Alient Ant Farm - truANT

Alien Ant Farm have gone through a lot since they released their last album ANThology. Last summer the band wrecked their bus while on tour, killing their driver and putting frontman Dryden Mitchell in the hospital for 6 months with a broken neck. With the release of truANT, the band hopes to make their trimuphANT return. Alien Ant Farm have always been about groovy, rock songs with just enough hook and melody to make them radio ready. The success of their "Smooth Criminal" cover clearly propelled their last album up the charts, but this time around they are going to have to make it based on their songwriting skills alone. Do they cut it? Yes and no. The standout tracks: the unusual "Glow", which sounds more like a Jimmie's Chicken Shack, is a nice change of styles; the first single, "These Days," along with the album opener "1000 Days" are catchy as hell; and "Drifting Apart" is a strong track. Unfortunately, all of these songs are in the first half of the album, and it's around the mid-way point that the quality of the songs start to decline. The tracks "Never Meant", "Goodbye", and the closer "Hope" all seem weak after rocking out to the first half of the album. I think if the band had opted for a different track arrangement, then the strong songs may have carried the weaker ones for an overall tighter album. With the carefree attitude, undeniable talent, and determination Alien Ant Farm clearly possess, you really want to root for the band. However, with truANT they managed to fall short of any hopes for greatness, and instead leave an overall feeling of mediocrity. Maybe they would have been better off releasing an EP? [www.alientantfarm.com]