Reviews (page 5 of 12)
I guess Cocteau Twins aren't shoegaze, having predatesd that particular sound by a decade, but you can't have shoegaze without them. And, though I had not listened to this album before, it does seem to represent a sort of shoegaze singularity (at least in some songs). Maybe that's why it's on this list? Or maybe because you can sort of understand what Elizabeth Fraser is singing for the first time ever? I dunno. Anyway, I enjoyed this quite a bit, but not quite to a 5 level.
I probably dismissed this as music for pussies when it came out, but it turns out I'm dumb. I like the general hazy, proto-shoegaze aesthetic and there are some great songs I had never heard. The fact that she sang in gibberish also fascinates me. It could be a whole Sound Opinions episode.
I’d heard of the Cocteau Twins before, but I think I’d conflated them with the Thomson Twins, and didn’t actually know the CTs at all. This was quite good.
better than i expected
I just love this album. It's such a nice feeling
7/10
I was very intrigued to read about the glossolalia / nonsense lyrics in this album and they are very interesting, there's nothing else on this list like this and I've not heard anything quite like this before, lyrics without meaning. The experience is a bit like Prisencolinensinainciusol or some foreign bands whose music I like without understanding the lyrics at all. It leave me time to free to listen to the music alone while the voice becomes another instrument, while all the time I am trying to catch some meaning. Personally I like this experience, but I bet lots of other people would hate it. And the music itself is not what I like, too synthy, too 80s or like some chilled out rave, although I liked the second half of the album a lot more than the first. If I didn't have the interest in the lyrics, if this had basic English lyrics, I wouldn't give it so much attention. Four stars for the interest, I also love the review that says this is ABBA on acid - yes, that's exactly the experience, it's like your brain has detached and you're not really sure what's going on.
I listened to this first in the 1990s. It was exotic and made a little bubble of atmosphere that felt like an another place. It was never “my music” though and never my scene, but cool. It didn’t have the same feel now though. The 80s pop influences are more noticeable, and it doesn’t feel as encompassing. Still good but diminished and shows its age a bit.
What a nice surprise. I've never spent any time with this record or band before, and I'm so glad this project pushed me to listen to this.
Dream-like, sublime vocals, sounds that caress the ears. 4 - a great album even among this list
люблю, но все таки хочется чучут текста
Beach House-MBV-Kate Bush. All of that but you can't understand a word she's never fucking saying. Listened to it twice to confirm, it's APPROVED.
I love this album
Inte lyssnat på innan, men tyckte om det mycket!
4.2
howeveh aega? woma ha ve ha ve hom ne to meeee. This is a fun classic album that I thought was in like French at first.
Never quite liked sampling and the whole do thing at first, but this and Goldie changed my mind
Ku godt lide, ill be back
Sparkly.
Actually so good. Banging beats and beautiful instrumentation.
An absolute vibe start to finish
Sounded like a holdover from the 1980s. Like clutching onto the last moments hoping not to let it go but feeling it slipping away and realizing it was over. It was sort of sad. I liked it better than I had expected I would.
I knew of Cocteau Twins but hadn't consciously listened to any. I expected more ethereal; I understand this is considered their more poppy/accessible album. It grew on me with repeated listens. (First time through, I listened via ear-buds, but these pieces really don't work that way - it's all about textures, so headphones or other hi-fidelity essential.) Overall it's Good without any knockout attributes, 7/10.
Gets a little stale near the end, but overall great album. Beautiful melodies and dreamy atmosphere.
Just got back from Ireland and this was playing in one of the bars. Loved it!
Weirdly good actually
This was really good. I had friends that were fans of theirs back in the day, but I never really listened to them. It was good from beginning to end and had a really cool vibe. I'll definitely listen again and look at more of their stuff. It sucks that I'm 15 albums into the "challenge" and this is the first one I liked and rated above 2 stars.
ye
good background noise
absolutely loved it! such beautiful funky rhythms.
6.5/10
wow
9/10
Kind of like Sigur Ros's mum.
Sentí que estaba flotando, buenísimo (más 9/10 que 8/10)
I liked this more than I expected. Brought me a lot of nostalgic feelings and memories for some reason. Bumping from a 3 to a 4 for length and the beautiful album cover
Really cool, atmospheric indie rock. The songs all work well, the synths and reverb effects etc dont sound dated, the melodies are good, its just a really cool listening experience. One I'll probably come back to
Sehr schöne emotionale Lieder, habe bestimmt 4 zu meinen Likes Songs hinzugefügt! Ich hab auch das Gefühl dass über das Album hinweg ein Aufbau bis „Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires“ stattfindet. Originell hatte ich mir vorgenommen womöglich eine kleine Analyse/Interpretaion zu schreiben, wenigstens eine durchzulesen. Dann war ich aber erst um 18 Uhr zuhause und hab realisiert, dass ich für den Rest meines Lebens nur um des Arbeitswillen lebe. Still sehr tolles Album. Würde nichts sagen wenn jemand behaupt es sei deren Lieblings Album.
