New Album By Sage Francis Out May 11th On ANTI
"You are going around trying to keep people out of hell, and I am going around trying to keep hell out of people." - Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899)
Anti-Records is excited to announce the impending release of an impassioned new album Li(f)e by celebrated agent-provocateur of hip hop, Sage Francis. An underground star from his years as a battle champion, poet and founder of influential Strange Famous Records, Francis garnered even wider acclaim with his incendiary 2005 release "A Healthy Distrust," a timely condemnation of corporate greed, war-mongering and American complacency. On his electrifying new album Li(f)e, Francis turns his keen observational skills to a culture of rampant hypocrisy and, in particular, organized religion.
This album is a marked evolution for Francis. His signature wordplay, a dazzling mix of sardonic humor and biting social commentary, is now complimented by a talented band consisting of producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine) and cohorts Jim Becker and Tim Rutili of the acclaimed Chicago outfit Califone. It proves an effective soundtrack for Francis' riveting lyrical discourse. The record's title Li(f)e is a deliberate amalgamation of the words life and lie. As Francis says, "What about life is a lie? What we're told about God is a lie. What we're told about race, gender roles, beauty, war, food, drugs, sexuality, capitalism, history, the nature of humankind...a gang of lies. I feel it in my gut, I think it in my brain, I write it with my hands and I speak it with my mouth. That's what makes Li(f)e the general theme of this album."
To help convey his impassioned message Francis has enlisted a cadre of uniquely talented songwriters. The album begins with a stirring Steinbeck imbued tale of prison break entitled Little Houdini' with music written by ex Grandaddy frontman turned solo artist Jason Lytle. "We specifically sought out songwriters who had never worked with a rapper," Francis explains. "And I didn't want them to write music they thought they should for hip-hop. The music for 'Little Houdini' was a long epic instrumental piece Jason had just hanging around which I then worked my story into." Next up is a rousing and energetic anthem entitled "Three Sheets" with music written by Chris Walla of the band Death Cab for Cutie. Subsequent songs feature compositions by Tim Fite, members of Calexico, DeVotchKa, and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse - each interpreted by Francis and the band resulting in an entirely organic and captivating vehicle for Francis' dramatic narratives.
Li(f)e is a thought provoking and unabashedly original album from an evolving artist with a refreshingly distinctive voice.