Sonically,
Rubber
's sophomore record,
Ultra Feel
, sounds like a successful sequel to the first album. Nothing differs much from the self-titled debut, and while the songwriting is potentially a bit stronger this time, it's an album very much in the same vein as the first. However it will probably always be remembered as the album that destroyed
. After
's self-titled debut of radio-ready
guitar pop
came out, all the band bios and press indicated that they were a new band. However,
was none other than
Harem Scarem
, a Canadian melodic
rock
band who had renamed themselves and refashioned their image as a bid for mainstream success. While it worked for the first album, generating a Canadian Top 20 single in
"Sunshine,"
nothing off this album rocketed up the charts immediately after its March 2001 release. Because of that, the band quickly changed their name back to
, effectively abandoning the
project. That strange history does overshadow (or potentially enhance) the music, as listeners may feel that
Harry Hess
and
Pete Lesperance
were merely running them through a genre exercise. It's disappointing, actually, as the music on here is really quite good: anthemic songs like
"Happiness"
"Forgive"
are primed for radio play, while the
Brian Wilson
-like vocal arrangements on
"Running Away"
are surprisingly sophisticated. Even when they don't write their own material, they pick the right stuff to record, as evidenced from the cover of the
Squeeze
classic,
"Another Nail for My Heart,"
that opens this album. It's true that
fans may (understandably) denounce this period as a farce, but for fans of hooky
power pop
with a fair amount of production sheen, the
project -- especially
-- was the real thing. [
was also released with a bonus track.] ~ Jason Damas