Jeffrey Lewis

Despite a history of paying tribute to heroes (see "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror"), an album of Crass covers is a ballsy move for an anti-folk singer-songwriter. With a significant poetic license in one hand and an acoustic guitar in the other, Lewis nevertheless manages to make this exercise in self-indulgence work. Covers of "Systematic Death," "Punk Is Dead" and "Do They Owe Us a Living" -- sung in a monotone, almost despondent voice -- might at first only seem like novelty items, but his unwavering devotion to a cause juste makes you want to convert.