by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Filter's debut reflects post-Nine Inch Nails state-of-the-art industrial pop, which means Short Bus is indeed more pop than industrial. The noise accentuates the songs instead of driving them. Filter's sense of melody is slighter than Trent Reznor's, yet they have the skill to craft shifting dynamics into hooks, as in the single &Hey Man, Nice Shot.& Not that they can keep it going throughout the entire record, but it still plays very well to the audience.