{"id":3001,"date":"2017-02-01T17:19:20","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T17:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/2017-music-licensing-mr-lif-the-life-and-death-of-scenery\/"},"modified":"2021-03-26T00:56:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T07:56:33","slug":"2017-music-licensing-mr-lif-the-life-and-death-of-scenery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/2017-music-licensing-mr-lif-the-life-and-death-of-scenery\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Spotlight: The Life and Death of Scenery by Mr. Lif and L&#8217;Orange"},"content":{"rendered":"<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:2500.0px;\"\n        ><br \/>\n          <a class=\"\n                sqs-block-image-link\n              \" href=\"http:\/\/domsavini.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div\n                style=\"padding-bottom:66.68000030517578%;\"\n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n  data-animation-override\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/117_image-asset.jpg\" alt=\"Mr. Lif and L'Orange.  \u00a9   Dom Savini\" \/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumb-image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/117_image-asset.jpg\" data-image=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/117_image-asset.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"2500x1667\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Mr. Lif and L'Orange.  \u00a9   Dom Savini\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"588f73b615d5db6f0fc99817\" data-type=\"image\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1000px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1000\/667;\" \/>\n          <\/div>\n<p>          <\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\">\n<p>Mr. Lif and L&#8217;Orange. <span style=\"font-size:12.8px\">\u00a9<\/span> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/domsavini.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dom Savini<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In 2010, Marmoset hip-hop artist <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/artists\/mr-lif\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mr. Lif<\/a> fell victim to a basement flood that resulted in most of his recording equipment being lost forever. Without him really knowing it, this marked the beginning of a period of musical experimentation for Lif. Now, nearly seven years later, nestled in his Boston home studio and peering into the Skype camera, Lif looks back on this time, discussing the past and what\u2019s to come. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the removal of that self-sufficiency that allowed me to float around, I don\u2019t want to say without direction&#8230;but I didn\u2019t have a record deal during that time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>While, until 2015,&nbsp;it had been nearly six years since Mr. Lif publicly released an album,<span style=\"font-size:14.6667px\">&nbsp;<\/span>it wasn&#8217;t for lack of creation. Lif took the time between his releases to rebuild his studio and dabble in a variety of genres &#8212;&nbsp;from playing and performing with a Balkan brass band to collaborating with the San Francisco electronic dance group, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thepolishambassador.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Polish Ambassador<\/a>, and touring with the eclectic DJ collective, Thievery Corporation.&nbsp;The combination of these experiences led to Mr. Lif\u2019s latest release, 2015&#8217;s <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.adultswim.com\/music\/lifeanddeath\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Life and Death of Scenery<\/a>, <\/em>a genre-bending, post-apocalyptic collaboration with Nashville, Tennessee producer, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/lorangeproductions.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">L\u2019Orange<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sqs-block-button-container--center\" data-animation-role=\"button\" data-alignment=\"center\" data-button-size=\"large\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/artists\/mr-lif\" class=\"sqs-block-button-element--large sqs-block-button-element\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Listen to mr. lif<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brought together through a friend at Adult Swim, Lif and L&#8217;Orange went through a good deal of back and forth before arriving at the apocalyptic, prophetic theme.&nbsp;When musing on the process of developing the narrative, Mr. Lif remembers conversations on the changing theme. \u201c[I said] I want to go in this direction that we&#8217;ve already agreed on, but your music is telling me to do something different,\u201d he says. \u201cThe surefire recipe to make bad songs, in my world, is to disobey the beat or disobey the instrumental with what I&#8217;m manifesting lyrically. I have to do what the music says. I have to obey the music.\u201d<\/p>\n<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:2500.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n                style=\"padding-bottom:59.92000198364258%;\"\n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n  data-animation-override\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/118_image-asset.jpg\" alt=\"&amp;nbsp; \u00a9&amp;nbsp;  Dom Savini .\" \/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumb-image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/118_image-asset.jpg\" data-image=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/118_image-asset.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"2500x1498\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"&amp;nbsp; \u00a9&amp;nbsp;  Dom Savini .\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"588f75ea1b631b0f00c208a0\" data-type=\"image\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1000px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1000\/599;\" \/>\n          <\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\">\n<p>&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size:12.8px\">\u00a9&nbsp;<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/domsavini.