Minus.Driver

It's disappointing that Universal didn't feel confident enough in Minus.Driver to fund a full-length debut from the young Atlanta group. Despite its similarities in taste and tone to compadres such as Deftones, Incubus, and especially Hoobastank (with whom the band shares a parent label), Minus.Driver still manages to impress on A Message for You. Led by the at once seering/pleading vocals of Jordan Williams, M.D mines the surging post-hardcore dynamic impressively on tracks like "Inhuman" and "Lie to You." Prerequisite top-notch production (courtesy of veteran helmer Matt Wallace) ensures that the guitars will fairly roar over piercing drum rolls, while "Sure Thing" takes advantage of voice multi-tracking to build the kind of tension angry suburban kids need when parents just don't understand. Over before it began at a brief five tracks, A Message for You leaves you wanting more. Then again, Minus.Driver's principals are barely old enough for drink tickets, so there's a chance Universal knew what it was doing restricting them to an EP. (After all, Hoobastank's eponymous first effort was recently re-released with half of its original track listing excised.) Whatever; with Message, Minus.Driver makes it clear that it's broadcasting something worth hearing, and that's proof enough of talent in a genre as rigidly controlled as this. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide