Reviews (page 13 of 14)
Cocteau Twins- Heaven or Las Vegas Genre: Dream Pop Score: Strong 8 Favorite Songs: Cherry-coloured Funk, Pitch the Baby, Iceblink Luck, Fifty-fifty Clown, Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring, Fotzepolitic, Wolf in the Breast, Road, River and Rail, Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
I can't hear the words clearly enough to understand what they are singing, or even what language it is. It's very un-engaging to my senses, despite trying to listen to the album I just found that I tuned it out. I realized that I had tuned out that I didn't even remember listening to 5 of the tracks.
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
Really nice, calming listen for me.
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.
4/10
Couldn’t understand any of the words but overall feel was dreamy. Favourite song was wolf on my breast or the last one, frou frou
Dreamy electronic indie, quite calming
Slow new wave, songs sounded very similar.
only sound and nonsense <333
Oh nostalgia hard. This is the good shit.
i really did not like that genre
Great album- definitely one to listen to again! Best thing to come out of Grangemouth!
Absolutely love that this band said fuck it to intelligible lyrics and let them instead flow with the rhythmical and melodic needs of the song. As someone who pays mainly to melodies, I strongly believe that vocals tend to bring down a song rather than elevate them. It's when the voice is used as a complementary instrument (rather than a central feature) that songs reach their true potential. Coupled with the lush, encompassing synths and production on this LP, the end result is an immersive listening experience unlike anything else out there.
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.
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
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
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).
Ballbag. Totally boring and can't understand what they are singing half the time!
Man....I like the IDEA of shoegaze....but I just can't get myself to enjoy it
Very relaxed and dreamy with some nice hooks. Reminds me of beach house
First listen, first learn, first impression. The opening track "Cherry-coloured Funk" is strangely hypnotic, with a tinge of haunting. That the album is from 1990 was a bit of a surprise in that the sound was quite removed from the 80s, something that didn't seem to become too obvious till the mid-90s. Real instruments, real-sounding drums, with keyboard/synth as accompanying elements, the album sounds great. Granted, this is a streaming quality recording as opposed to lossless, but hearing the layers as they are, if so good here one can imagine that an actual uncompressed recording might sound pretty incredible. The entirety of the album seems to follow this pace, the energy is not high, but it does not fall into boredom either. Each track seems to carry an emotional weight, and that is actually okay here. The vocals do bring to mind that of ABBA, but somehow this lacks ABBA's annoyingly bright disposition, which is also okay. Perhaps if the first track was not so good, the tone of the album could change but this album had a strong opener and the album as a complete experience is much more positive than usual with how it played well and managed to remain connected to itself, and the listener. A hidden gem, not quite a diamond, but one worth keeping around nonetheless.
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.
Really solid, great intro to shoegaze.
Perfect for a walk around a sunny Seattle day.
90's Cocteau Twins? No thank you! I don't even like 80's Cocteau Twins when they were arguably worth listening to. It's just dreary and bland. Pointless really.
LOVE THIS ALBUM from beginning to end, the dreamy atmosphere that is maintained throughout is just my favourite thing ever. Easy 5 for me
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.
It’s good to be reminded now and again that shimmering beautiful things are good for your mental health - case in point.
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.
I think I liked it? Like I liked how the music sounded in my ears, but I don’t know if I would ever listen again.
not going to lie, didn't give this one much of a chance. With that said, I don't give much of a chance to any album that sounds like it was made on the 1988 casio yardsale keyboard of my youth. Maybe when some other artist covers one, or all of the songs in a different context, I can come to appreciate the songwriting, but until then, it's a no for me dawg.
Seems OK, not really my main jam, but I can appreciate it. Mazzy Star vibes.
Title track is the best one, I think? This was a hard one to rank. I wasn't really hooked or struck by anything, but I didn't *mind* it, per se. I dunno. Wouldn't seek it out, but not offensive.
dice.blink.luck in What3Words is near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire.
i choose the middle way
I can’t say that any song is remarkable in terms of songwriting, like melodies, lyrics, or composition, but they have an incredible and hypnotic sound that is so engaging from beginning to end. The vocals are mystic and the synth and guitar effects make you feel like you’re drifting in space. Beautiful.
Actually really liked this combination, dreamy, somewhat futuristic sounds paired with the perfect voice for it. Perfect for a summer day
Nothing special
I didn't really care for this album. I tried to listen to it but found myself zoning out and doing other things instead of listening. The album couldn't keep my attention at all. I went back a little bit later to listen to it but the same thing happened.
