Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines

Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace are back at it again with a new album full of great songs. I have been an Our Lady Peace fan for sometime, and must say I am very pleased with the new album. The album title was taken from a book by Ray Kurzweil about the age when computers exceed human intelligence, and the author even appears throughout the album speaking about things from the book. The album opens with an introduction which speaks of the age of Spiritual Machines, read by Kurzweil, and then goes into the song 'Right Behind You'. This book had a clear impact on vocalist Raine Maida's lyrics, and he admittedly drew a lot ideas from the book. The lyrics aren't the only thing that makes this album great though. The songs represent classic Our Lady Peace at its best, but a lot of maturity can also be seen in this album. The songs seem more musically diverse and complicated than those from Naveed or Clumsy, or even Happiness.... This band also successfully incorporates slow songs such as 'Are You Said' into the predominately more upbeat album, to add some diversity. Finally, one other thing that can't go without mentioning is the album's artwork. The album features drawings throughout the front and back inserts that add a lot to the visualization of the album. I think artwork is always important to set a mood for and album, and the band did a great job with it. [www.ourladypeace.com]