Helium (Pram album)
Helium is the second album by English post-rock band Pram, released in September 1994 through Too Pure.[1]
Helium | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1994 | |||
Recorded | Third Sex Studios in Birmingham, England | |||
Genre | Post-rock | |||
Length | 50:15 | |||
Label | Too Pure | |||
Producer | Pram | |||
Pram chronology | ||||
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Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Select | 4/5[3] |
The Vinyl District | A−[4] |
The Vinyl District reviewed the album positively, stating that "the band’s playing is as urgent and vibrant as it is carefully assembled [...] Pram had become progressively more comfortable with the technology and the offbeat instruments at their fingertips."[4] AllMusic noted that the album's musical elements—"Moog burblings, exotic rhythms, and cool-toned horns—are more typically the building blocks of lounge music, but Pram is instead all about uneasy listening, cutting and pasting schizophrenic sound collages topped off by Rosie Cuckston's unnerving vocals."[2]
In 2016, Fact ranked Helium at number 29 on its list of the best post-rock albums.[5]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Rosie Cuckston; all music is composed by Pram
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Gravity" | 4:40 |
2. | "Dancing on a Star" | 4:17 |
3. | "Nightwatch" | 3:55 |
4. | "Things Left on the Pavement" | 6:49 |
5. | "Windy" | 2:43 |
6. | "My Father the Clown" | 4:04 |
7. | "Blue" | 8:14 |
8. | "Little Angel, Little Monkey" | 4:32 |
9. | "Meshes in the Afternoon" | 4:23 |
10. | "Shadows" | 6:38 |
Personnel
- Rosie Cuckston – vocals, keyboards
- Matt Eaton – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, sampler
- Sam Owen – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- Max Simpson – keyboards, sampler
- Daren Garratt – drums, percussion
- Verdigris – horns
References
- Sprague, David (2007). "Pram". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- Ankeny, Jason. "Helium – Pram". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- Perry, Andrew (October 1994). "Pram: Helium". Select. No. 52. p. 102.
- Neff, Joseph (30 March 2016). "Graded on a Curve: Pram, The Stars Are So Big, the Earth Is So Small…Stay as You Are and Helium". The Vinyl District. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- Bowe, Miles; Horner, Al; Lobenfeld, Claire; Ravens, Chal; Twells, John; Welsh, April Clare; Wilson, Scott (20 April 2016). "The 30 best post-rock albums of all time". Fact. Retrieved 8 June 2020.