Sublime
It's been a couple of days since I actually listened to this album but it was very enjoyable. The title track was almost certainly the best song but they were pretty good across the board. I don't tend to have a difficult time differentiatimg between 2,3 and 4 star albums but to separate 4 from 5 or 1 from 2 is always a little trickier. In this case I think this is a 4. 78/100
Pretty good, I enjoyed it quite a lot while listening to it. Can't say it was a masterpiece but very solid! I preferred it to their other album on this list.
love love love it feels like a kiss on the cheek
it's like levitate 4.5
Great dreamy vibes, I can see myself returning to this album again!
maybe being a little generous here but it's dreamy and pretty
No skips, probably one of the closer records to 5* yet
Can't say much but dreamy.
IVE BEEN WAITING TO LISYEN TO THIS ALBUM YAYAYAY lovely listen it’s so dreamy i need to smoke a blunt while the songs play on th background to fully understand this album
I didn't get into Cocteau Twins until a bit later in life because honestly I think I just didn't quite get it, maybe my whimsy wasn't fully formed yet, my frontal-whimsy-lobe if you will. Post 25, brain nice and formed, I'm loving that shit. I don't need actual language to have a good time, go on girl, say whatever feels good. I love this album, it feels like a dream in a good way, a tiny bit Lynch (what the hell u sayin vibes), but mostly that nice warm feeling of a dream.
I had a very good time listening to this album. The production and Instrumentals are very nice. It has this early but bright vibe to it which I really enjoy
This record definitely a vibe I can dig. It's quite a rich sonic quality; so saccharine it almost makes my teeth hurt. I wouldn't normally choose to listen to this much of this kind of sound. Trying to decipher the lyrics is pointless for me, it sounds like sexy gibberish (in a good way). It's difficult for me to latch onto anything in particular apart from the songs I already knew (and whose lyrics I was wildly wrong about)...too much clean reverb? I don't know.
Bij het begin moest ik er even in komen, maar daarna werd ik er helemaal in gesleept. heel erg leuk
Top, Elizabeth Frazer is fantastisch. Het album is veel meer dan alleen de twee bekende nummers. Een album wat je beter over je stereo kan luisteren dan in de auto om de productie van het album te kunnen waarderen.
This was cool. And the album flew by. Some of the songs sound kind of the same. But it's still good.
Elizabeth Fraser’s voice and the floating guitar textures really linger in my ears. The strong sense of atmosphere is captivating, though it also makes many of the songs blur together and sound quite similar. I can clearly understand why Elizabeth Fraser is so highly regarded as a singer, even though I can’t fully explain it. Her voice just feels completely one of a kind.
Great album. Really great sound, mixing and voices (so beautiful).
Cherry colored funk, iceblink luck, heaven or las vegas,
can it get any more dreamier and ethereal than this
It’s a great album - but like it’s probably a 4/5 just because I probably can’t see myself re listening to this again
I was listening to this while running and one of my earbuds died after the first song, but I enjoyed what I could hear. Was between a 3 and 4
J’aimerais aimer ca plus que je l’ai aimé. On dirait que j’aurais pas le choix en tant que fan des 90s et de dream pop. Mais ça m’épuise j’ai de la misère à finir l’album. C’est bon mais drainant. Et la première est la meilleure.
I actually enjoyed this. Not something I would listen to often, but it was good throughout.
this shit rules dude, love the vibes and the sound 4/5
Really good
Reverb melodic. Kind of feels like a good iced coffee caffeine buzz
Unexpectedly good. 4.4
Dreamy...
bellissimo album, la sua voce pazzesca traccia preferita: iceblink luck
Grandissimo album, loro hanno praticamente inventato lo shoegaze. Grazie
Lovely vibes that made me feel nostalgic for a time I wasn't around for (was born the year after this came out). Nothing about it jumps out. I just think it's neat.
impossible to understand lyrics
Hungover, big fight with the missus, told her this was it, no coming back. Listened to Amon Amorth prior to this. Wanting to sink into the eternal darkness, the music in my ears matches the darkness of everything around. Why has no one ever listed them as an inspiration? If I didn’t know it would be a early 2000’s band that was the side project for Sigur Rös
Fire
Liked cherry colored funk, heaven or las vegas, wolf in the breast and frou frou foxes in midsummer fires. I like the dreamy beats and vocals.
Second listen after trying it in 2025. I get it more this time, and I think it would grow on me more. Dreamy, twin peaks.
Gostosinho de ouvir
This is a beautiful record that I haven't been able to wrap my head around. I love the way this early '90s dream pop sounds, but I feel the same way about Heaven or Las Vegas as I do about Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. The sounds are awash with shimmer and reverb and layers and layers of vocal tracks, seemingly with their own chorus effects added. The resulting music is all about texture and vibe. And that's fine with me. But I don't get why they deliberately bury the vocals so that the listener (at least this listener) can't understand a single word. The lyrics, at least the ones I looked up, are good and fit the music's dreamscapes well, and Elizabeth Fraser's voice is great. No one else could have made Massive Attack's "Teardrop" a driving electronic track that still sounds sad and ethereal. I'm not mad at the glossolalia either. Cocteau Twins' label and bandmate (in This Mortal Coil) Lisa Gerrard produced some of my favorite music with Dead Can Dance while singing almost no lyrics at all. But here's the thing. I still listened to Heaven or Las Vegas over and over again yesterday. My final headphone listen revealed and separated so many of the layers that it truly felt like a new experience with this record. I'll keep coming back to this album as I have in the past. I'm frustrated that I can't understand the vocals, but the vibe and texture keep pulling me back in. Four stars.
