His latest work, a self-titled album featuring a hip-hop potpourri of spoken word and rap, dismisses the feminine mystique that has pervaded all his previous efforts, including his first album, Amethyst Rock Star, and an earlier epic poem, “she.” Williams begins the new disc with what could only be described as a startling reclamation of his masculinity. “I ain’t got proper diction for the makings of a thug,” he tell us, not quite ironically, “though I grew up in the ghetto and my niggers all sell drugs.” It’s a jarring and crude departure from his past work, exacerbated by the uninspired samples which ride aimlessly in the background of his spoken word.

Still, Williams reminds us briefly of what a brilliant artist he can be with the probing words and beat of “Black Stacey,” one of many melodic tracks on the album. And in “Telegram,” Williams puts forth a cunning observation: “Hip-hop is lying on the side of the road, half-dead to itself, blood scrawled over its mangled flesh, like jazz.” It’s all the more surprising, then, that Williams has chosen to align himself with such a dead genre.

—Zachary M. Seward

Exhibit A

The Features

(Universal)

Out of a scarcely known Tennessee ghost town hid beneath the mountains rocks The Features, who’ve recently released their first full length album, Exhibit A, on Universal sub-label Temptation. At age 13, with nothing else to do, three of the band’s current four members turned to music and formed the band that is finally gaining the recognition they deserve. At less than 33 minutes long, the CD might just be too short to contain all the rock. Characterized by driving distorted guitar riffs, howling vocals and the old-school background subtleties of the electric organ, the Features cast themselves into the ranks of the Strokes and Jet. Highlights include the disc’s fourth track, “Blow Out,” that opens with a Weezer-esque upbeat chord progression beneath a few bars of catchy background vocals. Its elated chorus, “If you’re happy and you know it turn the volume up and blow it out,” makes it difficult not to smile. Frontman Matt Pelham is also not afraid to showcase his personal side. with the love song lyrics of “The Idea of Growing Old,” is a love song written about his kids. While they aren’t as bad-ass or original as Franz Ferdinand and most of the songs follow a pretty standard formula, The Features find their own sound in rock n’ roll in a time when most bands struggle to. With Exhibit A, The Features prove it’s no coincidence that they came from that regional soul of music, the state of Tennessee.

—Zachary M. Seward

Antics

Interpol

(Matador)

With their second full-length album Antics, Interpol beat the sophomore jinx and begin to lay down roots as an indie institution. The New York quartet builds on the success of its debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, expanding musically while remaining faithful to the viscous, subversive recipe that won them critical acclaim in the first place. The new record finds the young band charged with composure and confidence, equipped with a welcome infusion of melodic complexity.

Interpol recorded the new LP in an attic, a fact reflected in the claustrophobic underpinnings of each song. The murky, atmospheric production of their first album has been revived here, but the sound is warmer, and the band is more self-assured. The rhythm section has solidified, tighter and bolder now after long months playing together on tour. Drummer Sam Fogarino and bassist Carlos D lock into a groove right away and stretch it out easily for the course of a song. The often danceable bass lines add satisfying counterpoint to the darker, choppier guitar licks layered on top. Guitarists Daniel Kessler and Paul Banks let their sound intertwine, ringing out with Clash flavor, flirting with Carlos D’s tasteful keyboard additions (he plays keyboard too) and pushing against each other, always rooted by the bass.