CD Review: Liquid Mind’s “RELAX: A Liquid Mind Experience”
Music is a powerful shaper of moods, and while we each may listen to music for a variety of reasons (pure enjoyment, intellectual satisfaction, emotional catharsis, sentimental reasons, and so on), listening to specific pieces to intentionally create specific moods within ourselves is a great way to regulate our moods and thoughts, to guide us to better interior states.
An excellent example of this type of music is composed by Chuck Wild under the artist name Liquid Mind. His latest album, “RELAX: A Liquid Mind Experience” is currently #1 on the Canada iTunes Top 10 New Age Charts, in the top 20 on Billboard New Age sales chart, and is a veritable feast of gentle, relaxing music. Wild describes Liquid Mind music as ‘“sedative” healing music, designed to alleviate anxiety and induce deep relaxation.’
And indeed it is. I’ve been listening to RELAX for the last week, and Wild is that rare artist who creates from the too-oft antiseptic washes of synthesized sound that comprise lesser new age music, rich sonic landscapes that are simultaneously engaging, warm, and deeply relaxing. Perhaps part of the explanation of why Wild’s music is more engaging than other new age artists lies in his musical background as a composer; he “draws from classical and pop influences as varying as Beethoven and Brian Eno, Bartok and Rachmaninoff, Duruflé and Brahms.”
Wild composed the early Liquid Mind music “to help himself deal with the anxiety of long work hours, and also for friends and family dealing with the stress of life-threatening illnesses like cancer and HIV” and the tagline of the Liquid Mind website is “Musical Healthcare.” It is, according to Wild, “soothing, healing relaxation music, a perfect musical background for sleep or pre-sleep, massage, meditation, healing, yoga, pilates, reiki, shiatsu, tai chi or reflexology.”
Though Wild specifically mentions sleep and pre-sleep, I’ve also found this album particularly helpful post-sleep, odd as that may sound. I often awake in an agitated state with a zillion thoughts loudly clamoring for attention in my mind. Listening to RELAX first thing in the morning helps put me on a calmer, more even footing to begin the day.
I highly recommend this album to any of my readers who are seeking relaxing music for any reason. To purchase or learn more, visit Amazon.com
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:01 am
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptMusic is a powerful shaper of moods, and while we each may listen to music for a variety of reasons (pure enjoyment, intellectual satisfaction, emotional catharsis, sentimental reasons, and so on), listening to specific pieces to … [...]
December 8th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article at DevYou, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.