JAM OF THE WEEK: 9/2/2018

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Movies" by Alien Ant Farm
Normally for these, I like to take a look and show off a song I've been enjoying recently. This one is... Well, it's more of a dissection than anything, brought about by the fact that it was just released in Rocksmith.


Alien Ant Farm is a band you might recognize as the band who got famous for their cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal". It's a really good cover. But we're not talking about that, we're talking about their biggest single, "Movies".

First the good: I like the energy in the song, and there's some neat bass work. The chorus also gives the song a unique sentiment:

I want you to be free
Don't worry about me
And just like the movies
We play out our last scene

You won't cry, I won't scream

It's a break up song but one that's not bitter. Like, "Nah, it's fine. It's fine. IT'S FINE! I'M NOT CRYING!", but like in the movies, everything turns out OK!

The rest of the lyrics make little sense and it reads like a first draft. There's nothing to latch on to when the most common refrain is written like a caveman did it:

In our short years, we come long way
To treat it bad and throw away

I know we don't have the fancy tech like Reaper and shit so you can play that part over and over again until you can get a decent line, but WOW I want to know what's going through this guy's head.

The music video is about what the song deserves: it's simple and every member of the band has a fantasy about how each of these girls can turn out like a horror movie. It's fine.



However, this is the one that actually got released to the public.

It looks more polished, but it lacks something to grab on to. It's just the band playing on a Hollywood sound stage. Like, nothing goes wrong, Zombies from a neighboring movie don't barge in to ruin it or, a girl from a romance movie tries to hit on them, or Godzilla doesn't wreck everything in the BG, all that's changed is that there is a budget.


Then after "Smooth Criminial" became a hit, they tried again with "Movies"

Don't let Dryden (a White People name before the mid-2000s? Dang) move without a microphone in his hands. He looks like a fucking dork whenever he tries to dance. He's not doing cool punk moves, he's imitating someone with a very serious brain disease and a Dad trying to dance at the same time. A.K.A. Your Dad. Zero charisma.

Why is he staring at the hot dog? Fuck it, this is a better breakdown than I can write.

Anyway, it looks like the band is having zero fun, and everyone is kinda going through the motions. Because, as I mentioned earlier, this is the THIRD TIME THEY'RE DOING THIS. Pat Morita you deserve so much better.

"Movies" is the Roman Reigns of music: Pretty good, but the push should have been abandoned when it became clear it didn't take. Difference is Roman Reigns can improve.




Then to promote their new album they crashed the BET Awards. That goes past Cultural Appropriation and straight into colonialism.


In 2016 and 2017 they were part of the Make America Rock Again Tour with bands like Lit and Buckcherry, followed by the Gen-X Tour in 2018, also with bands like Lit and Buckcherry and Drowning Pool.





I'd like to take this point in time to apologize to Roman Reigns.