liquidmodernmusic

[liquidmodernmusic]

NEW RELEASE - "Life Of Illusion"

I don't exactly remember when and where I first heard this song. Being a child of the 80s, I'm sure it was on the radio, in my dad's truck, in a supermarket, etc.

What I DO know is that Joe Walsh's "Life of Illusion" is an awesome song!

I think it has something to do with the upbeat nature of the song which contrasts with the darker metaphysical lyrics dealing with people's choice to define themselves by meaningless constructs.

This rings true in the modern day because much of our personalities are developed and reinforced by what we post, who we follow, and the way that looks to those who follow us.

In our reimagining, we tried to keep the feel of the original on both a vocal and musical level. Kojette's vocals are purposely fragile and synthetic over the ethereal and wandering synths which are all held together by the peppy, dance-able beat.

We certainly hope you enjoy this one!

Have a great 3-day weekend, y'all!

-Kojette & Thom

[liquidmodernmusic]

NEW LIQUID MODERN RELEASE - 13 JAN

Much of modern life is filled with interactions through digital interfaces which simulate the antiquated face-to-face interactions of yesteryear, yet, in reality, they constitute a world of smoke and mirrors. Liquid Modern's reimagining of @joewalshofficial 's "A Life of Illusion" features electronic instruments, such as synthesizers and drum machines, rather than the rock band instrumentation used in the original version. The electronic production lends a more modern and polished sound to the song, while the message and melody remain unchanged. This version of the classic track includes some elements of synthwave intertwined with ambient soundscapes which create a dreamy, hypnotic atmosphere in the midst of the upbeat rhythm section. Kojette's naturally delicate vocals are processed in a way that makes the voice seem like it is reaching out from the depths of an electronic mainframe in an attempt to help you break free of this technicolor hallucination. Overall, their version of "A Life of Illusion" brings Liquid Modern's genre-bending style and a retro-modern energy to the classic rock song!

[liquidmodernmusic]

It’s funny how sometimes things present themselves at the perfect time.

For instance, I thought I had lost this sticker when we moved. It’s too long of a story for right now but it holds some real sentimental value both in relation to the lyrics and the getting of the sticker itself.

Anyway. I was upset it was gone and had thought about it a couple days ago. I’ve been going through a bit of an imposter syndrome spell mixed with “what’s the point” sad-sackery lately and was shuffling things around in my studio…and BAM there it was. Memories flooded back, endorphins flooded my brainhole.

Opened the DAW and had a really productive session and now my brain is in a much better space.

Neat!

All because of some ink on a sticky bit of this n that. (glad it wasn’t a video installation of Linda Ronstadt)

[liquidmodernmusic]

"TFS" is something I'm going to be doing more of in the near future: A ONE DAY PROJECT. WATCH FULL VIDEO here: https://youtu.be/zuJaYSVsh-A From time to time, I like to start in the morning with a cup of coffee, sit down at the DAW, and have a specific goal in mind for something I would like to create. Today's project resulted in this song and visualizer. I wanted to create a peaceful yet powerful track that plays with soundwaves and stagnate sounds that rise and bloom toward a build that feels hopeful and empowering. The sound of the song (though unintentional) obviously lends some homage to some artists who have influenced me over the years such as #electricyouth , #arcadefire , #flaminglips #liquid modern #synthfam #studymusic #chillmusic #soundtrackmusic #soundtrackvibes #instrumentalmusic #restmusic #indiepop #indiepopmusic #indievibes #relaxing #hopefulmusic #vaporwaveaesthetic #ferns #visualizer #trippy��#calmingmusic #calmmusic #crescendo #newmusic #synthpop #retrowave #indiemusic #indieartistmusic #fyp

[liquidmodernmusic]

In Pursuit of Intellectualism

While I'm no longer a teacher, I still hear from some of my former students from time-to-time informing me about their studies, asking questions, or with words of gratitude. This one in particular hit my inbox with an intriguing question today.

