Tuesdays with Muerte

Do You Recognize the Melody? When I first listened to Aurora's 2023 hit single, " Your Blood ," I was immediately reminded of " Lovefool ," a 1996 classic from fellow Scandinavians, The Cardigans. I assumed they were both singing about unrequited love, but I realized they told different stories as I spent more time with Aurora's work. Background Interview with the Artist In this article, A Matter of the Heart , Aurora gives listeners a glimpse into the meaning behind her hit single, " Your Blood" .  In summary, "Your Blood" reflects on the loss of heart and empathy in a world driven by rationality and profit, exploring themes of pain, empathy, and interconnectedness.  Inspired by a letter written by  Indigenous activists from Brazil , Aurora's album,  What Happened to the Heart?,  questions humanity's reliance on mind over heart, highlighting how decisions driven by logic rather than compassion lead to suffering, both for the Eart...

BYU-Idaho's top choral group performed  The Heavens' Flock in the SLC Tabernacle during Music & The Spoken Word last Sunday. I was incredibly moved by the Christian message by the non-Christian poet, Paulann Petersen. In the piece, the poet lauds the stars in the heavens, which obediently graze across the sky like animate beings, never straying. The poet, lost and wandering herself, enviously emulates the Great Shepherd's celestial flock by building a makeshift fire of her own made of gathered  "lichen" and "branches" and "twiggy clatter" . I loved the inferred metaphor of the collected "earthfood" to stoke the poet's internal fire. To me, her gathering efforts represent mortal obedience and sacrifice—the fuel of my own discipleship. Like the poet, though my fire is far from a constant, celestial blaze, my feeble attempts to be a light are seen and appreciated by my God, the Creator of all. LYRICS Stars, you ar...

"What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart." — In the bleak midwinter  BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI WOW! These videos are incredible! For the past 12 days, these amazing, LDS YouTubers have inspired us with their respective gifts for the King of kings. I invite you, as you watch a few (or all) of these meaning-filled videos, to think about what it is they all have in common. Consider what makes a gift a  good one. Then, after coming up with a few ideas, ponder on what you could do  to add your gift to theirs. Then do it. Without further ado, I proudly present 2015's 12 Days of Social #ASaviorIsBorn! O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL - Jenny Oaks Baker (DEC 1) UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER DANCE PARTY! -  Ellie and Jared  (DEC 2) THE FIRST NOEL  - Gardiner Sisters  (DEC 3) AVE MARIA - Lexi Walker & Lyceum Phi...

Personal Experience I first discovered this beautiful melody while watching Christian Bale salute a squadron of Japanese Kamikaze pilots of the Zero-sen in Spielberg's 1987 cinematic masterpiece,  Empire of the Sun . Spielberg adapted this WWII story with such beauty and sadness, it was incomparable to anything else I have ever seen. Bale's performance brought me to tears. I had never witnessed anyone his age give a truer performance. For me, Bale's singing of this song was the central moment of this entire 2.5 hour, coming-of-age film. It perfectly captured the juxtaposition of boyhood innocence, and the horrors of war depicted throughout the flim. In a prison camp—infused with the hate of the Allies for their captors, sedated by Bales's youthful view of humanity, and countered by the extreme honor felt by the Japanese Zeros—Bale's character, Jim, exhibited great reverence and empathy for his fellow human beings, despite them being his enemies. After view...

Good Boy  was a senior dance project, choreographed by Jack Chan. All the dancers are from the Utah's Timpview High School Dance Company. Ms. Challis, their coach, was the lead cinematographer and editor. I played the role of the helpful assistant.

In 2001, I received a call from my Colorado mission president asking me to learn to speak Spanish for the duration of my  LDS  mission.  As I held the phone to my ear, my first thought was of the time I had nearly failed my Spanish 101 class. But my faith and hope were strong that morning (most likely due to the fact that I had just finished an hour of scripture study).   My mental process: My mission president receives revelation  from the Lord,  for me. And I know the Lord wouldn't ask me to do something I was incapable of accomplishing.  Therefore, I will whole-heartedly  go and do whatever is needed of me .  My fear was instantly quelled by a spiritual wave of faith and confidence that wiped away any reservations I had previously held.   I immediately accept my president's call, and I never looked back. Long story short, I quickly became fluent in Spanish and went on,  later,  to earn a bachelor's degree from BYU in Lat...

O Nata Lux: Lyric translations: English O Light, born of Light, Jesus, Redeemer of the world, with loving-kindness deign to receive suppliant praise and prayer. Thou who once deigned to be clothed in flesh for the sake of the lost, grant us to be members of thy blessed body. Lux Aeterna: "O Nata Lux";  Composer: Morten Lauridsen;  Conductor: Paul Salamunovich;  Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia Orchestra Of all the words in the text, the word I especially adore is, " Loving-kindness ."  I love how the scriptures use it to expound on the motivations of Christ's mercy. After reading and thinking about the following two scriptures, I encourage you to listen to the piece again and bask in the calming assurance of His perfect love. Hosea 2: 19-20  —"And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness , and in merc...

Here's a quick guide for the baffled: Harlem Shake videos all follow the script of one person, often in a helmet, dancing alone in a room full of bored-looking people. Then, as the beat kicks in on  Baauer's "Harlem Shake,"  we smash cut to the entire room going nuts in the most ridiculous ways possible. In a post titled "The Harlem Shake is Exploding," YouTube trends manager Kevin Allocca reveals that more than 12,000 Harlem Shake videos had been uploaded by close of business Monday. Collectively, they have been watched more than 44 million times in a week. Clearly, part of the success of the videos can be attributed to the anticipation of that breakout moment. Another reason: The videos are so short, you can easily consume a dozen of them in a ten-minute lunch break. I did a quick search on Google Trends, and the stats say the meme is still exploding (especially in Canada) as of February 13th. This chart will update to show you the last 90 days. ...

Image Source Finals is Here—Please Enjoy My Study Playlist : The XX —   Intro   (EP)  and every other song on their album, XX. Beta Radio —  Either Way  and their Christmas stuff like  O Holy Night . Tyler Lyle —  Anyhow    and  California . Bronze Radio Return  —  Shake Shake Shake . Peter Bradley Adams  —  Los Angeles . Fort Atlantic —  Let Your Heart Hold Fast   (creative, fan-made,  music video  feat. lyrics ) Churchill —  Change   (music video) The Workday Release —  Love in a Box .  (They should make a song with Taylor Swift.) April Smith and the Great Picture Show —  Movie Loves a Screen Special thanks to Chelsea Smith, the only friend whose music recommendations I trust, for pointing me to most of these!

"Goddess' Theme" Let's listen to this one first, shall we?  The "Ballad of the Goddess," is the main heroic theme from  Skyward Sword , and with good reason. Since viewing the game trailer for the first time, I was struck by how immediately iconic this theme felt, how it conjured feelings of adventure, purpose, and more than anything, of  motion . I totally geeked out when I saw  this  video , which reveals that the Goddess Ballad is actually just Zelda's Lullaby played in reverse. +1000 XP for AWESOMENESS! "To The Moon" Theme There's a place deep inside me that rarely gets touched, moved. Too much of life is filled with the ordinary and mundane, we are surrounded by it, we choke on it. The moment I heard these first few simple notes I was swept to that place. The music has the ability to make the world stop for that brief moment when you listen to it. "The soundtrack is all inclusive, all immersive and utterly ca...