Heaven Or Las Vegas

abri um sorriso quando vi que era o álbum de hoje, amo demais. pra mim, o ápice do dreampop. me transporta para um lugar etéreo do qual minha alma encarnada nunca queria ter saído.

me senti ouvindo deborah blando

- Beautiful production overlaid by Fraser's haunting, ethereal vocals. Hard not to get lost in this and just drift away (which seems to be the point). - "Cherry-coloured Funk" is the best track, so you do spend a lot of the album seeking that high again. But "Iceblink Luck" and "Frou-frou foxes..." give a bit of a boost. (More amused than I should be that the lyrics are simply cryptic and indecipherable at times. For those of us who connect with lyrics last, it feels like most music in my head.) - Constantly waffling between a 3 and a 4 on this. I guess I will round up because of my bias toward modern bands that were clearly influenced by this vibe. (Looking at you, CHVRCHES.)

meh

Not really my type, no stand out songs

Finger the bum son

Nothing about this is bad, but nothing is exciting either. Sure, it's hypnotic and mysterious, but I'm not sure I'd ever put the album on again.

Das ist nix für mich, langweilig, uninspiriert...

Enjoyed it, great background music. Couldn’t pick out any stand out songs, it’s just an all rounder

meh total. Bueno al oído, me gustó poquito. 6/10

Heaven or Las Vegas is a strange album for me, it has jumped from 70 to 91 and now back down to 86 where I think it will comfortably sit for a while. The first 5 tracks on this album are godly, all prime examples of peak Dream Pop. But then there is tracks 6-9, a variety of water down versions of the previous tracks that try and catch the same amounts of energy but fall flat for me, especially "Road, River, and Rail" that track is so meh. The album picks a pretty decent closer in Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires to wrap everything up but those stinker tracks still come back and get me a lot but the sheer quality of the first 5 is what saves this project for me.

uvek favorit

Simlish but a vibe

Probably a little bit over my head musically, although I did listen twice so there's something here. Perhaps with more time and effort I might grow to think of this as a masterpiece or something. On those two listens though, it all became a bit samey and seemed to go on for a bit too long. It's fine though, and this is a band that I've been meaning to listen to something by for ages

Toujours un plaisir de redécouvrir cet album, toujours très agréable à l'oreille, plein de sons chauds et de mélancolie à la fois.

Je suis dans une forêt de pins. Le soleil se couche. Devant moi, une petite scène de concert, où joue un groupe local. Autour de moi, une dizaine de gens. La nostalgie embaume l'air et nous berce.

C’est le paradis ou las Vegas ? Super

Unfamiliar with this band and album. Right away get that sound. Early 90s alt rock with an ambient vibe. Definitely hear that dream pop sound. Guess this is the defining sound of that genre? I’m more familiar with it from Beach House, a much newer band. But this feels very influential to their sound. Cherry Colored Funk is a great opening track. Pretty good overall. I’m enjoying it. Certainly a distinct sound. Sometimes you feel it more 80s influenced which makes sense when it was made. The title track is a really good song even if I have no idea what she’s saying. Enjoy the sound and the vibes of this album but nothing is overly wowing me. It’s good though. Definitely a 3. Not sure if it’s getting to a 4. But there’s something I really like about a lot of it. Think I’ll stick with a 3, because it felt like a lot of the earlier half of the album connects better than the second half. Although the closing track is a really good one. Feels like an album that would grow on multiple listens.

Pitch the Baby Iceblink Luck Heaven or Las Vegas Fotzepolitic

Cherry-colored Funk Heaven or Las Vegas Frou-frou Foxes in Misummer Fires

I read some other reviews that were either in love or hated this album. I am very middle of the road. Some of it was cool. Some of it was just ok.

Cocteau Twins are pretty popular with a bunch of people I know but I'm not overly familiar. Digging into this album though, I see the influence it's had on a lot of more modern music. I really liked it. I got another one of their albums coming up in 4 more picks and I'm looking forward to that.

schon wieder diese zwillinge. atmosphärischer sound mit dünner stimme, eher gleichförmig.

Not entirely sure. I will have to listen again.

Me ha encantado. Atmosférico, potente... Discazo.

Literally the best album ever. Melodically dense but never feels overwhelming - almost always breezy. Very emotionally charged. A masterpiece & one of my favourite albums of all time.

I'm surprised that I have enjoyed this album. It's really an atmospheric pop record that somehow still feels very fresh, even if it's almost 27 years old. Really enjoyable listen.

While I had not heard of the Cocteau Twins, I was intrigued after reading their Wiki write up. I have to say listening to this album it was definitely difficult to understand the lyrics for the most part. But at the same time the flow of the songs were enjoyable. For me the album was something that I can see people really loving or hating, I was in the middle and gave it 3 stars.

An incredible collection of sounds. Almost an instrumental album in the way the lyrics are purposely obscured. But oh what she does with her voice feels incredible. Goosebumps and shivers.

Ethereal, strange and rather lovely. Need to revisit this again, I think. In some ways did this provide a bit of a moodboard for Sigur Ros?

Good vocals; but nothing that stands out

Just great vibes. Who cares what the words are when the music is good enough to create its own little world you can exist in. A handful of great songs on this album, generally flows well and complete.

Pretty goated album. Shout out Dom

First Listen; 3; Part shoegaze, part post-punk/new wave, a little bit of a folk music feel? Walks a line between sounding dated, but overall the reverb and lush production makes it an immersive and enjoyable listen. Favorite Track: Cherry-coloured Funk

Quite enjoyable if a little samey.

Their own unique, glorious music, is this is probably their best overall collection of songs as an album. Everything hangs together beautifully, it flows as a distinct, coherent album. Ten tracks in 37 minutes, nothing overstays it's welcome on these dream pop soundscapes. What is Liz Fraser singing about? Who knows and who cares if it's incomprehensible when it sounds this beautiful and great. Peak 4AD. 10/10

What a beautiful voice! Has not heard of dream pop as a genre before, but totally get how that perfectly describes this sound. I had the last track in my library already but didn’t connect the two, even when I saw this was the album for the day. Heard the last song as background music for a concert. Can’t remember if it was the U2 Joshua Tree anniversary tour or at Ohanafest.

