On Saturday for Northwest Film Forum's outstanding Puget Soundtrack series, Seattle's Ecstatic Cosmic Union (led by Rena Luelle and Aubrey Nehring) manifested a stunning, re-imagined soundtrack for Jim Henson and Frank Oz's 1982 fantasy-adventure film The Dark Crystal. Expanded to a quintet for this event with violinist Meagan Angus, Portland synthesist Star Child, and James Arellano, XCU methodically set sail for the deepest regions of the cosmos with their beautiful, drifting sonorities and ethereal chants. Their set encompassed gently chaotic space rock, alternately tranquil and sinister ambience, and spiritualized kosmische oscillations—all of which surpassed Trevor Jones's fine, if predictable, original score by light years.

Ecstatic Cosmic Union's mission statement sheds more light on their creative approach to this breakthrough performance.

The visual beauty of the film’s otherworldly landscape and ornate architecture, its use of esoteric symbolism, and incorporation of alien astrology were all sources of inspiration for us. The spare pacing and sparse dialogue also seemed like a good fit for our music and for a project of this nature thought we could really use music as a narrative element. Though made with puppets, the film doesn’t pander to its audience and the story feels almost like an allegory for our current era. As Ecstatic Cosmic Union we are making music for the world we hope becomes manifest, but first we must unite our consciousness.

XCU have always been a great live band, but in this more expansive context, they transcended themselves and elevated to a much more profound level of mood- and mind-enhancement. Their future looks brilliant, indeed.