Rob Sonic
Sabotage Gigante
Definitive Jux

Slightly more intellectual in its lyrics than Sonic’s previous LP Telicatessen, Sabotage Gigante provides a healthy dose of Rob Sonic beats that come ruff enough to make your kit tilt. Definitive Jux successfully impresses me time after time with the power of the artists they sanction, and for Rob Sonic fans, this album will certainly gratify. Track 7 is a brilliant Aesop Rock collaboration, but the entire album is listenable and highly recommended to enhance your hip-hop repertoire. – Kelly D. Williams, Mannerist Zine

Radiohead
In Rainbows
Self-Released

This particular album has garnered more attention than almost any other Radiohead album. The digitally released In Rainbows is listenable, yet nearly forgettable unless you devote several listen-throughs. It sounds like Radiohead – and sincerely is Radiohead, despite many fans who wondered what the band could possibly create after Thom Yorke released his solo record (although this album has been in the works since the Spring of 2005.) This audio cluster of forward-thinking electronic rock shares some similarities with OK Computer and Hail to The Thief, yet stands alone in its sparkle. The best part? You can download an advance copy of the album from their official website, and you decide how much to pay for it: A delivery method as experimental as their sound. – Kelly D. Williams, Mannerist Zine

Cass McCombs
Dropping The Writ
Domino Records

McCombs fourth album starts off with a zinger-of-a-first track titled “Lion Killer”, which has a very Boz Boorer (guitar brandisher for Morrissey) guitar hook to introduce us to his newer, darker, fuller sound. Cass McCombs isn’t a native New Yorker, but he has taken quite nicely to the gritty open-mic institution of the East Coast music scene. I love this new album like I love an apartment with a garbage disposal in the kitchen sink. Thanks to the modern crooner, the world now has the perfect LP for Saturday mornings. “Wheel of Fortune” (Track 11) has plenty of crooning for those who appreciate McCombs’ evident Moz influence. Get it, and don’t quit it. – Kelly D. Williams, Mannerist Zine

Ghostface Killah
Fishscale
Def Jam Recordings

While it ain’t a spanking new release, Ghostface Killah’s tour de force album Fishscale deserves some recognition as one of the greatest hip-hop albums to come from the Wu-Tang camp. As we patiently await the release of the MF Doom x Ghostface album (supposedly happening this year), Fishscale provides good beats & samples laced with characteristic Ghostface bawls. Although this record is littered with a few cheesy catered-for-radio hits, it pounds hard thanks to some of the tracks being produced by soundroom legend J Dilla and even MF Doom himself. Even with the always-present and sometimes unbearable skits, the entire record is listenable and worth the purchase. – Kelly D. Williams, Mannerist Zine

Alaskan Brewing Co. launches Coastal CODE initiative for a healthy Western coastline

JUNEAU, ALASKA (August 13, 2007) — In 2006, poor water quality led to more than 25,000 beach closures or advisories throughout the country, 28 percent more than the previous year. Alaskan Brewing Co. wants to help reverse this alarming trend and is committing 1 percent of proceeds from its newly released Alaskan IPA to improve the health of the Pacific Ocean and coastlines in an initiative called the Coastal CODE (Clean Oceans Depend on Everyone).

This unique initiative has launched www.CoastalCODE.org, which provides insights on ocean preservation; information on volunteer opportunities; ways to donate to the fund; and information about how to apply for Coastal CODE grants for such activities as beach cleanups, water quality improvement and ocean conservation education. 

“Big problems like ocean pollution can feel overwhelming, but if each of us does something small, together we can make a big difference,” said Marcy Larson, co-founder of Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau, Alaska. “We’re happy to do our part through the Coastal CODE and participating in beach cleanups. We chose ocean preservation because the ocean is such an important resource to us all.”

The small craft brewery is involving others, calling on ocean-minded organizations to help create the Coastal CODE, which began by surveying more than 500 Pacific Northwesterners about the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 100 percent of respondents said they are concerned about the health of the world’s oceans and more than 50 percent think the condition of the Pacific Ocean and western coastline is poor or at-risk. 

The encouraging news is that 98.4 percent said they are willing to make at least one change to help improve the ocean. The resulting CODE of conduct was written from this unmistakable pattern of survey answers. It reads:

MAKE

Walk, bike or sail to reduce emissions

Advocate for our ocean and coastlines

Volunteer

Eat sustainable seafood

Share your knowledge

In support of the Coastal CODE, Portland artist Spencer Reynolds donated his time and talent to illustrate the CODE’s message. His artwork was printed onto surfboards made from eco-friendly material called “Biofoam.” These limited-edition surfboards will be auctioned to raise money for the Coastal CODE Fund. 

“This CODE has the potential to spread awareness of our ocean’s needs to people who care about this precious resource,” said Mark J. Spalding, president of The Ocean Foundation, a nonprofit group housing and advising the Coastal CODE Fund. “It’s refreshing to see a company take responsibility for the environment. The fact that the Coastal CODE initiative is so creative, fun and engaging is very exciting. This kind of leadership can help turn the tide in ocean conservation.”