Heaven Or Las Vegas

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.

Oh my God. Who let this be such utter perfection? This was really really really good. Wow. The atmosphere. The vocals. 10/10.

Beautiful ephemeral pop that I could listen to on loop forever.

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

I can not tell what language this is

Great atmospheric album. Definitely worth the listen.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

hypnotic, psychedelic, and poetic. complex rhythms and melodies paired with beautiful tones and reflective lyrics. fav songs = all

If there was a zero I would pick that

What’s that you’re saying??? Sorry. Can’t hear your words. Is that French? I literally don’t know.

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.

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.

The dream pop group of all time, its not even my favorite album by them but good god is it good.

All the songs sound the same. Very winy (as most dream pop goes) and lyrics often abandon recognizable language

like ABBA on acid.

cat ham cat

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.

I was most familiar with Elizabeth Fraser on vocals for Massive Attack’s Teardrop and discovered Cocteau Twins (and this album) from there.

#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

terrible, absolutely terrible

i'm just a sucker for dreamy, ethereal guitars and vocals to match. this was great.

This sure as hell sent me to Heaven rather than Las Vegas.

Fairly unique, might come back to it

Dreamy indie.... what’s not to love? Nothing!

Headphones on. Sit down in a nice chair. Dream away. Absolutely brilliant and beautiful.

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.

Perfectly listenable but doesn't thrill me. Another "won't turn it off but won't turn it up" album.

Listened. Shite. Can't tell what she's saying.

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.

Droll background music.

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)

Lovely. No words. A new world.

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...

Gorgeous synth washes over ethereal vocal melodies. With singing this gorgeous, who cares if you can't undersand the words?

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.

This is the sound track to my dreams, the nice dreams though, not the dirty ones I wake up from erect.

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".

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.

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.

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 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.

Pretty good. Kinda blends together like most Cocteau Twins albums. 7/10

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.

Erm... lovely shoegaze soundscape, but genuinely unintelligible lyrics. Enunciate, woman.

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.

"The album was voted 18th of Scotland’s 100 Best Rock and Pop Albums in 2003" My heart breaks for Scotland.

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.

Unlistenable

It's good, I just never loved Radiohead

i wish i could play this record for my the cure- and my bloody valentine-loving 16 year-old self.

круто, вайбово. подойдет для вечернего прослушивания с красивым видом

Really pleasant and nice

Now THIS is the type of music I enjoy. The vibes are immaculate, the songs are all similar but not in a dull way, the vocals float over the beat beautifully. I was immediately transported to summer by the lake with a beer in my hand staring off into the horizon. Not a skip on here and I’ll actually go back and listen to this again & again. This is why I came to this site in the first place!

dreamy

One of the best albums all time

Overwhelmingly exquisite and to an outstandingly effervescent degree. The guitar effects are a constantly fizzying masterclass and the songs are a mixture of crazily beautiful and uplifting to completely chilling and haunting. I feel like I am swimming in a lost underwater kingdom filled entirely with cherry cola and a mermaid siren is singing the most gorgeous indecipherable melodies.

WOW. i had no idea what to expect and this blew my socks clean off and into smithereens. trippy, vibey, shades of a sound i recognize (years later) as very similar to beach house (who i love). super super glad this was on here and i got a chance to listen to it.

Love this one, perfect for an overcast day. Soothing tunes to ease me back into the workforce. Thanks, Twins!

Probably my favorite Cocteau Twins album. I can’t get enough of this ethereal dream pop shoegaze band.

Somehow the Cocteau Twins slipped by my attention in the 80's and 90's. I was impressed by this album. Swirling wispy gorgeous vocals and abstract lyrics over 80's dance beats. But the best part is that despite Fifty-Fifty Clown, which I could skip, the entire album was good. I found the right soundtrack for a rainy PNW weekend. And glad I could listen to it throughout the weekend!

This and Treasure are perfect.

God.

Seems to be very striking compared to their older albums. I was previously familiar with Treasure and the handful of eps that followed and not hearing the buildup from the mid 80s, this album feels very refined. I'm not sure I've ever noticed how good Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymond can not only play their instruments, but also operate together as a unit. The drum programming alone is really impressive, which sounds very fluid and tasteful. Elizabeth Fraser is in top form here, whose unique voice, probably overdubbed and double tracked, and intentually esoteric lyrics are about feeling rather than knowing. The result is a very beautiful and strange album which possesses a lot of potential to fill arenas, but they instead pull back, leaving room for mystery.

Ridiculously good omg. I think that first track is particularly addictive.

just undeniably one of the most consistent bands of all time, each album better than the last, with this their masterpiece... some of the most sublime music in the history of pop

First track is awesome Oh this is good. Fifty fifty clown is great. Chilled out. I'll be honest, the Vibe on this is so different than I was expecting. I was expecting more banshees, and this is more like 80s pop vibes (despite being from 1990). The vocals are like an instrument. The layering of the vocals is outstanding. It's beautiful. Not a bad song on the album 5 stars

Ethereal lush goodness. So beautiful. I don't even know how to describe it. Fav songs: Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring, Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires

Perfect record

This is what I would classify as a perfect album. There is not one bad song. The album is beautifully structured and is a pure pleasure to listen to. it build to a crescendo in the form of the title track and then slowly descends into the incredible closing track. I have been listening to it for 30 plus years and i never get tired of it. I own this record of course

The greatest dream pop album of all time and one of the greatest albums in general.