Ethereal pop music at its finest
All the song sound so similar and I did not enjoy the style 2/5
Really good album. Great flow. Vocals and instrumentals well balanced. Added to my favorites
This oddly feels the way listening to Happy Mondays feels—like a farewell to the 80s.
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.
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.
Decent but not good. Very funky and poppy but nothing memorable
Not my thing, could not connect with the vocals
Better than I expected. Very much enjoyed
This is a good one imo
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.
Один из самых красивых альбомов вообще.
07/07/2022 - 18/10/2022
Very interesting! 4 stars.
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
Great
Best Song: Iceblink Luck. Nice groove. Nice rhythm. Worst Song: Wolf in the Breast. At a certain point, this sleepy temp starts to lose its lustre. Overall: Relaxed music that is at times too wispy and ethereal for my tastes. I can understand how some might like this style of music, but I don't.
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.
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.
Ne znam jel to zato što me fifa u mozak izjebala tokom slušanja ovog albuma il šta, al dobar, not a 5 tho, not even close.
Not distinct. It’s nice but I don’t understand the inclusion
Dope
Nice album, easy to listen. I can't hear the vocals though. It's vaguely pop-y, but in a nice way.
I really enjoyed this record. Has some really great feel to some of it's tracks.
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.
The dreamiest of the dream pop albums. The washy guitars hovers over the dreamlike production while Elizabeth Fraser's voice carries the whole thing. I suspect that some compositions would reveal to be weaker than it seems if they weren't drenched in such a soothing atmosphere. But for each song that may be a little less memorable, there is one absolute classic like Cherry-Coloured Funk, Frou-Frou or the title track.
Wonderful, marvelous, magnificient, sensational, outstanding! Really had a great time with this one, I must listen to them more often!
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.
A strong 4 for Heaven Or Las Vegas. I loved the very coherent atmosphere that reigns all along the album, there are lots of little gems throughout. It would only lack a little more catchy side overall for it to be perfect. I really need to discover more from Cocteau Twins. Glad it was on this list.
Nice atmosphere and instrumentals, kind of boring and repetitive aside from a few stand-out tracks though.
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.
I listened to this in an airport and it was decent background music while waiting to board the plane. It actually ended right as they announced that the boarding process would start - so that’s cool. Otherwise, I didn’t care.
2.5 / 5 Some good vibes. Need to hear more of it.
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.
Genre: Dream Pop 4/5 Another unexpected surprise, Heaven or Las Vegas is one of my favorite new albums I've listened to so far in this exercise. Listening with totally fresh ears, I instantly could hear what makes this album as revered as it is. A total Dream Pop classic, and a genuinely interesting and enjoyable pop music experience, Heaven or Las Vegas is a project gleaming with filtered guitars and layered vocals. Its wall-of-sound style production is almost overwhelming at times, providing some of the most captivating listens for me up to this point. Starting with the ethereal intro, Cherry-Coloured Funk, a song that perfectly outlines their sound and energy, and is easily one of the best songs on the album, the album continues nicely along (Pitch the Baby is another pop gem), when we're finally met with the title track, my personal favorite from the album, featuring a big beautiful chorus from Elizabeth Fraser and some really tremendous, lush, in-your-face production. I Wear Your Ring is one of my favorite vocal experiments on the album, and is another example of a song on here where the group really sounds like they're having a fucking blast, casually writing some of the decade's most influential music. A beautiful album from top to bottom, and a real joy to listen to.
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.
Never engaged me. I couldn’t make out the lyrics of any of the songs, and the ethereal tone of the music didn’t move me.
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.
Love this so much, every track, from start to finish, just wish it was longer.
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
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”.
Kind of cool in places and I think it's probably someone's gold dust - but it really isn't mine
Good vibes, tho a few songs did give me cheesy xmas song kinda vibes. Cherry-coloured Funk is amazing
Vibes
Really lovely but it just lacks the excitement of Treasure
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.
This was great, better than I imagined
Vilkey galet sammanträffande att de bara e album som ja ha lyssna förr som förtjänar femmor!!!!
Ethereal beauty
Claassic
Cherry Coloured Funk es una de mis canciones de isla desierta y sólo vine a descubrirla el año pasado gracias al algoritmo. Qué gran pedazo de melodía.
An album I really like, not my favorite Cocteau Twins though (that's Treasure).
Swirly spacey goodness
Amazing. Beautifully painted soundscapes all thought the album make it a true classic of the genre. Can't help but adore it.
