Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Arts & Culture

Media Credit: Eunice Hong Charlie Custer '08, also known as "Sun Zoo," will release a new album today.

When coping with the chaos of modern life, some people take weekly yoga classes or unwind with an hour of "American Idol." Others, like Charlie Custer '08, spin their frustration into original rap music.

Custer, known as "Sun Zoo" to his fans, said he has been writing and recording rap songs for nearly a decade. His latest album, "Can't See the Forest," will be released today on Sun-Zoo.com, where listeners can sample his fresh beats and lyrical dexterity free of charge.

"Basically, the idea is to get it out as far as it can go," Custer said of his decision to post his music online.

It's a method that has worked for him in the past. Despite limited publicity, Custer's web release of his 2006 album "Hope Flies" earned him a small following of fans and several positive reviews on various music blogs. Using non-traditional instruments such as cellos and Japanese flutes, Custer has crafted a distinctive sound that has elicited praise from underground rap enthusiasts.

Deriving his alias from the Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, Custer strikes a combative tone on his most political album so far. In "Forest's" 14 tracks, he addresses issues such as government surveillance, political corruption and music piracy.

In the song "Aldous Huxley," Custer urges a nation "high off Prozac and PlayStation" to question the Bush administration's use of illegal wiretapping. "Huxley's" chorus asks listeners if they can hear "that FBI truck in the back?/ 'Cause we all know you're there/ Yo, it's nothing but fact."

In "Not for Sale," Custer shifts his focus to the war in Iraq and its impact on domestic programs like health care and poverty relief.

"It's old people dying 'cause they can't afford their medicine/ Paying for the war by taking benefits from veterans," he sings, charging that those in power "try to make us scared of homosexuals and Mexicans."

"For every minute that we fighting our brothers/ Another Halliburton bill goes to the Right undercover," he says of the greed he feels prompts decisions made by current government officials.

A few of the songs on "Forest" were reserved for more personal issues. The album's title track deals with his younger brother's chronic marijuana abuse, while "Leave the Rest Behind," written by Sarah Clark '09, meditates on the complexities of romantic relationships.

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