Thursday , March 28 2024
If Pink Floyd made an eco-oriented Christian Rock album. What would Roger Waters do?

Music Review: Corey Feldman’s Truth Movement – Technology Analogy

Who could ever forget musician Corey Feldman, huh? The way he burst onto the charts in 1983 with the platinum hit, “Sunglasses At Night”… No, wait a second… that wasn’t Corey Feldman… sorry, I’m thinking of Corey Hart again. I get those two mixed up all of the time! Well, at least I didn’t confuse Corey Feldman with Corey Haim like everybody else does, right?

Like many former child actors, Corey Feldman has had many ups and downs since his original acting career in the 80s. Most of us (myself included) forgot all about him after he co-starred (with Corey Haim) in 1989’s Dream A Little Dream (and if you’ve ever seen Dream A Little Dream then you'll know why!) but the lad kept-on-a-working in direct-to-video B-Pictures like Meatballs 4 and Busted (a title that bore more than a little resemblance to Feldman’s personal life after he was arrested for possession of drugs).

However, much like a bad meal at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, Corey Feldman has risen once again (actually, he’s been around this whole time… I just didn’t take notice) and has release a new album entitled Technology Analogy along with his band, Truth Movement.

The aptly-titled Technology Analogy has a point to make: we’ve lost our way thanks to our faith in technology. The message is simple. However, after 13 tracks of it, the message becomes more than redundant.

At times, I felt as though I were listening to a Christian band whose roots came from the big hair days of rock music (there’s just a little too much God in it for me), but throughout the entire time, it’s clearly evident that this group is very much inspired by Pink Floyd: Feldman’s deep, whisky-voiced vocals sound a lot like Roger Waters; the cover art is the work of Dark Side of the Moon artist Storm Thorgerson; and two of the album’s guest-artists are Floyd alumni John Carin and Scotty Page (with additional contributions by Rat Dog’s Mark Karan).

Actually, since I’ve already brought Waters’ name up, I think Technology Analogy comes off like one of Roger Waters’ bad solo concept albums, but with too much God. Way too much God. I realize that that Corey probably owes a lot to his spiritual savior (such as his freedom from drugs and alcohol, not to mention his ego. See his website), but come on, Corey — a little goes a long way, fella!

By the time Technology Analogy reaches its twelfth track however, “Green Is The Colour”, the album takes on a new approach: environmentalism. “Just go green, green, green”, the lyrics state. So blatantly, in fact, that I had to skip the song. I’m as worried about our world as much as the next guy, but there’s a fine line between being eco-friendly and sounding like a bloody hippie.

Wait a tic. Aren’t environmentalism and the belief in God two entirely different things? Right-wing nut jobs vs. those godless liberals? Wouldn’t placing both messages into one album turn an analogy into a conundrum?

Oh, well!

I should also point out that this CD (produced by Feldman’s new label, Ci Fi Records) is available exclusively from Corey’s website (www.coreyfeldman.net) and that the album was made with special 100% biodegradable materials including recyclable paper, soy ink, and even a corn plastic disc tray. The original press release even stated “So essentially you could throw it in the ocean and it will just go back to nature!”, which isn’t such a bad idea.

Don’t get me wrong, though: the music on Technology Analogy sounds great (although the intros may be a bit too long). The voices are wonderful. And yes, Virginia, Corey Feldman definitely has some musical talent (I would love to hear him belt out a rockin’ rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Waiting For The Miracle”!) and I wish him all the best. Yes, yes, and yes. But the lyrics bring the whole album too close to the Christian category — and while that may work for you, it does not work for me. Sorry, Corey.

On the plus side, Technology Analogy may finally bridge the gap between god-fearing Christians and tree-hugging hippies.

About Luigi Bastardo

Luigi Bastardo is the alter-ego of a feller who loves an eclectic variety of classic (and sometimes not-so-classic) film and television. He currently lives in Northern California with four cats named Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Margaret. Seriously.

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