Heaven or Las Vegas is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 17 September 1990 by 4AD. Despite 4AD president Ivo Watts-Russell proclaiming it one of the best-ever releases on his label, he released the group from their contract at the end of 1990 because his relationship with the band had soured.
Heaven or Las Vegas peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and number 99 on the US Billboard 200, becoming the band's most commercially successful release. It eventually sold 235,000 copies by 1996, according to Billboard. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and was voted number 218 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2020, Rolling Stone listed it at No. 245 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
I can't believe I get to listen to this album. The vibes are immaculate, just perfection. It's like floating along warm summer air. Everything feels so purposeful in it's placing, with every sound, word, and visual just lifting the album above levels I didn't know could exist. My only complaint is that it gets a little same-y here and there, but man I can forgive that with how beautiful it all is. Perfection.
The mystery of the lost great Cocteau Twins album: What was it on the other side of the recording studio glass that so distracted them when they made this, and what would they have produced if they'd been paying attention? We may never know. I will never care.
A truly unique dream pop album that doesn't have one lackluster song. Fraser's vocals are the highlight of this album, purring with energy and life. Some of her vocals are unintelligible, but that doesn't take away from the ethereal sound. The guitar work and drums are amazing as well, complementing the vocals perfectly and coalescing to provide the unique soundscape. The band complements each other so well yet you get the impression of improv. Not to say it isn't focused, which it is, with songwriting about childbirth and also death. Favorite tracks: Cherry-Coloured Funk, Iceblink Luck, Fifty-Fifty Clown, Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
It's not exactly BAD but it sure is super boring. There's nothing–literally nothing–about this album that stands out except for the fact that the vocals are utterly indescipherable which takes the album from a "meh" 3 stars to a "nope" 2 stars.
I'm not sure I'll ever fully understand people who do not love the Cocteau Twins. I'm sure there are some very nice people, we are just different on a fundamental level.
This album is like an old jumper you have had forever that you put on when you get sick, a comfort blanket. The Cocteaus at the poppiest they got, and probably the most fully formed.
One listen to Fotzepolitic and I could take on the world.
Bliss.
Can you believe we wrote this beauty off as “their commercial album” when it cam out? Lush, sensual, prickly in spots and featuring some Elizabeth Fraser’s most aggressive, full-bodied singing and toothsome lyrics. Only the Twins could make this kind of music while “selling out”.
Cool and dreamy - good drum machine work and the bass in quintessential 80s. Probably the lyrics and vocals are the most memorable. Got me on a shoegaze kick after and I listened to My Bloody Valentine for awhile.
5.0 + It's hard to pinpoint why this album makes me feel like soaking in a hot bath. There's some kind of strange alchemy between the shimmery guitar and vocals that's mesmerizing. It's a gentle swirl of arpeggiated synth lines, thumping bass and soothing vocal wisps. At times, my mind gets lost in the background sounds and I'm put in a smiling trance.
Ethereal but grounded. Incomprehensible but clear in their messages. The Cocteau Twins are one of the most antithetical bands I've come across, and this may just be their masterpiece. Elizabeth Fraser is such a unique talent.
This is my go-to sleep album along with "Souvlaki" by Slowdive. It makes me feel like I'm levitating. Absolute ethereal perfection. Once the last part of "I Wear Your Ring" hits, I'm instantly teleported into the eighth dimension.
Ten out of ten, you already know it.
#112. While listening to this album you might find yourself wondering who or what is this for. Well let me paint a picture for you. You have begrudgingly agreed to go to a dinner party at one of your wife's coworker's house. You know the one. The one with the combover and the crooked moustache. The one that always touches your arm when he talks to you. With the crack skinny wife in the wispy dress that doesn't speak loud enough to understand what she's saying ever. Every wall in their house is the same shade of off-white and every room has like one or two pieces of furniture, and maybe some stabby brutalist "art." You keep looking over at your wife to see if you can leave yet, because every minute being here is a minute closer to your insanity. And... this is the music that's playing in the background the whole time. Oh, and the brisket they served was dry.
2/5: please don't make me listen anymore
I really like this album. I listen to quite often as background, it's nearly perfect for writing or creating. The songs just drift together with those soft mumbled vocals. I think Treasure is a but better but happy to see this on the list.
Was this album in English? Maybe it was French.
The lack of clarity of the vocals did add to the dreamy soundscapes of a kind of relaxing, warm fog.
In my mind, this should create some sort of timeless feel, but it still sounds like the 90s. I don't know that if that is a good or a bad thing. It's just an observation. Good day.
