Heaven Or Las Vegas

I like the bubbly bass. I didn't finish this all the way because I ran out of time but it wasn't bad. Slightly too floaty for me.

Fun and original album. Great outing by the Scottish stars.

This album was kind of interesting. The instrumentation and arrangements gave the rather simple songs a real spacey vibe. The vocal harmonies were kind of weird but they worked. I could listen to this again, but I probably wouldn’t ever seek it out

gut, aber würde ich jetzt nicht so anhören

Pas trop mon truc, même si cherry... était pas mal :)

Fluffy and ethereal, makes sense why they were called one of the original dream pop bands

I love the Cocteaus - Treasure and Victorialand but lost interest when they went a bit poppy (which proved to be their 'breakthrough' sound it seems in terms of popularity. It's very distinctive sound and Liz's vocal and 'wall-of-sound' guitars immersive and moody. Early Cocteaus would get a 5* but this is only a 3* I'm afraid.

Interesting rhythmic album. Wasn't amazing, wasn't the worst. Might have trouble coming back to it with more modern options in the queue.

Synthetisch klingender Dream-Pop. Naja!

Not unpleasant, but instantly forgettable

Dream pop. Ni fu ni fa.

c'est vrai, belle atmosphère c'est certain. La voix aussi, mais c'est plus un album qui passe qu'autre chose. J'ai des vibe de Enya.. ahaha mais bon je l'ai écouté un 2 partie donc j'ai un peu de la misère en men souvenir. Cependant, jen'ai rien qui ma vraiment frappé. 3.25

Awesome vocals, dull repetitive music. But they're Scottish, and Liz Fraser is a genius.

Liked the sound of this one. Wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it though.

Despite being Scottish I somehow have never heard of Cocteau Twins until now. This was a cool album, especially for the time, the strange vocal style captures you immediately. Easy listen but nothing that blew me away.

I’ve had this on my phone for over a week and finally listened to it! I didn’t super care for Treasure, which is probably why I procrastinated listening to this (that and I was on holidays). Anyway, I liked this better than Treasure. I can’t see myself choosing to listen to it again, but I didn’t mind it. Solid 3/5 material.

Pretty okay

3.3/5 Best Track: Heaven or Las Vegas

Heaven Or Las Vegas is fine. The main thing I like about this album is Elizabeth Fraser voice because man it is quite good and pretty unique too. The songs were all okay albeit a bit forgettable. The sound choices weren't annoying though so this album didn't make me want it to end really fast. Best Song: Iceblink Luck Worst Song: I Wear Your Ring

Liked it, but realistically won't listen to it again. 3/5

Only a couple moments which I thought were good

could i write poetry to this? n

I enjoyed this. The sound feels very full throughout, which is a bit challenging on a first listen. I feel like this gets better and better with repeated listens. I'm not sure how realistic it is that I'll actually ever perform those repeated listens, but I wouldn't mind it if that ever came to pass.

I haven't heard it before, but I liked it very much for being the first time.

This was an interesting and surprising album. I only liked a couple of songs, but the dreamy, pop, alternative rock style was really prominent here. Not a bad album! Was kinda lame at the later half except for the last song. Favorite Song(s): "Cherry-coloured Funk", "Pitch the Baby", "Heaven or Las Vegas", "Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires"

Precisely the kind of insular music a pair of twins would make. I rate it snake eyes plus one. 🎲🎲🎲

Another unknown for me. Pretty regular inoffensive 80s music, nice singing even if the words were unintelligible. Looked up the lyrics, they look like they’ve been put through google translate a few times but this band is Scottish so what’s with that?? Listens: 2 Fave Track: Cherry-coloured Funk. Rating: 3

Duger väl till vardags.

Seemed pretty good

Pioneer's of the Dream Pop, Shoegaze sound. Really lovely warm tones throughout. I liked the french lyrics, forced me to focus on the instrumentals. Enjoyed this album.

Didn’t really know what to think about this. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something I would seek out

good.

Weird 90’s ethereal and ambient. Which is what I think they were going for. Like the New Wave feel but with other more 90’s sounds to it. Was confused lyrically and so I looked it up and that seems to be the big confusion. Are they singing in English… kinda? Will register to this again.

Lesbian spiritual fever dream music

Still can't understand anything Liz is singing, but mostly I enjoy all the Cocteau Twins have released. I do find the all the guitars (and everything else that isn't the bass) excessively bright, but I can get past it.

cherry-coloured funk 6.9 pitch the baby 6.5 iceblink luck 5.5 fifty-fifty clown 5.3 heaven or las vegas 6.4 i wear your ring 5.8 fotzepolitic 6.7 wolf in the breast 7 road, river, and rail 6.3 frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires 8 Some very pretty songs, and some I didn't care for too much but overall it's a vibe. The last song was a banger. 3 stars.

Didn't sound bad but not really up my alley

I think I understand what people like about this record. I just don't like it very much myself. It's good enough and original enough to be on the list. Favorite song: Frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires

Sounds nice enough, but not something I'd actively listen to. Nice as background, though.

3.4

Scottash senging

Another reasonable entry in the 1001

Not a huge fan of dream pop as a genre. I can see why it's on the list; it just wasn't my thing.

