Helium is the second album by English post-rock band Pram, released in September 1994 through Too Pure.[1]

Helium
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1994
RecordedThird Sex Studios in Birmingham, England
GenrePost-rock
Length50:15
LabelToo Pure
ProducerPram
Pram chronology
Meshes EP
(1994)
Helium
(1994)
Sargasso Sea
(1995)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Select4/5[3]
The Vinyl DistrictA−[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

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All lyrics are written by Rosie Cuckston; all music is composed by Pram

No.TitleLength
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

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  • 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

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  1. ^ Sprague, David (2007). "Pram". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  2. ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Helium – Pram". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  3. ^ Perry, Andrew (October 1994). "Pram: Helium". Select. No. 52. p. 102.
  4. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ 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.
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