I love that dreamy sound, and this album absolutely drips with it. Hell, they practically invented it. I just wish there were a few more standout tracks, but overall a great album.
Really good gothy dream pop. It lays on the 90s sound a little thick, which is probably because the group pioneered the sound to some extent. Still a bit dated in that regard.
I was on the cusp of giving this a 4, Cherry-Coloured Funk has been a favourite for as long as I care to remember with its haunting synth and contrasting range of vocals, some of which are Kate-Bush-like in nature but ultimately all gel together brilliantly as a song that doesn't go on too long (unlike this sentence).
And the rest of the album is, well, alright. But always found myself wishing I was listening to the first track again.
Sucked. Can I give 0 stars? Guess we will see what happens.
Turns out you cant give zero stars. You have to click at least one to activate the vote button. Consider yourselves lucky Cocteau Twins.
I didn't know what to expect going into this, but I was delightfully surprised. I don't mind that I can't understand a word they're saying, the vibes are immaculate and I even went back to replay a few of them. Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsommer Fires is a really impactful closing track.
I must say, I knew this album, front to back, fully expected to see it in this list. This is truly an all time great album, colorful, extremely tight and always interesting. It feels like a band at the height of their powers, owning their sound. It is very much experimental and froward thinking, the writing especially is interesting, it is all about the sounds, all about how words fit and ring in your hear, creating a poem in a very surrealist way. It creates a kaleidoscope of very "them" sounds and everything feels dreamy. I think this album is a lot more influential than people give it credit for, I often hear it in productions of today. It has waves, places to go in a self containing world, ambition and heart, it is quite simply, one of the best album I ever heard.
Ah, Heaven or Las Vegas. I wouldn't say that I know this album like the back of my hand, but I've listened to it before, and I love it. I randomly came across Cocteau Twins on Spotify several years ago. "Iceblink Luck" popped up on shuffle, and I fell in love with it and immediately listened to this album. I haven't listened to all of this in a while, but only because I've been waiting for it to come up for me on the generator. And finally, at 933 albums, I'm getting to review this. I can't wait to slip into the dreamy sound of Cocteau Twins today!
Man, this album is somehow even better than I remembered. Every song is a pillow wrapped in a dream, and yet, the sound and moods of every song are so unique. The fact that Cocteau Twins did all of this with guitar pedals and effects completely blows my mind. To achieve something so otherworldly without keyboards or synthesizers is beyond amazing. I’ve noticed lately that bass playing has been really standing out to me on the albums I’m reviewing, and that held true on this album as well. As great as the guitars and effects were, the bass did a great job of giving a sense of solid substance to the overall dreamy sound. This album is a complete masterpiece from start to finish. Some notes on individual songs:
“Iceblink Luck” is still my favorite song on the album. I think I’ll always have a soft spot for it, since it’s the first Cocteau Twins song I heard. I love how that opening guitar note leads you into the song, and the drum machines are perfect. The vocals feel like another instrument on their own, and the bass adds a fantastic contrast to the shimmering lead guitar. This is one of those songs that I don’t want to end while I’m listening to it, because I will never get tired of that main melody. Even though it’s only about twenty seconds long, that instrumental bridge is incredible.
I really loved the main melody of “Fifty-fifty Clown.” It’s another example of how incredible it is that this album didn’t use keyboards or synthesizers.
The title track is fantastic. I love the drum machines a lot on this one, and there’s more excellent guitar work. The vocals are really great here too. I love the way Elizabeth Fraser sings “am I in heaven or Las Vegas?” Her pacing on the vocal delivery of that line is perfection. This song just gets better and better as it goes on.
“I Wear Your Ring” is fantastic too. It’s still dreamy, but a different kind of dreamy. It’s like a dream where you’re walking through the mist of a forest, and you can’t really see well, so each sound feels new and novel.
“Fotzepolitic” had a renaissance faire sound to it that I really enjoyed, both in the higher register sounds and in the pacing of the melodies. Yet another example of how many different sounds the band was able to create on this album.
Heaven or Las Vegas is more than dream pop bliss; it’s a pop album that pulls the listener in with beautiful melodies and fantastic drum machines. This is an album that always a treat to listen to, and I fell even deeper in love with it today.
A nice mix of "is this the most 80s thing I've ever heard" and "this could have been made today." But really more 80s. It's also a little bit like babby's first shoegaze: we got the full-on sound, the Cure-like guitar, but it's all dialed back from 11. I guess dat's dream pop! Anyway, I like it but don't love it because it leaves me wanting something heavier. Personal taste that doesn't take anything from an accomplished piece here.