Beautiful and dreamy. 4.5/5
Cherry coloured funk : felt very magical, sounded beautiful Pitch the baby : I couldn’t really hear what the lyrics were saying but that could be just me. Iceblink Luck : sounds good Fifty fifty clown : sounds angelic Heaven or Las Vegas: I found it unique because you don’t actually know what she’s singing it’s almost gibberish I wear your ring: beautiful Fotzepolitic: ethereal vocals Wolf in the breast: love the layered vocals and the drums Road river and rail : ethereal Frou frou foxes in midsummer fires: favourite song in the album , voice is amazing
They’ve cornered this one sound but man is it delicious
guachi, sólo o un poco ruidoso para mi gusto
me ha gustadoooooo muuuuxo y más después de sufrir el álbum anterior
I got this Xmas day 2025 and it was great! Hadn't listened to this before but had an iea if what it may be. It mire than lived up to expectations. Beautiful dreamy, pop music with timeless arrangements and something i'll definitely cime back to
Dreamy
Enjoyed that. I was thinking 3 all the way through but I think the first listening experience deserves a 7/10, so I’ll let it creep just into 4 territory.
I think I will listen to this again
Very solid space pop with beautiful vocals and soaring atmospheric synths. Surprisingly good…
feels exactly like dissociating after/while getting high, 10/10
Ovaj album mi je onako 3,5 ili 4 ali daću mu 4. Bas je dreamy svaka pesma bukvlano i kul je. Omiljene pesme su mi fifty-fifty clown, heaven or las vegas (vrv mi je najomiljenija) i fotzepolitic; shout out za road, river and rail i frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires
Lillejulaften. I bilen med Jon på tur til Harstad.
I liked this one, never really listen to them before. Will check out more of their stuff. I have no idea what she’s saying though. Madeleine was already a fan of this album.
I've always loved the ethereal and atmospheric sounds of this band. Interestingly, my teen daughter independently discovered the band this year and we've been listening to them more than I have in years. This is music that renovated with me when it was released and still does today.
Cocteau twins is such an original band and Elisabeth Frazer such an original singer. There's no-one that sounds quite like them. I've never really have had the patience to listen to some of their albums, but these bit more accessible ones like "Heaven or Las Vegas" or "Four calendar cafe" are really enjoyable. And there can never be too much chorus!
Ethereal pop. Very unique for its time. I think this is a great album.
very eclectic, much wow
Nice album of multi-layered dreamy pop. Some of the vocals sounded like ABBA! One song tended to blend into another for me though. Enjoyed the second listen more especially when I realised I didn’t have to understand the lyrics! Very good album.
It’s so peak cuz 🥹😣
that last song really made it a four for me
The Cocteau Twin's sixth studio album released at the dawn of the 1980s makes me feels like I'm dreaming awake. I change colors. I change moods. I'm everywhere at times without leaving my warm cocoon of a bed. I'm the nails that prevents the mansion on the hill from falling apart. I have never felt softer. Heaven or Las Vegas? Who cares when I feel this storybook carefree. I love it there. The album ends as albums do but it stays with me all day. I love it here.
Interesting album. The type of thing I’d hoped to find through this experience
pretty good tbh, very like ethereal and dreamy, felt like a good background music album for the summer
Really enjoyed this as background music, like having a bit of a dance whilst doing some spring cleaning. Particularly the first song, Cherry-Coloured Funk, which I've listened to before but it was nice to hear again!
Amazing
I’ve already listened to a couple of songs off this album, before this but this will be my first all the way through listen. I love Cocteau Twins, my favorite song from them is Rilkean Heart!!
Great album
Nice dream pop - not my usual but enjoyed it. Think I’ll discover more on subsequent listens
really good shoegaze, i'll be listening to this one again
This is a lot more my speed. I’ve loved their song Heaven or Las Vegas for a long time but hadn’t listened to this whole album ever, and I’m wondering now why I never did. I don’t know if Cocteau Twins qualify as “shoegaze” but it gives me all the shoegaze vibes and I love it. It’s something I would (and will) listen to regularly. There are a few tracks on here that I kind of have to hold around the edges because they’re not totally my taste but the album is still great overall.
fuck it got me. album cover font lookin like its gonna tell me to open up a couple cans of mushrooms and microwave them, but it got me.
i was so productive with this album playing, i think it hypothesized me.
nice and depressing. Revision fuel in the library
Never really paid much attention to the cocteau twins before but really enjoyed it ! Dreamy proto shoegaze :)
Great album. Had already heard it before and I really like other stuff by the twins as well. Also pretty neat that I'll be going to Las Vegas in the next couple of weeks.
This one is like a train ride. The melodic rocking back and forth as you glide forward towards somewhere far away. Somewhere untraveled. While the outside landscape feels fresh and new, the inside is familiar and comforting.
So much to see with nothing specific. An amazing 37 minutes away from the sturm and drang. More heaven than Las Vegas.
Day 117 A lovely surprise this one. For some reason I thought Cocteau Twins were a folksy acoustic band, I ended up really really enjoying this and will be checking out the rest of their discography. 8/10 Highlights Heaven or Las Vegas I wear your Ring Wolf in the breast
Reminds me of a less intense/industrial version of Death in Vegas.
Ethereal AF. The kind of music I really liked as a teen but never bought on cassette and kind of forgot about. Album holds up all the way through.
