Ecstasy & Refreshment

Food Pyramid's 2013 album Ecstasy And Refreshment calls to mind Sky Records' 1970's Kraut-Pop output filtered through 1990's DC futurism - Trans Am-esque Motorik Pop, Game Boy console sound effects and the current Mordant Music roster, particularly Echoplekz. Disembodied voices float in and out of the mix, reminiscent of Byrne / Eno's ethnomusicology-inspired My Life in the Bush of Ghosts or the Residents' Eskimo. There is a strange post-DC vibe here, much like if Dischord Records' Black Eyes played ambient synthesizer-jams instead of Wire-y Punk. The record also calls to mind Cloudland Canyon, perhaps not surprising since Kip Uhlhorn from that band mastered Ecstasy and Refreshment and is helping to release it to a wider audience. Jana Hunter from Lower Dens, Nona Invie from Dark Dark Dark, and Tony Janas and Otto Junker from Deep Earth lent their collaborative efforts as well.