Heaven Or Las Vegas

this album sounds like looking at the sky with a new pair of glasses

Like hearing technicolor

This Dream Pop album feels like being trapped in a beautiful-looking waiting room where the same piece of soft background music keeps playing while someone nearby quietly mumbles words I can't understand. The guitars shimmer constantly, the bass and drum-machine rhythms keep everything gently moving, and Elizabeth Fraser's vocals float through the mix as another layer of sound rather than something I can actually follow. I can hear why people describe it as ethereal and atmospheric, but for me the atmosphere becomes the entire point, with very little that breaks through it or gives me a reason to pay attention. The songs blend into one another, the hooks don't stick with me, and Fraser's obscured vocals make the distance even greater. Rather than feeling transported into a dream, I find myself waiting for the music to change enough to give me something to hold onto. The more the album insists on maintaining its dreamy haze, the more it turns into background noise for me.

Not worth the hype. I have no idea why people love this as much as they do. The aesthetic gets monotonous after the first song, and trying to comprehend what's happening makes me feel like unwell. Is it the vibe? The vibes are good, but it can only take is so far. As it goes on, it sinks deeper and deeper until eventually, it suffocates in the fumes and the haziness it employs.

Comeback efter en veckas hiatus. Att jag råkade ge Licensed to Ill en femma tog hårt.. Det här är inte heller en femma.

Tyckte förra var ”prettotråk” och gav den en 2a, men det här gillade jag förvånansvärt mycket! Rak 4a

Klart bättre än förra. Passade också fint till måndagsmörkret. Stark trea

Vibes

Is this peak dream pop?

Love dreamy stuff like this

I expected more like the Thompson Twins. Solely based on name association. This was more Kate Bush.

Not for me. A little too dreamy

one of my favorites, i have it on CD favorite tracks: Cherry-coloured Funk, Pitch the Baby, Iceblink Luck, Fifty-fifty Clown, Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring, Fotzepolitic, Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires

Hella ethereal, type shi one puts that one SpongeBob image over Top 3: Cherry Coloured Funk, Heaven or Las Vegas, Fotzepolitic

Beautiful, ethereal guitar work on this one. However, only a couple songs were stand-outs for me.

The Cocteau Twins play pop with audible influences from Celtic folk music and extensive atmospheric effects. That sounds a bit wild when you read it, but the result is actually pretty unspectacular. On “Heaven or Las Vegas”, I really like the sound of the bass, which is also played with extreme precision. All in all, that’s a fair assessment.

The music was fine. Too bad that the vocals were so layered that I couldn’t understand the lyrics without looking at the Apple Music captions.

Heard it

Dreamy. That’s what this so obviously is. Dream Pop, dreamy synths, dreamy vocals, dreamy guitar, it’s dreamy. It’s also REALLY FUCKING IMPORTANT. In fact I’d say that most people who’ve heard this album think it’s one of the best albums ever made. Not on here of course, but I couldn’t imagine someone finding this music unbearable in any way. Now, the obvious. It “Has Lyrics,” but really, the great Elizabeth Fraser does not sing words here, so much as she’s singing feelings with words vaguely attached to them; I think I read somewhere that she began to phase out actual lyrics and instead began improvising onstage, vague lyric-like words uttered. And this is something that works, at least partially, to the album’s great benefit. It makes the album more timeless, less caught up in the words of any specific time, more tied to the soundscapes that have in time become one of the greatest structures of any remotely psychedelic endeavor, musically. Highs of the album, like “Cherry-Coloured Funk,” the excellent title track, or “Iceblink Luck” all establish this driving, deeply ethereal atmosphere. The album’s greatest heel, in fact, is how ethereal it can sometimes be. I don’t enjoy the synthier moments, such as “I Wear Your Ring,” or even the beloved closer “Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires,” nearly as much as anything else here. That being said, this album is pivotal, and one of the most important rock albums ever made. Absolutely listen to it. 9.3/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: IMPACT, INFLUENCE, SIGNIFICANCE

I’ve been looking forward to check out this group. I’m a big fan of Massive Attack’s Mezzanine where Elisabeth Fraser has the lead vocals on several of the songs. This album is hard to describe - it’s full of different elements and makes me happy I get to experience it for the first time. Dreamy, complex and simple at the same time. And I’m quite certain I need to come back to listen to it several times to properly digest it. Favourites: Heaven Or Las Vegas, Cherry-Coloured Funk, I wear Your Ring, Pitch The Baby and Wolf In The Breast

Boring. Did not like at all.

Muy chuli!

Very ethereal and sublime synthy sounds but the vocals being out of focus and unintelligible, whilst perhaps being a conscious choice, make me feels like I'm having a stroke.

ethereal

Beautiful, ambient, layered, dreamy.

Get yourself a nice pair of headphones and enjoy whatever this is.

gabba fornu

The Cocteau Twins are a band I've been meaning to check out for a while, and now I've finally gotten around to it. And honestly, this is a really pleasant album. Every track has this chill, heavenly atmosphere that captures everything dream pop should be. The melodies are lovely, the production is lush, and the whole thing is just incredibly easy on the ears. My problem, however, is that there isn't a whole lot happening beyond that. Most songs follow a similar pattern: a beautiful melody kicks in, the vocals come along, and then the song ends without much else happening. Sometimes the vocals complement the music beautifully, while other times they feel like they're simply following the melody. I kept hoping for a few more surprises or something that would really grab my attention, but those moments never quite came. And that's a shame, because I really wanted to love this album. I can absolutely appreciate its dreamy atmosphere and beautiful sound, but I just wish there was a little more to sink my teeth into. Still, it's a lovely listen, and I'm glad I finally checked out the Cocteau Twins. A 3.5 out of 5 for me, rounded up to a 4.

I know it is good and I really want to like it more, but something just is not quite there for me. There is something that I miss with the Twins. It isn't lyrics because most of the time, I am making up my own. The lack of obvious lyrics should actually help. Sonically, there is a lot to love. You hear their influence everywhere and if someone hadn't come up with the name, I imagine literally anyone asked to describe The Twins music would after some Liz Frazier style vocal improv, settled on the term, dream pop! This is one of those things about music. I love their work within This Mortal Coil. Work which you could argue is effectively The Cocteau Twins, except it isn't because of circumstance. And is it simply that Crazy. And I know it is crazy but This Mortal Coils version of 'Song to the Siren' and 'Another Day' (effectively performed by the Cocteau Twins) is better than. anything The Cocteau Twins has ever done. Like I said, crazy. I can listen to their albums and at worst they are on and best, really good but I cannot love. And if there is no love, I am a little lost. Love doesn't mean being a rapid fan or anything, it is actually probably more correct to say enjoy or pleasure. 2.5/5

Atmospheric, hazy, dreamy. This album feels like a slice of the 90s in the best possible way. Cherry coloured funk has long been one of my favourite tracks and I'm glad I have had the opportunity to enjoy the rest of the album. A pleasure to experience!

maybe controversial but nothing gripped me w this one...

I ❤️ dream pop

Meh

This was good. Not my thing but well done.

I thought I knew a very little bit about Cocteau Twins. I think I'm finding out I had heard their name and completely conflated them with Spandau Ballet. Good album. Not too much that really stands out, wouldn't listen to it a lot, not really my thing, all that ... but this is good. Nice album.

I was straining to understand the lyrics in the first couple songs and thought, this is like hearing someone talk in a dream, being on the cusp of understanding but ultimately not being able to grasp what's being said. Then I read that the Cocteau Twins make "dream pop" and that made perfect sense. I liked this a lot more than I expected to, which was a nice surprise. I liked the first half of the record a lot more than the second, though. I initially thought this was going to be a four-star album but the last few songs dragged down my rating.

I took a while to get into it but really enjoyed it on second listen

It's not bad but i'm not sure I'll revisit it in the future.

A really unique sound, with a great vocal- very reminiscent of its time, but not dated. I like it but it didn’t grow on me with repeated listens which is what I was hoping for. 2.2/5

The album was described as dreamy pop - which I definitely agree with. Much preferred the poppy-er numbers than the dreamy ones. They get an extra star for being from my hometown.

Another completely new album for me and one that I absolutely loved! Elizabeth Fraser's voice is superb and really makes the album something special. I was getting definite Cranberries vibes at points, particularly in the way her vocals float over the music, and I loved the dreamy and atmospheric. The only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars is that it does feel a little too much like background music at times. As much as I loved the overall sound, there weren't quite enough moments that really grabbed me or demanded my attention. That said, it's a gorgeous album and a really enjoyable discovery. Rating: 4.0

ilovelovecocteutwinssomuchhh

A name I've heard a million times but have never heard a lick of their music until now. Based on their scene and time period, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this, but I ended up really enjoying it. Lots of cool textural instrument work that sounded great in earbuds, and while it was usually fairly chill, the soothing vocals elevated this to another level. I found myself really engaged the entire album. Dreamy and poppy and had enough psychedelia that I was intrigued by the variety and not turned off (I've been finding throughout this project that most of the psych stuff is not for me). Really enjoyable, I want to check out more.