7/10. An album not like anything I've ever listened to before, it explores the dream pop and ethereal sound spaces very well, bringing together ambient music and seemingly far-away vocals difficult to make out, but easy to understand the emotion in the voice. It stands as the pinnacle of dream pop, combining what they and other had done before with their own spin to make it truly unique, and you definitely won't find anything today that sounds like it and wasn't inspired by it in a way. It did away with the gothic tones of earlier works of the genre, but truly made it into a dreamscape that takes you with it.

majestical album

Quite like this added some to the old playlist

good i already had a few songs

Hard time determining if this album was too old for 1990 or actually was still ahead of the curve because, this lush and dramatic collection of pop tunes is really fucking lovely. And dude, I hate 80's pop cheese. Its almost vaporwave and chill hop with huge gated snares and really dynamic and excellent vocal arrangements. It excels in everything. I recall Cocteau twins was one of my earliest albums in this journey and even back then I dug their brand of 80s pop. This album improves the vocal balance in conjunction with the rest of the tunes. I'm debating on 5 stars. Lets see in the morning.

Un álbum impresionante, que cada vez que lo vuelvo a escuchar es como si fuera la primera, descubro nuevos detalles y me dejo llevar por el aura de ensueño y mística que generan las atmósferas del álbum, esta vez traté (recalco el traté) de entender y analizar las letras y no entendí casi nada, creo que la magia está en eso, que la angelical voz de Elizabeth Fraser te transmita tanto sin entender qué dice con su maraña de palabras aleatorias.

I think a listeners mileage will vary depending on how you can buy in to the vibes. The songs are slow and sort of blend in with each other. I happen to love the vibe so it’s gonna be a 5 from me.

What I imagine a nightclub on an alien planet would sound like. In the 80s. While tripping on alien dust. Her vocals are beautiful. Butterfly voice fluttering around.

Good vibes only.

Chill album. Nothing too exciting but it was a pleasant listening experience.

This album sounds like it was way ahead of its time. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were a 2017 indie pop album. It has a nice groove to it, although it gets a bit monotonous at times. 6/10

All sounds the same. Beautiful voices. But just not my thing.

Dreamy vibes, but as repetitive as a stuck record. Also, what language is this, and what are they singing about?

I legitimately thought the lyrics were all in Gaelic. Allegedly not. I was actually in Scotland a few months before I heard this. One of our drivers was born and raised in Galway and then lived in Scotland for 25 years. It took a while, but eventually I could understand him well enough to have a conversation. I can't decipher these lyrics. Anyway. This album was boring and kinda crappy.

I really liked their vibe!!

либо слушать целиком, либо не слушать вовсе целостная работа, двигатель стиля нет слов, одни эмоции есть хиты, жаль текста в спотике нет буду переслушивать 4.6

Nothing quite like the atmosphere of this album. So good that I ended up listening to Cocteau Twins all day!

Cocteau Twins is a band with one of the most misleading names, as it's a trio with no connection to France, and it doesn't even feature twins. This album is considered their best and also their easiest to understand: previously, the band played gothic post-punk, like The Sisters of Mercy, but here they switched to proto-shoegaze — dense yet vibrant music, perfect for lying on the grass and gazing at the sunset. The lyrics are incredibly difficult to decipher, and even then, it's almost impossible to understand their meaning, while Elizabeth Fraser's vocals sound like a cross between ABBA and The Cranberries, if their members were into psychedelia. If you like My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, this is the foundation. Otherwise, it's nothing special, just a warm, dreamy, and somewhat optimistic album that's pleasant to listen to. It deserves a solid three stars.

The songs on this album all sounded very similar to me. Still, it was a pleasant listen.

Very cool atmospheric album. Definitely seems to fit in with the showcase genre

A friend and I used to trade mix tapes in the 90s, and she put several Cocteau Twins songs on them for me. The ones from this album that she introduced me to were Iceblink Luck and Fotzepolitik. They were, and still are, some of my favorite songs I’ve ever come across. I don’t understand them but it’s like they’ve come from some other dimension, fully formed, just to entertain us. When I got those mix tapes I was 17 and listening to Britpop and Indie Rock; interested in videos on 120 Minutes and songs my friends and I could bop along to. But Cocteau Twins, they were challenging. You couldn’t say what the songs were about and you couldn’t sing along. But they made me feel something, and I was sure that I *got* them. It made me feel… cooler. Older. Less like a kid who liked Britpop bands with cute singers and more like a real music fan. The songs still make me feel like that, all these years later. They’re beautiful and cool, and I feel cooler when I listen to them. Favorites: “Iceblink Luck” “Fotzepolitik” “Fifty Fifty Clown”

Ja ouviii

Gathering much praise in recent years, and always a favorite of my wife’s, I have listened to The Cocteau Twins a great deal over the years. Unfortunately, the group comes up short in making gorgeous chamber music, icy techno pop or Krautrock style grooves. An obvious imitator, Stereolab, leans into the Krautrock aspect to make music that is substantially more enjoyable than the Cocteau Twins. While Elizabeth Fraser has a more commanding voice than Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadler, I prefer Sadler’s breathy French pop approach. I could toss Bjork into the mix, since she seems to have pulled a few ideas from The Cocteau Twins. Bjork went down a more idiosyncratic path that makes her music more fascinating, not necessarily better, than The Cocteau Twins. Okay, comparing apples and pears here. On their own merits, I longed for individual songs to stand out. “Wolf in the Breast” headed towards a bright pop song, but got stuck at mid-tempo, a problem on several tracks here. “Road, River and Rail” had potential for a moving song (not supposed to compare here, but Kate Bush comes to mind), but the band never summoned that level of drama. The Cocteau Twins mix low-key and busy together. The spareness did not develop into somber powerful numbers. Meanwhile the added elements rarely coalesced enough to catch my attention. Maybe a different album or a different season: summer is not Cocteau Twins weather.

I ride on this album the same way people ride Disintegration by The Cure

Nah

Oh how this speaks to my soul, like I’m floating in a blissful ‘90s dream. I want to live inside this album. Top tracks: Cherry-coloured Funk, Iceblink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas

I love this album and it's such a vibe but can't understand the lyrics and a little lack of motion/ups and downs...keeps it from being a 5... For me personally.... For now....

4.4/5 beautiful melody lush production

General background music that sounds like late 80s rock.

It's rare that a lead singer's vocals feel like the driving force of a song, but that's the case on a few songs here. The twisty melodies on "Pitch the Baby" and "I Wear Your Ring" come purely from the vocals, with the instruments creating an ethereal wash underneath. The shimmering guitar does something similar on every song, creating a very pretty sound but also one that I find a bit flat. I wish there was a little more edge or noise in the music to act as a better compliment to the gorgeous vocals. It's interesting that as washed out and big as these songs are that they mostly stick to normal, short pop song structures; longer songs or more interesting hooks might prevent all of the tracks from sounding so similar. The highlight is the climaxes of the final track, which, surprise, are driven by Fraser's vocals. A very pretty album that almost never actually excites me.

