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