In describing his upcoming album A Bird In The Hand, British folk/indie singer-songwriter Beans On Toast describes it as less of a political record than his previous albums and “… more personal I guess, focusing on family and the world on my doorstep.” While I’m sure that’s a fair assessment (who would know better than the guy who wrote the songs, after all?), there certainly seems to be a political aspect to his latest single “Alexa,” an ode to the handy-dandy virtual assistant (and corporate eavesdropper) that so many are welcoming into their lives these days.
Lyrics such as “And it’s not really spying, it’s just collecting data/Alexa, have you got a hidden agenda?” and “I know you can turn the heating off and organize a taxi/Alexa, have you considered your miltary capabilities?” make it clear that Beans is making a comment on the role of technology, consumerism, and corporate interests in our daily lives, though he does so with his trademark sense of humour. And he also makes it clear that he’s been drawn into it all too as he sings “I’ve been buying more and more from Amazon recently.”
Check out the video for “Alexa” below, featuring animation created out of discarded Amazon cardboard boxes.