Lifesavas

On Gutterfly: The Original Soundtrack, DJ Shines and emcees Vursatyl and Jumbo the Garbageman floated up out of Razorblade City's gutters to drop the real talk like other emcees drop brand names. Under the guise of fiction, the Lifesavas take Portland to task, referring to the metropolis as "Razorblade City." In a city that's been consistently saturated with great indie rock acts, it's a struggle for hip hop—even when it's made by artists as talented as the Lifesavas—to get the attention it deserves. Eventually, Portland wised up; now it's the rest of the world's turn. After four years of impatiently waiting for the Lifesavas' follow-up to debut Spirit in Stone, the Lifesavas finally released Gutterfly, an eloquent, catchy record that just so happens to contain cameos from icons like Dead Prez, Fishbone and George Clinton, among others. And even though the music is politically charged, the Lifesavas maintain a positive outlook that might just get these hip hop superheroes the international recognition they deserve. With Gabriel Teodros and DJ WD4D. SARA BRICKNER
Thu., March 6, 9 p.m., 2008