The Rubber Room column is a weekly look at recent and notable releases that don’t fall into the rubric of traditional reviews or reviewed material—namely 7”’s, 12”’s, 3” CDs, EPs, cassette-only, DVDs and MP3-only releases.

Rhymefest feat. Kanye West
Brand New
[J, 2005]

You might not know Rhymefest, but there are pretty good odds that you know "Jesus Walks," the song that he co-wrote. Given his help in bumping Kanye to the top of the universe, it's no surprise that Rhymefest's first single features West's production as well as a vocal appearance. The production never quite cuts loose, but its funk sample proves effective in supporting the two rappers. Rhymefest has a strong baritone that comes across even stronger when juxtaposed against Kanye's voice. The track's weak spot, oddly enough, lies in its hook. The MCs bounce around a sampled voice saying "brand new," and while they maintain the groove, neither rapper comes off the back side of the sample with authority. It's a minor quibble, though, and the verse make you forget that pause, especially when the words "brand" and "new" are perfectly sampled into other spots. At the very least, "Brand New" maintains the hope that Rhymefest has an album that will bring him past his place as a pop footnote.
[Justin Cober-Lake]

The Commercials vs. Shadow Agency
The Split
[The Blackout, 2005]

Musically the two bands on this too-wittily-named EP could nearly pass for each other, but when the disc shifts to its second half, you realize what an edge the Commercials have vocally. Shadow Agency's Sean Slater handles his outdated screamo part competently, but he lacks the nuance necessary to make these tracks more than rote template-filling. The Commercials fare better, largely due to the pop element in their presentation, but they're given only a little more than half of the EP's 17 minutes. Although similar in sound, the pairing doesn't work: the Commercials' opening tracks make Shadow Agency look even more pedestrian than they are, and Shadow Agency won't help the Commercials expand their reach.
[Justin Cober-Lake]

Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment
Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment
[Audiobot, 2005]

During the summer, my brother traveled to Providence to intern at the Brown teaching hospital for a month. He drove up to Maine to visit me one weekend, and our first conversation was dominated by a ruined pair of new sneakers. When an intravenous line snaked out of a patient, blood spewed on the walls of the operating room and onto the shoes. After repeated scrubbings, they were still pink. This story marked the first time Providence became associated with blood spray. This self-titled3” CD by Providence’s Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment marks the second. Imagine Lightning Bolt if the bass guitar became a synth, and if that synth managed to escape the fingers of its player and run amok. Though the duo lacks the percussive virtuosity of Bolt, the synth is dexterous enough to fill in the gaps. JKAE rocks spastic rapid-fire melodies and wallows in neon mud, rarely stopping long enough to spit the scum from their mouths. One could complain that the twenty minutes here are a bit homogenous, but their style is energetic enough to carry the set.

Like Lightning Bolt, I bet they’re awesome live, but unlike Lightning Bolt, I will likely never see them. They disbanded recently, leaving this their farewell salvo. Hopefully it will sell out and precipitate a national tour.
[Bryan Berge]