Rubberoom: Architechnology

Rubberoom's "M.O.V.E." is one of the highlights of the consistently brilliant No More Prisons compilation, a thrillingly kinetic blast of eloquent dissidence seething with righteous anger. Unfortunately, Architechnology, the debut album from the Chicago group, is a perfect example of how a scene-stealing appearance on a compilation isn't always representative of an artist's overall work. "M.O.V.E." certainly sounds of a piece with Architechnology, with its spare production dominated by menacing drums, minimalist keyboards, and furious scratching, but the anger and sense of purpose that distinguish that song are missing Architechnology. Rubberoom still sounds plenty angry throughout the album, but its anger is expended fruitlessly, converted into dark, surreal nihilism and depressingly gloomy battle-raps. Combining forceful, staccato flows with spare, ominous production, Rubberoom sounds at times like Company Flow's even angrier siblings, but it lacks that group's winningly twisted sense of humor. The group runs its original but monotonous signature sound into the ground here, barely varying its production approach and indulging in seven-minute workouts ("Vertigo," "Space And Time") that are likely to test the patience of even the most adventurous hip-hop fan. But even when employing song structures on the typically sinister cautionary tale "Acid," Rubberoom's efforts are undermined by the punishing homogeneity of its production. The group closes Architechnology with "Pathway To The Abyss," an atypically jazzy instrumental, but it's too little too late, a last-ditch variation from a group that must learn to employ a more varied sonic palette if it's going to make good on its enormous promise.