THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Our Lady Peace have released the sequel to their critically acclaimed 2000 album Spiritual Machines, a record which has become a pillar of late ’90s alt-rock and a prime example of the band’s creative brilliance. Spiritual Machines II serves as the answer to the original LP, which was influenced by inventor Ray Kurzweil’s book The Age Of The Spiritual Machines.
Spiritual Machines II is the anti-rock record Our Lady Peace fans have been waiting for. The first instalment wasn’t a typical mainstream rock record; it had anthemic guitar hooks next to literal predictive modelings addressing a future dependent on AI and the legal rights of computers. Raine Maida, singer and co-founder of Our Lady Peace, stated: “Twenty years later, Spiritual Machines’ predictions have mostly come true; 86% to be exact. Now, new predictions must be made for the future — and with groundbreaking advances in technology, there’s reason to celebrate.”
Produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek (with additional production by Jason Lader on three tracks), the album features the return of Kurzweil with new predictions, including universal basic income in the near future, AI that will pass the Turing Test (being able to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human) by 2029, and sustainable solutions to ending global hunger and poverty. Spiritual Machines II marks an uplifting new chapter for OLP as it carves out a new genre that is best described as future rock, with each song crafted to represent the new predictions for our future as a society.
The opening track Stop Making Stupid People Famous — featuring the agent provocateurs of Pussy Riot — is a reflection on celebrity influencer culture and how it has weakened the fibers of society. The choreography-laden video uniquely contrasts the tongue-in-cheek nature of the song with carefree and colorful visuals, highlighting young activists and leaders that society should actually be making famous.”
