, Deja <3 After hours of searching for an aesthetically pleasing French person to stalk (see also: Violette Serrat) I am satisfied. Jeanne Damas was at one point not only a blogger herself, but one with talent and a true eye. She now has her own clothing line and a whole book. (which I'm about to order now I totally would review it but it's entirely in french oops) With nearly 700k followers on instagram I'm not really sure how I missed her but then again I really only follow people who post pics of desserts bible verses and prit-T airbnb-esque bedrooms. Here are a few of my favorite looks of hers for *less*! I can't be the only one who does this but when I think "Jeanne Damas" my mind immediately pictures her in this dress from her own clothing line, Rouje. Thankfully, a much cheaper alternative is far less than difficult to find. I'm really digging the simplicity of French fashion these days. Sometimes (all the time) distressed jeans, rose patches, flames, and checker board print are just... um well let's stop that I've had enough. I feel the same way about American makeup but that's...I don't wanna talk about it Chanel F/W 2001 feels. I too often find myself on the side of the internet filled with 70 year old women discussing the seemingly grotesque Jell-O recipes their moms made for them as children. Though I've yet to get my hands on any physically, I am able to watch other people eat them online and live vicariously through them for a few minutes. I came across this wonderful video made by emmymadeinjapan, who happens to be one my favorite favorite YouTube. I only have about 5. Ican't get over how beautifully this cake is presented and I'd love to recreate it but using neon colored jello. Anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised that this recipe doesn't contain any mayonnaise. Though if it would, I'm sure it would be peachy keen anyway. *snort*
In the beginning of the book of Daniel we meet King Nebuchadnezzar, a rather haughty, hostile man, to whom God himself gave victory over the king over King Jehoiakim of Judah, and allowed him to keep sacred objects from the Temple of God. This alone shows us that God chooses even the unlikely, as Nebuchadnezzar wasn't anything close to a man of God. He had a serious problem with worshiping idols, and acted out of rage, almost killing three of God's anointed men. Before actually devoting his life to Yahweh, he praised God with such deep felt admiration you'd think he had lived for God and realized His works his whole life, but he was constantly pulled back and forth between the God of Israel and his idols. (sounds a lot like this generation.) He praised God and then went right back to building his gold statues, forcing the people of Babylon to bow down and worship it.
Daniel interpreted the king's horrifying dream -which foreshadowed Nebuchadnezzar's punishment for his evil ways. After the dream was fulfilled, King Nebuchadnezzar praised the God of Israel and, as far as we can see, never went back to worshiping idols again. Many years later, a new king named Belshazzar took over, and wasn't really anything different from what had become of King Nebuchadnezzar in the beginning of his reign as king. One day, Belshazzar decided to throw a party (using the silver and gold cups God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to obtain from the Temple and used them to serve his multiple wives, concubines, and nobles.) where they praised their idols. During the party they all became alarmed after seeing human fingers writing on the palace wall. He began to cry out for the astrologers, enchanters, and fortune-tellers to be brought out (lolz srry they're not gunna help u*) and told them that "Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the highest ruler in the kingdom!" {Daniel 5:7} As expected, none of them could read the writing. Someone else in the palace eventually referred King Belshazzar over to Daniel, and said "he has the spirit of the holy gods." (gwateber that means...sigh, pagans I tells ya.) Later, Daniel was brought in before the king, where again, he interpreted what was unknown by using the gift God blessed him with. The King told Daniel he would reward him with fine clothes and jewelry, but Daniel loved God so much that he rejected the offer, (many times in this book do we see that Daniel was weary of accepting things from pagans) but interpreted the writings anyway. He explained how God had anointed King Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar's predecessor, and made him so great that people of all nations, races, and tongues feared him. But when he became arrogant and haughty, God took him off of his throne and humbled him reeeeal quick. He was given the mind of a wild animal, lived among donkeys, and ate grass. (what a sight that must've been.) He remained this way until he learned that God is the Most High and rules over the kingdoms regardless of who is positioned there, and that God appoints whomever is in that position. After explaining these things to Belshazzar, Daniel says "You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself." Read that line over again. "You knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself." {Daniel 5:22} Belshazzar knew what had become of the king who reigned before him, and yet he continued to behave in the ways God despises. Everyday we continue to act in such ways that are completely and utterly a perversion of who God called us to be - and we KNOW it. And yet, we still fail to humble ourselves. Though we may not be bowing down and worshiping any *physical* idols, I'm sure there are things we bow down to and things we put before God and turn the blind eye. We've become too comfortable. People in the Old Testament died on the spot for some of the sins everybody is so comfortable with in modern society. So, as you live through this day, ask God to give you strong conviction to overcome those sins you've been committing willfully while turning your head