Floating and dreamy throughout, with a lush, hazy atmosphere that feels almost weightless. The vocals come through more as texture than lyrics, and the whole album feels like being immersed in sound. It reminded me of a mix between The Cranberries’ warmth and The Cure’s moodiness. “Heaven or Las Vegas” was the clear standout track for me. Beautiful and hypnotic, even if some of the other songs blur together on a first listen.
virkelig lækkert
Den her plade gør rigtig meget som jeg rigtig godt kan lide! Man burde jo nok høre noget mere Cocteau Twins.
Awesome opener. The genre and sound is very nice!
I had no reason to like this album but it really stood out for me. Did not understand a single word but I loved the sound.
I had heard some of their earlier stuff but this was the first time listening to this album. I really enjoyed it, I can foresee putting this on when I need something chill to listen to when focusing on work. Very dreamy, very vibey.
Lots of cool sounds, ambient texture, pop sensibility. Like the Smiths meet ABBA. Proto Melody’s Echo Chamber.
Very nice dream pop! 4.5 rounded down to 4, very vibey
A classic
I really dig this album. Imagine if the 80s had a sound that wasn't cheesy. Some of the sounds and songwriting could be viewed as old but I don't care I love it. The mix is like a warm wash, but sparkly. The vocals are beautiful. Like imagine if you took the sounds from the 80s and early 90s that were actually good sounding and forged them into an album. This would be it. I'm embarrassed I thought these guys were french- they're scottish lmao. I actually really love this album. Such a great dreamscape feeling. Nostalgic. Really intriguing and mystical album. I really dig it. solid 4.5 Gonna be relistening to this whole album
Forgot how much I like this band.
so excited to get this, the english-gibberish mix does wear on you in a full listen but instrumentally such an interesting project.
Lush guitar parts and heavenly vocals. I always forget about how great this group is.
No había escuchado este disco. En realidad creo que a los Cocteau Twins siempre los he conocido de nombre, y este álbum ha sido una grata sorpresa. He tenido que buscar información porque escuchaba a la vocalista cantar en algo que parecía inglés pero no pillaba nada y he descubierto que lo que hace es glosolalia, es decir, cantar como si realmente fuera un lengua sin existir tal idioma. La verdad es que funciona, y puedo decir que es de los mejores discos de dream pop que me he encontrado nunca.
Before their time. So majestic with amazing instrumentals. Fav album so far.
Dreamy, and more so for its language.
Gave me slight Twin Peaks vibes.
Unique and ethereal. Listened while talking the dog on a walk when it was 35 degrees, which felt fitting. Vocals are just another instrument to me, so I don’t care that half the lyrics are unintelligible.
Now this I liked! Didn’t much care for the last Cocteau Twins album I got, but this was more like I was expecting. Atmospheric dream pop with beautiful vocals and nice choruses. Like funkier The Sundays. Listened to this many times yesterday, great stuff.
It feels like floating along a cold spring breeze. It’s dreamy, bright, hazy, and emotional. Her vocals feel more like another instrument here, very melodic, not really lyric-focused since it’s hard to understand the words. However even if you can’t always tell what’s being sung, I think the whole aim of this album is to feel everything rather than focus on the lyrics. The production is lush and ethereal. Everything blends together in the mix, all the reverb-soaked instruments melting into one haze. It’s one of those albums where you get lost in the atmosphere, and it leaves you with a sense of nostalgia. A timeless classic, and an essential dream pop album. It’s a very good dream-pop album, though at times it felt like one long song rather than ten different ones. That can be both good and bad, most of the songs sound similar, but honestly it’s one very good long song. :) Best tracks: Cherry-Coloured Funk, Pitch the Baby, Iceblink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas, Fotzepolitic, Road, River & Rail, and Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Flies.
Love the Cocteau Twins - even after all these years.
Complete surprise. Enjoyed the melodies (not sure about all the lyrics), but a keeper.
A little dreamy at times but overall better than expected, sound production was solid.
no lyrics but still sounds heavenly oh yeah
Short and sweet, beautiful harmonies, ethereal dark shoegazy vibes. Rate this
(4.5)
Otherworldly (4.5)
80s synth pop gets cozy with Renaissance polyphony. The complex and multi-stranded songs are laudable, but I like the more straightforward song songs where I can hear Fraser's voice up in the mix, like Iceblink Luck or Heaven or Las Vegas. My housemate and long time associate is huge Cocteau Twins fan, so I will be in trouble if I don't overrate this one.
It was catchy
Good vibey electronic music
Their most mainstream album, and while still very good, their earlier works like treasure and the moon and the melodies stand High above this one
Seems good, maybe on a few listens I would get into it a lot Will I listen to again: 80%
Nice, parfait pour s'endormir et rêvasser. Parfois on comprend rien aux paroles par contre.
I don't believe dream pop gets better than this. Beautiful, ethereal stuff. Favorite track: Heaven or Las Vegas
This was fun. I'm not singing along to any of the songs, but I would definitely listen to it again.
This stuff is starting to grow on me. Solid music. I really enjoyed the vocals and the overall uplifting feel of this album
Great sound.
This album sounds like an epilogue of an ABBA musical.
Very beautiful, haunting and surprisingly guitar-driven shoegaze that just lacks that killer edge to tip over into a favourite.