Atmospheric and ethereal with an electronic twist. Basically a dreamy wall of sound, but doesn't go anywhere. 3/5

Nothing short of incredible, so dreamy and easy to listen to Playlist add: “Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires”, honorable mention to “Fotzepolitic”

5/5

чилово + вайбово

Loved it.

Sonically very cool, atmospheric and floaty

I really love the sound but realized I do tend to prefer lyrics with some meaning

I quite liked this album!

It was alright

I especially loved the opening and closing tracks!! Edit: this record really grew on me even more over time

Liked it, but didn’t make big impression.

if you don't like this you're stupid simple as

Si un jour quelqu'un me demande de lui résumer l'essence même de la dream pop sans m'embarquer dans un jargon de musicologue pédant ou un baratin théorique à deux balles, je lui colle immédiatement Heaven Or Las Vegas entre les oreilles. Il faut bien avouer que les Écossais de Cocteau Twins ont toujours su bâtir des forteresses sonores impénétrables et fascinantes, mais sur cette galette immaculée parue en 1990 chez 4AD, ils touchent tout simplement à la grâce absolue. C’est à mes yeux le chef-d’œuvre de leur discographie, un 5 sur 5 éclatant, sans la moindre seconde de trop ni le moindre déchet. Dès les premières mesures, le contraste avec l'ambiance sépulcrale, gothique et brumeuse de leurs débuts saute à la gueule. Fini les spectres noyés sous des couches de réverbération opaques et anxiogènes : le groupe s'ouvre, respire à pleins poumons et assume enfin une lumière éclatante, presque pop, sans jamais perdre ce magnétisme abstrait et venimeux qui fait toute sa singularité. D'ailleurs, parmi les moments de pure lévitation, le morceau-titre illustre à merveille cette élégance insaisissable où les mots se dissolvent dans l'air : "Much more than heaven or Las Vegas Much more than all the love inside" Ce qui me frappe le plus quand je me replonge dans ce disque, c'est cette sensation physique d'apesanteur que le trio parvient à créer sans jamais tomber dans la démonstration technique stérile ou le concours de branlette de manche. Robin Guthrie ne joue pas de la guitare au sens traditionnel du terme : il empile les textures, sculpte des réverbérations vertigineuses et façonne des vagues harmoniques qui semblent tout droit sorties d'un songe éveillé. À ses côtés, la basse de Simon Raymonde apporte une rondeur mélodique indispensable, un ancrage terrestre et hypnotique qui évite à l'ensemble de se dissoudre dans l'éther pur. Cette alchimie sonore, à la fois vaporeuse et d'une précision chirurgicale, offre un écrin sur mesure à la voix d'Elizabeth Fraser, qui atteint ici une maîtrise émotionnelle tout simplement bouleversante, transformant chaque mélodie en un enchantement viscéral qui balaie tout cynisme sur son passage. Le chant d'Elizabeth Fraser, parlons en d'ailleurs, il reste un phénomène quasi mystique, oscillant entre des onomatopées célestes, des bribes d'anglais déstructurées et un langage purement inventé qui s'adresse directement aux entrailles plutôt qu'à l'intellect. L'album capture cette transition miraculeuse où la mélodie devient accessible sans jamais virer à la vulgarité commerciale, alignant des joyaux d'indie pop éthérée d'une fluidité désarmante, à la fois chaleureux, lumineux et infiniment mélancoliques. Au-delà de son statut de classique absolu, cet album marque surtout pour moi le point d'équilibre parfait d'un groupe qui a su apprivoiser la lumière sans renier une seule seconde de son étrangeté originelle. Là où tant d'autres formations d'indie pop se sont vautrées dans la mièvrerie ou le maniérisme prétentieux, Cocteau Twins a signé une œuvre solaire, intemporelle et habitée, qui prouve qu'on peut tutoyer le sublime avec une grâce désarmante. Plus de trois décennies après sa parution, ce chef-d'œuvre continue de flotter bien au-dessus de la mêlée, rappelant à quiconque tend l'oreille ce que la musique éthérée a de plus pur à offrir. Il y a dans la trajectoire de Heaven Or Las Vegas une sorte d'ironie magnifique : c'est précisément au moment où le groupe commence à se fissurer de l'intérieur sous le poids des addictions et des tensions personnelles qu'il accouche de sa musique la plus radieuse et harmonieuse. Enregistré alors que Guthrie luttait contre ses démons et que Fraser découvrait la maternité, le disque tire une force inouïe de cette vulnérabilité brute. Au lieu de sombrer dans le chaos ou la noirceur complaisante, le trio a sublimé ses failles pour en extraire un nectar sonore d'une pureté stupéfiante. C’est cette tension invisible entre l'angoisse du réel et la quête éperdue d'un refuge céleste qui donne à l'album son relief inimitable, empêchant ces mélodies cotonneuses de n'être qu'un simple exercice de style ambiant ou une jolie musique d'ascenseur pour esthètes fatigués. À l'arrivée, réécouter cet album aujourd'hui, c'est prendre une claque magistrale face à une œuvre qui refuse obstinément de vieillir. Alors que les années 90 ont vu défiler des wagons entiers de poseurs alternatifs et de disques datés dès le lendemain de leur sortie, les Cocteau Twins ont sculpté un monument d'indie pop qui échappe totalement aux lois de la gravité temporelle. C'est un voyage intérieur sans billet retour, une cathédrale de sons taillée dans le velours et la brume où chaque écoute révèle de nouveaux reflets. Si vous cherchez la définition ultime du chef-d'œuvre dream pop, arrêtez de vous prendre la tête : elle est gravée ici, de la première à la dernière seconde.

Ganz nice und dreamy

Dated synth dream pop. Reminded me a little of Kate Bush, but if you couldn't make out any of the words. Which I don't consider to be an improvement.

Sounds very “of the time” and I was not a fan of it.

Fine, had moments, but not really my thing

Really liked the vibe of this.

An interesting listen. Really well produced and lovely vibes but overall to me it’s just a bit meh.

