Somniloquy

Pram’s sixth album is a half-way house between a fully realised ‘proper’ follow up to the subtly wonderful The Museum Of Imaginary Animals and a rag and bone collection of remixes with a few newies tacked on for posterity. The oddball Birmingham outfit continue to purvey an inventive fusion of new jazz and breezy guitar pop, which is a lot more rewarding and far less pretentious than that may sound. Think of Liz Phraser fronting Belle and Sebastian and you’re getting somewhat close. Tracks like ‘Mother Of Pearl’ are misleading in their false sense of happy-go-lucky sunshine pop. Catchy brass arrangements and luscious melodies invite the listener in just as Chuckenston’s vocals evoke a deep sense of uneasy creepiness.

The entire second half is mainly a collection of remixes from last year’s The Museum Of Imaginary Animals and tellingly it’s where you’ll find the most rewarding material. Plone, Blaky Mule, Tery:Funken, Andy Votel and Sir Real come up with five fantastic personalised twists on the Pram sound. Aside from the odd highlight though, Somniloquy is solely recommended for the completist fanbase. New recruits would be best advised to go fishing in their back catalogue for more satisfying sonic kicks.