"Spritual Machines"

Our Lady Peace

     What exactly is a "spiritual machine?" The answer for this question comes from Ray Kurzweil's book, "The Age of Spiritual Machines � When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence." In this book, Kurzweil tells of a future where man and machine become even more intertwined than they are at present (to the point of 'augmented humans'). The band became greatly influenced by this book, and as such one could justify calling this a concept album. The greatest evidence supporting this is the superb fourth track, "In Repair." Part of the song goes "And like a machine they'll fix you/ From the start / I'm in repair." The point of the song is that in the world today, people tend to deal with one another as machines that need to be "repaired."

     Though it is a concept album, it is the songs that truly matter. Unlike other bands who have made concept albums that get bogged down sticking to their theme, Our Lady Peace focuses more on making good songs. A few shining examples are "Right Behind You (Mafia)," "Are You Sad?," and "All My Friends." These songs show the diversity that the band is capable of. Their songs on this album range from slow, haunting melodies to fast-paced hard rock. There is a song on here that will appeal to almost any rock fan.

     The bottomline on this CD is that it is great. I higly recommend this CD to anyone, and everyone. This is the best album by Our Lady Peace.

Rating:	A
Worth Buying:	Yes!