Crass cover songs aren’t always what they seem.

Anti-folk singer/songwriter Jeffrey Lewis, who released his latest album, “12 Crass Songs,” last October, plays tonight at the 40 Watt Club. The literal-minded album is comprised of covers of the English anarchist punk band Crass, adapted to Lewis’ acoustic style.

Lewis said he enjoys playing unexpected cover songs that challenge him.

“Crass is all of those things, and also just some of the best songs ever written,” Lewis said.

Lewis also is an established comic book artist. He writes and draws his own series “Fuff” (formerly known as “Guff”), and produces cover art for his albums. He said for “12 Crass Songs” he made his most extensive album artwork to date.

“I did a whole big, fold-out, die-cut comic book, cover packaging thing for it,” Lewis said, adding that it tells the story of the album’s conception.

“The packaging is an integral part of it,” he said.

Lewis said the art forms are connected for him.

“The two sort of inform each other in certain ways that make both of them somewhat more interesting for me,” Lewis said.

He said his role as a comic book artist is just as great as his role as a musician, but that the market for comic books shifts the focus to his music.

“Comic books are such a smaller part of culture than music is,” he said. “Music
forms such a larger part of people’s lives.”

Hailing from Wakefield, England, post-punk band The Cribs headlines tonight. A trio of brothers forms the band, including Ryan, Gary and Ross Jarman.

Alex Kapranos, frontman of Franz Ferdinand, produced The Cribs’ latest album, “Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever.” The band is collaborating with Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths, and now a member of Modest Mouse.

Indie-rock band Ra Ra Riot, of Syracuse, N.Y., features keyboard, cello and violin in addition to a bass and guitar rock foundation.

“You have so many melodic instruments, so really, the less you play, or the less busy your part is, the better for the band it will be,” guitarist Milo Bonacci said.

“It’s the way that they are all arranged around each other that makes sense,” Bonacci said. “It’s like they all kind of complete the same picture.”