Сара 3 Марко 3

This album floats through your mind like a cloud of perfume in the mall. It lingers on your clothes, but doesn't do any damage. The music and the vocals all mush together into a soft mess, and nothing really grabs hold of you. I don't know if this was truly essential. This album wants you to just sit and listen, not do work through it. My rating: 3/5

Can my nuts hang?

This one was a little hard for me to rate as someone who listens to a *lot* of dreampop and similar genres. I've tried hard to get into Cocteau Twins since they were pioneers in the genre, and this was a solid album, but it's hard to crack my already established rotation of dreamy alt music.

She sings minionese but makes you hear God. That's what the title's about. Standouts: Cherry-coloured Funk • Heaven Or Las Vegas • Fotzepolitic

Kind of insane to go back and listen to this, "the" dream pop album, after hearing so many derivatives of it that got the ethereal female vocal over reverb but forgot all the personality, other instruments, and variation. This is still the pinnacle to me, and although it feels a little stale in the way only a genre-defining album can, there's a lot to enjoy here.

demasiado suave y atmosferico para mi humor actual, tal vez en un futuro me atrape 3.6

Well known classic.

Ethereal, almost trance like at times. Not really my style and won’t revisit this but I appreciate what they are trying to do here.

Listened before?: literally hundreds of times, if not more. i don't even need to listen to it to give my rating Cherry-Coloured Funk - 5/5 Pitch the Baby - 5/5 Iceblink Luck - 5/5 Fifty-Fifty Clown - 5/5 Heaven or Las Vegas - 5/5 I Wear Your Ring - 5/5 Fotzepolitic - 5/5 Wolf in the Breast - 4/5 Road, River and Rail - 3/5 Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires - 5/5 Average score: 4.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this is another album i'd consider near-perfect. with vibes that are this ethereal and dreamy, who really needs to understand the lyrics?

Reminded me of a short lived Berlin trio called Ballet School. Turns out Ballet School formed over their love of Cocteau Twins and share a bassist. I have a good ear. I like this.

The last time I got an album by this band I was super won over. Mostly because I found them to be so original and refreshing. But I also learned at that time that the album ”treasure” was my second favorite. THIS album is my favorite. It’s hard to put to words why this one I liked so much more. I just connected with it much more, and I really love the production and overall vibe. It’s got such great instrumentation, all the guitar playing especially is so cool. I just adore this album, it is a no skip album I loved every single song. If this is shoegaze than I might actually really like shoegaze, just nothing I heard from that genre before I heard Cocteau Twins. I’m hunting down this album now, it’s a must have!

LoFi, Dreamy, Trippy. It was alright. 3/5 Favorite Song: Heaven or Las Vegas

Best of their newer stuff

freeedoooomo of the body, freee dom of the mind

1)jānoklausās uz vinyl 2)jāiemāca japāņu valoda 3)jāpadomā par dzīvi 4)jāuzraksta atlatviskošanas vācelīte

Love it, ljoti deep lyrics 😍

Really not my thing. Didn't like it at all. 1

It’s a thing of beauty. Dreamy guitars and incoherent vocals drift across some lovely melodies. Like Robert Smith and Bjork had a baby. Kind of.

Bring out the chorus pedals! More reverb! My favourite Cocteau Twins album and one of my top fifty favourite albums of all time too. OK, you cannot sing along to the lyrics, but you can make suitable high pitched noises instead, it's much more fun and makes you sound like a twat. On this album, in my opinion their most accessible, you have tons of reverb, soaring guitars, and wobbly wobbly yelps and gibberish. Sounds like the template for Shoegaze? Probably. They certainly were one of the trailblazers of that particular sound for many years before. There is not a bad track on this, not one. My particular favourites are the single 'Iceblink Luck', 'Heaven or Lost Vegas' and 'Pitch the Baby'. A beautiful ethereal record.

Not for me

абсолютное величие

T's alright

Iconic. Favorite tracks: Fotzepolitic ; Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires.

It's fun!

A very nostalgic album for me. This is the sound of laying on the floor of an art school dorm room light by blue fairy lights discussing French New Wave cinema while eating the cheapest pizza Boston had to offer. Do I love it? No, it was never my favorite and if I'm pulled to listen to this vibe I would more likely put on the Sundays. But it is so much better than most of the albums on this list it gets a 5.

This is a nice album. Overall an interesting listen. 3.5

Never really listened to this band before. This is dream pop. I felt that some of the songs were incredible and then the next track, not too much and so on. I could never really settle with it. May need repeat listening.

A woman is screaming over completely monotonous music. Often, this is more annoying than enjoyable.

Objective review: this is an extremely well crafted album. Everything feels like it’s placed with high intention. Strikes a mood and does it very well. Subjective review: I just really don’t enjoy dream pop as a genre.

Господи, ну что за альбом.. Жемчужина шугейза и дримпопа. Доказательство того, что создать великолепную, и главное, уникальную атмосферу можно одной лишь музыкой. Это, в общем-то, то, за что я и люблю этот жанр. Ты словно в пограничном состоянии между сном и пробуждением, слышишь как сквозь полупрозрачные красные занавеси Элизабет Фрайзер шепчет тебе что-то своим ангельским голосом, ещё чуть чуть и этот образ ускользнет и ты проснешься, ты слышишь голос но не распознаешь речь - тебе это неважно, главное состояние, момент который происходит сейчас. Был счастлив когда однажды мне удалось покататься по ночному дождливому городу под этот альбом. Вот что я представляю когда слушаю его.

i actually kinda like this type of music. almost indi esc. has some nice rythm to it, tho idk what the lyrics were most the time

I couldn't process a single word that was said but fun surreal vibes, for the girls Favorite Song: Cherry-coloured Funk

I was excited to listen to this. I've heard/ read a lot of good things about this band. That was a let down. I feel like I was hoodwinked, bamboozled even! It was boring, repetitive and didn't say anything. My wife was in the car with me and wanted to know what this was. It just kept going and the music was just a drone to me. Such a letdown.

Nice middle of the road album

Mystical. Transcend language.

Fire

sem palavras, perfeito apenas

Never listened. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - I quite like Treasure so have high hopes for this album as it is very acclaimed. Cherry-coloured Funk is an immersive opener that has a wash of sound. Pitch The Baby is dreamy and filmic. Iceblink Luck is a bit more grounded and the vocals are much easier to follow. The pounding start of Fifty-fifty Clown leads into the moodiest track so far. The title track reminds me of something that I can't quite put my finger on but it's really good. Maybe I hear a hint of Stevie Nicks in the vocals. I'm really enjoying this album and I can see it being even better in a different setting. Wolf In The Breast is beautiful. Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer closes things on an ethereal note that is stunning. Fantastic album that I wish I had listened to sooner.

