Ego Summit’s lone full-length is a succinct and compelling document of a labyrinthine and incestuous underground scene that flourished in Columbus, Ohio, in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Groups like The Gibson Brothers, The New Bomb Turks, Vertical Slit, and a host of others defined this Columbus scene, blending the transgressive ethos of early Midwestern punkers like The Electric Eels and Pere Ubu with the lo-fi pop savvy of New Zealand underground mainstays like The Clean and Toy Love. Ego Summit’s defiantly rough-hewn album was the result of collaboration between five of Columbus’ most seasoned underground veterans, including Mike Rep, Jim Shephard, and The Bassholes’ Don Howland. Having kicked off his career in 1975 with the teenage troglodyte anthem “Rocket to Nowhere,” guitarist and producer Mike Rep had been recording for nearly a quarter of a century by the time he recorded with Ego Summit. Rep’s production gives The Room Isn’t Big Enough much of its lo-fi grandeur, but the bleak, cathartic compositions of Jim Shepard—like the caustic “We Got It All” and the clamorous “Illogical”—give the album much of its harrowing immediacy.