Feels like Djo

I liked some of this. But I really didn't like some of it, too. Some of the insturmentation is really good and interesting. Some of the vocals are fine, but some are utterly uncomprehensible. I don't think I'll be putting this on again anytime soon.

3 Shoegaze meets dance pop meets Kate Bush meets… ABBA? This isn’t my first foray with Cocteau Twins. Anyone who knows me knows that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is my favorite movie (and book) of all-time, and there’s a great line in it where Sam describes her first time hearing the song Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops by the group, an experience that entirely changed her musical taste by inspiring in her a vision of looking up, seeing someone at a party, and realizing that everything will be okay. So, of course I had to seek out the song, and while the music surrounding the movie is a large part of my adoration… I didn’t have quite the same reaction to it. Now, Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops is not on this album, but from what I’ve read, many people have had similar experiences with Heaven or Las Vegas that Sam did that song, describing the ambience of the album as absolutely enchanting and transcending unlike anything else - but I wasn’t quite able to get there myself. I’m not even exactly sure why that is, I’m a sucker for this dream pop type of bullshit (see my War on Drugs review), but this really didn’t do it for me. It’s not bad by any means, and I definitely wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but it really failed to pull me in like it has so many others. Granted, each time I listened to this album was while I was working, so maybe I just need to fully immerse myself in it on a quiet, responsibility-free night? I’ll give it a shot one day, but in the meantime, we’re going to go with a 3. Sorry, Sam.

Kinda like swimming with dolphins when you can't actually swim. Music to die to

Yeah man lovely chorus pedals, synths and mega reverb on vocals. Its a great sound and reaches some heady heights. Altough any differnt ideas in there? I guesS they made a sound. Its a lovely sound but couldnt help but wonder what would it be like if they recorded it on a double decker bus on the morning commute to Machester. Sure a few elbows and probably a fair amount of Manc heckling. But surely a unique and evolving experience and ergo sound.

Ah yes, the Cocteau Twins. Makes you want to lie in a field with a pretty girl on a warm sunny day and watch clouds go by.

Too well produced, too sweet. Not a real Cocteau album.

Enjoyable and atmospheric, but annoying that the lyrics are unintelligible

Kinda weird, kinda unsettling, and I lost focus multiple times. Still pretty captivating in a lot of ways. Some fascinating sounds and beautiful harmonies. Best song: Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires

I get a little bored around 3-4 songs, but it's good sunset music, especially when driving I would imagine. 3/5

Felt like I was driving through a John Hughes movie.

Kind of easy on the ears. But I like to understand what I'm listening to. Guess it would be fine as background music.

Everyone knows (you might not know the name, but you’ve heard it for sure) Cherry-coloured Funk for a reason, it’s that good. As for the rest of the album, after setting the bar that high right from the start… it’s alright I guess

Decent easy listening, but not terribly memorable

Close to being a 2. Annoying but also kinda of okay as just music being on

Style over substance. Didn't hate it though, is just too much of this specific sound for me to really enjoy a whole album. I do like the title track.

nice ethereal sounds

It's a quite nice floaty-sounding album. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I think I had these guys confused with another band who were a bit more hard-hitting. I can't say this is particularly exciting. They kind of sound like a softer, less-interesting Roxette or something. 2.5 rounded up.

3.5/5 Heaven or Las Vegas was quite pleasant after the album we just had. It was very calm and soothing. I understand why it's call Dream Pop, and "ethereal." The synths feel very airy and floaty. The songs all kind of ran together for me because there were any changes in mood, feel or key, but Elizabeth Fraser has a nice feminine voice and has nice vocal control and adds nice embellishments. She kinda reminded me of a young Sinead O'Connor.

A little bit into it... Just a little...

This feels like an album Kevin would like a lot. I also like this album a lot. It's early pop music that isn't overly poppy. It got a little repetitive toward the end, but overall was enjoyable. Probably won't listen to this one again, but happy I listened once :).

Dream pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Not to my taste but there was something quite relaxing about listening to it whilst walking in the sunshine and heat through fields at work

Intéressant mais pas transcendant

Not annoying but quite anonymous

I actually quite enjoyed this one, almost a 4 for me

When you hear 'Cherry Coloured Funk' you think, wow, this albums going to be amazing. But the ten tracks that follow are all so similar it gets a bit tired. Still, the wobbly, lofi, intriguing sound is very pleasant, and different from a lot outside of it.

Sounds more like heaven than las vegas but not sure it's where I would like to be. Nice music, a bit boring though.

A harrowing outburst of baby vomit restricted my time with the Cocteaux to a listen and a half on my crappy phone speakers, enough for me to start liking them, but not enough to dispel the snide, one-line review I came up with over the first song and a half, which I’ll get to. I’d bounced off them a couple of times for a perceived thinness of sound, a samey, echoey thrum. But this has songs, hooks, climaxes, and some heartfelt melodies. I should listen to it again. My bad review follows. The correct answer to this question is “Björk”. (Sorry.)

Reminiscent of Abba in places

Good

Not something I would normally listen to but OK

Wasn't blown away, but definitely got into it

I had a Cocteau Twins album come up a while back, I preferred this one.

