Fram - This is How We Live Now

There's always a bit of extra enthusiasm for a local band. Unfortunately, with new album This is How We Live Now Glasgow's Fram don't quite conjure up the goods. Citing the likes of Galaxie 500, Nick Cave and Mark Eitzel as influences – there is a hint of The Verve and Savoy Grand in their palette too – they have a dark and slightly cinematic sound, with a vocal timbre along the lines of Edwyn Collins and Lloyd Cole. Sadly, the sum of the parts is just a bit too diluted to stand out from the original constituents, and the slightly countrified minor chord elegies become dreary after a while. While Fram's music-first ethos is admirable, it does conjure up the cynical thought that there's a reason some bands don't make it beyond self releases and bar gigs. [Matt Gollock]