There was really something in the water in Scotland besides industrial run-off because some of those folks can bang out an album.
Oh man, my excitement when this record popped up. Never listened to this album or the Cocteau Twins before, but knew a little bit about them. Dream pop, shoegaze before shoegaze became a thing.
The second her vocals popped up in Cherry-coloured Funk, I knew this was going to be an easy five. It's got a strong ethereal vibe without sacrificing a driving force. I feel like a lot of dream pop (and shoegaze) can get lost in it's own vibes a lot and meander, but this album is laser focused with purpose.
But yeah, her vocals are the high point in an album that is nothing but high points. Strong, confident, ethereal. Add in half the time I can't tell if she's singing English, let alone any language at all and it gives a beautiful, detached, alien feel that puts the dream in dream pop.
Love the goth rock/post-punk elements too. The bass feels straight out of New Order or The Cure, and I love it.
Overall, extremely easy five stars. Knew basically the second I put the record on and the first couple notes hit. Incredible.
Один из самых красивых пост-панк альбомов, которых я когда-либо слушал. Волшебный и мелодичный вокал успокаивает и вводит в некое состояние сна, выходит за границы языкового барьера и передаёт сущность песен не через тексты, а через пение, ну и просто звучит замечательно. А гитары вписываются не менее гармонично - тонущие в тоннах реверба, они тоже создают некий колыбельный эффект, погружающий в умиротворённое состояние, из которого не хочется выходить никогда. (9 - 9.5)
Very interesting this little one. It feels like a slightly too upbeat version of any of the bands who play in the road house in season 3 of twin peaks the return. Its too happy even though I would be shocked if it was happy lyrically.i didn't end up saving any tracks but I for sure need to listen to this again
Cool 80s vibes, with echoey synths and floaty riffs. There's a good amount of reverb on the vocals, it seems, and I don't know if it's that, but I find the woman incomprehensible. I wondered at several points if she was singing in French. I still don't know.
Highlight was the title track, 5, Heaven Or Las Vegas. Also, 8, Wolf In The Breast.
Vocals on Cherry-Coloured Funk remind me of Shakespeare's Sister.
This album is from 1990. I don't know how I didn't come across it before. I may have seen Cocteau Twins on "Now That's" compilations, but I don't think they would have clicked.
I'm not blown away by this. It's good, interesting, but would I listen to it regularly or repeatedly, probably not. Three stars seems harsh, four too generous...
Spot the fake Cocteau Twins track name is the quiz round we never knew we needed...
a) Iceblink Luck
b) Fifty-Fifty Clown
c) Socketface Grapefruit
d) Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
Some albums just scream 80s at me from the first few seconds and I immediately fear the worst (despite being released in 1990). In fairness, it has some hooks and the overall sound is richer and less cheesy for the most part than I was worried it could be. I find myself quite enjoying the shoegazy production and her vocals somehow both irritate and intrigue me, at times I swear she's singing in a strange foreign language. Spotify doesn't have the lyrics so I never bothered finding out.
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4.
Gotta tell you – not used to an album without proper lyrics. I just don’t know that I could personally give a 5 to an album with vocals, but without lyrics, simply because I’m a sucker for storytelling… but I think a 4 means the album was pretty damn good regardless. And this was pretty damn good.
Sometimes, soundscapes do make an album, and even though this is a 1990 album, it’s very much the dying gasp of the 1980s in full effect – everything here is a sort of pastiche on every 80s trope and style you could think of musically, and it comes together really well. Vocally, I think she’s got a mesmerizing tone to her voice that usually meshes pretty well with the instrumentals, but occasionally, I think the production blends them together too harshly on some tracks where it just kinda negates the positives of both.
That’s not to say there’s any bad tracks here, just some suspect mixing – this is even more of a car album than the last one was, but it’s honestly more of a dreaming album to me (I guess that’s why it’s “dream pop”). I could easily see myself falling asleep to these, or even dreaming up something close to these – good soundscapes with lyrics just out of reach, but the occasionally clear word or two to keep you a little grounded to reality.
I just had fun with it – I can’t wax too much about it because the extent of my criticism is “that sounded really good, but sometimes it didn’t,” and that’s kindergarten-level criticism. It’s a very nice listen; it sounds great, it’s relaxing as hell, and while it does go a little bit too long, I think it doesn’t overstay its welcome long enough to be actively annoying. I’m fine with bumping it up to a 4.