Allegro

Haven’t heard this album in quite a while! Cocteau Twins create a musical dreamscape with unique distortion and reverb while blending each musical phrase together. At times I wish I could hear the lyrics more clearly though and I do wish they diversified the sound a bit more.

Back to the synth, it was actually very well received. Fun album to take a ride with.

An early 90s alternative album that has the sounds of shoegaze and feels like something a little more modern. Overall I thought it was okay and enjoyed the simplicity of most of the album. The instrumentals and beats were relatively the same in tempo and didn’t overload the songs. The singer has a good voice although sometimes hard to understand. There were a few songs worth revisiting. 6.0/10

Rock alternativo. Melódico.

It was ok

Dream pop indeed. Vocally similar to Kate Bush (particularly The Dreaming album). Smooth indie, covering chorused guitars, synthpop and other smooth styles. Good unique sound, certainly worth hearing before I die, but I'm still not won over as a proper fan.

Inspiring, deep, meaningful,

Shimmering sounds, very evocative of the 90s

3/5 it was good, production is super interesting, Melodie’s and vocals are unique, a bit monotonous at times and it’s hard for me to tell between one song and the other. Don’t know if I was distracted yesterday or what but I guess it didn’t grab my attention like the other albums did. But definitely has its cool things just not the masterpiece I thought I would be.

Me gustan las vibes súper calmas y tranquilas, pero es un álbum de domingo a la tarde de fondo, no mucho mas

Stille og rolig 90'er indierock, meget drømmende, lidt for kedeligt måske

Opener is mega! Rest could use some tightness

Should listen to again. Like the sound.

Not too many thoughts on this tbh. Maybe i didn’t like as much as I originally thought I did. Not like I hated it or anything. There’s some really fun songs there for sure. Just overall 🤷‍♀️. Weak 4 strong 3ish

Enjoyed it well enough, nothing special though.

First time listening to this, very nice sounding album. All around very dream-like sounds through the whole album. Hard to make out the lyrics but still such a very nice sound coming out of the album regardless, not my favorite but not a bad album.

Decent album. The sounds were interesting, and I did like what they were doing with vocals, very ethereal like. However, the actual music itself was soft and not ear-catching to me. It was just "nice" to listen to. None of them really gave me shivers throughout, except for one "I Wear Your Ring" which I did add. It's another album that sounds nice in the background and I can see why people would like this, however, I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to listen to this again. Perhaps as background music?

Okay, some songs gave me a Twin Peaks vibe.

A jangly dream that doesn't turn into a nightmare. Doesn't turn into anything, really. 3 / 5 stars.

I enjoyed it.

Like the vibes.

Good music to mark to

80s nothingness maybe sung in a made up language

Pioneers of dream pop. The production is a bit too 80s for my taste. Slowdive did it better.

Better than the last album by them on this list.

Reminds me of beach house. Smooth and easy to listen to. I definitely would have but nothing too crazy good in my eyes.

Not bad, a bit of the times but there are some interesting elements. 3.5

Floaty, unintelligible, generally pleasant. I don't dislike this album as much as I usually hate this kind of music. Indeed I can think of times and places and situations where it would be appropriate listening. Stars not because I like it but rather because they pull it off. Too bad the genre didn't go a better direction from here.

Buen pop un tanto melódico de los 90, acompañado por una buena voz femenina y con toques sosegados. Prometía algo más al principio

Nice background music.

Not great

I thought this was a little dull Not bad but nothing stood out

Kept me interested throughout this one - enjoyed it. Titular track ‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ is a cracker

Weird one this. I'm pretty sure they sang in gibberish for most of the album which seems ridiculous. But the general sound of the album was alright, but pretty repetitive. How did they remember the lyrics at live performances? I dunno. The amount of thought some musicians put into lyrics and these rock up sing nonsense and get into the 1001 albums to listen to before you die.

3.9/5

1990, dus dan denk je, dat kennen we allemaal wel. Maar ik had dus echt nog nooit van deze band gehoord en dan ken ik nog best veel obscure 80s crap. Klinkt als een soort dromerige en zweverige Pretenders. Ach, ik kan het toch nog best uitzitten eigenlijk, zit niet slecht in elkaar verder.

Coke and glossolalia go well together.

sweet

Sonically interesting. Great guitar sounds, super dreamy, lyrics ??? YouTube comment about girl at prom spot on.

....

Another good album, and one that I hadn't heard of. Equally good for having on in the background during work and for actively listening to. I don't quite get why I like it, it's definitely an overall construction thing rather than any specific part of the music or individual track being out of this world. Her voice is nice, the stuff behind it is verging on psychedelia. And it's really consistent, solid tracks pretty much from start to finish. Top end of a 3, missing a standout element, but I will be listening to this plenty more.

2/10, 20%

This gave me late 80s Spice Girls vibes and I wasn’t mad about it

Cocteau Twins: proof lyrics don't matter when the voice is an instrument in its own right. Can't understand a bloody word. Nice though

On est désolé pour les Cocteau Twins d'assister à une telle quête d'identité. Après s'être partiellement émancipés de l'âme de Kate Bush, ceux-ci se sont fait envoûtés par celle d'Abba, avant de se faire rattraper par celle de Jean Cocteau. Quelle tristesse...

