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.

Hypnotic wall of ethereal sounds, vocals are excellent. An album that requires a particular mood to listen to it but it's still great

I remember this from when I was young but I was never really into it back then. It's pretty interesting, not in a bad way. It took me a minute to realize that she wasn't actually singing words that make sense, and it really works well. Her vocals are more like an instrument. Very interesting music too, its very chilled out and spacey. I'm sure I will be listening to this again.

Cocteau Twins are a band that I've been meaning to check out for a long time as I've seen the name pop up here and there over the years. They're not what I expected, but that's not a bad thing. The shoegaze sound with elements reminiscent of early Cure records is like an aural blanket.

Whimsy, ethereal indie pop rock - perfect for a slow, peaceful morning. I’ve heard some of these songs in my life, never listened to the complete album. Will listen again!

This album puts me in a sexy mood lol

The most fun and accessible Cocteau Twins record, if those are metrics that should be applied to them. I didn't really appreciate them at the time when their excellent posters adorned the apartments of the goth-adjacent (also I fell asleep at one of their shows), but my daughter and friends' daughters all have had a Cocteau Twins fixation that made me come around. This album is a gem that could stand a remaster to really makes it glow.

Never listened to Cocteau Twins before, and didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed the lush peacefulness of it. A number of the songs have the flow of breathing in and out. I did get distracted by trying to work out what language the lyrics were being sung in, but I was fine with them being indecipherable once I found out it wasn't just me. Interested in hearing more from them.

:)

I like The Moon and the Melodies more but this was still nice!

I've only vaguely heard of them before, and I wasn't expecting a lady singer! Dream pop is a good name for what this is. I like it. Not very exciting, which is what I want right now. A nice short album, too. Good. Highlights: 'Cherry-Coloured Funk', 'Fotzepolitic'

Awesome

SINGINONNAFEEBAHSTREEEEEEEEEEEEEE IWANTALOVABOWHOWONLOVMEEEEEEEE LIGHINHEAVENORLASVEGASSSSSSSSSSS ITISMOREBRIGTHERTHANTHESUNISTOME Fav track: Heaven or Las Vegas

Cool ethereal vibe. Flowing easy but the big beats and hifi recording really pump up the intensity of the listen. Not exactly my thing but I really did enjoy it.

Obviously influential to many shoegaze artists that I would later love and even Frou Frou. I’m not sure that I would listen again but I enjoyed a few songs and the shuffle after.

I really liked this. It surprised me

Already love! Loved it - great to listen to the full album too

Is there dream pop without heave or las vegas?

Quite good, can get a little monotonous after a while

A cacophonous mass of trippy acrobatic vocals and thick looping feedback, guided along by relatively skeletal bass and beats. The band draws obvious comparisons to other Scots miserablists of the time, but Liz Fraser’s inventive, barely-verbal style is what makes it unique. Her voice is strange and beautiful, providing all of the hooks and serving as the key instrument in the mix (file next to: Björk, Enya, Bush). If you fancy being instantly overstimulated and a bit depressed by a record full of small, shimmering details and labyrinthine alien structures, you could do worse.

ethereal

Really enjoying this. Very trippy indie rock. Definitely saved a few songs to my playlists.

After seeing this band name pop up in different places I’m really glad this album appeared on the list. A really cool sound.

Enjoyable.

Fabulous, liked it even more than previous times.

really cool

an unintelligible classic

"Poppy" without being obnoxious, this album has a moodiness that bridges its goth forebears like Siouxsie and the Banshees and tThe CUre with - and I could be wrong about this - a new-wave influenced britpop. Vocals stand out, everything supports the song, high level musicianship, it's all very appealing. Cocteau twins have a unique sonic quality that isn't alienating, blending the novel with the familiar.

good vibes.

The title track is quite stunning and the album at large is a bit warm, muddled and blurry. It’s a bit like listening to a cassette tape on a washing machine. I do like it.