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dom Savini<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>And that\u2019s exactly what he did. Inspired by L\u2019Orange\u2019s stark, tragically lush productions, Mr. Lif crafted an Orwellian narrative. Much like Lif\u2019s favorite hip-hop album of all time, GZA&#8217;s 1995 classic,<span style=\"font-size:14.6667px\">&nbsp;<\/span><em>Liquid Swords<\/em>, each song on <em>The Life and Death of Scenery<\/em> offers a vivid and immersive look into a hypothetical world. \u201cThe beat for \u2018A Palace in the Sky\u2019 did that for me,\u201d says Lif. \u201cWhen I heard it, it spawned this world where &#8230; I don&#8217;t know where the story came from. The story came from the beat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the stories L\u2019Orange and Mr. Lif weave offer a glimpse into an alternative fantasy world, they also serve as a metaphor for heavy themes that plague everyday life. \u201cI think it&#8217;s important to tickle people&#8217;s imagination and give them a world that they want to be immersed in,\u201d Lif says.&nbsp;\u201cBut then I feel like my job is better done if there&#8217;s something from that narrative that they can pull out and hold up to the real world.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the midst of stories of kings being dethroned and a world without music, it\u2019s hard not to link <em>The Life and Death of Scenery<\/em> to current affairs in the political and social stratosphere. While Mr. Lif attributes the timely release of the album &#8212; October of 2016, right in the thick of election season &#8212; to mere coincidence, he acknowledges that his music &#8220;has always largely drawn inspiration from society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Whether your listening experience is rooted in fantasy or reality, <em>The Life and Death of Scenery<\/em> is a masterful, must listen album, paying homage to boom-bap and old-school rap of the past, while remaining a relevant and necessary piece of music in today&#8217;s hip-hop landscape. We can expect to hear more from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/artists\/mr-lif\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mr. Lif<\/a> this year, with a new album and tour in the works. Until then, treat your ears to <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.adultswim.com\/music\/lifeanddeath\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Life and Death of Scenery<\/a>,<\/em> or explore Mr. Lif\u2019s Marmoset songography <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/artists\/mr-lif\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"sqs-svg-icon--outer social-icon-alignment-center social-icons-color-black social-icons-size-large social-icons-shape-circle social-icons-style-border\" >\n<nav class=\"sqs-svg-icon--list\">\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MarmosetMusic\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sqs-svg-icon--wrapper facebook\" aria-label=\"Marmoset\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div>\n        <svg class=\"sqs-svg-icon--social\" viewBox=\"0 0 64 64\">\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--icon\" xlink:href=\"#facebook-icon\"><\/use>\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--mask\" xlink:href=\"#facebook-mask\"><\/use>\n        <\/svg>\n      <\/div>\n<p>    <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/marmosetmusic\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sqs-svg-icon--wrapper twitter-unauth\" aria-label=\"Twitter\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div>\n        <svg class=\"sqs-svg-icon--social\" viewBox=\"0 0 64 64\">\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--icon\" xlink:href=\"#twitter-unauth-icon\"><\/use>\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--mask\" xlink:href=\"#twitter-unauth-mask\"><\/use>\n        <\/svg>\n      <\/div>\n<p>    <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/marmosetmusic\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sqs-svg-icon--wrapper vimeo\" aria-label=\"marmoset\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div>\n        <svg class=\"sqs-svg-icon--social\" viewBox=\"0 0 64 64\">\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--icon\" xlink:href=\"#vimeo-icon\"><\/use>\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--mask\" xlink:href=\"#vimeo-mask\"><\/use>\n        <\/svg>\n      <\/div>\n<p>    <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC6_Fa0ef9xGRvs9aFp6mnww\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sqs-svg-icon--wrapper youtube\" aria-label=\"marmosetmusic\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div>\n        <svg class=\"sqs-svg-icon--social\" viewBox=\"0 0 64 64\">\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--icon\" xlink:href=\"#youtube-icon\"><\/use>\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--mask\" xlink:href=\"#youtube-mask\"><\/use>\n        <\/svg>\n      <\/div>\n<p>    <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/marmosetmusic\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sqs-svg-icon--wrapper instagram\" aria-label=\"Marmoset\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div>\n        <svg class=\"sqs-svg-icon--social\" viewBox=\"0 0 64 64\">\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--icon\" xlink:href=\"#instagram-icon\"><\/use>\n          <use class=\"sqs-use--mask\" xlink:href=\"#instagram-mask\"><\/use>\n        <\/svg>\n      <\/div>\n<p>    <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/nav>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mr. Lif and L&#8217;Orange. \u00a9 Dom Savini In 2010, Marmoset hip-hop artist Mr. Lif fell&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","has-excerpt"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3001\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}