Review Summary: Easy listening psych pop+musique concrete/2=Helium
Sour is an interesting flavor in that it’s both pleasurable and jarring to the tongue. At the same time, it’s a flavor that’s just as associated with fruit as sweet. Pram’s dissonant noises are aurally sour, much to the main rhythm’s sweetness. Helium, for all intents and purposes, is a musical raspberry fresh from the back of your fridge.
In terms of commercial appeal, Helium is an absolute nightmare. Occasionally taunting the listener with hints of a melody, the songs are primarily moody rhythmic soundscapes with silly effects popping in. The drums typically rush at a pace that feels ill-fitting to the vocals. Although there is guitar, it often takes a backseat to the bass and keys. It’s likely this rejection of rock tradition while using rock instrumentation that causes the album to be labeled as post-rock, despite sharing few other similarities with the genre’s signature bands. To those looking for a more traditional psychedelic pop work, the overall product will come off as a drab, uncatchy, and crowded racket.
For something so wonky, it's also gorgeous. Rosie Cuckston wails as a gentle ghost guiding you into the afterlife. Much of the tempo, despite the aforementioned drums, is slow and dreamy. Instrumentation that isn’t acting as non-sequitur, is mostly played cleanly and brightly. This contrast is what allows dissonant sounds to come off as so harsh against an otherwise pleasant core -like easy listening and musique concrete averaged out, or perhaps it’s better described as a worthy love letter to the weirdness of 60s psychedelic experimentation.
Although they are often compared to Stereolab and Broadcast, neither artist has Pram’s murky acidic aura. But it’s exactly that aura that makes it all work so well. How can something be so hectic while being so sprawling, creepy while being so warm, and raucous while being so pretty? As a ball of contradictions, Helium finds itself as enjoyable as it is challenging.
