When punk music is good, it is very, very good - witness Bad Religion, The
Offspring and Descendents. When it is bad, it is very, very bad - witness Green
Day and Rancid. (Not surprisingly, you'll notice that those last names are two
of the most famous punk bands.)
Esteem Driven Engine, the debut album from Pulley, while not quite in the
latter category, sways further to that end of the spectrum. Despite some
brilliant moments, like the unpredictable "Wok Inn" and the clever "Eyes Open
Wide", there's just not enough material here that makes you sit up and say
"Yeah...that!" By halfway through the disc, the whole thing has melted into one
droning sound with an occasional high point here and there.
It occurs to me, after listening to this album, that 35 minutes shouldn't seem
like such a long time. But I'm afraid it does, for Esteem Driven Engine finds a
pattern and quickly falls into it, leaving invention for another band, another
day.
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