Lifesavas

There is an austerity to the Lifesavas that some will find off-putting or atypical of underground hip-hop acts. This Portland trio has little use for the capitalist-minded mentality of most radio-driven rap, instead choosing to model themselves after "conscience" artists such as the Roots, Mos Def, and their mentors, Blackalicious (whose Chief Xcel produced one of Spirit in Stone's better cuts, the scratch guitar romp "Soldierfied").

It may take a moment for potential fans whose appreciation of current hip-hop stops at 50 Cent and Jay-Z to adjust to the Lifesavas' aesthetic: bouncy, head-nod-inducing beats patched together from samples of '60s and '70s soul records; rapid-fire lyrics filled with baroque metaphors; and wordy choruses that merely serve as a bridge between verses instead of as stand-alone hooks.

Thankfully, there's much to dig into on Spirit in Stone, from the bracing rhythm that drives "Me" to the burbling bass bursting underneath "What if It's True?" Even Vursatyl and Jumbo the Garbageman's relentlessly intellectual rhymes have their charms, if only to spark ideas about social health and politics instead of sex and sport.