The alternative mindset of the post-punk world has always made it a place where music rallies against the mainstream, not just musically but politically, culturally, and ideologically. If music was going to be anarchistic, questioning, and antagonistic, it was more than likely going to come from these quarters. So, it is nice to see the present-day descendants of those sonic pioneers are still carrying that torch. SickRichard is just such a band.
Recently, I have written about music from such quarters that contemplates climate change, discusses the entrenchment of politics, and tackles the media. Now, SickRichard brings us “God Is In The Machine,” a song that takes on the rising force of AI and extrapolates future predictions of the sort of world we may one day share with this exponentially growing presence.
If the concepts look to what may come, musically, the song is still driven by that same futuristic post-punk groove, one that runs on gnashing guitars and pummeling beats, depth-charge bass lines, and fist-in-the-air vocal salvos. Through these analog soundscapes, they thread synth lines and sonic washes, digital delicacy, and electronic energies, the meeting of the traditional and the adventurous, the old and the new.
They say that the future is always arriving, but these days, it seems to do so with ever more ominous vibes and an ever more threatening presence. If the regular news channels are entrenched in the agendas of those looking to control such narratives, perhaps it is to bands such as SickRichard that we need to look for guidance. We could do a lot worse!
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