Les Cocteau Twins nous proposent une nouvelle fois leur bouille Kate Bushesque pendant 30 bonnes minutes, avant de se décider d'enfin lancer leur album sur le dernier titre. Totalement insuffisant, ce qui leur vaut un 3/5 affable.

Enjoyable listen

This was a challenging 1001 listen for me. Treasure is without a doubt the pinnacle of my 1001 albums experience so far. It is something I will hold close for all time. It may have even wiggled its way into my top ten albums. So to park another Cocteau Twins review alongside it isn't really fair. Soaked in reverb, with a few more audible lyrics that I was expecting, Heaven or Las Vegas is a nice foray into the landscape that bridges the 80s and 90s. I can hear sections that influenced bands like Belly and other charming Indy acts. Is this the birth of shoegaze? It is lovely and easy, but not my favourite child.

I really enjoyed most of this - some lovely melodies, great mood-setting songs.

This is pretty good. It's a little dreamy, but enjoyable. Ice Blink Luck was really good.

Nice to have on in background. Pretty chill. Can't really remember much of it now though.

Good but got old after a while, however it sounded great.

80s dream pop. Relaxing.

Preface - I did not listen extremely closely. Was kinda on as just background noise. This is really chill background noise though. Very nocturnal feel - great for night drives with the windows down and a slight chill. I’m sure this is a lot better than I’m rating it, I just can’t give it any higher from my personal first listening experience.

I expected better from this album because I really love the opening track! But it ends up being quite one note and the rest of the songs don’t seem to capture the catchiness and shit of cherry coloured funk

Sounds like something found in a “Garden State” soundtrack, not the era where hair metal, east coast/west coast, and grunge all met in a musical melting pot. Has vibes of ABBA and the softer songs from the Cranberries, all while having strong French overtones. It’s a chill album that could be thrown on in the background of a slow evening and not be at all distracting.

Very ethereal, good background music. Probably wouldn't listen to it more actively

Quite enjoyed this. Another bit of a nostalgia trip. Was never a big fan, but reminds me of listening to Peel waiting for the Cocteaus tracks to finish to hear what delights were in store afterwards. Some nice tunes in here (Iceblink especially), but I found the nonsense poem lyrics bit wearying by that point. And the warbling vocals, if done by Mariah Carey would have put me off right off the bat. As mentioned, some good tunes, but the 80s flange & chorus all over everything really dates this album.

Dreams have become demoted. Throughout history, humanity has sought meaning in their somnolent imagery. Traditionally, people deciphered ambiguous prophecy in reverie, and psychoanalysis held that the more furtive secrets of the individual psyche revealed themselves during dreams. Nowadays, the scientific consensus believes that dreams mean nothing whatsoever, and they are just the result of random synapse firing during sleep. Your bowel movements say more about you than your dreams. But what about dream pop? For those outside the cognoscenti, dream pop is a style of indie that evolved in the eighties, which made melody-driven guitar pop smashed up with reverb, echo, distortion and whatever all the sliders on the mixing desk could do. This also tended to strip the singing of its diction, making the lyrics incomprehensible and the vocals just part of the music's multilayed texture. The resulting emphasis on exquisite, woozy noise made the music appear more emotive than intellectual, focusing on a blissful soundscape rather than lyrical didactics. Well, that's the standard critical line. Critics have raved about the transcendental nature of dream pop (and its sibling shoegaze), how it replaces meaning with ecstasy. Me, I feel some scepticism on my tongue. Dream pop's wilful indistinction usually produced tracks ("songs" doesn't seem the right term) that sounded pretty indistinct from each other. I know that is a partly intended effect, and that it facilitates the understanding of the album as a piece, but I care naught for intentions. It may be an unintended consequence that dream pop's homogenity could induce boredom, but it is still a real consequence. But anyway, the Cocteau Twins were a Scottish indie group that were one of the major pioneers of dream pop, especially with Elizabeth Fraser's indecipherable singing. This, their most celebrated album and the signature album of their label 4AD, exhibits the strengths and weaknesses of dream pop: it has moments of sublimity, but those moments are muted by dull passages that counterintuitively sound rather like the good bits but not as good. The album peaks halfway with the title track, but then gradually yet continuously slips further and further into languor as the album progresses. In their attempt to make the definitive Cocteau Twins' sound, they forgot to add other sounds, leaving their sound sounding less special and more superficial. The whole is less than the sum of its parts. For comparison, when writing the review I also listened to Treasure, the other Cocteau Twins album on the list. Though ther best seconds on Treasure are perhaps not as beautiful as the best seconds on Heaven or Las Vegas, it does have the benefit of divergent tracks. I'll deal with Elizabeth Fraser's voice when I get to reviewing that album. That alright with you?

thought it was good - not knowing what the hell was being sung stressed me out though but I did enjoy the dream pop sound and vocals

Meh

A beautiful vibe. It's really chilled - I can imagine lying in a grassy field of daisys under an old oak tree whilst looking up at the sun and the birds floating between the powdery clouds, sipping from a lemonade. It's a bit 'repetitive' though, repeat listens gets a bit boring.