Cherry-coloured funk - 4 Pitch the baby - 4 Iceblink luck - 4 Fifty-fifty clown - 3 Heaven or los vegas - 4 I wear your ring - 3 Fotzepolotic - 3 Wolf in the breast - 3 Road, river and rail - 3 Frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires - 3

Didn’t like this.

No clue how they made this. Such a lush and dense sounding album that must have been so wholly unique at the time

This is not the type of music I usually listen to, but it was alright. Very vibey.

Just an unbelievable album it pretty much changed my perspective on what music could be such a beautiful emotional album the guitar is amazing and Fraser's vocals r sublime it's one of the best sounding albums the whole tone of the album just takes me away

You have to be in the mood for this. Elizabeth Fraser, much like Kate Bush, or even say Tori Amos is an amazing vocalist with the ability to transmit a wide range of emotions. As Dream Pop albums go it’s enjoyable but I preferred the earlier more shoegaze elements which made Elizabeth’s voice more ethereal. There’s a bit of sameness to some of the tracks and the psychedelic and ambient elements work well, but like I said at the top you have to be in the mood. It may be my short attention span, but unless I truly focus on the album and enjoy it, I’ll lose focus and it quickly becomes just background. I get this with a lot of similar records. The highlight is Elizabeth and as I think about it, the only reason this record makes this list is because of her vocals. 3/5

Surreal, and actually pretty good

It's alright, nice enough background listen

სიზმარს გავს .

This one’s not really for me. It’s described as dream pop which I think is pretty accurate. My major gripe with the whole album is that I have no idea what they are saying or if it is English. If you told me this album was sung in simmlish, I’d believe you. Though the instrumentals are nice and dreamy, I just don’t think this is my kinda thing.

Not a terrible listen not an amazing one. Lyrics are indecipherable and the music doesn’t really say anything which makes it a little boring.

Nice record

Can't go wrong with a bit of Cocteau Twins! A childhood diet of New Age music primed me to enjoy the sound of an ethereal woman singing nonsense. My favourite songs of theirs aren't on here, but it's still a good album and it gets better on repeat listens.

I’d only heard Blue Bell Knoll before and that was a long time ago now. As that was pure glossolalia (a new word I only learned today!) this album was a surprise. Having heard a few real words such as “father” and “will burn this old madhouse down” cropping up I started listening more attentively to see what other bits I could make out. Good game! I hadn’t heard of “dream pop” as a genre before either so something else new to me today. Good music to have on in the background. Something a bit different for a change. Not really able to pick out any favourite tracks as they were all as good as each other/none were individually better than others. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it though. As a complete album it was good to hear. (My Tidal stream then started playing an album called Among My Swan by Mazzy Star. If you like Cocteau Twins then you may like this band too. Even dreamier vocals. The third discovery for me today!)

I love some of the tracks, and like most of the other so overall a good record. I may be on my own here but I wish she didnt sing in glossolalia as I find it too distracting and as I said to my husband.. like being serenaded by a tiny imp.

This was the first Cocteau Twins record I heard properly because I 'inherited' it from a friend of my dad's who left a load of CDs with us when he left the country. With absolutely zero context this album was quite incredible, a barrage of strange vocals and ethereal instrumentation that I couldn't puzzle out. Obvs when you get to know them a bit better, it turns out this is actually almost as accessible as they got, with real words and everything. It's a great record, like all shoegaze and shoegaze-adjacent stuff best heard incredibly loud so that the washes of reverb seep into your brain and reconfigure how the world works. Beautiful record, beautiful band, beautiful voice. (the track names, however, are diabolical)

Irgendwie voll den besonderen Vibe gekriegt hiervon. Im positiven Sinne. 3,5

Nothing to dislike, only missed out on being a 5 star album as some were a bit samey.

