Short bio:
Pram are a band formed in Birmingham, England in 1990, originally consisting of vocalist Rosie Cuckston, guitarist Matt Eaton, Sam Owen on bass, and drummer Andy Weir. Their first EP, "Gash" was self-released in 1992. Between 1993 and 1995 the label Too Pure released several increasingly sophisticated albums and EPs. Early recordings were a krautrock-influenced blend of rhythmic guitar, keyboards and percussion, with Cuckston's eerie vocals and lyrics dealing with depression, loneliness and the dark side of childhood. Second album "Helium" (1994) featured increasing use of the sampler, and later recordings show a marked interest in "exotica".
In 1995 Pram left Too Pure, and several singles and EPs were recorded for a variety of labels before they found a new home at Domino Records. The first album for Domino, "North Pole Radio Station", was originally recorded for Wurlitzer Jukebox Records, but the label shut down before it could be released. 1999's "Keep in a Dry Place and Away From Children" was the soundtrack to an animated film, and also featured a remix by Mouse on Mars. Following the 2008 EP "Prisoner of the Seven Pines", the band took a lengthy hiatus, with Cuckston abandoning music for academia.
In subsequent years, band members worked on other projects, both separately and together. After live performances together (without Cuckston) in 2017, the band released Across the Meridian in 2018 on Domino, featuring Owen (now on vocals as well as bass) and Eaton, plus Max Simpson on keyboards and Harry Dawes on brass.
Yet another anthology where you couldn't do justice to the band, with such a large back catalogue to choose from. So this shouldn't be considered a "best of", instead a selection of just a few of my favourite songs by them. Big
shoutout to Manerg who chose a few of the tracks included here, so I
guess not just a selection of my favourites but his too! This collection concentrates on the releases with Cuckston on vocals, from their first EP in 1992 up until her final album with the band in 2007.
As usual info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you all enjoy this collection of songs, and as always stay safe!
1. Superchouette (4:31)
2. Loose Threads (4:57)
3. Clock Without Hands (4:32)
4. Bewitched (4:21)
5. The Empty Quarter (4:00)
6. Things Left on the Pavement (6:45)
7. Sea Jungle (4:19)
8. Blue Singer (4:18)
9. The Pawnbroker (3:16)
10. Dorothy (3:50)
11. Space Siren (5:16)
12. The Doors of Empty Cupboards (4:58)
13. Monkey Puzzle (4:33)
14. Life in the Clouds (4:47)
15. Last Astronaut (5:17)
16. Paper Hats (4:02)
17. The Silk Road (3:20)
18. I'm a War (4:48)
19. My Father the Clown (4:01)
20. Crooked Tiles (3:40)
21. Sleepy Sweet (4:08)
22. Play of the Waves (7:23)
Download FLAC
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4 comments:
Thanks SB.
had completely forgotten about this group. nice to rediscover them. have you heard Jantar? somewhat within the neighborhood of Pram and Stereolab but with their own non-derivative left field loopiness.
Hi searchyeti, glad to hear you've rediscovered Pram. Surely one of the most underrated bands of the past 20-30 years? As for Jantar, yes I'm familiar with them, excellent band. I have a track by them on Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 68. Cheers!
SB - Stoked to have found your blog. I can't possibly keep up but when just about every post puts it through the net, it makes me happy to see even my brief efforts yielding such great returns. thanks again
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