Dreamy electronic indie, quite calming

Klinkt wel geinig. Doet soms een beetje aan AbbA denken, maar is ook weer zoveel anders eigenlijk :-). In het algemeen is de zang en de muziek mij iets te wazig, maar het blijft ook een soort van boeien.

If you decide not to linger here with the Twins, there are three roads: noise, pop songs, indistinction. Meritorious music in all directions, and Heaven or Las Vegas itself flows without trying to cohere a concept. It's an important stop, but nonsense with distinction has distinct shortcomings (the closing track definitively not among them).

this album to me sounded like a mixture of ABBA and a little bit of enya. it was nice i liked it.

I remember this group as a teenager but it was so out of my sphere of listening that I'm sure I'd dismissed them out of hand - but I really like it. Parts of it sounds like ABBA meets The Sundays :) There's still an unavoidable late-80s production value to it but I suspect this album would hit much differently and not as well if it didn't have that aspect. Dreamy yet accessible, happy (as far as I can tell - I couldn't pick out anything in terms of lyrics :D....), hypnotic. Simply enjoyable. 7/10 3 stars.

Easy listening while bopping around the house.

I really liked how it started but I grew less and less impressed as it went. Not bad and the good parts are really good though. I'd just rather listen to the choice cuts.

Solid easy listening, not too ambitious. Maybe a little over compressed. Drums seemed to lack transients, but that makes it less edgy and thus more accessible. Melodies were solid and sound design seemed in line with end of 80s synths, instrumentation, and safe mixing.

Seems OK, not really my main jam, but I can appreciate it. Mazzy Star vibes.

dice.blink.luck in What3Words is near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire.

i choose the middle way

Ethereal pop music at its finest

This oddly feels the way listening to Happy Mondays feels—like a farewell to the 80s.

Light, airy pop tracks with an almost shoegaze quality to the vocals. Within a couple songs you'll be able to tell if you'll enjoy this album or not.

Yeah ok, seemed like generic 90s electro

I’ve heard the first track on this album a million times but never knew this is what it was from. Overall though, everything except that song kinda blurred together but I liked the essential 80s vibe despite being from 1990

As admirable as the project is, it is hard to escape two fundamental factors: one, the tracks somewhat blend together and lack a distinctness which might make the album more interesting and two the vocalists are singing underwater with marshmallows in their mouths making it impossible to work out any sense of meaning to the lyrics. I found the whole thing quite elusive, despite enjoying much of the overall mood which at times could be quite beautiful.

Nice atmosphere and instrumentals, kind of boring and repetitive aside from a few stand-out tracks though.

An interesting album that was somewhat unnerving to me. Most times, I can place exactly what emotion an album/song gives me but this album had me borderline disoriented. I don’t think I’ll go back to listen to it, nor do I think it will become one of my all-time favorites but it was a cool album to listen to.

Not bad background music, but too atmospheric and slow to catch my attention.

Couple of recognizable songs but not something I'd listen to all the way thru.

5/10/2022 - ALBUM #104 Today's Album: "Heaven or Las Vegas" by Cocteau Twins - This may be the most unique album to come out of the generator thus far. It isn't really that it's incredibly inventive or really does anything shocking, but it just has a really unique atmosphere to the sound and the production and mixing, despite being subjectively poor, add to the experience and tone of the project. Each song has a similar sort of laid back bass and drum beat joined by a very ethereal, hazy, synth. The chord structure is usually pretty basic, but there is a really cool hazy atmosphere created by the instrumentation and the vocals sort of float above as unintelligible murmurings. I usually have a problem with vocals I can't comprehend, but they're so unintelligible here I am just really ignoring any of the lyricism and I have to say, the vocal melodies in the choruses work really well due to this sort of incomprehensible mumbling. I also think it's aided by whatever post production is being placed on the vocal track to make it so washed out and hazy. Now, there are moments where the lyrics do shine through and I like these moments a lot. For instance, Pitch The Baby has a really infectious hook singing, "I really want to love you" and I really like the chorus of Heaven Or Las Vegas, which is a highlight among the track list because of it's clear vocal delivery. I think there are a lot of tracks outside of the highlights that sort of get boring and drone on for a little too long, but I think it's entirely missing the point to judge this kind of ethereal music for it's structure and not it's overall vibe. Once I judge it for that, I really just like this album as something to put on in the background and forget about. All the performances are great and it's obvious there is a strong attention to the mixing and mastering on this project. Overall, this is a great introduction into shoe-gazy, ethereal, pop rock and it's vibe is immaculate enough to bump up the final score by a half-point. Listen to this one if you like a spacey and chilled out vibe album and want something a little different. Highlights: Cherry-coloured Funk, Pitch the Baby, Heaven Or Las Vegas, Frou-frou Foxes in Midsommer Fires Score: 7/10 Decent Ethereal Rock

Really lovely but it just lacks the excitement of Treasure

Pretty slick for 1990

Not really a fan of this dream pop genre. The songs are fine, most of them have great hooks and interesting composition, but it all sounds way too similar to me, thus making the songs very forgettable. It's one of those - quite nice when you listen to it, but barely remember anything afterwards. So in that sense it falls into "OK" category.

