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.

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

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.

If there was a zero I would pick that

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

#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

Fairly unique, might come back to it

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

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

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

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

like ABBA on acid.

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 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.

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

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.

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

Droll background music.

Lovely. No words. A new world.

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)

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.

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".

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

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...

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Unlistenable

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.

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

It's good, I just never loved Radiohead

I'd never heard of this band before and really liked it. Looking into it after listening, I found I was familiar with a lot of other artists on the 4AD label which explains why I really vibed with it. Very dream pop and will 100% be going through the other albums from this band.

This is a good one imo

Great

Osjećam se glupo jer nisam nikad čula za njih i ovaj album. Ta prva pjesma mi je skoro dovoljna za peticu ali pomaže i to što je ostatak albuma jako dobar.

Good indie sound with a heavy 90s feel.

LOVE THIS ALBUM from beginning to end, the dreamy atmosphere that is maintained throughout is just my favourite thing ever. Easy 5 for me

Один из самых красивых альбомов вообще.

Ovaj album sam znao dosta slušati u zimi da me ugrije, jer su melodije bile takve, poput pokrivača. Iako je to već meme dosta godina, kurca ih razumijem, al taj glas u potpunosti nadopunjuje glazbu i to je taj pogodak. Ovaj album je must-listen dream pop album, iako ima šačicu shoegazea kako po kojoj pjesmi. Jače je od četvorke, pošto vamo ne mogu dati ono što želim kao i većinu puta, bit će ovaj puta ovako kako ga sad dadnem. Lijep pozdrav.

Heard this bad boy quite a few times Really really good!

I needed that his morning. Cocteau Twins are such talented artist. Album is really interressing, I migth listen to it one more time just to feel the atmosphere.

I liked this album a lot. It reminds me of MGMT and I’m glad to have found this.

ahh nice

Now we're talking! Har lyssnat på albumet några gånger nu, så det säger allt. Känns som en korsning mellan typ The Cranberries, Highasakite, och lite annat smått o gott.

Cherry-coloured funk is one of the most important songs in the history of dream pop and it feels like the final tunnel scene in the Perks of Being A Wallflower I really like Pitch the Baby A humongous fan of Iceblink Luck Not to mention how excellent the DRUMS AND GUITARS ARE I love the title track I am biased but my most listened-to songs have to be fotzepolitic I barely skip any of the songs on the album which is a key thing for me The essence of vertigo and not knowing where you are is what I love the most, I also really enjoy the fact that it's blurry and Elizabeth's vocals are not really easy to hear. Top 100 albums of all time for sure

Loved this. It was full of ethereal sounding dream pop.

holy shit, this is like if Abba made shoegaze only thing I hate about this album is how fucking short it is, jesus christ I had to replay this like six god damn times in a row it’s so good too good for the five star scale

Wonderful, marvelous, magnificient, sensational, outstanding! Really had a great time with this one, I must listen to them more often!

All my friends who love Cocteau Twins agree that this is their best record. It probably is, but my favorite is the one after this (Four Calendar Cafe). I'm giving this a 5 because its objectively in the top 2-3 shoegaze records of all time. I love this genre and this is one of my favorite bands of all time. There is nothing objective about this review.

Hi- Cherry-Coloured Funk, Fifty-Fifty Clown, I Wear Your Ring, Fotzepolitic, Wolf In The Breast Cocteau Twins have been at the forefront of the genre of lazy, sweeping and melodic guitars, the shrill, angelic voices, and the swirling, echoey tapestry of bright synth melodies of "Shoegaze" or "Dream Pop". Heaven or Las Vegas (both the album and the song) is the poster child of the genre, and if Cherry-Coloured Funk is your introduction to the style, it would probably leave you wanting more. I would say this album's peak is Fifty-Fifty Clown, A track that starts off and builds on a smooth and steady synthwave bass serves as the heartbeat for the entire track, and goes off the rails weaving bright synth and layers of Elizabeth Fraser's lilting soprano before returning to the heartbeat, a rush that's all too brief. The titular track neatly ties up the first act, but the show isn't over here, as the b-sides are just as delicious as the a-sides, each track is brilliant, unconstrained, but relaxed and never rushed. This album might be a showcase, but its followups (Four-Calendar Cafe & Milk & Kisses) are just as gorgeous and absolutely worthwhile, as are their contemporary acts such as Lush, Slowdive, Ivy, The Dandy Warhols, and even Venus Hum...It's a shame the wonder of Shoegaze/Dream Pop has fallen by the wayside in recent years, its charm is endlessly adorable and still holds up today.

Vilkey galet sammanträffande att de bara e album som ja ha lyssna förr som förtjänar femmor!!!!

Great stuff

Uhh ich liebe die Produktion

Amazing. Beautifully painted soundscapes all thought the album make it a true classic of the genre. Can't help but adore it.

Cant understand wtf liz fraser is singing. 5 stars

Frábær plata! Þarf að hlusta meira á þetta band.

One of the best sounding records I’ve ever listened to

Claassic

Great!

I've already heard this album a few times before. It's lovely.

I love this album, have always loved it, will always love it. Blast to listen to today!

Surpringly enjoyed

Gets better as it goes on...great last 2, 3 tracks

Loved it

Ethereal beauty

dreamyyyy

sehfjahfbeljdlhsdfjashkdf streeeet

what she saying

Truly genuine pop music with a distinctive sound.

Goodness, this album is superb, so soothing and calm/

I got introduced to this album about a year ago, and at first it was kind of hard for me to entirely grasp it. Still I fell in love with the first and last tracks so I gave it a couple of tries more and now I think it is just lovely.

🤠