Would love to hear YOUR opinions on the topic, too!

STUDENT'S QUESTION: Do you think America is more anti or pro intellectual today ?

"Short answer: Yes. America is INCREASINGLY anti-intellectual.

Long answer: Kind of.  There are a lot of nuances that don't allow the matter to be so easily defined.  Like most issues (racial, social, sexuality, etc) there are things that are better and things that are worse when it comes to intellectualism.  

On the  side, our country is increasingly MORE educated as post-secondary education is kind of a requirement for most job fields but education isn’t necessarily intellectualism.  While college used to be all about intellectualism it has now devolved into glorified job training.  University used to be about pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge, gaining a broad understanding of a wide array of specialized concepts, and a free-discussion of differences in opinion; that is simply not the case in the modern day.  Most students are forced to go there by parents, have a fear of future debt (and therefore don't want to spend extra time there), and face a VERY polarized world which doesn't truly value critical discussion. 

We also have the wealth of human knowledge at our fingertips and searchable within a few keystrokes, but fewer use this in an intellectual way than use it purely for self-gratifying entertainment.  While there is nothing wrong with people choosing to use their time in the way they see fit, echo chambers, social media bubbles, and disinformation make the average person ill-equipped to advance their own intellectualism unless they have been trained to do so which education/society are not great at possible because a pacified populace is easier to rule than a thinking one.

Education is NOT interested in intellectualism in the modern day.  While individual teachers take up this mantle and do the best they can, the system wants docile test-takers who think in a formulaic fashion so that their thoughts are equally formulaic which, unfortunately, turns those interested in furthering intellectualism off.  In my 12 years in education, I witnessed the degradation of the public education system at the expense of quality education, meaningful discourse, and student growth.  There are a million reasons for this (most political, sadly) but at the end of the day, education is a business that employs many people and is focused on public image and metrics rather than actually promotion intellectualism and therefore will be maintained no matter the cost to society.

Finally, it’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of any body that seeks to tell people “truths” about “myth” in order to control their behaviors and thought.  And while religious ideas (“God”, order to the universe, rules of decency) are a wonderful concept, the pushing of them at global and governmental levels is damaging in my opinion. Organized religion is, at its root, anti-intellectual (believe the text, what the “teacher” of it says, or bad things will happen) and since we indoctrinate youth regularly to it (against their will) it is one of the leading factors of our anti-intellectual society.  If you are taught that every answer goes back to “because God” that IS anti-intellectual.  

So, yes.  A LOT has changed since the 80s, some good, some not-so-much.  But isn’t that human history?  We tend to think of the world as a steady progression from “dark ages” to enlightenment but I look at it as more of a dense fog that becomes a little less thick over time yet never fully lifts.  While old problems have improved, new ones have stepped in to replace them and none of them ebb or flow at consistent rates."  

[liquidmodernmusic]

I pity the fool who never got to experience the awesomeness that was Mr. T cereal!

I wonder if Pee-Wee paid him or the other way around for the HUGE boost this had to have gotten from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (it definitely worked on me!)

[liquidmodernmusic]

Was looking at our info/data this morning and I realized that it was EXACTLY a year ago that I input all the info for our first EP to be put out into the world.

This came out a couple of months after Kojette and I decided to abruptly quit our careers as teachers and focus on living authentically for our daughter and ourselves. It was the beginning of something that cannot be adequately expressed with words. One year later so much has changed for the better and I still count my blessings daily.

While it didn't actually release until 19 November, the cooler weather today (70s) made me nostalgic for it.

[liquidmodernmusic]

I woke up the other day Walked out to blue suburban skies Skies filled with dreams and butterflies And I wondered to myself How do I fit in this game? Just a nameless face or a faceless name

[liquidmodernmusic]

Let's Tumble

Not really sure what I'm supposed to do/make/say/think/write/post here. Watch the old dude figure out new (old) technologies! Much excite!