Food Pyramid’s new LP Ecstasy and Refreshment calls to mind Sky Records’ 1970s kraut-pop output filtered through 1990s 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 synth-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.