With a surprisingly light stroke, Australian singer/producer Jim Alxndr and Norwegian artist Lido reflect on the meaning and beauty of our existence on ‘Live In Pretend’.
Jim Alxndr and Lido – Live In Pretend
The lyrical hero of “Live in Pretend” is a person who has questioned the meaning of their own existence. Suddenly catching themselves thinking that we are all immeasurably small and weak in this world, they are trying to seize at least some opportunity to prove to them that as long as they are alive, they are strong. They give themselves to the world, receiving in return a human and friendly disposition. They suffer from chaos in the world, which has grown into chaos in their head. The only thing that remains for them is to be comfortable for everyone else and not to defend their real interests, not to seek comfort for them.
The song slowly dances around all these thoughts, smoothly tossing and turning from side to side, walking around with an ironic smirk and as if urging the hero to turn to his questions again and again, and at the same time also closing the circle of hero thoughts, dooming them to psychological torment. Its atmosphere and vibe are like a conversation with the universe.
Synthesizers, like waves, fall on you with all their weight, and then crawl back. And after the waltzing-like start, the instruments eventually resound with a huge roll of thunder, like an explosive wave. The cosmic, light and fleeting mood of the song seems to be paradoxical. While the text of the song loads us with thoughts, its musical sequence frees us from them or even shows how small they are in comparison with the scale of the universe. However, in this ambiguity, the balance of the song is manifested – its beauty, its swan grace, politeness and respect for the laws of life, slowness and thoughtfulness.
“The idea is that at the end of our lives we all turn into a ‘cosmic dust. I thought the chords felt pretty universy and cosmic / Milky Way type vibes so with that idea in mind I thought it would be cool to write a song loosely about the expansiveness of our experience here on earth.”
And after all this, we can only come to one conclusion – we can live only for the sake of living. To live so that other people, thanks to us, have a meaning to live. Win a Nobel Prize, patent a cure and save millions of lives, become a surgeon and save hundreds of lives, raise kids to go for the same targets and make them strive for the same. Since we are shackled within the boundaries of our reality, the only thing left for us is to be in them further, to study them, living with them, synthesize with them together and coexist in harmony. Or at least get as closer as possible to it. And as the song keeps circling longer and longer, putting you in a dreamy trance, our planet will still ruthlessly revolve around the Sun and its axis, also ruthlessly turning us all into dust in turn.
Discover more from Jim Alxndr
Discover more from Lido
Words Otis Cohan Mone