I love Elizabeth Fraser and the Cocteau Twins. Their music is timeless, ethereal, absolutely beautiful.

BANGER, I love the Cocteau twins

yes

A beautifully rich album. IDK wtf they're saying half the time and it somehow doesn't matter in the slightest.

This is the only album of theirs I can really listen to due to Liz Frasers weird vocals on all the earlier stuff. She's a bit more normal sounding on this one where you can almost make out what she's singing 🤣 I love dreampop and shoegaze but, brilliant as it is, I'm not sure I'd recommend this as an entry into the genre. Better starting with bands like Ride, Slowdive, Lush (specifically Spooky as it was produced by Robin Guthrie) and then revisiting this to appreciate it more.

Absolutely loved this. I didn't think it would land with me from the description but I'll definitely be checking out the rest of their discography.

Loved it.

Sounds so dreamy and amazing, the three track run ending with the title track is so good

Left me unsettled, curious and at awe.

This is such a good album, I don't even care what she sings

Terrific production that ages so well. Otherworldly vocal performances and instrumentation that is solid and lilting at the same time.

Cocteau Twins son una banda, un sonido, único y fundamental en la música. Cualquier disco suyo podría estar en el listado de mejores álbumes a escuchar, sin bien este o Treasure (1984) destacan por méritos propios en su discografía. Con estilo y estéticas propios han sido influencia capital en multitud de grupos desde sus comienzos en los 80´s. La inconfundible voz de Elizabeth Fraser, un instrumento más al servicio de las composiciones y faro en el que se han guiado una pléyade de artistas desde Enya hasta Beth Gibbons o Prince (para muestra Love... Thy Will Be Done). La guitarra de Robin Guthrie, el bajo de Simonde Rayomonde la estética inconfundible de 4AD... todo en Cocteau Twins cobra sentido. Emparentados, en cierto modo, con Kate Bush (con Hounds of love o The Sensual World el año previo) o The Cure que habían publicado un año antes Disintegration, el reverso oscuro de este luminoso Heaver or... claramente afectado por la maternidad de Fraser (el disco se publicó la fecha del cumpleaños de su hija Lucy Belle) Desde la inicial Cherry-coloured funk uno se da cuenta de que está ante algo diferente y genial. Pop ensoñador, luminoso, etéreo que se mantiene hasta la última nota del disco. Se le puede poner el nombre que uno desee pero es una experiencia obligatoria. Iceblink luck, Fifty-fifty clown, Heaven or Las vegas, Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires... el listado de temas excepcionales no tiene fin. Otros discos esenciales de 1990 también fueron: The KLF- Chill Out, NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - Ragged glory, THE BLACK CROWES - Shake your money maker, NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - The good son, GALAXIE 500 - This is our music, YO LA TENGO - Fakebook, THE HOUSE OF LOVE - Butterfly album, Violator de Depeche Mode, Goo de Sonic Youth, Behaviour de Pet Shop Boys, Fear of a Black Planet de Public Enemy, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got de Sinéad O'Connor, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic de The Sundays, Jordan: The Comeback de Prefab Sprout, The Comforts of Madness de Pale Saints, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan- Mustt Mustt, Mazzy Star- She Hangs Brightly, Blaze- 25 years later, Happy Mondays- Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, The LA´s- The LA´s, Ride- Nowhere, Dee Lite- World clique, A Tribe Called Quest- People´s instictive travels and the paths of rhythm... También: IGGY POP - Brick by brick, PIXIES - Bossanova, THE POGUES - Hell's ditch, THE WATERBOYS - Room to roam, Ritual de lo Habitual de Jane's Addiction, The Razors Edge de AC/DC, Los Enemigos- La vida mata, Fugazi- Repeater, Veneno En La Piel -Radio Futura, Hunted By The Snake- Cancer Moon...

An absolutely gorgeous album. I hadn't appreciate this band in the past, but this year I spent time going through their catalog. Their work and Fraser's vocals are airy, ethereal, and lush. Two of my favorite songs are on this album: Cherry-coloured Funk and Heaven or Las Vegas. What a lovely listen. It made my day.

Flipante!!!!

A dreamy masterpiece. Sparkling and hazy.

Ethereal bliss

I absolutely loved this album! It felt fresh and freeing and floaty in a way that I can’t really describe. The singing was gorgeous, and so melodic, even if it didn’t really say anything, and the orchestration and harmonies were absolutely beautiful. I’ll be coming back to this album again and again. I’m very glad I have been introduced to it!

Angelic. I loved it

❤️

First time hearing! Lovely themes. Totally unique approach to sound. A classi!