On the food pyramid of electronic instrumentation, the saxophone is definitely near the top: “use sparingly”. There’s just something about the instrument that takes an otherwise superb track off the rails (think Radiohead’s “The National Anthem”). When the saxophone made its first appearance three and a half minutes into I’s opening track, “The Sundance Kid”, I became nervous. How would I sit through fifteen more minutes of awkward sax jamming? I shouldn’t have been worried. Instead of intruding, the sax meshed organically with all of the other layers of the mix and the song flew by. At nearly nineteen minutes, “The Sundance Kid” is expansive, but never sprawling, and serves as an introduction to the Food Pyramid’s scope and talent. As the album continues, the three-piece demonstrates their ability to use melodic synth lines, driving beats, and crystalline noise to create a wonderfully varied sound. Each of the album’s six tracks has a unique feel to them. From the spacey blips in “Lesbian Seagull” to the echoey drive of “Night-Timing Endless 1938” to the danceable lockstep of “Southside Blacktop Beat”, Food Pyramid covers lots of tonal ground over the course of I. When the saxophone reappears drizzled over the album closer “Speedboat Exit Miami Sunset”, it’s more than welcome; Food Pyramid has the skills to deploy the oft-problematic instrument with panache. While “The Sundance Kid” is a fine mission statement to Food Pyramid’s ambition, I is an primer to the stylistic and compositional mastery that Food Pyramid will no doubt put on display in its rumored duel follow-ups. If you have the means to listen to I (as it’s only available on cassette tape), it’s a can’t-miss record from one of the Twin Cities’ most exciting new bands. I is out now on Moon Glyph.