Shimmering, dreamy musical confections. Gorgeous arrangements elevated by Elizabeth Fraser's ethereal vocals and expressionistic lyrical style. Listening to this album is the musical equivalent of floating on a cloud.
At its best, this is some of the loveliest music you'll ever hear. The quality of the individual songs is a little uneven, but it's overall still a joy to listen to. Launches me straight back to my sophomore year in college.
Fave Songs: Cherry-Coloured Funk, Iceblink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas, Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires, Pitch the Baby, Wolf in the Breast
True to the mission of this project I am glad this record came up on my list. Although this may already belong to my own personal canon of soul-defining albums thankfully this might have been a backup contingency plan. This made an enormous impact on me decades ago. There was nothing else like it, the world was different after I first heard the Cocteau Twins, and still nothing else compares. This record felt like it was an opening and a big break into a wider audience. It also felt like further slipping from an ideal after Treasure that diluted down the drain awash with new age pathos and intelligible lyrics instead of a cosmic brain transplantation. I only wish I could find a giant poster again of the album cover to pin up on my wall as I improvise the lyrics to Pitch The Baby.
Lush, gorgeous. Like a giant blanket. Seems like a great album to get high to. Reminds me of MBV. Favorite tracks are "Pitch the Baby" and "Frou frou Foxes in Midsumner Fires".
Wow, another Cocteau Twins album in my first 130. I had never heard of them before and I continue to be pleasantly surprised. Their ethereal sound and fun harmonies sets it apart. The 80s textures aren’t my favorite, but their creativity overshadows it.
Very synthetic, but in the wrong way for me. The instrumentation feels too sharp and brittle. I preferred “Treasure” over this one, which has a bit more meat to its sound, but Heaven or Las Vegas is not a bad record overall.
I was very taken with the Cocteau Twins early albums from the start of the 1980s. They had a certain otherworldly charm that was quite unlike anything else in the charts at the time. However, by the time this album came out in 1990 I think that they’d lost something. I mean, she even sings in English at some points!
The production also had that 90s plasticky, digital feel losing the analogue warmth of the earlier recordings. I guess that they were pre-cursors of shoe gaze but by this point, there were other bands who were shoe-ier and gaze-ier.
This whole exercise is so frustrating because I would swear up & down that I like fuzzy dream pop (Beach House, Bat for Lashes, Washed Out, Warpaint, Mazzy Star, etc.) But between these guys and mbv, I'm feeling totally gaslit.
Like, this is just...not great. Maybe if the choruses were in English? It all just kind of blends together into a droning nothingburger of a sound landscape that NEVER catches your attention. I guess it's good if you're on a fentanyl bender, but not great if you're actually trying to enjoy what you're listening to.
Maybe a low 3 / high 2 kind of scenario - but I'm going with 2 for the fact that this list makes me doubt my own perceptions.
Cool ideas, but very one note for every song. Hooks repeat constantly and there always feels like a lack of emotion. The song settle in on one vibe, but what that vibe means is utterly incomprehensible.
Not just boring music, but almost painful because of the singer's voice and pronounciation. Not my cup of tea, obviously, but this time I have a really hard time getting how anyone else could stand this let alone consider it a classic.
I'm not sure how this album ended up on this list. I'm pretty sure I could find a better album not on this list in any used record store in the world. Maybe there's political or historical information I'm lacking that would help change my opinion, but I'm not going to waste any more time on it.
So dreary and uninspiring. Tuneless lift muzak at best. Awful production, tinny with weak drums. With the music being so much of absolutely nothing, at least the lyrics could have been profound, interesting, etc., but no.. might as well be sung in Greek. The inability to pronounce English words correctly is apparently intentional, but just makes the songs frustrating and bizarre to listen to. If I never hear this album again before I die, I will die happy.
i’ve heard this already, one of my favorite shoegaze albums. i loooove cocteau twins
favs: cherry-colored funk, pitch the baby, iceblink luck, wolf in the breast
Why is everyone so English centered? Well, it’s really easy to guess where they are from that way. I get that lyrics mean a lot. They can make or break a song. But if you hear a song in another language, even if it sounds incredible, would you say it’s shit just because you can’t understand the lyrics?
I suppose you don’t even listen to songs in other languages. Why would you when THE US IS THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD GOD BLESS THIS FREE LAND, and let’s not forget THE GREATEST EMPIRE OF HISTORY ALSO BREXIT WAS AN AMAZING IDEA. Australia and Canada are safe, I don’t have beef with them.
