GEORGE KOREIN – “Memoirs of a Trilobite�, 2005 (Private)
The novelty of programmed metallic weirdness is well-trodden ground for INFIDEL?/CASTRO! noise explorer George Korein. The clever song titles (“Love is like Estrogen�, “Suburban Dinosaur Safari") would suggest that Korein has humor and isn’t afraid to use it. Unfortunately, they don’t create enough of a stir to draw your attention away from the fact that the disc sounds like a high school science project.
Apparently the harmonics and sub-harmonics of actual trilobite field recordings are swirled in with the programmed percussion that erupts in most of the tracks. There are a few listenable spots, like the toe-tappy hopscotch of “Kill People, Go Shopping�, the angloid banter ticking along like THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS after several hi-colonics. There are also a few SATRIANI-esque guitar meanderings like the instrumental “To(o) Clark Park� and the title track (luckily, George was nice enough to include the standard and radio edits for that one, so you don’t have to wait for the remix album). The rest of the 79+ minute exhibition alternates between circuit board sonatas that crudely resemble THE NAILS “88 Lines about 44 Women� without the giggles, and unabashed squiggle-and-bleep epics that will have you reaching for Tylenol post-haste. Coming soon: “Jurassic Park 4: Trilobites demand earplugs�.
(this one, along with a bunch of new reviews and interviews, mainly of the metal/punk/weird variety can be found over at www.peacedogman.com)
