Combining the celebration of craftsmanship that defines most sectors at the moment, together with the growing proclivity for musicians and music labels to coerce users into slowing down and engaging with their media in more meaningful ways, the new limited edition version of Brooklyn-based Beacon’s inaugural album, The Way We Separate, aims to take the biscuit – or at least the candy.

In addition to the usual release modes (CD, download, vinyl), sculptor Fernando Mastrangelo created a unique protective case for the album, crafted from white sugar, brandishing monumental, gothic lettering. Limited to 20 editions and priced at $200 each, its material and form ensure that it feels at once transient and oddly eternal (like a sugar-coated gravestone).

We’ve previously charted musical formats cast from unlikely materials such as ice. And The Ways We Separate certainly exists in a similar territory.

Does it add anything to the actual listening experience? Unlikely. But is it a charming point of difference that makes for great conversation (and presumably a few sales)? Definitely.