The band orig… Read Full Bio ↴Pram are a band formed in Birmingham, England in 1990.
The band originally consisted of vocalist Rosie Cuckston, guitarist Matt Eaton, Sam Owen on bass, and drummer Andy Weir. Their first album "Gash" was self-released and sold by mail order and at gigs. The band attracted the attention of Too Pure Records (already home to Stereolab, Mouse on Mars and PJ Harvey), and between 1993 and 1995 the label released several increasingly sophisticated albums and EPs. Early recordings were a krautrock-influenced blend of rhythmic guitar, keyboards and percussion, with Cuckston's eerie vocals and lyrics dealing with depression, loneliness and the dark side of childhood. A trumpeter (credited only as "the Verdigris Horn") played on several tracks, including the quarter-hour In Dreams You Too Can Fly, on debut album "The Stars Are So Big...". Second album "Helium" (1994) featured increasing use of the sampler, and later recordings show a marked interest in "exotica". In 1995 Pram left Too Pure, and released a cassette compilation of early demos and live recordings, "Perambulations" - some of these recordings were added to the CD reissue of "Gash". Singles and EPs were recorded for a variety of labels (including Stereolab's Duophonic Records), before the band found a new home at Domino Records. The first album for Domino, "North Pole Radio Station", was originally recorded for Wurlitzer Jukebox Records, but the label shut down before it could be released. 1999's "Keep in a Dry Place and Away From Children" was the soundtrack to an animated film, and also featured a remix by Mouse on Mars – while never strictly an electronica group, Pram have been remixed by several artists ("Somniloquy" features remixes by fellow Brummie experimentalists Plone and Tele:funken amongst others), and remixed LFO and the Aphex Twin for the Warp Records 10th anniversary compilation. Following the 2008 EP "Prisoner of the Seven Pines", the band took a lengthy hiatus, with Cuckston abandoning music for academia.
In subsequent years, band members worked on other projects, both separately and together. After live performances together (without Cuckston) in 2017, the band released Across the Meridian in 2018 on Domino, featuring Owen (now on vocals as well as bass) and Eaton, plus Max Simpson on keyboards and Harry Dawes on brass.
Cat
Pram Lyrics
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Faces you know, blurring out what they mean
A tangle of voices twisting words out of shape
A bunch of wire fingers
And no way to escape
There's no way of knowing how things fall apart
The smallest of incidents right from the start
In the song "Cat" by Pram, the lyrics delve into the confusion and uncertainty that one may experience in their dreams. The opening line of "Ill-defined, the creatures in your dream" highlights how the figures in someone's dream can be unclear and ambiguous. The following lines, "Faces you know, blurring out what they mean" emphasizes that even familiar faces become distorted in a dream state. This confusion continues with the "tangle of voices twisting words out of shape" and "a bunch of wire fingers" imagery. These lyrics create a sense of disorientation and unease that accompanies many people's dreams.
The final lines, "There's no way of knowing how things fall apart / The smallest of incidents right from the start / The dreams are all pieces, the main segment's in your heart," bring the song together. The dream-like confusion is used as a metaphor for the unpredictability of life. The smallest of incidents can lead to chaos and confusion, much like the dream state. However, the main "segment" or the most important aspect of life, comes from within one's heart.
In summary, the song "Cat" by Pram reflects on the perplexing nature of dreams and uses this experience as a metaphor for life's uncertainty. It reminds the listener that although things may not always make sense, the most important aspects of life come from within oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Ill-defined, the creatures in your dream
The creatures that appear in your dreams are often unclear, hard to distinguish or define.
Faces you know, blurring out what they mean
Familiar faces that appear in your dreams can be confusing, making it difficult to understand their true significance.
A tangle of voices twisting words out of shape
The voices in your dreams can be confusing and sometimes distort the intended meaning of what is said.
A bunch of wire fingers
Metaphorically, the feeling of being trapped or restrained and not being able to escape from the confusion and chaos in your dreams.
And no way to escape
The feeling of being trapped or helpless in the face of the convoluted dream world where you have no control over what happens.
There's no way of knowing how things fall apart
It's impossible to predict or control the way things unfold in your dreams, which may lead to further confusion or chaos.
The smallest of incidents right from the start
A small detail or event that happens at the beginning of the dream can have a significant impact on how the dream plays out.
The dreams are all pieces, the main segment's in your heart
Dreams can feel like fragmented puzzle pieces, and the true meaning or significance can only be deciphered by listening to your deepest emotions and desires from within.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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