Alien Ant Farm Album: “TruANT”

I wasn't too impressed by Alien Ant Farm's debut album, "ANThology," when it came out back in 2001. I bought it mainly for "Smooth Criminal," but only dug a few other tunes on it, like "Movies," "Attitude," and "Sticks And Stones." They just kinda faded from the banks of my memory after awhile, and I basically stopped caring about them. I heard of their bus crash, and was sorry to hear about it, but otherwise, I was not interested in the band anymore.

Then, in comes "truANT," an album produced by two members of one of my favorite bands, Stone Temple Pilots. So, I'm thinking, maybe this one will be better. Yet I still ignored the album's release. I did hear their first single from the disc, "These Days," and instantly fell for it's irrisistable hook and heavy sound. I then heard their second single, "Glow," and I came to a conclusion: I was going to get this album! "Glow" has a jangly acoustic sound, with a great hook that has fitting, if not too upfront, lyrics like "I'll be the fuse that she blows, and even with the lights out, we'll glow."

Lead singer Dryden Mitchell's lyrics are as unusually clever, and pronounced with the utmost intensity, almost like a metalhead Michael Stipe. With riffs ranging from Rage Against The Machine to well, Stone Temple Pilots, AAF displays that they know how to be underrated and could prove themselves if ever came the challenge. Their mix of metal, punk, alternative and latin give them a bit of a one-up over most bands coming out these days as either emo, hard rock or garage (not that's bad, just bland). It's nice to see a band come out who can throw us a change-up every so often.

So much for the sophomore slump, because AAF have done a superb job on claiming that they aren't one trick ponies. Catchy, clever and winningly rockin', "truANT," is a terrific buy.

The highlights include: catchy opener "1000 Days"; the metal-thumper "Drifting Apart"; hard rockin' wall-shakers, "Sarah Wynn," and "S.S. Recognize."

While touring to support their multi-platinum debut, ANThology, a bus accident left Alien Ant Farm hospitalized, and singer Dryden Mitchell with a broken neck. After the healing, AAF headed back to work on their sophomore album, truANT. They got some production help from Robert and Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, and the end result is a collection of well-crafted songs that is eons better than ANThology.

Make no mistake; this is a rock album. Tracks like "1000 Days", "Drifting Apart", and "These Days", prove that AAF can go riff-for-riff with the best of `em. Dryden Mitchell's vocals are always tight, proving you can be a contemporary rock singer without rapping or growling. Some interesting deviations, however, separate AAF from most mainstream upstarts.

The acoustic toe-tapper, "Glow" will have you singing along on the first listen; it's a good candidate for a single. "Tia Lupe" is a Latin number complete with Cuban percussion and horns. The album's closer, "Hope", is backed by a string arrangement that takes the forefront at 2:42 and offers up one of the best breakdowns you'll ever hear.

Whether these new sounds are the work of the DeLeo brothers is uncertain. What is clear, though, is that truANT proves Alien Ant Farm is more than just a Michael Jackson cover band; they are one of the most talented young bands to emerge in a long time.

The disc also comes with a 25-minute DVD. After watching it, I'm sure that somewhere four guys are saying, "Yeah, my dorky kid brother is in that band, Alien Ant Farm." I say, as long as they keep dropping great albums like truANT they can be as dorky as they want to be.

Alien Ant Farm got stereotyped as the band that re-made "Smooth Criminal". Their sophomore effort, truANT, blows any stereotypes, as well as comparisons to the king of pop, and their first album out of the water and proves they have much melodic integrity. These songs are much better versed as far as funky, tasty, edgy, melodic pop rockin' music is concerned. Very original vocal melodies and harmonies combined with a variety of well-constructed guitar licks and drum work stand out and make this a great album. At about 51 seconds into the third track "Quiet", there is one of the best drum fills I've ever heard. Track 8, "Goodbye", has one of the most addictive choruses of all time. truANT, truTHAT!

I am a serious and strict music critic. I am enfatuated with this album. This album will grow on you. At first listen you will be comparing it to ANThology. But this is alien ant moved on to brighter skies. After a couple listens you will be begging to listen to it again and again. This will be one of those that people will be praising in due time. If your a fan of music and musicians who appreciate different music this album wont leave your cd player for months.

I am not too pleased with the incremental rating system that CDNOW allows me to use, so know that the 3 stars that I have given would probably lie between 3.5 and 4.

Alien Ant Farm's latest release, truANT, appears to be a decent follow-up to their 2001 Dreamworks debut, ANThology. AAF teamed up with STP ax-grinders, Scott and Dean DeLeo, but this time the STP boyz will be honing their musical skills and knowledge towards production. Also, the DeLeo's were matching wits with classic mixing artist and producer, Brendan O' Brien (STP, Pearl Jam, RATM), so it shouldn't be a suprise that some old 90's alt influnce has snuck its way onto truANT - intricate, grungy sounding riffs coupled with choppy guitar solos are just a few examples; this mixed with AAF's still defining sound should not disappoint fans.

Pop it in - this record will keep you interested from the start. "1000 days" starts off with a roaring riff that shifts into a meaningful bass riff in the chorus; "Glow" is a trendy, radio wanna-be song that is screaming for attention and may be the whereabouts of an old STP ghost; "These Days", "Rubber Mallet", and "S.S. Recognize" are refurbished versions of tracks from their awarding winning EP that came out in 2000. In "Tia Lupe", they prove to their fans that the nylon guitar lessons in Tijuana paid off. The last track, "Hope" reveals the more vulnerable and cathartic side of Dryden Mitchell as he proclaims, "Someone I thought was a friend to me ripped a hole in my life/Someone I thought was a friend to me has gone and married my wife."

Overall, AAF is one of the more promising younger acts of the modern rock day. After bursting on to the scene with "Smooth Criminal" in the summer of 2001, they followed up in 2002 with the success of "Movies", and now have released their new LP with hopes of similar fortunes. If history has a tendency to repeat itself, then AAF shouldn't be too concerned.