Pram formed in the late 80s with a sound that ranges from exotica, Krautrockand the forgotten film soundtracks. Over the years Pram have expanded theirideas to encompass disorientating shifts in mood, with their new material seeingthe band build on their distinctive soundscape with added textures and a raw,powerful live show careering from eerie to bone-shakingPram are essentially a product of the post-punk late 80s, inspired by the likes ofThe Raincoats and The Slits and contemporaries of Stereolab and Broadcast.Pram have always sounded like they make up their own rules, including aninventively open approach to rhythm and timing. And their use of theremin andthe manipulation of instruments also adds a certain harmonic wooziness.The band still use a bewildering array of instruments and are unrepentantlyunfazed by the possibilities of performing on anything and everything that seemsappropriate. “It’s not possible to develop a facility on every instrument we wantto use” explains founder member and multi-instrumentalist Sam Owen, “so wesimply don’t worry about it and look instead for the initial thrill of discovering anew sound”. The addition of mountain dulcimer and trombonist/theremin playerHarry Dawes’ sometimes playful, occasionally mournful soprano saxophone area testament to this continued experimentation in the new set.The band mix instrumentals with songs, weaving a gleeful path through themusical territory of film scores, 30s jazz, sun-drenched pop, electronica, andpost-punk experimentation. Owen’s breathy and ethereal voice is set in a varietyof soundscapes, sometimes appearing as a snatched fragment of thesubconscious and dreamlike, at others crafting a story of longing or regret, nowoften weaving round Kitson’s gorgeous musical cadences.Guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Matt Eaton explains why the music works sowell as a soundtrack to the imagination. “There’s a huge interest in the band incollages of sound, triggering emotions in people. That’s part of the experimentalend of what we do, but we bring it to our more conventionally structured songsas well so that each one grabs you and you live in its world whilst you are listening"