Dreamy, jangly, ethereal.
beautiful
Wonderful dreamy music from the time when we made a club magazine with a stencil machine.
This was very cool! Very vibey and ephemeral. Enjoyed "Cherry-coloured Funk" "Pitch The Baby" "Iceblink Luck" and "Heaven or Las Vegas" the most.
Very cool, layered 80s sound. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
Like the last Cocteau Twins album this was entirely different from anything else on the list and equally as pleasant.
I expected to hate this, just more whiny 90s new wave. But this album is Great. I may have to bump this up to a 5.
This shoegaze hypno-pop kinda music can hit real nice with the right mood-enhancing cocktail, but doesn’t work as well on a sober school night. That said, I’ve heard way waaaay worse versions than this.
Schön und interessant. Werd ich nochmal hören.
Loved this.
Beautiful beautiful record. Everything about this is wonderful.
Second album du groupe après 'Treasure' que je possède apprécie beaucoup (noté 4/5). Je connais quelques morceaux de ce nouvel album, mais je ne l'ai jamais écouté en entier. Et bien je le trouve très bon ! J'aime toujours beaucoup la voix et la façon de chanter d'Elizabeth Fraser, et l'accompagnement n'est pas en reste. L'album va rejoindre ma collection, mais pas avec la note maximale (mon album préféré du groupe reste toujours 'Victorialand' - pas dans la liste). =>4/5
Love these girls - great album first listen and will listen again. They probably don’t make a high rotation sound, something for a bit of nostalgia.
Albums like this remind me of how old "modern" is if that makes sense. Current shoegaze/dream & ethereal wave artists are still trying to capture what Cocteau Twins did here. Playing this as the weather has started to cool down, and the leaves fall adds another element to the experience, Fall is a nostalgic season and this is pure nostalgia. On the note of nostalgia, I've been reading the late Mark Fisher's work on Post Punk and Modernism. This album is a great example of what Fisher was theorizing around hauntology and our cultures' fixation on nostalgia and newness. This is what makes the 90s so exceptional for so many - it was an innovative time that successfully built on the foundations of the past but conceptualized new futures. This idea of modern hauntology is why the 90s is able to successfully sound new - even today. Elizabeth Fraser's vocals, are mixed into the track in a powerful way. They come to the forefront of the instrumentals, but also build out this dream-like soundscape that the percussion solidifies. Its accessible as most pop songs are, and structured in the same way, but also feels so outside of traditional pop.
but they aren't twins? what da heck
This band has always been very interesting to me. Although the lyrics don't mean anything, the music is just so dreamy and vibey, and Liz Fraser's vocals are mesmerizing. I enjoyed it.
Dream pop, glossolalia - sounds instead of words Iceblink Luck Heaven or Las vegas
Dope
The Cocteau Twins only recently came to my attention while reading an article of Robert Smith’s favorite underrated bands. Opening track was gorgeous. Love the falsetto singing. The lyrics are interesting in all the tracks. I like how the Twins see the world and craft their music. There’s some lulls on here but short lived and not an entire song. They appear to have been very prolific in the ‘80’s. I’ll have to dig deeper. Updated: listened to it twice and kind of obsessed. Ethereal soundscapes with heavenly voices. Consider me a fan.
2 listens, first I was thinking 5, then upon the second listen a 4. Ive heard others try to do this sound and not get it right. This was outside of what I normally listen to and maybe that was a large part of the appeal. It was refreshing.
New to me and I like it
Very enjoyable, occasionally catchy. Good for a Sunday afternoon
Ethereal and swirling. It just has a vibe.
Unique
I have always liked whatever I've heard from Cocteau Twins, and am also a big fan of a lot of the dream-pop/shoegaze that followed their lead, but I have never consumed this album all the way through and it was an incredible listen. I love the atmosphere this album provides and will definitely be revisiting. 4/5
Didn’t know the band before and I was suprised in a positive way. Nice dream pop with great arrangements.
Well made album. 3.5/5.0: Very Good
Better than I expected. Love Elizabeth Fraser’s voice. Very chill. Will definitely revisit.
The album where they finally get good at song melodies, and the one that sounds the coolest. I've always thought that Cocteau Twins were overall overrated, but this is the one that comes closest to meeting the hype.
Fist time listen. I’m on board.
The Cocteau’s most fully realized album with great pop tunes, their trademark atmospherics and nonsense lyrics, and substantially improved use of electronic drums which often sounded like B-rate Casio effects on previous albums. At times, it almost sounds like ABBA’s lost ethereal album. Highlights abound - “Cherry Coloured Funk”, “Iceblink Luck”, and especially “Fotzepolitic”. My favorite Cocteau album by a mile.
Great album. I have it on CD. The ethereal vocals and drifting musicianship are a bit of an acquired taste however
Atmosphere for days, great shit genuinely! Also the sample for bad habit by Steve lacy is on here and realizing this shocked me and made me even more positive on this journey
Very 1990 but has an agreeable dreamy quality, and explains to me what Liz Fraser was sought after by Massive Attack and Future Sound of London.
I enjoyed it very much.
A great album to listen to while you close your swimming pool signalling the coming of fall, the season of death.