The top review mentions that this album just feels like you're floating and that is absolutely spot on.

already listened to it, very much enjoy it

Hated it when I came out - not gonna listen to this one

Sian : really like this one and will be looking up more of their music Deb : unable to listen

Wait, they’re not twins AND their names aren’t even Cocteau?! False advertising! Seriously, though, this is some solid dreamy alt pop.

It's really good, I'm surprised I haven't heard of this band before.

I need to do more drugs apparently.

Great vibes even though the lyrics make zero sense.

I LOVED this album. It was such a vibe. This was the first day of 2025 that was so nice and I was vibing with my windows down. Sooo fun. I liked literally every single song. "Road, River and Rail" was probably my least favorite, but this was a great album. It kinda all started to blend together and sound the same, which is why it misses a perfect 5, but I loved the vibes. Actual rating...4.5. Liked Songs: The entire album

This is the definitive cocteau twins album. I'm jealous of those who get to experience this beauty for the first time. It is the perfect starting point for their sound. A lovely shoegazey, dreamy album. Favourite track by far is Heaven or Las Vegas. This was simply a listening exercise to remind myself how good the Cocteau Twins are. Heaven or Las Vegas isn't actually my favourite of their albums, but it does have some of their best songs.

голос, музыка превосходны

Short lesson, but great album for background music while working.

Typical Cocteau Twins sound, with interesting melodies and ethereal unintelligible vocals. Worth a listen to every now and then.

Quite a hypnotic experience. This is one of those albums you can really drown away in and enjoy. As a result I can't really pick a favorite song here, but the entire album overall is a joy to listen to. There's plenty of variation on here as well. I can hardly make out the instruments but the overall album is just a pleasant 40 minute soundscape.

What stands out the most in this album is the incredible voice from Elizabeth and the catchy melodies, but it goes without saying that the instruments also are very good, and bend pretty well with the singing. A very dreamy experience

Kriege voll den Florence and the Machine Vibe und das gefiel mir sehr :) 4 Sterne

The strawberries! Aka the cranberries 2.0…. Jokes aside album was pretty good

Wasn’t sure where I was when I listened to this. It was either Heaven or Las Vegas.

Another band I've heard of but never listened to. Not what I expected. Dreamy, shoegazey layers with captivating vocals riding on top. I like this more than I expected I would.

very good, would like to listen some more, breezy.

Long live the ethereal choirs with an alternative sensibility.

★★★★½

I don't know if some Valentine's Day melancholy suddenly enhanced it but, God, this is probably one of the most beautiful albums I've ever listened to. Like, damn. Also, "Cherry-Coloured Funk" is one of the best intros to any album ever.

I liked it... pretty good

I had heard the title song before and remember enjoying it, but wasnt otherwise familiar with the Cocteau Twins. I found myself really enjoying this album- it's very much mood music and goes for more of a vibe than a traditional song arrangement. I was most surprised by how ahead of its time the whole album sounded- I feel like it could come out today and fit in with a lot of modern music. Overall- really enjoyed it

Many reviews described this as a warm bath. I pretty much concur with that assessment. It's lovely atmospheric music that demands little from you other than your relaxed presence. Unexpected bangers: Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring.

Great album, but it's crazy this is 1990. It feels so much more 1987.

Considering my only kind of -gaze like album was m b v by My Bloody Valentine, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this. I figured it might be boring at worse or background music at best. But this album was s o o t h i n g. Like holy shit, this is the type of vibe that exists in dreams (which is why this is considered dream pop). It didn’t come off as boring, but rather therapeutic. It’s literally had the ability to calm me to a mellow state of mind. Nothing like m b v where is was catering to a specific genre. This album felt easy to get into. My only complaint is that most of the tracks do sound similar to one another, making it hard to know which is which. But overall for the length of the album, this was a pleasant experience. Favorite track: Iceblind Luck Other hits: Heaven or Las Vegas, Pitch the Baby, I Wear Your Ring, Wolf in the Breast, Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fire, Fotzepolitic

nice album

I fell asleep listening to this. I remember it being very pleasant. 4 stars for that

A fun Indie shoegaze album. For the most part I found this album to be really enjoyable as a full album experience. No single song really stood out to me as one I’m going to remember though.

