Not content to simply be a longtime ambassador between hip-hop and indie rock, Sage Francis spends his new fourth album Li(f)e collaborating with a rogue gallery of indie heroes. There are co-writing credits from Chris Walla, Jason Lytle, the late Mark Linkous, and members of Calexico and DeVotchKa. The result is relaxed and naturalistic. Managing his usual balance between self-reflection and self-deprecation, Francis rails against the stifling, contradictory rule set of society and organized religion. If the album is fairly uneven – for every song as quietly great as “16 Years” or “The Best Of Times,” there’s an iffy wobble like “I Was Zero” – Francis’s brave knack for exposing himself goes a long way. With Free Moral Agents, B. Dolan. DOUG WALLEN

Tue., June 1, 8 p.m., 2010