Dreamy. Love the vibe will probably relisten

Loved getting to know this album! The production is fantastic and I adore the vibe which feels like 'culmination of the 80s'. Look forward to listening to more music by them. 9/10

Vocals aren't the most clear but nice chill vibe to the album. 3/5

The description of this band is just as esoteric as the sound. Not sure what they're saying most of the time but easy listening.

I first listened to this a few years ago and I thought it was just ok. I listened again to it yesterday and my opinion has changed. I now think it is good, I still don’t know what she is saying but whether it was just another listen or the situation I was in or maybe my mood, I enjoyed it.

Interesting vibes, would have guessed this was a French band so surprised to see that they're Scots. I could see this being good background ambient music for a dinner party. Overall not bad, definitely a bit ahead of it's time I think. Didn't blow me away, but was a fine listen while I got some work done.

Beautiful dream pop album, perfectly arranged and way more heaven then Las Vegas

This album is like being trapped in a beautiful, madhouse dream. I mean, just give in to the absurdity. The vocals are.. like trying to understand a cat. It's cute, but it doesn't give a damn about you. And that's okay, because petting the cat is a hell of a consolation prize. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - Cherry-Coloured Funk - Pitch the Baby - Iceblink Luck - Heaven or Las Vegas - Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires

It was very good and i can see why it was popular back in its day - reminds me of mazzy star

good nices

Holy peak... top 5 album.... I love the Cocteau Twins

Can my nuts hang?

Riktigt b

Best album of all time?

This is the perfect late night vibey album. They were ahead of their time! 10/10

I remember this being better

This is an interesting one. The Cocteau Twins started out making records that had a foot in post punk and goth. This record moves to something a bit more ambient, although those post punk elements aren't completely gone and there are moments where there is a stronger element on melody and traditional songwriting in the indie tradition. It feels similar to a lot of projects that are working in electronic music, even though it tends to stick to rock instrumentation with a lot of reverb. There is also a connection to the burgeoning shoegaze scene, although without the volume. I can also see how this was initially thought of as a more commercial record given some of the production elements that align with more mainstream aesthetics, although they were a bit overstated and work within the overall project. Overall, this is an enjoyable album.

Love it!

I didn't get it. This is the standard bearer for shoegaze? I was pretty bored.

I didn't enjoy this as much as their first couple of albums.

A name I've heard but can't identify anything I am aware of. ------------- Dreamy vocals over soft rock and synthy, atmospheric, meditative world music vibes. I can get behind this album, particularly on a warm summer's day. It's got a hopeful tone with very soothing vocals performances. I like how they feel kinda out of reach in the mix and it's more about the melody. On the negative side - it's difficult to pick out a track that is distinct. It is all very similar throughout. An album I'll return to one day. 3*

Soft dreamy vibes. Heavenly.

Oh, look! Someone got a Casio for Christmas!

While not a fan of the dream pop genre in general, I have enjoyed the 2 Cocteau albums that have appeared on the list, and how different they seemed from one another despite not violating the band's basic rules of gibberish lyrics, lush and endless guitars and keyboards, and drums that are very much an accompaniment and not a feature. To me Fraser's vocals just become audio impressionist and cubist paintings. I do enjoy hearing what bands can do at the extremes of engineering and production. What others call over production, I call something to feast on. Guthrie's guitars feel like they were inspired a bit by the sounds that bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure were producing in the late 70s and early 80s. Faves: "Heaven or Las Vegas", "Wolf in the Breast"

THis was pleasant. It worked well as an album. nothign stood out to me though

I really enjoyed the accumulative vibe and soundscape of this album. No tracks stuck out to me on first listen, but this is an album I can see myself revisiting and growing more fond of and having individual tracks sticking out more. Rating: 3.5

Overall a great listening experience. At times can feel a bit gimmicky or substanceless.

Воздушная сексапилка

Not for me.

very boring song writing

That was wild. Incredibly unique, they truly have a sound of their own.

8/10 I didn't have much expectative about this project but it surprised me

Nothing for me here.

Maybe Iceblink Luck should be Scotland's national anthem

If only Abba morphed into something like this, I would have appreciated it much more. Haunting, beautiful, weird.

One of my new favorites from this list. Stunning music. Best Song: Cherry Covered Funk Rating: 9/10 Stars: 5

This was an incredible listen, so far the best new find since I joined this project. Its colourful, swirly, hazy and relaxing in all the right ways... really felt the world was spinning around me as the music played. It doesnt get a 5 because I didnt find many hooks, catchy melodies or moments to remember... could also be that I need to hear it more times but it felt more like a long continuous piece of music instead of a collection of songs. I would have trouble telling each song apart. Loved it!!

An absolute classic. I just love this. Perfectly otherworldly and mysterious, the bass on every track is just unmatched. I was wondering whether this is a 4 or 5, but I think it is 5. I cannot think of another album sounding anything like this, I think it is wonderfully unique.

At its best, dream pop is increcible. At its worst, it's really bad. At her best, Elizabeth Fraser is practically perfect. At her worst, she's remarkably good. 4.0

I quite enjoyed it ! was scared not to, due to the over-repetitive rhythms, but those heartfelt vocals do seem to help break the risk of monotony. still a bit too long for the lack of variability though

Not even their best album

an enjoyable album. I have heard the Cocteau twin before but not this album. I will definitely listen again, not sure about buying

I'm not sure I could pick out any songs in particular but I enjoyed listening to this album front to back; just really atmospheric and right up my alley.

Conhecia uma unidade de música, mas já salvou minha vida nessa segunda <3

Si es muy dreamy. Me gustó la música pero como no puedo entender la letra pues no lo guardaría.

I will be returning to this album & Cocteau Twins. Didn't really pay attention to the lyrics but it didn't feel like I even had to. I love chill music like this which you can play & just lounge around or do whatever chill activity you wish. Elizabeth Fraser's vocals are heavenly!

Sounds like what we would have called "plastico" music in high school. Very poppy, syrupy, boring.

Meh.

This was pretty dull, and the gibberish lyrics were no fun.

sheer perfection

good but very different music; vocals are avg

It’s just so beautiful. I know I’ve derided other albums for having unintelligible lyrics, but this album feels different. Special and purposeful. Still not an album I really love sitting down and listening in its entirety. There are some real snoozers on this album but many tracks. Cherry colored funk and the title track are standouts. Fotzepolitic also good. Would listen again and defend if it has haters, but it’s not a big deal for me.