Good album, but not as good as Treasure. I still really liked it though. 3.5/5

Love hearing a woman sing ethereally. 4 stars

A precursor to so many shoegaze albums and bands I love. Also her voice is amazing.

This album sounds like an indie French film in the best way. They might as well be speaking French because it's limited what I can understand lyrically. It is gorgeous though and each song compliments the next. Definitely one I will return to

It's a good album for me if the lyrics are completely discernible and I still get the jist of it. Vocals are blurry-eyed, ethereal and soulful and the whole album is like a world which you're floating through in kaleidoscope. I've always been a big fan of "Cherry-Coloured Funk" and "Iceblink Luck", and of course the titular track with it's catchy (gibberish) chorus gets the heart pumping with some mysterious hope or determination. But all the others also brought a certain charm that I felt was addictive. I really struggled to rate this one as I absolutely like it and will return to it again. The only negative I have is I suppose it is a bit samey? But, it tracks well as an album and I like that it creates a world for you, rather than a messy mush of disconnected songs. 4.5?

This album conjures a nostalgic vibe that is hard to pinpoint. Suits my current rainy day/sweatpants circumstances.

Solid album, front to back.

Better than I expected

It was surpisingly pleasent. I don’t listen to such music, but I liked it. It was dreamlike.

Really excellent synths 80s pop, similar to what I’ve heard called Dream pop in the modern sense. I’ve never heard of this group, but most of the album is great and the first track is excellent. Great vocals and keyboards throughout. Fun album and a nice surprise.

I love the sound. 1990 when I was a young lad but never knew about it until I was in my younger 40s. I love the first track.

I surprised myself and liked this one.

This is the reason I signed up for this challenge. I've never heard of Cocteau Twins and was intrigued, and after listening I'm so glad they were on the list. The vibes are immaculate here and it feels like you're floating on summer air. The lyrics are absolutely unintelligible, even when listening very closely, perhaps on purpose. But that doesn't matter because the actual vocals from Elizabeth Fraser are flawless. Not the greatest of all time territory, but they're so perfect for the music and a delight to listen to. There are some five star tracks. The opener 'Cherry-Coloured Funk' is ridiculously catchy and the title track is phenomenal. It lifts your soul, instantly puts you in a good mood, it's catchy, sounds ethereal and dreamlike. It evokes images of a heavenly paradise. You're content. Bloody superb. Despite the perfect scoring songs, I'd be lying if I said that the album overall doesn't get a little bit samey and difficult to distinguish between tracks at times (after only two listens). I listened whilst driving but I can imagine with a good set of headphones, in a dark room with no distractions that this is probably a better listen.

Nice album. Good 90s, heaven or las Vegas was the best song for me. Album had a hint of cranberries sound to it

Fantastic album.

Heater

Moody, slower tempo, airy vocals. Cherry Colored Funk is carried by ethereal vocals (why do i feel like I've heard this skng before?). Pitch the Baby has glittery synths and incomprehensible lyrics (but it's fine). Iceblink Luck is boringly happy, chill rhythm guitar/synth. Like the pounding synth of fifty fifty clown, but the melody meanders. Heaven or Las Vegas is also chill in tempo/drum rhythm, layered but not particularly melodically interesting vocals. I Wear Your Ring has slight minor key, key change(?), repetitive melody. Fotzepolitic, might be in 6, has motion and incomprehensible lyrics (actually all the songs have terrible articulation). Wolf in the Breast, melancholy slow groove, something about a baby. Road, River and Rail sounds like 6/waltz, minor key and haunting synth arpeggios. Frou frou Foxes in Midsummer has light airy vocals over heavy piano minor key instrumentation.

I have listened to this before but great album

This was my first time (I think) listening to this group, and I thought it was great. Very ethereal, very melodic. It’s full of different guitar effects to help add to the trippy atmosphere. And apparently they pioneered the subgenre of dream pop in the 80s, which I never knew existed. Couldn’t understand a lot of the lyrics but that doesn’t bother me. The melodies were excellent. This one may enter the regular rotation.

