After spending years building an aggressive, vulgar reputation while grinding the Texas rock circuit to a chalky fine powder,
Pushmonkey went limp on their eponymous major-label debut. The Austin outfit's percussive brand of lone-star metal is practically nowhere to be found on this 1998 Arista release. The heavy pop numbers occasionally flare up into vintage
Pushmonkey stomp-fests, but the incessant choruses with their paisley, silk-screened shimmer slow the band's motion to a sudden halt. Things get off to an uneven start as the catchy, but still heavy "Lefty" and the spacious "Now" retain a faint aggro glimmer. By the time "Ashtray Red" and "Spider" come around, however, the group completely gives in to the starry-eyed dreams of alt-rock radio mastery. These guys could have at least worked a nu-metal angle into their pitch, but they chose
Our Lady Peace over
Pantera and
Matchbox Twenty over
Deftones. Only rock listeners who make similarly safe choices at the record store will enjoy
Pushmonkey. ~ Vincent Jeffries