[MUSIC] Grimes, "We Appreciate Power"
Dec. 6th, 2018 11:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rfmcdonaldI have been thinking a lot about Grimes' new single, "We Appreciate Power", since its release last week.
This song is incredibly catchy, a development of Grimes' dreamier earlier music in a harder direction. The lyrical direction takes an even harder turn, moving beyond the cyberpunk evoked by Grimes and her collaborator HANA in the lyric video for "We Appreciate Power" towards hard transhumanism.
Simulation, give me something good
God's creation, so misunderstood
Pray to the divinity, the keeper of the key
One day everyone will believe
[. . .]
People like to say that we're insane
But AI will reward us when it reigns
Pledge allegiance to the world's most powerful computer
Simulation: it's the future
"We Appreciate Power" is the pop music of the singularity.
Jeremy Gordon's essay at The Outline makes a compelling case for considering the techno-futurism of Grimes' partner Elon Musk as an influence on her musical direction. I can see it, though I can also see this song as being a product of an ambient cultural moment. As Erica Russell's thoughtful review at Paper Magazine makes clear, the recognition of the power of AI is becoming increasingly common.
According to a press release, the technocultural song was inspired by North Korean-formed propagandist music group Moranbong, and is "written from the perspective of a Pro-A.I. Girl Group Propaganda machine who use song, dance, sex and fashion to spread goodwill towards Artificial Intelligence — it's coming whether you like it or not."
That chilling final warning fits perfectly in line with "We Appreciate Power's" maniacal dystopian energy, which fully leans into the ever-impending cyber-apocalypse with unhinged glee: "Submit, submit, submit, submit, submit..." Grimes diabolically commands on the outro. If the rise of artificial intelligence is upon us, who are we to deny our own brainwashing at the hands of our creations? We're already glued to our laptops/cell phones just listening to this song, aren't we?
In 2018, AI is much more than just the plot device for many of our favorite sci-fi films, from Blade Runner to Ex-Machina. It's the new normal — a reality we're currently living in while simultaneously rushing even faster towards. Every day, AI infiltrates our lives, whether we realize it or not. Using facial recognition, Facebook automatically offers to tag our friends in the photos we upload; Siri helps us find that perfect restaurant we've been craving but totally forgot the name of; each week, Spotify curates an eerily on-point Discover Weekly playlist for us. AI is useful — imperative even, perhaps, in our newly advanced and increasingly tech-dependent world — but is it really more evil than necessary?
On "We Appreciate Power," Grimes crafts a complex industrial cyber-pop anthem that leans into technological determinism and the very real possibility of a future AI revolution which, depending on how you feel about living in The Matrix, might sound totally terrifying or, in the case of Grimes, exciting. "Neanderthal to human being/ Evolution, kill the gene/ Biology is superficial/ Intelligence is artificial," she sings, pointing out the cyclical and temporary nature of humanity. She also appears to celebrate tech's superiority as the next stage of societal advancement... even if it may spell doom for some. Maybe.
I will be definitely very interested to see where Grimes goes next, with her upcoming album and all. I will also be interested to see, as described in the NME, the continuing influence of these ideas on the global pop music scene. What next?
This song is incredibly catchy, a development of Grimes' dreamier earlier music in a harder direction. The lyrical direction takes an even harder turn, moving beyond the cyberpunk evoked by Grimes and her collaborator HANA in the lyric video for "We Appreciate Power" towards hard transhumanism.
Simulation, give me something good
God's creation, so misunderstood
Pray to the divinity, the keeper of the key
One day everyone will believe
[. . .]
People like to say that we're insane
But AI will reward us when it reigns
Pledge allegiance to the world's most powerful computer
Simulation: it's the future
"We Appreciate Power" is the pop music of the singularity.
Jeremy Gordon's essay at The Outline makes a compelling case for considering the techno-futurism of Grimes' partner Elon Musk as an influence on her musical direction. I can see it, though I can also see this song as being a product of an ambient cultural moment. As Erica Russell's thoughtful review at Paper Magazine makes clear, the recognition of the power of AI is becoming increasingly common.
According to a press release, the technocultural song was inspired by North Korean-formed propagandist music group Moranbong, and is "written from the perspective of a Pro-A.I. Girl Group Propaganda machine who use song, dance, sex and fashion to spread goodwill towards Artificial Intelligence — it's coming whether you like it or not."
That chilling final warning fits perfectly in line with "We Appreciate Power's" maniacal dystopian energy, which fully leans into the ever-impending cyber-apocalypse with unhinged glee: "Submit, submit, submit, submit, submit..." Grimes diabolically commands on the outro. If the rise of artificial intelligence is upon us, who are we to deny our own brainwashing at the hands of our creations? We're already glued to our laptops/cell phones just listening to this song, aren't we?
In 2018, AI is much more than just the plot device for many of our favorite sci-fi films, from Blade Runner to Ex-Machina. It's the new normal — a reality we're currently living in while simultaneously rushing even faster towards. Every day, AI infiltrates our lives, whether we realize it or not. Using facial recognition, Facebook automatically offers to tag our friends in the photos we upload; Siri helps us find that perfect restaurant we've been craving but totally forgot the name of; each week, Spotify curates an eerily on-point Discover Weekly playlist for us. AI is useful — imperative even, perhaps, in our newly advanced and increasingly tech-dependent world — but is it really more evil than necessary?
On "We Appreciate Power," Grimes crafts a complex industrial cyber-pop anthem that leans into technological determinism and the very real possibility of a future AI revolution which, depending on how you feel about living in The Matrix, might sound totally terrifying or, in the case of Grimes, exciting. "Neanderthal to human being/ Evolution, kill the gene/ Biology is superficial/ Intelligence is artificial," she sings, pointing out the cyclical and temporary nature of humanity. She also appears to celebrate tech's superiority as the next stage of societal advancement... even if it may spell doom for some. Maybe.
I will be definitely very interested to see where Grimes goes next, with her upcoming album and all. I will also be interested to see, as described in the NME, the continuing influence of these ideas on the global pop music scene. What next?