Yeah

good record

👍

I had heard Loveless and Nowhere and see elements of that in here, but I prefer more focused lyrics. At times it works especially on the title track. But sometimes I want to hear something I can relate to.

Great almost ethereal sounds on this album, regardless of the gibberish being spoke, I found myself feeling the vocals a lot. The title track and the final track on the album are standout tracks for me. Gonna have to give it a strong 86/100 score

9/10 Extremely lush and ethereal, can’t blame anyone for the avalanche of flowers this record has received. One aspect that especially interests me is the fake language that’s sung all over this album, I think some may disregard this album as purely surface level and aesthetics, but I feel that if they wanted to emphasize the sound above everything else, they would’ve either went into an instrumental direction or extremely but effective basic lyrics (mbv). I think singing in a made up language is very intentional, when we listen to music in a different language and don’t have a translation easily available or available at all, none of our appreciation for the music is diminished. You might gain a bit more appreciation for the sentiment of the song if you did know it, but not enough to disregard it entirely or lose your interest in what exists. You still feel that there’s something behind the words, and that’s equally as important as the understanding of them. The singing feels eerily uncanny to a real language, it’s not complete improvisational gibberish, there’s a very real rhythm, cadence, and repetition in some of the words, and at some point the vocalist sings words in English, almost as if the band is tricking you into believing there’s a legible meaning in the song, and frankly I don’t think anyone sincerely criticizes other Dream Pop and Shoegaze bands for having illegible lyrics behind the walls of vacuum sounds. It reminds me lot of Julia Holter’s Aviary, an album mainly sung in English but with no coherent connection behind the words, rather the emphasis of the them and the feelings of the sounds of them. This album is the musical manifestation of goosebumps, it’s feeling at a deeper level, and that’s pretty essential isn’t it? Gheuahs, jakwour heroula auie, “ericplaysbass” aioenrs “gay” whjedjaw?

Giving this a 4 but the gap between 4 and 5 is razor thin. Brilliant album, the female vocalist in particular has an amazing voice.

I think some of the songs are top tier. Others fall fat in comparison. But overall: vibes.

What a strange delight! Totally original sound (a touch of the cranberries on one song). Had no expectations but listened to this one a few times through. I could barely understand a word they were saying and it’s unclear to me if that’s the Scottish accent or another language? Ahead of their time, sounds like modern indie.

I'd never heard of this band but I enjoyed this. I was paying half attention and had it on in the background so can't say I really picked it apart, but I enjoyed it as a period piece

This album is an ethereal dream. The lush, layered instrumentation and Liz Fraser’s otherworldly vocals create a soundscape that feels simultaneously grounded and celestial. What’s fascinating is how the unintelligible nature of the lyrics works to its advantage—it transforms the vocals into another instrument, blending seamlessly with the shimmering music. It’s incredibly chill and perfect for background listening, especially while working. Instead of demanding your attention, it gently envelops you, creating a calming yet immersive atmosphere. This is the kind of album that rewards you no matter how deeply you engage with it. Score: 4/5

4/5 1. Cherry-flavoured funk- This song feels like a summer roadtrip and the sun, picnics, highschool friends. Just overall good feelings. 5/5 2. Pitch the baby- a little all over the place but still nice. 3/5 3. iceblink luck- 3/5 4. fifty fifty clown- should listen to again .../5 5. heaven or las vegas- probably my fav lyrics in this album 4/5 6. i wear your ring- <333/5 7. fotzepolitic- reminds me of folk songs in a vague way 3/5 8. road river rail-5/5 9. fffmf- 5/5 fav listen

As someone who used to live in Grangemouth, Cocteau Twins are the biggest thing ever to come out of that town apart from refined petrochemicals and the M9 motorway in either direction....

really love this! need another listen because I was doing work that was pissing me off. want to listen to this on a warm sunny day

this was a LOT of fun. HIGH 4!!!!!

It's like the Cranberries took acid. I like it

3.6 Quite enjoyable actually. It's how I imagined shoe-gaze would sound with the distortion and fade turned down about 50%. Some weaker tracks but generally quite nice to have on and work to. Would come back to.

