Passion Pit - The Reeling

Great song, awesome music video. It's trippy, artsy, and it fits the music perfectly.

"I used to listen to that band, then they became popular"

     I'm not a hipster. I may listen to mostly Indie music and bands that most people haven't heard of before, but I'm not a hipster. Why? Because I don't reject mainstream music simply because it's popular. I once met a guy who went as far as to say that he didn't like Sigur Rós because they were too popular. If that is "too popular", then any band which gets worldwide or nationwide recognition is, and that is an absurdity. Perhaps these musicians are popular for a reason, like maybe... because they're good? Now there's a thought.
In my opinion, most mainstream music, though catchy, is poor in quality, but there are some talented mainstream musicians out there. Also, there is a time and place for every genre of music (except for *cough*country*cough*). Here are some of my favorite mainstream artists:

Lady Gaga - She might not be the best role model, but even the most hipster-ish of hipsters can't deny that she is musically and artistically talent. The woman writes her own songs and designs her own costumes. She has also written and performed acoustic versions of her songs, which highlight her natural vocal talent.

Justin Timberlake - I have been a fan of JT for over a decade now. From N'Sync to Future Sex/Love Sounds, Justin has always been an amazing singer and dancer.

Timbaland - With his ever versatile music which features a wide variety of musicians and singers, Timbaland makes it to the top of my list.

Mika - Love him.

Coldplay - Who doesn't like Coldplay?

Alicia Keys - She writes her own songs and performs them live.

Black Eyed Peas - I've loved the Black Eyed Peas for years. If I'm in the mood to dance or listen to something upbeat, their music is the best.

Beyonce - What would a bouquet toss be without "Single Ladies"?

Kanye West - He may be arrogant, but he has some great songs!

Enrique Iglesias - Enrique has some great, upbeat songs... and who can resist his Latin charm?

And of course, there are the occasional hit singles by other artists. Sorry, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, you didn't make the list. Maybe next time?

Introduction

I used to blog. In 8th grade I started a blog to keep in touch with friends and update them on my life. I blogged throughout high school, but over the years my posts became less and less frequent until finally one day, I stopped blogging all together. I no longer had the need to use my blog as a way of keeping in touch with friends or updating them on my life. Instead, I began documenting my life in pictures and posting them on Facebook, writing status updates for undocumented events. For everything else, I made an effort to keep in touch with friends through personal messages and letters. I felt that I had nothing interesting to blog about.

A few years later, I began to miss blogging. There is just something about writing to an unknown reader that gives me, the author, freedom to write about whichever topic interests me. Now, my mind is exploding with ideas and I am eager to share my thoughts and passions with people through writing. Unlike my previous blog, this blog will not be an update of my life, but rather, thoughts and reviews on things of interest to me.

My desire is that through my blog people will learn new things, discover new passions, and consider new perspectives. The title of my blog, "Vera Innblástur", is Icelandic for "Be Inspired" (at least, that's what I got from Google translator). I want my readers to be inspired by the things which have inspired me (to be honest, I just took a cliché Hallmark phrase and translated it into Icelandic because everything sounds cooler in Icelandic).

Some of the things I will write about include...

Music - I will discuss the art and culture of music and review some of my favorite bands and musicians.

Travel and Culture - I will discuss some of my experiences traveling, some cultural differences I have encountered, and recommend places to visit.

Gastronomy - I will discuss culinary arts, review restaurants in Seattle, and share ideas for healthy, easy meals.

Coffee - I will discuss coffee, coffee culture, and where to find the best coffee shops in Seattle.

Other topics:  Foreign language education, photography, and hipsters.


Regardless of what your interests are, I hope you will be inspired!
~Elyse