Unmistakable, multilayered, vocals
Pretty slick for 1990
Frou Frou was really the only song I liked but there was nothing offensive so it gets a two
Great stuff
Quite a quick listen, one which passed without much notice. Not that I didn't like it, but just not my type of music. Some good songs but an overall repetative sound which I wasnt too keen on. Can see how others really like this kind of music.
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.
Great!
Twee twiddlee twaddlee - too lightweight for me
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.
Frábær plata! Þarf að hlusta meira á þetta band.
Enjoyed every song.
I was most familiar with Elizabeth Fraser on vocals for Massive Attack’s Teardrop and discovered Cocteau Twins (and this album) from there.
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.
Highly atmospheric. Reminds me of a combination of MBV and The Cranberries, in a very good way.
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.
p634. 1990. 2 stars Instantly recognisable, lovely sound and production but... it's all a bit samey. Becomes background noise very quickly and there are no real standout tunes. Perfectly unremarkable 90's cocktail bar music. Not on the replay list.
I think this is what they call "dream pop" - vaguely shoegazey, a bit trite, all sounds the same. Even at 37 minutes I got bored. 2/5.
I love this album, have always loved it, will always love it. Blast to listen to today!
dreamyyyy
Clearly a defining album of dream pop and shoegaze. I get a little tired of it for a while album, but the individual songs are pristine. It's really good, but it's also rare I want to listen to this kind of music.
The only "Dreampop" album that matters truly.
Insistente pero interesante
Listened 4 times throughout the day. Not exactly odious, but a bit flat for me. FT: Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires Cherry-coloured Funk
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.
Just sublime. Such a great album. Music excellent and Liz Fraser's voice and part-nonsense lyrics just so evocative of the best of the 80s.
It was ok, as noted in other reviews largely incomprehensible lyrics
i found this album in 2018 and battered it. sounds ridiculously fresh for how old it is.
Everybody Loves Raymond would have been a much better television programme had this been the soundtrack for it. I feel like Robert would have become an ever-growing presence in the series and eventually take over the reigns. Everybody fuckin' loves Robert. Raymond would have felt like a complete, useless cunt and blown his brains out. Robert wouldn't care.
Lovely. Lots of cooing and squawking like a mother bird trying to tell its baby that now isn't the right time to be flying a kite, because it's not windy enough, but the baby bird doesn't believe its mother, then gets frustrated when she's right.
This is the sound track to my dreams, the nice dreams though, not the dirty ones I wake up from erect.
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.
Eh
Background music
Good album
🤠
Ethereal beauty for the ears.
decent dream pop, prefer beach house though
Just OK. Probably wouldn't listen again
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
flames flames flames
another album i didnt listen to fully because i didn't like the most popular songs out of it and it turns out those songs were the worst songs on the whole album and the album is fucking incredible. pitch baby, fifty fifty clown, i wear your ring, fotzepolitic soty
Synth dream pop! Don’t mind if I do! Some nice stuff on here for sure!
Goodness, this album is superb, so soothing and calm/
Listened before?N Unintelligible and nonsensical lyrics do nothing for me.
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.
Truly genuine pop music with a distinctive sound.
Sounds very much like the alternative scene of the 90s pretty reminiscent of the pumpkins
Hearing a lot of Lush and Siouxsie, but it's not my jam.
Less abstract than earlier work but the strong cohesion between voice and drums is still there.
Buen disco, bonita voz de la cantante. No conocía al grupo pero no creo que lo siga, demasiado dream pop para mi gusto.
Listened. Shite. Can't tell what she's saying.
Dreamy pop good
Was okay, again not something I would listen to often.
Very good
Again... back to Jeremy Klein's Raver's part (or maybe that was Feasters...?) The song Iceblink Luck is impeccable and I'm shocked to report the balance is equally as good. The two duds came at the end Road River and Frou Frou both sucked. Regardless, this is a HUGE step up from the original record we listened to (Treasure) which came in at an abysmal one star. https://youtu.be/AsamVuzsN0A?si=qsTP2i_tLRbbC5Kh
Las Vegas is a city in Nevada, USA, at 36.1699° N, 115.1398° W. It has an average July high temperature of 104°F. The city also is known as a destination for those seeking legalized gambling, prostitution, and marijuana, and has been nicknamed "Sin City." So apparently these Scottish lasses got understandably confused. Heaven, being a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as gods, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside, is often paired with its antithesis, hell. As in "heaven or hell." I'm not sure if the Cocteau Twins had been to Las Vegas when they wrote this album. The city, and I guess much of Nevada, can appear a bit hellish, but I don't believe the "Entertainment Capital of the World" the actual underworld. But anyway, the Cocteau Twins' "Treasure" was the 17th album we received. Now 153 albums later, I get to wonder why they have two albums on the list. Though actually, I don't totally hate this one. Except I do hate the way it sounds. Which is weird. I think a lot of the song structures have potential. But I don't like their singing, and don't like some of the instrumentation within the arrangements (this probably makes no actual music sense). I think what would be really interesting is to have another band cover these songs. A better band.