Boa músicas mas não é muito minha vibe na verdade

One the best. A classic and an album that brings me comfort all the time. Great on vinyl. 5/5

I cannot like the music, but there is this really interesting piece by Paul West, the designer, on the process of designing the sleeve and the subsequent involvement with Marc Jacobs. https://paulwestart.co.uk/blog/artwork-for-cocteau-twins-heaven-or-las-vegas-exhibition-marc-jacobs

Ambient kinda vibe.

absolute peak

An awesome mix of The XX and The Cure. The singing is beautiful but I could not tell you one word that was sung.

Rate: 10/10.

I do like a lot of the cocteau twins music with Liz Frasers vocals, but not feeling it here

Obviously very solid music, but not too much to my personal taste

Lovely album full of atmospheric jangle-pop. I liked the previous reviewed Treasure more, but this is still good stuff.

Real nice.

Cooler vibe, flaub noch noe was davon gehört, abee dope

Dream Pop at its finest!!! very athmospheric and warm vocals!!!

I've flitted in and out of Cocteau Twins songs, without properly listening to a full album. I was hoping more from this album, and overall feels a bit dated. Dream Pop /Shoegaze has developed a lot over the past 30 years, mostly for the better, so put this album down as pioneering.

❤️

Very good, calm, gave you space to think

I enjoyed listening to this while I was tippy tappying away on my laptop. Unsurprisingly, the title track was the breakthrough for me and on the whole would be happy to playlist a couple of songs from here!

Enjoyed this a lot! A girl in year 8 randomly recommended the song Heaven or Las Vegas to me last year and I was shocked that it was reaching the youth but I also thought it was very cool. Will be listening again

Calling a song cherry-coloured funk and not making the song funky should be a crime. I listened to it and didn’t hear a single thing.

Once again, not really my thing.

👍👍👍👍

I miss a lot of things from this music and found only a few good things in it.

I feel like this band was made in a lab in the late 80s to answer the important scientific question "Can we make ABBA but more atmospheric and boring?". It's like eating bamba - light, airy, and vaguely pleasant but unsubstantial ... but also kinda catchy.

One of the best albums I've ever listened to felt so ethereal listening to it my favourite songs are Cherry-coloured funk, pitch the baby, heaven or las vegas, wolf in the breast, and frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires. easy 10/10

Good fun!

Ok - quite like the vibe and voices, but not desperately memorable

literally a dream

Really beautiful. I can hear where some of my favourite bands from ten years later (Sigur Ros, for example) got inspiration. Harmonies like you wouldn't believe and a dense, lush, warm soundtrack behind. Hard to believe they're a trio. 4/5

First Listen: May 29 2024 this album makes so happy i get emotional. its so good, this absolute pinnacle of 90s pop. I love this album so much holy fawk

Great record, even if I can’t understand a thing she was saying. Dreamy and buzzy.

Definitely one of the more disappointing albums I've listened to. This album gets glazed to hell and back and it's mostly pretty boring, a couple of really nice atmospheric tracks though

Having fully immersed myself into the world of Cocteau Twins fandom, their most iconic album would no longer be my pick for their best. That said, it’s still perfect. “Heaven or Las Vegas” is the lushest and most bokeh-esque the trio has ever sounded, with every note adding another comet to the cosmic whorl. It’s a stunning combination of pop appeal and alternative ambition, miraculously turning these dense, inscrutable soundscapes into 3-minute pop tracks. For an album with no official lyrics-sheet, it sure is catchy. While the back-half does lose me a little bit (again, splitting hairs here), I cannot fathom of a world without the luster this album provides. Fav Tracks: Cherry-Coloured Funk, Iceblink Luck, Fifty-Fifty Clown, Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring, Fotzepolitic, Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires Least Fav: Road, River and Rail Score: 9.5

4.7/5

Dreamy 90s indie perfection.

me encanta esta album siento que uno no termina de comprenderlo y es lo mas intersante porque las letras no están para que te sientas identificado con lo que dice si no como parte completo de lo que la musica un instrumento mas es la voz de Elizabeth Fraser y el sonido etéreo que tiene la banda podria escuchar este álbum por horas y perderme dentro del mismo

Synth-y and boring. Never understood why some people love Cocteau Twins so much.

God this is so good

Cool album, dream pop and rock songs on 90’s

Ah, a local band on the list. How do I feel about this? I've tried to listen to it before, but probably never given it the time it merits. It's got poppy Loveless by MBV vibes which ain't no bad thing. It seems like an album you grow with and rewards repeat listens, which is probably the mark of a true classic. This may well be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.