I cannot for the life of me understand the lyrics here. It sounds like a mixture of English and French but honestly I'm not even sure of that. The indistinct, somewhat otherworldly vocals are a really good match for the style of the music though. Overall I really enjoyed having this on while I shopped for groceries. No particular songs really resonated with me though
Some absolute bangers on here, and obviously pioneers of the genre. As is sometimes the case, later artists did it better (Beach House, Delays), but this still rocks.
Muy de vez en cuando Mateo sendin tiene buenas recomendaciones musicales y, a pesar de ser un glazer de la ostia, casi no exagera con la review de este album. Asi que mejor leer su review y ya. Solo he de añadir que la escuché hace como 2 semanas y casi no me acuerdo por eso quizás le doy menos de lo que debo. También quiero decir que la primera canción me encantó y la escucho de vez en cuando. 7.5/10—>4/5
I'm a huge huge fan of Liz Frasier and while my intro to her was This Mortal Coil and Massive Attacks Mezzanine album, it's clear she's at her up beat poppy best here on this, my favorite Cocteau Twins album.
Weird and unique and kind of rad. Definitely gets bumped up a Star from my actual enjoyment level because it’s kind of one of a kind and definitely new to me
Nice atmosphere and vibe, worked really well all together, pretty fun. 4 stars
Dreampop isn't a genre I've paid much attention to, and when I've had I haven't always liked it. Hardly surprising, though, that the best album the genre has produced is actually quite good!
Pleasant. Oddly familiar. Comfy.
All vibes. A warm bath of an album. Each song sounds like something I almost remember. Cool stuff for the right mood.
Cherry-Coloured Funk sehr nice die anderen auch sehr jammy muss aber nochmal net so müde reinhören
Pure dreamy pop perfection
i love this album. i listened to this album a lot during the covid lockdown in early 2021 when it was freezing cold and snowing and everything outside was just dark and awful, so i just associate a lot of these songs with that now. just being inside and feeling like everything was terrible but here were these songs offering a bit of brightness.
True to the name of the genre it helped shape, this album felt like a dream. It was misty, and felt like it picked you up and ushered you along the fuzzy memories of its story. This album impressed me by being an extremely easy listen, one I could probably leave on for days, whilst also being a genuinely interesting piece of music. The vocal layering and looping in this album were powerful and really added to the overall haziness of the music. This is some of my favorite production work I've heard, and all of its converging strengths result in a striking finished product. I've recently spent less time with this type of shoegaze-y music, but I still enjoyed every minute of this album. It's just an objectively beautiful and well-done album all around. Definitely worth all the hype that surrounds it.
Æ rakk ikke å høre hele, men det va helt ok.
Zoned out during this album. It's a short album of 30+ minutes, but I enjoyed it. The ethereal atmosphere is calming and captures the 90s cityscape B-roll picture you would see during an intermission of a rom com movie.
An excellent album.
Very nice music to relax, but not my preferred genre.
i remember my mum really vibing with this album. it feels like the 90s and that kind of foggy fuzzy whimigoth filter of the era. extremely vibey, not bothersome- almost enya-like in quality where it could just be playing in the background and i would not mind in the slightest. liked: cherry-coloured funk, fifty-fifty clown, heaven or las vegas, wolf in the breast
Jolie musique
Never heard of them, but quite like this dream pop album. Their style sounds very modern for the time of release. Love the soundscapes they produce and how they experiment quite a lot technically with a whole bunch of different synthies and effects. This lp flows very well for me. Vocals, melodies and effects blend so beautifully. Heaven of las vegas, iceblink luck and frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires are the standout tracks. For a german speaker fotzepolitic is a standout song title as well. Love it! 3,5 is 4 for me.
A beautiful, hazy 90s dream pop album that is so addictive to me. It feels feminine, raw and emotional, the perfect music for self-reflecting (I’m emotional, lol). A highlight for me is Iceblink Luck, a dreamy song, as well as the albums opening track, Cherry-coloured Funk. Loved this album so much and has really solidified why I love this genre of music!
Exactly the vibe/energy I want from an album when I put it on. Dreamy familiar melodies with that classic 90s jam feel
Dreamy, pleasant and catchy
I liked the blend of dreamy guitars and vocal and prefer this to the album i had where they'd invented their own language. Maybe it brushes over you a little too much as i don't have much specifically to say, but would definitely listen to it again.
This took me about 3 or 4 listens to really sink my ears into. There's some really interesting musicality happening here with enough layers to keep me coming back for deeper listens. I think the the idea of abstract vocals is interesting. There are actually lyrics and I only looked up a couple. Don't expect answers. Just another layer of poetry and more questions. This music is kind of enigmatic. At times the washy melodies remind me a little of My Bloody Valentine. Cool stuff!
This is the stuff—although I never find I want to go all the way through with this one.
This was lovely. I liked the vocals that were not actual words.
I'd not listen to Cocteau twins. It took a while before I got into this, but I started to really like it. Reminded me of sigur ros. Her voice is great. Some of the guitar tones are a bit woolly, but I guess that adds to the ethereal sound. Looking forward to listening to more by them.
This one’s a dream from start to finish as the band leans into a warmer, more approachable sounds than their earlier, moodier, 80's pop-thirsty work. The title track is the crown jewel: dreamy and expansive, the audio equivalent of whipped heavy cream with a shot of whisky.