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.
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.
relaxed and chilled out whilst also not being boring, which i really like. i think that’s one of the most redeeming qualities about this album
I can't understand the lyrics and I don't care
This sounds like background music at a store. With the rest of the albums on the list, I can at least see that the artist is trying to do a thing.
Love it
amazing
nogal sferisch enya achtig
Kena pops
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.
Its a 5 star from me! Loved this album for a while now. Its fun and different from anything else I know really.
I'm fairly neutral about this one. It was fine but nothing amazing.
This music just always makes me feel so dreamy. Her voice is perfect for dream pop . One of the best albums of this genre
It's a good album, but more mood music than a series of terrific songs. Will need to listen again but I found it fading into the background for me. Great mood piece.
This band isn't my styl.
I enjoyed this vibe
Not best but good
Stone cold classic album. You can hear the influence in so many other albums. I'm a huge sucker for dream pop and this is just one of the titans of the genre.
This is probably someone's favourite album. But not mine. Not exactly unpleasant, but a bit too wishy-washy for me.
They literally all sound the same to me.
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.
like ABBA on acid.
Not my thing. All of the songs sounded the same to me. I would listen to it if someone else put it on but I was relieved when it ended.
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.
Groovy
Absolutely gorgeous album.
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.
hypnotic, psychedelic, and poetic. complex rhythms and melodies paired with beautiful tones and reflective lyrics. fav songs = all
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
dreampop vaporware. hopeful wistful coming of age aesthetics
Proto-Beach House, so I should love it, but the vocals are very hard to discern most of the time.
Dreampop
Dreamy shoegaze accompanied with a beautiful voice.
A classic dreampop album, for good reason.
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.
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.
Eh? A bunch of the same non-descript soft alt rock. Nothing really memorable or engaging at all. Not really "bad" to sit through (it was short) but also nothing redeeming either
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
High 3 from me. Very interesting album that I liked quite a bit. Very reminiscent of Joy Division and chill wave which I like quite a bit. F it- gonna give it a 4
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
Why is this a must listen? It's not awful, but I can think of many synth-pop albums that could be on a list of must listen, this would not be one.
8/10. i liked this a lot, it was similar to Treasure but felt a lot lighter/more positive, just pleasant to listen to but deep and emotional as well.
So pretty! Got a little samey but I didn't mind that much. High 8
8/10. Really chill and ethereal.
So dreamy. 9/10
отцы, че сказать. Не такой великий альбом как Treasure, на мой взгляд, но всё ещё где-то очень близко к идеальному релизу без плохих песен. Это что касается, так сказать, общего впечатления. Но есть нюанс - альбом всё-таки по большей части выполняет роль фона, какие-то резко цепляющие мотивы ловятся раз в 3 песни примерно. По этой причине не могу для себя 10/10 влепить - да, всё очень нежно, зефирно и красиво, но хочется ещё и хуков на века, тем более, что группа может. Но на 9/10 сойдусь изи, хороший вкат в околошугейз для тех, кому Loveless тяжеловат. Лучшие песни: Cherry-Coloured Funk, Iceblink Luck, I Wear Your Ring (ваще кайф), Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires (ваще-ваще кайф) Худшие: я честно не обнаружил
Ok, sounded a bit like other music I've listened to from the 90's but can't place exactly who.
actually liked it
Very ethereal and dreamy. Love it!
dreamy and oddly unique
really nice. wish it was longer 4.5
A bridge album between 80s and 90s
very 90s.solid listen
Gets better as it goes on...great last 2, 3 tracks
Quite enjoyed listening to this. 3*
Quite liked it. Although more on first listen. Got a bit samey on subsequent play-throughs.
Pop envolvente com o vocal feminino
Nothing remarkable about it. I listened on Friday and now (Monday), thinking about what to write about the album, the only word is forgettable. Not totally bad, just forgettable!