I'm very stingy with my 5-star ratings, but honestly, if I could give this 4.5 stars, I would! This whole album is a vibe of mellowness, dreamy, ephemeral chillness. I downloaded the entire album to my library and will be saving it for the nights when I need to unwind or when I'm sitting on the back porch sipping on some wine with a friend. It would also be a pretty awesome soundtrack for an afternoon nap.

This was a weird little album. At first I was skeptical but then after feeling like I emerged from a fever dream, I think I really liked this. It's almost purely melodic, the lyrics mean nothing which I found out later is intentional, and really really cool. Standout tracks were "Heaven or Las Vegas" and "Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires" A solid 4

Garlic fondue!

First listen Saved 5/10

Liked this a lot, very dreamy and vibey. Even if I couldn't understand the singer!

overall: 1/10 sucks, a bunch of instrumentals and singing nonsense

The reviews here seem to be divided along the lines of "the lyrical content is amazing" and "I can't understand a word of this". Personally I fall in the "can't understand a word" camp, so it's not scoring any points from me for lyrical genius, so I'm going to treat it like I would a world music album. Music-wise, this was ... fine? I could quite happily listen to it as background, but it's definitely a bit samey and boring when listening to a whole album. I don't think it does anything remarkable; the drum beats are dull, the guitar exists, the vocals are perfectly good but also unintelligible. Mid 3.

I see this is the highest rated shoegaze album on the site. I'm intrigued because loveless is on this site. Start playing and it all makes sense. This is extremely safe shoegaze, it's somehow safer than slowdive who definitely weren't afraid of feedback and low guitars. It's enjoyable it just sounds super sterile It's funny people are complaining about not being able to understand the lyrics when that is exactly the point, this is one of the more standout parts of the album because mbv were known for bringing everything up to the same loudness as the lyrics which effectively buries them while in this album they are as clear as anything but you still can't understand them. It's enjoyable I just can't help but feel like every song sounds the same. High 3

I recently discovered that Cocteau Twins are my go to hangover artist (yeah, seriously). I think it's their dreamy and lethargic tone that feels right when I'm hanging out my arse, especially during the summer when the weather is hot. This album is amazing and probably their best. 9/10

What an incredible album. The sound of this is encapsulating. Each track is an experience, no skips.

first song is REALLY good. i think you're reading my thoughts. 3rd song and this album sounds so good. heaven or las vegas so gooood. impressive album, wondering how the hell did i live without listing to this before

This whimsical, free flowing, wild ride of indecipherable lyrics is nothing short of a perfect album in my opinion. I adore it all the way through, and there isn't a single bad track on here. It's like a beautiful fever dream and it captures the feeling of floating in space. Gorgeous. Favourites: Cherry-coloured Funk Heaven or Las Vegas Wolf In The Breast Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires

Neat

I love the texture and the general oddness of the sound. It's clear the Twins were feeling inspired when they made this. The confidence is audible.

This is one of my favourite albums, it brings me back to the 90s instantly. Love this one!

I pray this isn't Heaven, and I know Las Vegas isn't this boring. Favorite Track: "Heaven Or Las Vegas".

calm, summery, lil boring at times

1) Heaven or Las Vegas 2) Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires 3) Cherry-Coloured Funk Least Favourite: NONE OF 'EM!!

This album was great, I really loved it. I don't remember listening to anything by this group before but apparently I'd already saved the title track before.

How could I not love this album. Just phenomenal. Pure warm glowing light. Have loved this album since the first time I heard it.

Rating this: a million ethereal stars

Klassisk opener. Meget bra ellers også!

4/10

Melancholic, beautiful, I am in love

3.3. Thought the album was fine. Closer to good but still only 3 stars. I suspect I will like a Spotify radio that is started from using this band as the search.

Normal

Three seconds in and I knew I would hate it. Nothing after proved me wrong.

Transcendental, Ethereal, Otherworldly. This is the kind of stuff I wanna hear as I ascend from this mortal life into the next. The type of shit I wanna drop acid to and lie in a field looking at clouds on a summer’s day. Ridiculous record, had absolutely no right being THAT good.

This really isn't my thing usually but this was fine. Forgettable but I don't regret listening to it. 6/10

Overall, this album is unique to my ears. It's nice to be able to listen to music and vocals as part of the music (due to me not being able to understand the language being sung). It gives me a more genuine musical experience as I can imagine the vocal line and how it fits in with the rest of the orchestration as I would an instrumental work. It's refreshing. My favorite elements are the synth and guitar and how they communicate and support each other throughout the album. Objectively, this is a great album. The last track with grand piano sounds is a great finale. I don't know if I would choose to listen to this album on my own due to me not fully enjoying the sound of super high soprano voices (despite me being a mid-high soprano) I tend to enjoy lower voices for listening. I am very glad for the experience.

The vibes are immaculate. Love the vocals. Love the dreamy haze. I was familiar with this a bit, but this is now a download in my library.

7.5/10 I liked this album!!! I would listen to it again, really liked heaven or Las Vegas the song. I liked the general sounds, you can tell it’s the early 90s as there are still aspects of that synth sound. Thanks fran

10/10!! was jumping up and down with excitement when i saw this i love cocteau twins so much and this album is so perf, crazy to think this isn't even their best album either, such a fun listen and so summer and elizabeth fraser singing in a made-up language makes it so much nicer because you only have to focus on the melody, very happy to relisten to this one in full again

etéreo y eterno fans nro 1 de los gemelos somos

ALBUMNAZO VIEJO CIERREN LA PAGINA

Indie Enya?

This is an example of why this experiment is great. I would never have stumbled on this album if not for this. And this album is just delightful. Iceblink Luck feels like it’s a familiar hit, even though I don’t remember ever hearing it. I will definitely return to this album over and over.

I like a nice dream pop album and this being from 1990 can certainly tell the influence in the genre. An enjoyable listen even if it lacks any standout tracks. 3/5

It's very much a album that I enjoy, but all songs blend together and nothing stands out. Great background music, which isn't a critique.

I do acknowledge the interesting sounds that are present here, and if this is your thing, that kind of shoegaze pop thing, then I fully uderstand why you'd like this. Me, however, not my thing. I find all of the songs a bit too alike, and though at the time it may have been more interesting, I feel it's quite "vanilla". The early 90's obviously still had a lot of 80's in them, which is for sure the reason this kind of sound just doesn't resonate with me. It's why Nirvana is one of my favorite bands ever, cause they just shook things up completely in 1993. Can we please get an album like that next? Please? Website? Please?