Je ne connaissais ce groupe que de nom. Riches arrangements, très belles couleurs. Le chant est versatile et accrocheur. Les chansons sont assez semblables et versent un peu trop souvent à mon goût du côté pop de la force. Mais très agréable. 3/5 à cause de la redondance et du fini pop qui, à mon sens, atténue l'originalité de l'orchestration.

It's beautiful and esoteric. And one of the best singers that's ever graced this earth. But this album is just not their best work.

I don't know what the lead singer is saying most of the time on this album, but I like her voice. Pitch the Baby is so quirky, and again - I've listened to it twice now - I don't know what she's saying. It's English though, and I like it. So there you go. The rest of the album continues on in this style. That makes it hard to review much higher than a 3.

Insistente pero interesante

It was ok, as noted in other reviews largely incomprehensible lyrics

It’s easy not as good as treasure probably deserved a few more lessons I’ll give it three stars for now

Great voice, melodies, harmonies. Conor thinks band is a bit boring. Very nostalgic for Bill. Shannah wasn't really paying attention but like the background noise. 3.5/5.

Background music

decent dream pop, prefer beach house though

This one took some time but it really grew on me. Once I stopped trying to understand the lyrics and just accept the vocals as 'instrumentation', the record became really beautiful and blissful. 6/10

singin on a feebo streeee, I want to love a gomba gom gombee gets me every time

I love an album with a vibe. This has that. Nothing really memorable or very interesting, but it has a definite vibe, and I'm all in for that. 3

Synth dream pop! Don’t mind if I do! Some nice stuff on here for sure!

Really enjoyed it, love the sound, but all the tracks almost blur into one for me. Different tunes didn't seem to have much identity, it takes one thing and does it well but gets a bit samey. Maybe a 4 with time but a high 3 for now.

Sounds very much like the alternative scene of the 90s pretty reminiscent of the pumpkins

Buen disco, bonita voz de la cantante. No conocía al grupo pero no creo que lo siga, demasiado dream pop para mi gusto.

Was okay, again not something I would listen to often.

So the Cocteau Twins learned a thing or two between 1984’s disastrous Treasure and this album in 1990. I was not pleased when I saw the twins pop up again. However upon listening, Heaven or Las Vegas is decent. The album unintentionally came on during my car ride this morning after listening all the way through yesterday. I didn’t turn it off. I’ll even say that I enjoyed hearing parts of it again. The Cocteau Twins might be the most improved band of the 1980s.

nogal sferisch enya achtig

I was excited to listen to this as I have not heard of Cocteau Twins, and I love alt rock/dream pop music. I wasn't let down, I really enjoy the dreamy very 80s/90s vocals and the vintage sound to it. It has given me great vibes and it's very relaxing and happy. The only problem is that the songs are all a bit too similar and one-noteish and I love hearing the lyrics and feeling all the feels. I am feeling feels for sure but not to the max because I can't tell what she's saying which I both love and dislike. So I'm a bit confused. Therefore, a 3 seems only appropriate.

I'm fairly neutral about this one. It was fine but nothing amazing.

Not best but good

Didn't think I would like this band and I'm not sure if I do, but this album was better than I expected. I'm not one to enjoy electric drums or dreamy synth pop, the songs were easy to listen to and kept me engaged, but are they memorable? Time will tell.

Very dream like. Something completely different for me. Can't understand the vocals but they seem to blend well so feels more like an instrumental album to me.

Very dreamy! It was a bit same same at times, but I still enjoyed it. I especially liked 'Iceblink Luck' and the title track - great basslines and use of synths.

Dreampop

Nice Friday morning album, ethereal and poppy.

This is probably brilliant if it’s your kind of thing but I just can’t get into the music - the kind of high toned, cascading orchestration kind of exhausts me.

3, very pleasant.

It didn't start out as something I liked, but there's a floaty weirdness to it that resonates. It's not incredible but it's not bad either.

Definite 90s vibe.... Hard to dislike but did not capture my heart

Didnt mind this one, glad i had a listen.

Typical 90s girl band

Regular

Sounds like the soundtrack to a John Hughes' movie - but one that went straight to VHS. Soft focus, Thanksgiving turkey/Christmas lights and a couple of lessons learned on the way. I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing. Best Tracks: Iceblink Luck; Heaven or Las Vegas; Fotzepolitic

A bridge album between 80s and 90s

Quite enjoyed listening to this. 3*

Quite liked it. Although more on first listen. Got a bit samey on subsequent play-throughs.

Nice album to listen to. Lots of interesting tracks. Not really my thing but didn't mind it at all. I was expecting to dislike the whole thing.

Interesting. I think the description dream pop is quite fitting for this one. The songwriting is interesting and the execution pretty good. Unfortunately, it's just not really a style of music I enjoy.

Sophisticated Pop. An extensive use of electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and polished arrangements. It sound very 80's instead of 90's. (6/10) Favourite Track: Cherry-Coloured Funk

It was totally not what I was expecting. In a good way. But a bit too dreamy for me.

I really like the sound, I just wish I could understand the words. The album reminds me of ABBA if they had made less disco songs and more dreamy songs. All the songs have a nice pop feel. The main gripes are that the songs tend to sound like each other in addition to the problem mentioned about the lyrics. Favorite track: Cherry-coloured Funk

The first song, Cherry-coloured Funk, is leagues ahead of this album. I don't really care for it other than that because the first track is way too good. The instrumentation and vocals are all pristine in the album and adds to the dreamy feel of the album. It's just unfortunate that the rest of the album is disappointing compared to the first song. Highlights: 1.