Sometimes you have to accept that something is just not for you. People who like Cocteau Twins really like them, almost religiously. I am not one of those people. I don't get it, any of it. Nothing stands out as particularly good or bad. It's just there, like traffic noise in the background.
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
surpreso de descobrir que nenhum dos membros se chama COCTEAU. a vocalista manda bem. Iceblink Luck - aos 2:37 mas várias bem chatas também, nossa meh
Good vibes but needed more 2.4
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.
No thank you
Nice
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.
Ethereal, mellow
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.
I have listened to this already! Its one of my faves ever ^^
Never heard anything from the band before this album. Really liked the songs!
female singer psychedelic-y slowish can't tell the songs much apart
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.
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.
Quatro. O que não massa engorda. Celebro a derrota na Liga Capitalista como se o tarolo fosse tareia. Está tudo bem. Nem se pensa outra coisa.
Luftigt och bra! Ett sound som under vissa partier känns vågigt och påminner mig lite om the Cure. Sången är mycket bra, det blev tydligt för mig redan innan första låten var slut. Som jag skrev tidigare, så känns soundet luftigt men det är inget som stoppar det från att samtidigt ha en viss tyngd. Jag tycker basen och trummorna styr låtarna på ett väldigt tydligt sätt. Bäst:"Cherry-coloured funk"
Scottish 90s dream pop? I had a headache today and this music healed it.
Heard this bad boy quite a few times Really really good!
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.
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
Ga ik meer beluisteren
Treasure was heaps better
Really enjoyed it. It's going to get quite a few more listens for sure. Cherry colored Funk absolute classic.
This one just didn't stick. Dream pop is not a genre I spend a lot of time with, but I really liked the synth and bass sound of this record. While it definitely sounds dated, you can tell the music is a precursor to a lot of the sounds we hear from indie pop today. Unfortunately, that's where the fun stops for me because I just couldn't understand a damn word the singer was trying to get through. I get that this was probably intentional and that the sounds of her voice were probably more important, and it sounds like she is a really great vocalist, but it added absolutely nothing to the experience for me. The only word that I could use to summarize is "puzzled".
I liked this album a lot. It reminds me of MGMT and I’m glad to have found this.
Boring. Repetitive. I don't see the appeal.
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.
ahh nice
I really like "I wear your ring" isn´t my type of music but I really enjoy listening to it
sehfjahfbeljdlhsdfjashkdf streeeet
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.
Cant understand wtf liz fraser is singing. 5 stars
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.
Uhh ich liebe die Produktion
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.
Great atmospheric album. Definitely worth the listen.
Lovely. No words. A new world.
Not bad. Don't love, but was able to listen thru.
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.
🌺🔥
More textured bright hooks
Great album. Love the guitar lines and vocals here. Listening to this makes me think that Giants In The Trees are influenced by them.
Weird. It makes me nostalgic of a time I was not even alive yet. Thought it was cringe at first, but came to like it
Heaven
unexpected bangers
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.
Not bad, didn't mind cherry-coloured funk and a couple of others. But not sure I'll come rushing back for another listen.
Meh. Didn't hate them. Probably wouldn't listen again.
The best thing about the Cocteau Twins is that their brand of dream pop laid the groundwork for better bands like Lush and My Bloody Valentine, (whether Kevin Shields admits it or not). Actually, Heaven Or Las Vegas isn't awful, exactly. The band manages some interesting textures, the singing ain't bad, the melodies could be worse, etc., but there's zero grit to balance out all of the cotton candy, and too much cotton candy will make you sick. The drum machines don't help either.
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.
Yes! really enjoyed listening to this, so nice I played it twice. Really an interesting discovery.
Deze groep was mij onbekend. Positief verrast. Moest je mij zeggen dat dit een of andere gloednieuwe band was, ik zou het ook geloven.
This was a nice discovery, really liked it
Mellow
Gave me 80's vibes. I appreciated it.
I had a hard time getting into this album but, strangely, I wanted to like it. I like her voice. The frustrating part was that I couldn't understand the words she was singing. I still wanted to like this album so I looked up the lyrics. Unfortunately, finding the lyrics did not help my understanding of the lyrics one inch. The music sounds like it's being played on a cloud and reading the lyrics made me feel like my brain was a cloud.
excellent
Not my thing, didn’t make it past the first track. Sorry to say.
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.
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.
Tja, het klinkt wel ok met die zangeres die zo geweldig op Mezzanine van Massive Attack zingt. Maar dit voelt te afstandelijk ofzo. En whats up met al die chorus en phasers op de gitaar. Erg storend.