This album... was restorative. After a rough night's sleep and a general feeling of anxiousnesses that pervaded my day, listening to this whisked me away to drift amongst the clouds. It is an ethereal, beautiful experience. But its relaxing vibes are also the biggest critique I can give it: there's no single track that stood out as the definitive iconic song.

And my list of “why did I never bother listening to this band” continues to grow. This was wonderful.

I was already familiar with a few of the songs, since my sister loves Cocteau Twins. I can recognize that it is really good music but not always my cup of tea

This is often thought of as the band's masterpiece, but to me I think the melodies of "Treasure" are better and that album is more consistently mind-blowing. This is still a classic, it just doesn't quite have the same effect on me. I could listen to the title track forever though!

The roots of many Shoegaze / Dream Pop albums to come. Super cool layering on each song throughout and the atmosphere of the album is unique and sublime. Overrated, but solid 8/10

Музыка обволакивает. Вжжжжжж

This album was stellar, big fan for sure.

一耳朵爱上

Great sound asa always from this fantastic group

Finally getting the hype with this one on the 25th attempt. It's always been somewhat alienating to me and hard to connect with, despite lots of people insisting I'd like it. Not sure why, maybe it's having listened to lots of 80s/90s UK indie pop and shoegaze over the last year for whatever reason, or that this is a remaster that's a bit easier on the ears, but this is way more accessible, the hazy high-end that always pushed me away isn't there and the songs themselves come through way more than ever before and the individual instruments' contributions stand out more clearly. There's a nice combination of Cure-esque basslines driving the songs, jangly shimmering guitars washed in an ethereal bath of reverb delay and modulation effects, big echoey 80s drums, some synth tones, and hushed alto vocals that start with a whisper and resonate, echo, double up and harmonize into something huge. Slow and spacious, mopey and hopeful, dreamily malingering in misery, this is almost as good as everyone's been saying!

Very interesting sound that I was into, to the point that I could barely register that I didn't understand the lyrics. It helps that the album is under 40 minutes long - this one would wear itself out if it was longer. But as it is the album is good!

I was excited to get this because this has been on my to-do list for so long. I was a little let down I must say because I thought this is an instant 5 and it's gonna change my life etc etc but I felt a bit tired after a while. The title song is pretty much perfect and the closer felt a bit different to the rest. I feel like this is perhaps a bit frontloaded or maybe I was already starting to feel it then despite not being a long album. Still pretty cool stuff! I just think a bit change of pace would have been nice at times despite having some sonic variety. Highlights: "Cherry-Coloured Funk", "Heaven or Las Vegas" & "Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires".

Good shoegaze-adjacent dream pop, much better than the other Cocteau Twins albums I have heard (Treasure). 4.5 stars

Really good dream pop album. Highlights are the title track, "Cherry Colored Funk" and "Ice Blink Luck". 4 stars

Familiar with this band but had never cruised through this, and it was a dreamy delight. This has a sound that clearly straddles the 80s and early 90s, but I could hear this album fitting right in in a number of musical eras. Quite nice

Comparisons to bands like Beach House are inevitable, but I’m also getting some hipster Wilson Phillips vibes which I dig. Feels like a strong 3 or week 4. Rounding up cuz the vibes are pretty immaculate. 3.75/5

this was a very pleasant discovery, as i had heard of the cocteau twins but was not familiar with their work prior to listening to this album a couple times. their shimmery, ethereal sound is a perfect microcosm of the shoegaze/dream pop genre and is quite nice to listen to, especially in the background. in some ways, it's almost too saccharine, to the point of being toothless (as is often the case in dentistry). this album also lacks any sort of landmarks or big shifts to the sound; once you start it, you're in for about forty minutes of floating in the lazy river of music, having a generally pleasant time but unable to discern the differences between any particular areas. lastly, i have no idea what the lyrics are to most of these songs. i can't understand a single thing elizabeth fraser is singing, so her beautiful poetry and voice become just another instrument in the mix. it's all one big soup. but the soup is really tasty, so there you go. favorites: cherry-coloured funk, pitch the baby, heaven or las vegas, i wear your ring, wolf in the breast, frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires

Can my nuts hanggg??????

