Review Summary: Truant shows that Alien Ant Farm are more than just a Michael Jackson cover band
Alien Ant Farm is a band whose musical style is somewhat hard to describe. They’re too poppy to be considered metal, but too heavy to be considered alternative. Because of this, many listeners simply lump them with the nu-metal scene from the early 2000’s, and Alien Ant Farm are simply considered as “that one-hit wonder band with the obnoxious music videos” by most listeners. This is a shame, they’re actually quite good.
Their 2003 sophomore effort,
Truant, shows listeners, both new and old, that the band are able to produce solid music in a variety of styles and tones. For example, lead single “These Days” is one of the most uplifting and catchiest tracks in the band’s career. The chorus,
“These days are great / And so are you / Would you like to work with me? / I’d love to work you”, is one of the happiest moments on the entire record and leaves you in one of the greatest moods imaginable. The penultimate track, “SS Recognize”, however, is the polar opposite. The riffs are chunky and nasty, and the lyrics are very bleak and hopeless, detailing a story about two people getting lost at sea, a very scary situation itself. As the song escalates, Dryden Mitchells’ vocals become more frantic, and the story ends with both of the ship passengers fighting and (presumably) killing each other.
Speaking of, the lyrics have just as much of a variety to them as the music. They range from homesickness (“1000 Days”) to divorce (“Hope”) to having your elementary school crush growing up to be a drug addict (“Sarah Wynn”). Alien Ant Farm knows exactly how to keep your attention, from the well thought-out lyrics to the large range of musical styles to the great instrumentation. In fact, the instrumentation is another positive aspect of this record. Bassist Tye Zamora is very skilled with his instrument, his basslines stray away from Terry Corso’s clean cut and tight guitar riffs, and drummer Mike Cosgrove’s fills are interesting and enjoyable. Of course, not all of the album’s tracks are winners, “Never Meant”, for example, is a track that just comes and goes without making much of an impact on the listener.
However,
Truant is yet another example of this band’s talents. The songs are insanely catchy and gets stuck in your head for days. The lyrics are interesting and the instrumentation is just great.
Truant shows that Alien Ant Farm are more than just a Michael Jackson cover band.