Pretty good. Nice in the background but nothing standout.

Sounds like something you'd find in a Sofia Coppola movie and that can only be a good thing.

I liked this one a lot. It was really ethereal and spacy. It didn't have any "bangers" but I did look forward to listening to it.

WTF are these women saying half the time? Now I see where Beach House came from The title track and last track are a whole vibe

Like the vibes on this album a lot. I do wish I could understand literally a single lyric though. It’s impressively Scottish.

Good background noise.

goed voor achtergrond, but not that special

3.1 tof niet speciaal maar eens een leuke listen. heb wel het gevoel dat elk nummer naar iets opbouwt maar die climax komt wel telkens niet

Really enjoyed it. It's going to get quite a few more listens for sure. Cherry colored Funk absolute classic.

First few seconds in it feels like a grower. I hope I’m right cause those albums are usually the best. Well I added it to my favorites, going to need a few more listens though. Tbh I kinda found the vocals a bit annoying, can I say that? I guess I just did.

For whatever reason, I wanted to dislike this. I think I wanted to unleash a low score on some unwitting long forgotten band. Just to feel like I have some agency with this thing. Like I have some control over myself and my opinions. Sadly, not the case. I found this inoffensive. I didn’t particularly dig it but I quite enjoyed some of the vocal lines and airy guitar riffs. We doing this again guys? Another 3? Yeah why not.

This album sounds like pop from another planet - "otherworldly". If one wants to escape reality for just a little while, all they have to do is turn on this album. Very nice!

I had heard of this band but wasn't familiar with their music until I just listened to this album. While I'm not really into synth-pop, their sound has a little more edge to it, and Elizabeth Fraser's voice is incredible. Just on a purely subjective, personal preference basis, not too into this, but can understand their appeal.

Spare, waifish, and sheer as a silk stocking. This is music to evoke an atmosphere; a blurred photograph; the hazy memory of a holiday past; a long-forgotten contact whose number is still in your phone. I suppose from that list you might ascertain that this speaks to me of the ephemeral nature of remembrance, how it drifts and reshapes itself, ultimately leaving behind a residue of the actual experience. But also, it’s probably not that deep.

I don’t know what the fuck language they’re speaking, but this is nice dream pop, if you like that sort of thing.

Fairly standard synth pop with a good voice on top. Need to work on their lyrics though. Songs don't really go anywhere or not anywhere I want to go. Singer elevates them to 3 stars.

Not bad, didn't mind cherry-coloured funk and a couple of others. But not sure I'll come rushing back for another listen.

Kind of forgettable background easy alt-rock. The sort that will probably get better on subsequent listens, but nothing special at first.

Kinda into this.

Gave me 80's vibes. I appreciated it.

Never heard of this band before. Perfectly pleasant.

Nooit eerder van deze cocktail gezusters gehoord, maar prima op smaak gebracht met Cure-achtige gitaren en licht zoete zanglijnen.

syntwave achtig. Wel fijn om naar te luisteren

Fine

OK but just OK

Impressed. Knew nothing of them prior. Nice pop-y album!

Ethereal and soothing.

was alright - can see how it's a grower and decent enough in the background. 3 saved to my music. average.

Suffers from not being Treasure, but its Cocteau Twins, so its well above listenable

Unremarkable, inoffensive and over produced. Alright background music.

It was pretty good, I liked the dream-pop sort of style it had going on for sure.

Up and down. Some beauty in there for sure.

A couple of songs I liked, but most of it was just OK background music.

Listenable. Dream pop shoegazy stuff

Another good one, on a bit of a roll. I knew what they sounded like but never heard a whole album before, it was well put together

So, knowing the Cocteau twins had 2 albums on the 1001 list, I listened to both of them in the last few weeks. This one is more “accessible”. Elizabeth Frazer is a talented, diverse vocalist, especially when she doesn’t sing words. There’s lots of multiple vocal overdubbing and harmonies going on, (the title track sounds like Abba). I’m not sure how they handled that live. Anyway, I preferred their 84 release which was more cutting edge so I won’t give this too high a score.

Throw the Cranberries and The Cure in a blender...

Un disco de nicho con una música muy característica. No es mi estilo y es una música que necesito escuchar más para poder valorar.

this album reminded me a less talented ABBA.

Soft, rätt skön

Dream pop...

I had no idea what to expect going into this. It was... fine. Nothing spectacular or mind blowing.

Pretty chill background funk

it was interesting, not my favorite album, but some songs were good.

90s meets psychedelic. Not bad

Not bad, really. Very easy listening, I like their voices, and overall, this was pretty all right.

interessante

Relaxing, but not as good as their later work. Decent album though.

3-3.5/5 silky dream pop.

Not bhed. Gave me Beach House vibes

Enjoyed it even if the lyrics were nonsense, the music was good!

Oh boy, aesthetically pleasing but couldn't understand the lyrics.

Dreamy shoegaze. It's the sound of san junipero

Ok album. Pretty cookie cutter 80s/ early 90s. Nothing groundbreaking but nothing bad

The 1990's version of me would probably have enjoyed this more.