This one was weird. I didnt particularly like any song but the music was able to set a vibe across the whole album I did enjoy and let lose some thoughts and emotions. All in all I wouldnt listen to it again and I didnt understand a single word of what was sung so it still gets a one star.

atmosphere

No point of reference for me here but I liked it more than I thought I would!

I kind of liked the title track but that's it

Front to back awesomeness. #ScotsDoItBetter

5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background

Singer kinda reminded me of Enya

Ethereal

I've listened many times before, absolutely love this album

230. sometimes its like "there's no way this is english" but its always great

A stone-cold classic. I'm not the biggest dream-pop enthusiast, but I really like a couple of albums in the genre, this one in particular. One of those releases that makes you dig deeper. Elizabeth Fraser has an otherworldly voice, it's the key to this album's greatness. She made gibberish sound profound, that's no easy feat. The rest of the band are no slouches, either. The rhythm section is spectacular at times, the bass on tracks like Pitch the Baby just shines. The guitar and the synths are in perfect harmony as well. All of this is mixed and mastered to perfection, such a clean sound in all the right ways. Lastly, the sequencing is great, the album comes and goes like a flash, a really impactful one at that. Favourite track: Cherry-coloured Funk

Heard before?:❌️/✔️(not entirely) Will listen again?:✔️ Wow

23/07/2026 This is run of the mill stuff to me. Find me a song that stands out here and I'll tell you you're wrong. Spotify listeners: 5.2 million

You know, for a band with a reputation for having incomprehensible vocals, it sure is easy for me to tell which language Cocteau Twins are singing in. But which language is it? English? Gaelic? Klingon? No, actually. The language that Cocteau Twins are clearly speaking... is my language! God, this album is so good! I knew I'd enjoy Heaven or Las Vegas to some degree given the 4/5 that I gave to the other Cocteau Twins album of the list, Treasure, but this album absolutely stunned me. This might actually be one of the most beautiful and entrancing albums of the whole list. The atmosphere brought on by the ambiguous vocals and dreamy instrumentals create an album experience that just kept me engaged the whole time. Elizabeth Fraser's actual vocal qualities are perfect for the band's sound. I don't know exactly what the songs are saying lyrically, but apparently there's some solid emotion to the album, so that's cool. It's not like the album needed the lyrics to be emotional though. Just the music alone is enough for me to be in love with the album. Heaven or Las Vegas almost feels like one really long song in a way, but that song is absolutely stunning, so I have no reason to complain. It's hard to highlight specific songs for specific reasons, but I will say that my favorites on the album were "Cherry-Coloured Funk," "Pitch the Baby," "Iceblink Luck," "Heaven or Las Vegas," and "Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires." That's half the album, my goodness. Can you tell I like this album? I was very comforted by this album listen. Heaven or Las Vegas is exactly as good as everyone tells you it is. There really is no other album like it. 5/5.

No idea what she's on about but it sounds nice.

One of the earlier bands exploring the dreampop genre. This album is an dreampop delight. As a whole there is some lack of diversity, so 4/5.

Really good and interesting, dreamy. Can’t understand a lot of the lyrics but good!

Like the background music to every 90s teen drama on the CW

Not a huge fan of what I hear on the radio. I didn’t love seeing this assignment, but this was a pretty good album!

Tis was a disappointment

Some of these go hard.

cherry coloured funk pitch the baby heaven or las vegas

Almost skipped it as I didn't like the first couple of songs. Midway I ended up liking a couple. Reminds me of the ABBA ladies minus the men. Probably wouldn't listen again but enjoyed in the moment.

nice

I do love it, but I like Treasure better. Still baffled how she can sing this internal language consistently in a way that sounds like language.

Normal. No sé qué me esperaba con el nombre del artista, pero me dio muchas vibes a taylor... Por lo menos la voz.

Ethereal vibe but didn’t engage with me at all.

19. jul 2026. 16.42h <3

Brilliant and beautiful.

Not my personal favorite Twins record (that’d be Treasure) but the first one I heard. Liz Fraser is probably a top five most impressive vocalist I’ve ever heard, so expressive and dreamy, her voice just flies around every note. She conveys so much emotion even if you don’t understand a word, and you probably won’t; you wouldn’t guess on a first listen but she’s using much less glossolalia than usual here. By this point in their career, the band was so drugged up and committed to *the sound* that it fully takes over, every synth and guitar swirling around in a coating of cherry-colored haze, with the dark gothic undertones of their earlier work almost completely erased. After this, the drugs and the toxic relationships would take over and the band’s sound would get less interesting, but right here they’re still in top form writing some of the best pop songs of their career and of all time; I guess you could say Heaven or Las Vegas is kind of like an indie Rumours in that way.

A really cool vibe, but I didn't really find the individual songs very interesting, and don't really have much more to say about this for now, which is annoying because I was expecting to love this.

Hauntingly beautiful album.

Disco bem diferente, nem conhecia esse estilo de música, achei interessante esteticamente mas um pouco monótono.

The name always put me off back in the day and all I know of them since then is that Liz Fraser is the vocalist as she sung on 3 songs in _Mezzanine_ by Massive Attack, including the brilliant _Teardrop_. Despite being released in the 90s, this still carries that hangover of a slightly too polished 80s production and sheen but the songs are strong enough to make it interesting.

Decent album, had some good beats but just not my cup of tea lol

love this album to death omg

Gooo

Nothing else really like this. Baseline it's just so interesting that you don't really want to change the song. Then occasionally they'll have a true banger like Heaven or Las Vegas. I think I can speak whatever language she's singing in.

Cherry-Coloured Funk Iceblink Luck Heaven or Las Vegas

Sterk plate, om ikke noe overhypet. Noe av synthlydbildet faller ikke helt i smak på noen av låtene. Jeg foretrekker mer gotisk Cocteau Twins.

Spennende sound. Kult. Låtene fenget dog ikke så hardt. Må muligens komme tilbake til denne.

Åpningslåta og tittelsporet e 10/10! Foretrekk uten tvil når de gønne litt på. Bra plate!

Avslappende drømmepop. Føles passé.

Decent enough to listen through and enjoy. Reminded me of The Sundays at some points.

Less “grungy” and more poppy than the sounds I enjoyed on “Treasure”, but the group’s elegant shoegaze soundscape still persists throughout this. Making for a great listen and helping me understand why this is considered a classic.

