Pram – The Moving Frontier

Brand new mint vinyl is noisy. Anyone else experience similar issues? Any of the 8 other kindred souls possessing this care to comment? :-). I should check digital versions - maybe these looping static washes are intentional....

Some will certainly attribute the work of Pram to that of the avant garde, even free-form jazz, though I think not. Pram is a venture into self exploration and assimilation of random conscious thought, a dreamscape. Regarding both this album, and Dark Island, please consider:

Reminding me of the atmospheric cinematic snippets of Stan Ridgeway, Pram reveal a haunting mixture of sound and vocals that move effortlessly, though to where I’m not quiet sure. Several of the songs such as “Paper Hats” are laced with sharp stabbing notes that nearly impale my ears, feeling more than a bit uncomfortable, though “Paper Hats” was instantly followed by the dreamily dark and mysterious song “Peepshow,” a number that had me riveted to my seat in the same manner as mellow hypnotic smokey lounge music does when it’s done just right.

I love the deep instrumentation that flows on and on here, instrumentation that bespeaks memories of black and white television shows, especially that of The Twilight Zone, where the music was as central to moving the screenplay along as the engaging atmosphere it creates. Other songs such as “Sirocco” begin brilliantly, yet just as it reels me in, Pram infuse those sharp musical sticks again, causing me to push the skip button, and in the end, to assemble my own compilation of sorts, composed of songs that image my imagination and allow me to feel comfortable warm, and intoxicatingly nurtured.

Yes, certainly ‘art-rock’ has its place, it’s just that for an endeavor like that to work for me, I feel compelled to understand the nature genesis and attitude that the band is attempting to make, along with the journey they wish to take me on. Certainly I could cite a group such as Stereolab [though Pram are a bit darker] who also ventured into the great unknown, a band who similarly caused me to self-filter their material, as much here, simply leaves me feeling that I’m putting in time rather than enjoying the entire presentation. Yes, I’m sure that you’re seeing where this is going, and while I’ve nothing against intellect, intellect for the sake of intellect compels me to wonder if I’m being taken for a ride at times. To that end I will say that as concepts I find the music of Pram to be topnotch, insightful and moving, and if you wish, you can call me lazy … though to that I’d say that if one is going to apply the brushwork and images of Miro to musical scores, it had better move with grace and adventure, without being overtly adventurous, because when that happens I simply move on.

This aspect is brought forward in the track “Iske” from their Moving Frontier album, where the song meanders, expands, morphs, and then turns on its heels nearly quickly enough to see itself in the mirror, flashing so brightly that I need to shade my eyes [ears], and take cover in the confines of a following song such as “Salva,” a wayward half-speed epically smooth journey down the same road as “Riders Of The Storm” by The Doors, where I’m again at peace.

Half of the music from Dark Island and The Moving Frontier I am more than willing to keep, though when I spin this personal compilation for friends, and they say, “That’s great! Who is it?” I feel a bit disingenuous, knowing that if they go out and purchase the albums, that they are going to be a bit disappointed, perhaps wondering if their recollection of the previous night had been unduly influenced.

*** The Fun Facts: Pram has several meanings that include a baby carriage, a small flat bottomed snub-nosed dinghy. Pram is also short hand for a perambulator, a machine similar to an odometer for measuring distances by means of a large wheel pushed along the ground using a long handle, with a mechanism for recording the revolutions.

Review by Jenell Kesler