Punky rock. Not something I'd listen to regularly, but nothing offensively bad.

Not that bad... not my style too much, but an easy listen for sure.

Decent, lite emo , bra prodd förutom trummor som e väldigt 90s

not bad. not the mood i was in.

What an unbelievably difficult time it was to piece together the lyrics.

Trevligt men inget speciellt.

sounds decent but my left earbud is bust

Not my type of genre personally, same thing as the Brian Eno record, so my opinion isn't really valid here

5/10

For some reason, I had mixed up Cocteau Twins with Aphex Twin in my head this morning and put this off because I didn’t want to listen to Aphex Twin. This is not that.

Not a fan, could barely understand their singing.

No me encanta. He tenido la sensación de flotar o la de estar en un sueño muy raro, de los que te despiertas en medio de la noche, es hipnótico casi, pero aún así no me ha enganchado, puede ser que yo no termine de pillar la vibra. Alguna canción por separado todavía, pero el álbum completo infumable, pero repito, puede ser que no este en un momento en el que pueda conectar con esta fantasía rosa. pero tengo que admitir que los vocales son buenos

sigh. i've heard great things about this band but i just don't go for these washed-out records. it just sounds like a wall.

They are a better band than this record. They sound so much better in person

Don’t know

alright I guess? honestly not really feeling it. 2/5.

Yet another shoegaze/dream pop essential that I can't get into

To many effects on everything, the instruments and voice, throughout the songs for me to get in to it. There is definitely something there that I like as well but it just gets drowned out with effects that I don't really enjoy.

A resounding Meh from me. Not my jam.

French Shoegaze, not bad

Bleh

Feels very dream pop to me. This is so boring. I may just be in a bad mood today but I can't stomach this album. It doesn't seem horrible but I am unable to finish it.

Directamente simplemente no siento nada al escucharlo a parte de que posiblemente sean buenos para leer 🙏🏼🙏🏼 no me causo nada en realidad, no sentí ninguna canción memorable PERO ya lo agregué a mi lista de lecturas so

Sort of a KD lang sound, not great

80's electronic dream pop. It is very atmospheric and has a lot of texture, the bass lines are pretty cool but her voice doesn't do much for me. I feel like this is an album you need to be in a certain mood for, it's not something you are going to play in the background to get stuff done. I would just put something by The Cure on

With the amount of, "Best Albums Ever," lists this album has made it on to, I cant wait for this album to be over and I have two songs left as I type this. This couldnt be farther from what I enjoy. Thats not to say similar music hasent caught my attention but this album just drags on. I cant understand any of the lyrics and im not intrigued enough to look into them with such a repetitive sounding album. Nothing surprising or new in any song. Almost every song sounds the exact same. Second Listen: okay apon learning that the lyrics are more than often just glossolalia and I need to focus on just the sound I decided to give the album another listen. I still mostly stand by my point that the majority of song sound super similar. Massive room filling pads and everything sounding at about the same volume. Its all a bit too much and makes it less enjoyable. Still the last song was my favorite with how sonically different the intro, chorus and bridges were. Im just never really in the mood for music that makes me feel like im in a black light felt poster or the liminal space of an empty mall. Would say 1 - 1.5 stars.

Enya mit Gitarren.

Been meaning to relisten to this one, and I actually liked it less this second time around. It's fine, but Dream Pop is so completely not my thing. Nearly put me to sleep. There were a couple moments where my ears perked up, at least. Just not something I would ever choose to listen to unless I was in a very, very specific mood.

When everything is the same, nothing changes.

The music wasn't bad, if not a bit repetitive. The vocals were meant to be, ironically, clearly on this album (makes me wonder what they are like on other albums), but I couldn't understand them at all! I can accept that the vocals are just another instrument, but unfortunately (for me) it was a blend I did not enjoy. This album is a "miss" (not a hit).

I can respect that this album inspired a bunch of bands. It does nothing for me. Turns out I like Dream Pop - but hate Shoegaze. And when this tips over the line, yuck. I want to hear it without Elizabeth Fraser making syllabic sounds into a mic, but I'll never get that chance. It's a 2.

Sounds a lot like the easy going rock of the early 90s. Is worth while listening to in the background, but wouldn't want to listen to it outside of that. Reminds me of some of the slow music from The Crow soundtrack.

Not very memorable

Never really saw the appeal of Cocteau Twins and this certainly hasn’t changed my mind. Just nothing particularly interesting or exciting for me.

I know the band name. This is another album that only the Brits appreciate. It has great listener counts from top to bottom. I've honestly never heard a single one of these songs on the radio, at a party, on commercial, in a store, on a music compilation/playlist, etc. Quick observations: I don't care for her voice or the way the vocals are recorded - I felt like she was singing in a different language part of the time, was she? There is no open air or breaks in any of their songs, every gap is filled with layers of sound, it's overwhelming to the listener and not relaxing (it's called "ethereal and gossamer" online). I didn't enjoy this one bit. I found it confusing, it made me anxious, I just do not get the Cocteau Twins or what they're selling. 2 stars cuz obviously some people somewhere listen to this.

Clearly something good going on, I just couldn't figure it out