The Cocteau Twins
are a group that many people have told me I would love, and having been given a couple
of their EPs a year or so ago, I can see why. However, they are also a group who
require investment, and I haven't given them the time they deserve to really
get under their skin (a combination of this project, a busy job, and getting
married will do that). So I was thrilled to get this album now, rather than in
14 years, so I could see just how well they align with my tastes.
The Cocteau Twins
were Liz Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde, a group from Grangemouth,
Scotland who met through a shared love of Punk, and became a trio in 1979. The
group's name came from the title of an early Simple Minds song, which is surprising given the nature of music they would go on to make. They had some
success in the 80s, growing something of a cult following on the post-punk scene, and then gained
mainstream acclaim with the release of Heaven or Las Vegas in 1990, which
peaked at Number 7 in the UK.
Ivo is a
soprano-laden lush garden of a song that sets the listener up for what to
expect; multi-layered, multi instrumental waves of loveliness. Whilst it isn't
the strongest track on the album due to it sometimes sounding a bit flimsy, it
certainly does capture what the pair are about. Lorelei, on the other hand, is
an outstanding piece of music. The circling guitars and the prolonged cymbals
really drive the body of the track, whilst the otherworldly nature of the vocal
work is truly hypnotic. Beatrix has an intriguing, slightly sludgy, feel to the
music, primarily due to the haunting organ sound. It is on this track that
Fraser most sounds like Kate Bush - high praise indeed. Persephone has an urgency to it that is
slightly lacking elsewhere, taking the best elements of Echo and the Bunnymen,
and then adding even more oblique lyrics. Fraser's voice sounds like it could
lose it at any moment, which adds a real thrill. Pandora (For Cindy) is a bit
80s and directionless, although not itself unpleasant. Amelia is slightly in
the same vein; a bit like the backing to a fairytale, but without the
compelling story. Aloysius is also very Kate Bush, and you can almost picture
her in a long white floaty dress singing these sounds (they're definitely not
words) in an enchanted forest. Cicely has a great bass line in it, alongside a
real snap to the percussion that makes it all sounds more immediate. Otterley
is a pleasant soundscape that should feature in a film scene in a midnight
graveyard. Donimo sounds, in Chloe's words, like a Christmas Carol. The choir
of angels that suddenly explode out of the ether add a real power to
proceedings, and make you wish that they appeared on more of these songs. The
layered voices, the exquisite guitar, and the ebb and flow of the song bring
the album to a stunningly strong close.
I
badly wanted to like the Cocteau Twins, as the cool people I know (few but
significant) like them. At the same time, I take this project too seriously to
artificially 'fluff' a score.
Thankfully, I genuinely really, really liked this album, enjoying it whilst
focusing on it, and as it drifted into the background. It's mid-season lull
prevents it from scoring more highly, but it is a very impressive piece of
work. It is one of those albums that is hard to label genre-wise;
Dream-80s-synth-pop-elvish-rock would be my closest approximation. However it's
labelled, it is simply gorgeous to listen to, and is definitely an unearthed,
albeit slightly flawed, gem.
Chloe's rating: 7
Chloe's favourite
song: 4. Persephone
Olly's rating: 8
Olly's favourite
song: 2. Lorelei
Next week we will be
listening to 759. Dog Man Star by Suede. Whilst I always thought of them as a
budget Pulp, I'm always willing to give Britpop another chance.
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