Encrypted & Vulnerable

The Trent Reznor-produced The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! (2007) musically cast a shadow on Kanye West’s Yeezus. Saul Williams doubles down on his minimalist industrial sound here — singing “I own the night and the stars, bright as suns of distant galaxies” (“I Own the Night (Sufi Vision)”) on a concept album full of afro-diasporic futurism. His tunes tell the tale of African hacker activists, a sci-fi story fleshed out in his directorial debut, Neptune Frost. But the mesmerizing electronica bleeping underneath lines about air on distant planets and fourth-dimensional libations help Encrypted & Vulnerable stand on its own.