and acting like you didn't mess up or saying "I'll fix this another time." God's mercies are new every morning. Love, Deja. Many elements of my wardrobe and altogether aesthetic are influenced by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. In 2010 it was the unnecessarily large purses and now (sadly, I've grown out of the minmalist approach to fashion) the hair-tucked-behind-the-ears look is something I pull at least once a week. I've always thought of the two as inspirations -when I was about 9, I had a bookshelf disguised as a grandfather clock in my bedroom, which when opened, was entirely comprised in The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley tapes and books, I also went so far as to buying one of the many of their perfumes they released through their Wal-Mart brand (Night by Victoria's Secret smells exactly like the one I had which lead me to purchasing it I'm so weird leave me alone.) Though both were already recognized as fashion icons, it is even more prevelant now, with the launch of their lines The Row and Elizabeth and James. Anyway, come away with me as we discuss some of their more recent looks and find similar items for much less. (weeeeeeeeee.) The Alexander Wang velcro sneakers Mary-Kate is wearing exude comfort and sensibility..but in a luxurious way. I pieced together the normie equivalent to such an ensemble. (actually doing this for myself for future reference lol thx Jesus) We'll be focusing on Mary-Kate again because her mustard yellow dress looks like the curtain of my dreams. The way her hair color and lipstick complement the outfit so well makes me *android heart eyes emoji* Find a (vaguely) similar dress here! Kind of Macy Gray-ish but....sometimes it BEEZ like dat One of my favorites ahem I think the color scheme is pretty 1920s looking -seafoam green and black were pretty popular back then. (sidenote: clout goggles...what is the proper name for them? And why do people think Kurt Cobain made them a thing - they totally existed in the 60s. Anyway, It's okay if you can't fit the jacket bc we're not actually wearing it. Happy shopping!!
shirt: Urban Outfitters Surplus skirt: aliexpress socks: aliexpress (only 83 cents! Click here http://s.aliexpress.com/F7nu6vae boots: Henry Fererra (found them at TJMaxx) bag: aliexpress (again) dirty garage wall background: Hermès ($10,000,000,000) me pretending to not be bothered about the way my skirt is bunching up at the top
Destroy Hell - Montell FishAs time progresses, music styles change. Just as Christian Hip Hop and R&B rose to the scene in the late 90s for the first time (which MANY saints were opposed to at the time) Christian trap is something that many millennial-age Christians discuss - but the conversation ends abruptly because nothing like it existed. Well, until now. Montell Fish, a 20 year old Pittsburgh native is totally ahead of the game.
Being gargantuantly opposite from his previous releases such as Bedroom Gospel, the description of the trap-gospel song written by Montell himself reads: "Yea so a few days ago on twitter I talked about wishing someone made a super hype trap song/music that gets met hype and makes me wanna go preach the Gospel and it never crossed my mind to actually try doing this but I prayed and asked God if this desire was from Him and in less than a couple hours this track was made. It drops at 12am tonight and it’s called “Destroy Hell” The line "Honestly I don't care if you all get offended you're just religious" stood out to me the most. I totally understand why he decided to add that line into the song. Many are opposed to the Hip-Hop Gospel genre in general (which is totes fine as we all have different preferences) but I fail to understand those who think its an abomination. What difference would it make If the same lyrics had been laid over a piano track and titled something a bit less *~harsh~* such as "Overcome." If we are going to go so far as to bring up the origins of trap music (which wasn't always called that) it was created by DJs who fused different genres of music with synthesizers and stuttering hi-hats using a Roland TR-808. Part of me, though, feels as though many people who are opposed to such an idea are those who grew up listening to real ratchet sin-indulgent rap and hip-hop and so for others, like myself who have never taken such an interest just hear it as sounds, while the others are hearing it as their dark past as it reminds them of the lyrics they identify the sounds with. I came up with that idea after reading many people's stances on secular music. I understand that those who have different experiences may have to guard their hearts in different ways. I personally find the song charming in its own way and it only leaves me wanting an album of similar variety from Montell. Check out the song here and visit Montell's website here! As I begin this blog, I'd like to start off by saying that I had absolutely no idea I was going to do this until last week. A friend of mine prophesied over me and told me what she saw: a notebook, and the word "BLOG." I prayed about confirmation for such an endeavor, and now I am here. Not entirely clueless because during my prayer time, God told me exactly what He wanted this to be. He gave me the name, and now...we are here. While looking through my old ramblings that came from my prayer time, an excerpt of a note I wrote in my phone stood out to me. When Noah was told to build the ark, he didn't question it. Active obedience. Hebrews 11:7 (NLT) "It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteous that comes by faith."
In the same way, I felt as though I had to start this blog now. What if Noah had ignored God and let his family die in the flood? Though I don't know what is on the other side of this situation, I know that my obedience will keep me afloat. Love, Deja |
AuthorMy name is Deja Spears, I am 23, and I am thankful that you are here. Archives
May 2020
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