This album could honestly pass for being released now, the year of our Lord, 2025. It would fit in nicely with the dream pop I hear nowadays; such as Magdalena Bay, The Marias, and Crumb among others. The soundscape in general is just very unique here, very ethereal and encompassing, plus the resonating lyrical delivery plays into these sounds as well. An album like this is to be appreciated in more of an atmospheric sense, and I can see why this was important to the dream pop genre at the time.
I loved this album. Never heard of it or the Cocteau Twins but there wasn't a second wasted on this project. Lyrics were very difficult to discern but it didn't hinder the experience for me. Favorite Song: Fotzepolitic
This is my first time listening to Cocteau Twins and it's a pleasant and interesting journey. I'll definitely explore some of their other releases. Dreamlike but not sleepy!
Dreamy and lovely.
Great dream pop not the best Cocteau though
This album surprised me; I wasn’t expecting to like Scottish dream pop, I guess you never know. Clean sound.
A very pleasant surprise! Dream pop at its finest, not a bad song in the album!
didn't understand a word, good 90s chill vibe
Right up my alley on a quiet sunday. Incredible vocals, love the guitar. I only knew of Cherry-Flavoured Funk, so I'm glad I've listened to the full album, im very impressed (I'd wear your cocteau ring)
Nice and vibey while moving slowly. Felt like I was in a movie
Indie flavoured! Female artists! Love the energy!
Спокойная, душевная музыка хорошо подходящая для релакса. 7 из 10.
lowkey rules
Dreamy, beautiful
De esos discos que gustan mucho y funcionan increíble, pero no puedo aterrizar muy bien cómo lo logran. La música es genial, las voces son hipnotizantes y en general me pareció un gran disco que tiene hasta momentos inquietantes y misteriosos. Muy enigmático.
Heaven or Las Vegas feels like stepping into a dream that’s too vivid to be real but too beautiful to leave. It’s a swirl of shimmering guitars, deep bass, and Elizabeth Fraser’s voice — not just singing, but glowing. You rarely know exactly what she’s saying, but it almost doesn’t matter. The emotion is in the texture, the vowels, the way her voice rises and falls like sunlight flickering through curtains. This album is where the Cocteau Twins reached their most approachable form without losing their otherworldly charm. The production is cleaner than earlier releases, giving the melodies more space to breathe. Songs like “Cherry-Coloured Funk” and the title track are lush and layered, but there’s a sense of groundedness too, a hint of real life underneath the dream. If there’s any drawback, it’s that some of the songs blur into one another on first listen. The atmosphere is so consistent that it can feel a little too smooth at times. Still, it’s a rich, emotional experience, and one of those rare albums that feels alive
So interesting how many contemporary musicians are trying to do with this band has already done. Love the reverb and the indecipherable lyrics.
Fun
Dream Pop is a new genre for me and I really enjoyed this album, overwhelming at times, but the closer laid me down gently.
I actually really liked this and almost gave it 5, but album was too short, none of the songs particularly stood out to me, and they were just a bit too similar
Interesting
Fun.
Cherry-coloured Funk // Fifty-fifty Clown // Heaven Or Las Vegas // Wolf in the Breast // Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires //
Atmospheric, moody, floaty, timeless (a bit like the world of the movie _It Follows_), very enjoyable. Kind of a cross between My Bloody Valentine and The Cure. Sounds like a nice rainy Sunday that doesn't seem to end. 4.1
Very dreamy
Landmark dream pop record. As much as guitars contribute to beautiful textures found on this album, Fraser's voice is in itself feels like an instrument. Especially because I don't think she's saying real words here. Favorite song: Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
so pretty.
Sehr angenehm zu hörendes Album. Schöne Stimmung. 4/5
It was a good listen. Somehow ethereal... Peace and calm.
I like the Cocteau Twins.
The first three tracks, the title track and Fotzepolitic (Cuntpolitics) all work well. The Cocteau Twins make dreamy pop that somehow skirts the edges of twee, goth, electronica and shoegaze without committing any of the sins and without seemingly being much like any of those subgenres. Weird, insular, iconoclastic and fun.
Shoegaze
Beautiful and dreamy. Really enjoyed this album
Nice and short. Some good dreamy songs on there. Never liked the nonsense lyric trend
The Key Lime pie of albums. The music was refreshing and upbeat, and although I didn't understand a single lyric, I thoroughly enjoyed this album.
Synth-pop is truly something special.
Pretty nice dream pop High 4/5
Tres bon
Ethereal and offbeat. Easy to see how this influenced some of my favorite artists like Garbage and The Cranberries. Very indicative of the 80s to 90s sound. Iceblink Luck is a favorite.
fun
I was not a big fan of this band back in the 80s, but I did not listen to their music regularly. Revisiting this after all these years, it brings me back. I like the dreamy atmosphere and Elizabeth Fraser's vocals. I will revisit their catalog.
Cocteau twins I like the swirly wall of sound thing of heavy reverb and chorus. Iceblink luck was fun. Vocals were always nice surprise. Heaven or Las Vegas was nice too, Fotzeoolic has big chorus. I like the the breathy harmonies. 3? 4?
Was expecting to be bored by this one but pleasantly surprised. Kind of a vibe, enjoyed listening, would maybe listen again. 3.5?
I liked this a lot ! Had never heard of it prior but very much enjoyed
I still am not sure how to pronounce their name, but by the time Elizabeth Fraser starts singing, I forget that I care.
