http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.66625&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rssRappers are supposed to play their positions. If they're mainstream, they rap about money, girls and rims over club productions, while the so-called underground gets away with the occasional political diatribe over a lo-fi beat. But Lifesavas' members, Vursatyl and Jumbo, aim for something different. Their lyrics are sharp, witty and €”positive without being sappy, and their concepts are fully fleshed out. On "Hellohihey," the leadoff single from their 2003 debut, Vurs is approached by a series of fictional emcees whose egos are bigger than their talent. He initially shrugs them off, but soon the critique turns inward as the rapper explores his own slippery path to self-absorption. This intertwining of Vurs' honest self-reflection with Jumbo's stuttering, chunky funk production drew critical praise and helped the group secure a cult following. Their 2007 sophomore album, <i>Gutterfly</i>, found the group going in a far different direction. For that record, Lifesavas paid homage to Blacksploitation of the '70s with a set of characters in a fictional Portland full of murderers, pimps and pushers. Surprisingly, the album was more playfully respectful than it was morally heavy-handed. - Sam ChennaultWest Coast Indieen720Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:04:13 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.66625&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss Rappers are supposed to play their positions. If they're mainstream, they rap about money, girls and rims over club productions, while the so-called underground gets away with the occasional political diatribe over a lo-fi beat. But Lifesavas' members, Vursatyl and Jumbo, aim for something different. Their lyrics are sharp, witty and €”positive without being sappy, and their concepts are fully fleshed out. On "Hellohihey," the leadoff single from their 2003 debut, Vurs is approached by a series of fictional emcees whose egos are bigger than their talent. He initially shrugs them off, but soon the critique turns inward as the rapper explores his own slippery path to self-absorption. This intertwining of Vurs' honest self-reflection with Jumbo's stuttering, chunky funk production drew critical praise and helped the group secure a cult following. Their 2007 sophomore album, <i>Gutterfly</i>, found the group going in a far different direction. For that record, Lifesavas paid homage to Blacksploitation of the '70s with a set of characters in a fictional Portland full of murderers, pimps and pushers. Surprisingly, the album was more playfully respectful than it was morally heavy-handed. - Sam Chennault http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.14898724&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss West Coast Indie Mon, 28 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 Lifesavas Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.14898724 alb.14898724 Lifesavas art.66625 0.0 Jumbo - Lifesavas: The Rhapsody Interview alb.14898724 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/2/1/7/5/1025712_170x170.jpg 2007-05-28 00:00:00.0 2007-05-28 00:00:00.0 true false other http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.14898724&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.14898724&variant=data&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.13831361&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss West Coast Indie Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 Lifesavas Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.13831361 alb.13831361 Lifesavas art.66625 9.99 Gutterfly alb.13831361 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/7/3/3/4/994337_170x170.jpg 2007-04-24 00:00:00.0 2007-04-17 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.13831361&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.13831361&variant=data&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6886833&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss West Coast Indie Tue, 14 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800 Lifesavas Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.6886833 alb.6886833 Lifesavas art.66625 4.99 Fa Show alb.6886833 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/9/6/0/0/680069_170x170.jpg 2004-12-14 00:00:00.0 2004-12-14 00:00:00.0 true true main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6886833&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6886833&variant=data&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.10789146&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss West Coast Indie Tue, 24 Jun 2003 00:00:00 -0700 Lifesavas Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.10789146 alb.10789146 Lifesavas art.66625 4.99 Fever / Selector 12" alb.10789146 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/2/3/0/1/861032_170x170.jpg 2003-06-24 00:00:00.0 2003-06-24 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.10789146&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.10789146&variant=data&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.10788498&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss West Coast Indie Thu, 12 Jun 2003 00:00:00 -0700 Lifesavas Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.10788498 alb.10788498 Lifesavas art.66625 8.99 Spirit In Stone - Instrumentals alb.10788498 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/8/3/0/860384_170x170.jpg 2003-06-12 00:00:00.0 2003-06-12 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.10788498&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.10788498&variant=data&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5197634&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss West Coast Indie Wed, 1 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0800 Lifesavas Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.5197634 alb.5197634 Lifesavas art.66625 8.99 Spirit in Stone alb.5197634 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/2/2/0/9/969022_170x170.jpg 2003-01-01 00:00:00.0 2003-01-01 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5197634&variant=play&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5197634&variant=data&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.295340&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss West Coast Indie Tue, 13 Nov 2001 00:00:00 -0800 Lifesavas Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.295340 alb.295340 Lifesavas art.66625 0.0 Head Exercise alb.295340 2001-11-13 00:00:00.0 2001-01-01 00:00:00.0 false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.295340&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.295340&variant=data&rws=%2Flifesavas%2Fdiscography.rss