Heard it before, solid

Pretty good. Enjoyable vibe overall. If I heard this in a store I’d probably use my phone to figure out what was playing. I’ll be generous and give it a 4 since I can’t do 3.5.

# Playlist track - Pitch The Baby # Notes - All around cool vibes! It's a fun, atmospheric, endearing listen. - I would have love to see a bit more diversity and movement, especially on the last quarter of the album, but the opening act more than makes it up for it. - Definitely makes me want to listen to more of their discography!

I had never heard this before, and I was vaguely aware of the band but hadn't really heard their music (that I was aware of). While definitely an 80's approach, this was a pretty good album. Elizabeth is good at creating a musical vocal approach, even if you can't understand what she's singing, and the overall music is well crafted.

OK, pretty easy listening. Nothing too memorable.

O how lush! How I wish I had been cool enough to be friends with the girls who loved the Cocteau Twins!

Light and ephemeral mood music

I liked this one a lot. It’s quiet and atmospheric. I could probably put this on anywhere.

Really moody

I must admit to never listening to this so I was properly blown away! Like those YouTube guys who have never listened to music before

Lemppari: Cherry-coloured funk ja I wear your ring Vähiten lemppri: Fotzepolitik

11/11/24. This album grabbed me immediately with the first track, beautiful sounding and quintessential dream pop. Vocals were really nice as well, enjoyed this album!

4/5

I really liked this. Hit me at just the right time, maybe. Chorus pedals of the world, unite!

I liked it yet again nice easy listen

it was good.

I’ve always liked the vibe of Cocteau Twins and Liz Fraser’s nonsense language doesn’t bother me either, it somehow fits in with this type of music (wonder if Royksopp took some inspiration). It does all get a bit samey though. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Not their best album, but still beautifully ethereal

My thoughts on the Cocteau Twins are very complicated...I'm not a big fan of their typical sound (e.g. Treasure), as it's a bit too dense and not melodic enough for me. At least how I like my dream pop. I'm one of those people who'll tell you Slowdive clears My Bloody Valentine any day of the week to emphasize how much I like a strong focus on melody in the genre. It seems like the Cocteau Twins are a band I was destined to never get. However, on Heaven or Las Vegas, I completely get the appeal. There are at least three songs here that are undeniably top-tier dream pop. "Cherry-Coloured Funk" didn't get released as a single because it would've been too powerful for human consumption; instantly sets you up for an out-of-body experience. I'll bet it's one of the best songs I'll listen to in this whole 1001 album challenge. "Fifty-fifty Clown" was the first song I ever heard from this record, with its arresting and ethereal atmosphere. It's my pick for runner-up, though you can't make out a word Liz is saying. The title track is undeniably iconic, while its my least favorite of the three I'll mention, it sums up the mission of this record extremely well: it's about the journey, not the destination. While there are definitely dream pop albums that will appeal to my tastes more, ones that expound on the atmosphere and texture that this band set up in more engaging ways, I can't deny the fact this is a brilliant record. Even if I don't think it's "top 100 albums of all time" level good, it grows on me more with each listen. 8/10

Beautiful floaty dreamy pop. Cocteau Twins didn’t get much airplay in the U.S. but they should have.

86% Best: Pitch the Baby; Fifty-fifty Clown; Wolf in the Breast; Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires Must-Hear? Sure

4/5

Great sounds, and that voice is like no one else.

So that's how derealization feels like, huh?.. A decent record. And an interesting way to get introduced to dream pop. The must have for a long bus drive or for working at night when your mind it's slowly slipping away but you have to keep working... reverb and a chunk of ✨fLaNgEr✨ are really aiming for that unreal effect. I've read some reviews and everyone points at unrecognisable lyrics, saying it's something bad. I understand it can really annoy, but... sometimes I can't even understand what Thom Yorke is trying to say and he's not using so many ✨fLaNgEr✨ on his voice. In the context of dream pop it's reasonable to have a vocal like this - you concentrate on sound of the voice, how good vocalist is and where melodically they can go. The lyrics would distract from the immersive fairy tale atmosphere (that 'dream' part in the name of genre), so it's like listening to another language - elfish if you like. Really, stop shiting about it. So, why 4? I hate ✨fLaNgEr✨.