This album has a unique energy. The synths and drums are very much a product of their time — those big, 80s reverbed drums — but the music has a hazy, dreamy texture all its own. I like the way the vocals overlap too, sometimes creating a sense that there’s no beginning or end, just a continuous stream of singing and melodies and music. The tone is somewhere between joy and melancholy, like the last day of a great vacation.
Very strong
got it, like it.
Was not expecting this to be as good as it was
Great album that really captures the evolving state of music in the '80s and '90s. They use their incredibly unique sound to its fullest potential, creating tracks that encapsulate a dream-like world. The vocals are really, really good, and even though you can't understand a lot of the lyrics, the melody makes up for it, and it adds to the mysteriousness of the album, letting the listener decide what the songs mean. "I pu and cock two twins, is this heaven or Las Vegas? They sayin we’re abt to pitch a baby, am I a fifty-fifty clown?"
Off the cuff remark: Shoegazing before that was a thing? Standout Track: "Iceblink Luck" lovely dreampop. In my memory Pearly-Dewdrops Drops was on this album, probably my facourite Cocteau Twins song. That's my memory. "Heaven or Las Vegas" title track gets a special mention too. Revisit?: Definitely. Not a firm favourite but always enjoy it when the fancy takes me, as it did today, helpfully.
Good album, but my favorite CT releases were their earlier releases, Head Over Heels, Victorialand in particular.
This album lives and breathes the early 1990's. Shoegaze, dreamy post-new wave, not sure how to label this. I like it a lot, not the least because of Liz Faser's voice. Musically, it produces beautiful soundscapes. It's a generous 4 for me - not a 5 because few songs are absolute stunners, but the album works well as a whole (probably _because_ the songs all sound quite sameish).
The beginning of this album felt like walking into the middle of a set, so I’m not surprised to read that this was their 6th album. This probably feels great for established fans, but a little disorienting for new listeners. Overall, this is an easy listen. It isn’t really my thing, but I can appreciate its place in time and the influence it must have had on later UK pop-rock artists.
Dreamiest of dream pop and the ethereal vocals linger on and on. The whole album keeps the vibe but it also feels all a bit like window dressing once you get past Cherry Flavoured Funk.
Mi piacce Stabile 4
реально дримкор, с первого трека чувствуется.
I really like it. Her voice is outstanding and her lyrical style is unlike any I’ve heard before.
An almost lyric-less fever dream. I love how surreal it sounds
I listened to this album while reading, and I weirdly digged it. Definitely nothing to bop to but lots of chill and good vibe songs.
I love this album. It is perfect for flying on a plane. That said, upon closer critical listening, I would say that the first half (including Heaven of Las Vegas) is slightly stronger. Still, pretty close to perfect 💕
It's good, if short of being the be-all end-all to dreamy music that people treat it as It's relatively consistent and retains its mystic sweetness throughout as well as its lyrics that contribute to the mystique and are generally made up of... some kind of words (couldn't tell you if I've ever had a stroke of Iceblink Luck) Truly a major dub for stoner-kind
This was great! Musically, exactly my wheelhouse, lyrically, stunning.
Consistently catchy and pleasing to the ears. The washy sound is unique and doesn't get annoying. Not quite five star worthy but thoroughly enjoyable.
Ethereal
Always wanted to listen to this record as it’s often cited as an influence on many bands that I listen to. Previously dabbled but never listened to the whole album. Great listen, the easiest album so far on my quest.
I was on the fence about the first Cocteau Twins album I got (Treasure), and when I saw that one of the tracks on this is called Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires, I was expecting it to double down on the irritating aspects of that album. Instead, I liked it - I thought it was still atmospheric but had stronger tunes and was less cloying.
Lovely lush chill
I enjoyed it.
Inget som sticker ut jättemycket men trivs med albumet o får en väldigt stark positiv känsla
Ah, I really enjoyed this. Beautiful, shimmery dream pop (not my usual genre) that I missed first time around. Although it is impossible to understand even a single word from the lead singer, even accounting for the difference between Scottish and American English :)
English is not my native language. But the moment I understand any of the Cocteau Twins' lyrics, or any of Liam Gallagher's interviews, without the help of any subtitles, I can get my Green Card anywhere in the world. This was not a music critic. Music is not just about the words and their meanings. It's about how the sounds they emit make you feel. And in this regard, Cocteau Twins are very good! The album, despite being slightly short, has a magnetic aura, which attracts the ears of sensitive people and makes them travel into this particular universe that the album possesses. Well, at least that's what I felt, I didn't understand a damn thing of the lyrics! hahahahaha. Anyway, 4 stars.
CLASSIC. still cannot tell you even one word of what they're singing about but who cares. my hot take is that this isn't quite a perfect album so it'll be a 4.5 for me.
Took a decade to warm to this but I've matured and can admit it's delightful. I saying that, there better not be any more Cocteau Twins albums on this list. Two is already one too many.
I couldn't tell you a single thing about this album but I did listen to it all day so it's gotta be pretty good
Somewhat dreamy music. Vocals reminded me of Tori Amos. Not exactly my style but was okay.
Nice and dreamy. Missed it when it came out.
Like an ethereal faerie caught the Holy Spirit and began singing in ecstatic tongues. I want to live in this gossamer, glossolalia world.