3 - kinda crappy atmospheric jangly stuff

10/10

Det var en ganske ganske fornøjelig gennemlytning

*64 De bør sikkert få en masse stjerner for at være genredefinerende, men jeg aldrig fået the Cocteau Twins-bug. Det lyder spændende.

Aldrig hørt før, men det var en totalt god oplevelse og noget jeg skal se mere ind i!

Topniveauet for dream pop er rigtig højt. Bundniveauet er tilmed rigtig lavt. Topniveauet for Elizabeth Fraser er stort set uendeligt højt. Bundniveauet er virkelig højt. 4.0

What a vibe! That hit perfectly

Holy shit the prediction is some of the best I have ever heard. Every song feels like it smothering you I this synthetic heaven or maybe that just Las Vegas .

no es mi tipo de musica, pero entiendo pq es bueno, fotzepolitic a mi playlist

A truly amazing album!!!

The vocals make me feel like I’m having a stroke. But I like it. Would listen again.

A really interesting dream pop album. I’m not drenched in enough neon lights and fog machines and sharp clothing for this. It’s psychedelic, sun, weird, but overall a little cotton candy ish

Just lovely! 1. Cherry-coloured Funk 2. Heaven Or Las Vegas 3. Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires

YES! YES! YESSS! FUCK! FUCK! YES!

its soo good but sometimes listening to this feels like im having a stroke

If I could sing like Elizabeth Fraser I would literally never shut up. One of my favorite albums. Brilliant, beautiful, immaculately dreamy.

3,5

What a sound I really love every thing about this album defiantly will be hearing more of cocteau twins 10/10

A great dream pop album, lush, dreamy sound transcending minds

Love it

My favourite yet so far

Was decent. If you like the cranberries I could see you liking this. Unfortunately I’m not huge on the cranberries :/

Now THIS is the kind of album I enjoy.

Dejenme darle 100 estrellas!

As far as I know, this album is considered possibly the best dream pop album ever made. Certainly, it's one of the most acclaimed albums by one of the most influential bands in the scene. I can see this album's appeal. "Dream pop" is an apt description for what this album sounds like; it's hooky pop-rock with a distant, almost psychedelic tinge to it. The vocals sound good, but the lyrics are utterly incomprehensible gibberish. I don't quite know what to make of this for that reason. It's a good album that could have easily been very popular with decipherable lyrics, but many of this band's fans point to the gibberish as a thing of sonic beauty. In a way, it is, but it's one that confuses me because I generally haven't seen indecipherable vocals outside of extreme metal, and yet this comparatively tame pop album has them. Fascinating. This album is ranked #3 of 22 albums for 1990. Other 1990 albums rated by me: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm(2/22)-5 Bossanova(4/22)-5 Fear of a Black Planet(5/22)-5 Shake Your Money Maker(6/22)-2 I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got(7/22)-4 The La's(12/22)-3

pretty fucking good. and my appreciation only grows with each listen. stand out song: road, river and rail. which is also the least liked on the album... poor taste on my part? we’ll never know

Pop hipnótico, suave, lindo. Me gustó. Sobre todo Frou-frou foxes un midsummer fires. Un viaje digno de ser repetido.

93/100. This album was incredibly soothing and stimulating for my brain. I almost fell asleep while listening, not because it was boring, but because it relaxed me so deeply. The music is simply wonderful.

La verdad necesitaba una re escucha de este disco. Discazo. No indago en Cocteau Twins porque le doy mayor prioridad a otras bandas, pero god.

I listen to songs from this album ever so often. It's an album of flying, running, speeding in starlit, empty highways, of liberty, of freedom.

Tracks to go back to: Cherry-coloured funk Pitch the Baby Iceblink Luck Heaven Or Las Vegas Fotzepolitic Wolf in the Breast Very solid not my typical music but very enjoyable 07/11/26

Basically its like being suspended in an amniotic sac filled with Jello shot and then being launched into space.

Not even a huge shoegaze guy, but I'm into this one. Frou-frou foxes was probably my favorite. The opener was great too.

vibey, unexpectedly atmospheric. enjoyed it, i think the sound was just starting to get stale by the end. favorite song is Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires, just nudged the score up. soft 4

Rating: 10/10 There will be no unbiased review here for one of my favorite all time albums and groups. HOLV is for sure the ‘definitive’ Cocteau Twins album, the magnum opus, and easily the album one should listen to for an introduction to the band. It takes the Ethereal Wave style that CT is basically synonymous with and building up throughout the 80’s and giving it their strongest touch yet of the dream pop sound that they were developing with a whole collection of incredibly melodic pop tunes. The ethereal sound is still here, Robin Guthrie and Liz Fraser make sure of it with his lush washed out heavy guitar effects filled with reverb and delay and her otherwordly soprano vocals that are pure romance. There’s just less of the gothic atmosphere and experimental feel in favor of the tight song structures and sweet hooks that make these particular tracks so memorable. The guitars and vocals are the stars of the show here (guitars typically are, in shoegaze music) and Fraser’s lyrical style truly gives her vocals the quality of being an instrument of their own in her music. She actually sings more in English than usual here, and it’s always fun to catch those few moments where you might actually know the words. Otherwise, don’t put your attention towards trying to decipher them, that is not the point. There are some groovy bass lines here as well that are particularly noteworthy in Pitch the Baby and Fifty-Fifty Clown (the gibberish of the track names does follow Fraser’s lyrical style too). Ten phenomenal songs. It’s actually almost unfair for the B side to follow up the perfect run that is the first five tracks of HOLV, but the band does so admirably, with a gorgeous last track that takes its time to build up and it really pays off. The weakest track to me is Road, River, and Rail, it’s a really nice slower one that doesn’t quite match up with the rest. The title track is dream pop perfection, but favorite has always been Iceblink Luck.

Looped this a whole bunch, really great album. I like that the "baseline" is jangly reverby strummy guitar and kind of weird whispy chaotic higher-pitch vocals, so whenever things slow down or pitch down, it kind of locks you in and shit gets serious. I guess what I'm trying to say was every song was great, and they really all complemented each other to make a very whole album that did a lot in a pretty short time. Unique and interesting and strong the whole way through 8.8/10

mozart a arrete la musique pour une raison

i'd not listened to cocteau twins before although i saw them on spotify many times. the album was much better than i expected, it was sweet and soothing. i saved cherry-coloured funk and pitch the baby, really liked them.