Sage Francis Li(f)e

The best way to draw a lot of attention to your forthcoming album is either to go several years without releasing one, or to recruit a host of unlikely collaborators to make everyone wonder what the record will sound like. For his fourth album, Li(f)e, venerable underground MC Sage Francis has chosen the latter.

Collaborators on Li(f)e include the ever present Chris Walla, former Grandaddy Jason Lytle, DeVotchka, Jim Becker and Tim Rutili of Califone, and members of Calexico and Sparklehorse. It's hard to see how all of that couldn't give Li(f)e a surprising sound, if not a good one.

Abstract by Matthew Richardson