PRAM The Moving Frontier (Domino) Rating: NNNN
Opening like a lost cut from a Twin Peaks soundtrack, Pram’s ninth long-player is as eerie as you might expect from Birmingham’s druggy dream poppers. But it also represents the stalwart six-piece’s most listenable, lovable work for some time.
For one thing, Rosie Cuckson’s thin trill – an acquired taste by any standard – only graces five of the tracks. When it does weave in and out of these sprawling, shuffling arrangements, it becomes just another instrument among the trombones, thumb pianos, lilting guitars and endless samples.
At times there’s a feeling they were attempting to score the entire collection at Blockbuster. From the gentle summery Hums Around Us to the swampy, string-laden Mariana Deep, each track presents a new story from an old band still pushing boundaries.
