Ecstasy and Refreshment

Minneapolis trio Food Pyramid derive much of their sound from the airier, more aimless side of Krautrock's golden age. The first few moments of "Dexedream," the Motorik one-note jam that opens Ecstasy and Refreshment wears the Krautrock influence almost too obviously, sounding so much in line with Neu! or Harmonia that it could be a religious cover of one of those bands. As the song wears on, however, more of Food Pyramid's personality comes to the forefront, introducing watery, yearning vocals and layers of blinding fuzz to the mix as the seven-minute song builds. The band manage to stretch into some wildly varied territory, leaning toward noisy and brash textures on tracks like "Deep Fantasy" and falling into an afro-cosmique groove on the weird funk of "The High Life." ~ Fred Thomas