4 out of 5. Singles aside I like how dreamy this album sounds.

Two "rock, indie, shoegaze" albums in a row this weekend and I could even go for a third

Dan - dreamy, shoegaze. Would like to listen to again. Anna - was nice and would listen to again but nothing extraordinary, just pleasant

It’s cool

Good album, earlier stuff was always a bit weird for me - this is where they came into their own

had never heard of them, really enjoyed it

Very good!

I preferred the front half of the album. Was leaning towards three stars but made the mistake of looking the album up on review aggregators and was convinced to bump the rating up a notch probably as a result of those positive reviews

Frequently suffering from the 'I liked their earlier stuff better' syndrome, this is in reality a fine continuation of the ethereal majesty of the band. Highly recommended.

I'd heard of this band, but never listened to it before. Really solid dreamy synth pop. Had me engaged the whole way through.

this is going straight into my autumn/winter rotation

Mjög fín plata hjá Skotunum. Cherry coloured funk frábært lag og hin rúlla öll bara mjög vel.

dromerig en goede vocals

Shoegazey and mostly pleasant to listen to, although it is hard for me to really grasp onto any particular song. Maybe \"Iceblink Luck\"

Very enjoyable album then. Still enjoy it today.

Great foreign album with a cool vibe. Loved the Smiths/Cure sound with a twist.

I was only vaguely familiar with the band, so this was mostly a discovery. Really like the shoegaze / dreamy songs. And what a voice Frazer has...

Yeah, really good from a band I already had a liking for. Iceblink Luck a track I particularly enjoyed.

Ik kende enkel Heaven Or Las Vegas. Best een goed album eigenlijk. 3.7

Very pretty.

I really liked this. The vocals are beautiful and I found the general sound is something I already listen to quite frequently. My only gripe is I couldn't understand the lyrics very much but from a quick look at their Spotify description that might have been intentional?

This album is full of dreamy, ethereal music. Almost every song feels straight out of a dream. Ironically, the only song that doesn't fit is Cherry-coloured Funk. I don't know what people see in this song to make it so popular. As for other songs, Heaven or Las Vegas feels nostalgic, like the McDonalds with play areas. Pitch the Baby is basically a fever dream. I Wear Your Ring feels like I'm watching something in slow motion. There's a lot of range in the emotions that I feel listening to this album. Whenever I listen to the Cocteau Twins, I essentially listen as if the vocals are another instrument. While this album may be lyrically dense, I can't understand what she's saying enough to even try to dissect them. Best Songs: Pitch the Baby, Iceblink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring, Worst Songs: Cherry-Coloured Funk

4 - an easy 5 if you’re into elevator/background music. More seriously, it just blended together

Very nice

Love it

I liked it. Wasn't expecting female vocals so that was kinda nice

Another wonderful album from the Cocteau Twins. This one is a little more accessible than ‘Treasure’, a bit more direct musically, but still very much in the same vein and I loved it just as much if not more. Another strong 4, very close to a 5.

Good record. Not exactly my favorite kind of music but a nice, easy listening time.

Had heard singles but not the album, enjoyed it more than I expected, really helps you get engrossed in the specific sound.

As the kids say, this is a "vibe". It's my kinda thing where it's a bit trancey and sythy, the vocals are a tad hit or miss

Less weird Kate Bush. Pleasant and surprisingly enjoyable.

Some of these songs are just alright, but some ("Cherry-Coloured Funk" and "Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires," especially) are the prettiest few minutes you can hear in music.

Massivly beautiful dream pop.

Muito bom

Still trying to figure Cocteau Twins out. And you?

Идеальный альбом для поездки, трэк Heaven or Las Vegas захватил мой разум и заставил погрузиться в сон , но альбом довольно однообразный