Maybe it’s just me, or other people like me. Not natives to an English speaking country. Growing up, the radio was 80% English. Did I understand a single word? Not at all. I couldn’t even make it out when a song was in English. I just clocked that it was another language. BUT I STILL ENJOYED THEM. I just vibed along. I didn’t even know the title of any of them.
After learning this stupid language, I do admit that I lost interest in some songs after finding out what vile stuff they sang about, trashing on minorities in general. So I get that lyrics can influence your reception of a song. But if you can’t make them out, guess what? Google is free.
This sounds like what MGMT were inspired by. It's an entire album of synthpop beauty, and despite the fact that I had never even heard of if before, I found so much to enjoy. Right away, the opening track, 'Cherry-coloured Funk', was breathtaking, and 'Iceblink Luck' has the same mystifying quality. The title song does live up to the expectations, and the disc never even loses its momentum, as 'Fotzepolitic' keeps up the good vibes. Be sure to not miss this one, even if you're having doubts like YesterMe.
Cocteau Twin er på shortlisten over tidenes beste band. De vant 80-tallet (for alt det pene jeg har sagt om the Smiths, så er Cocteau Twins et like poppa, men mye mer grensesprengende band) og la grunnlaget for at 90-tallet produserte så mye god musikk som det gjorde. Heaven or Las Vegas er deres siste store statement, og i manges øyne deres magnum opus, og det virker helt effortless hvordan de bare åpnet det nye tiåret med perfeksjon.
Treasure var mitt første møte med Twins. Jeg var allerede kjent med det som var verdt å bli kjent med av 90-tallets shoegaze og dream pop band, men å høre Treasure var ikke noe mindre øyeåpnende enn å høre Loveless; på mange måter tror jeg det var mer radikalt. At det gikk an å lage så abstrakt, moody, perfekt pop-musikk... Et av de viktigste albumene som noensinne er laget, men det kan vi komme tilbake til når den dukker opp.
Heaven or Las Vegas tok det meg dog litt lenger å varme meg opp til, som er litt ironisk, for lydbildet er ikke overveldene, kaldt, og alien som Treasure, men varmt og innbydende; tittelsporet, for å ta et av høydepunktene fra skiva, har noe av det mest beroliggende gitarspillet jeg noensinne har hørt. Halve tracklisten er allerede på shortlisten over tidenes beste låter noensinne, og det er en liste i vekst. For kun et par uker siden passerte Wolf In the Breast uprovosert forbi mitt sinns retina og utmerket seg som vel så bra som Cherry-Coloured Funk, Iceblink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas, og Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires. Hvilken låt blir den neste? Nå satt jeg på Fittepolitikk igjen bare fordi det er gøy tittel, og faen, det er ikke umulig at denne også kommer til å vokse med meg, for det er et sånt type album.
Idag vet jeg ikke lenger om Treasure er bedre enn Heaven or Las Vegas. Men det er til syvende og sist et irrelevant poeng; akkurat som at det er meningsløst å sette Richard D. James opp imot Mozart -- to musikalske størrelser som er helt uforenelige med atonistiske hierarchier -- er disse to skivene til Twins objecter som er så unike & fullkomne at de nærmeste står som platonske milepæler i mediasphæren -- untouchable, uoppnåelige, uimmiterbare fakler som vil fortsette å radiere brillians til menneskeheten går sin undergang.
Nydelig skrevet, nydelig fremført og nydelig produsert. Visste jeg var fan av dreampop, men ikke at jeg var så fan. Dessverre har jeg utsatt Cocteau Twins altfor lenge, for dette er nok en ny favoritt fra dette prosjektet.
Everything I loved on Treasure done even better. I could listen to Cherry Coloured Funk all day. The vocals are just entrancing. The guitar tone on the title track is great. Love this whole thing.
I seem to enjoy reading the bad reviews of music I like more than the positive ones. It's funny, Cocteaus' records are so old now I forget that the lack of discernible lyrics can still irritate people so much.
There's Cocteau Twins records I prefer because it can feel on this one that they had almost perfected their sound too much just before Britpop came along and dulled all the colours for everyone. Still beautiful though. Still five stars.
There are actually people on here that listen to this and say "yeah this is a one star album". Fucked up. It should be physically impossible to give this anything lower than a four. This is an all-time great.
Favorite track: Heaven Or Las Vegas
4.5/5
Len Houmous once married twins. They were locally known as the Cock Toe Twins due to a rare genetic mutation where they had actual cocks for toes. Len used to love a foot job from them. 5.0
5/10 Heaven or Las Vegas