Treasure

Aaaahhhh...the soothing sounds and driving beats of the Cocteau Twins, an 80s gem. I love them, and have fantasized about them opening for Echo & The Bunnymen in a small venue. Treasure is a dark, melodic journey and an album for many moods. It is a dreamy night drive album, but my first listen today was in the morning while sipping on Kenyan coffee and staring at the snow covered trees. Such a beautiful compliment to the squinting brightness and unknown of the day. And yet, it was even better on tonight's crisp trail walk...magically mesmerizing, with each song steering my mind and eyes into the mysteries of the wintery night. This record is an ethereal piece of art with not one reason to hit fast-forward on the tape deck. As a staple in our car tape cases back in high school, Treasure's A-side is still so strong (Lorelei & her friends) that it begs us to flip to B and keep driving until Donimo floats us home. (or to the river to float away from everything...)

My kind of music! I'm an absolute slut for both shoegaze/dream pop and goth. Love the ethereal vibes, angelic voice and nonsensical lyrics (or is it Scottish?). I have no idea why I never bothered to check out Cocteau Twins before. Incredible. People who don't like this are weak. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

This is such a beautiful and original album. There was nothing like it before it came out, and, even though the band wasn't that happy with it saying that it sounds unfinished, that might be the thing that made it so perfect. Wonderfully layered with the two voices weaving in and out and around each other, the music here floats like a wispy cloud, but the more you listen to it, the more you hear. Absolutely brilliant. For many, it will take several listens to get it, but be patient and you will.

Keep this treasure buried

album makes me feel like I'm a victorian girl locked in a dungeon about to die of the plague but it's cool cause I'm chillin though

I thank this project for introducing me to Cocteau Twins. I have now listened to the entire discography and am left in awe of every record, this is no exception. Beautiful.

Beautiful, dark, romantic, and ethereal. This is one of my favorite albums, with masterpieces from start to finish. Frazer speaks in a mixture of English, Latin, and Gaelic among others, using the beauty of language as the primary instrument itself. The guitars echo and create a wave of noise that create space in this otherworldly reality her music is set in. It's optimistic but cold in a gothic romanticized manner. There are some dance tracks like "Lorelai", some emotionally dramatic tracks like "Persephone" or "Amelia", and some that put you in an neverending trance like "Pandora." The simplicity of the song titles, minimal instrumentation, and lack of sensical lyrics place an emphasis on the organized structures of the songs and their linked coherency. It doesn't follow any form of conventional pop structure, so you never know where the song's headed next, but you're pulled in every second. Second half moves into more unconventional, intricate ambient compositions. "Aloysius" is melancholic, calm while still dramatic. "Cicely" is the hardest and coldest song on the album, marked by fast rhythmic drum beats and wailing guitars. "Otterley" is characterized by whipsers and the sound of waves on an eery and desolate beach, haunted by ghosts and sirens. We end with the angelic and satisfying "Donimo", a gorgeous teary closer. I agree with this track ordering, although I could see how some could lose focus in these last few. I find it to be flawless from start to finish, and one I revisit for all sorts of occasions.

I have no idea what any of those lyrics were. Listened to this using vintage Beyer headphones from the 80s. Sometimes things just make you stop and let the rain get you wet to the skin. Wonderful. So very wonderful.

Think of the last scene of Blade Runner 2049. Now imagine lying in snow and bleeding. The red covers the white while the camera zooms out. ‘Treasure’ is that kind of an album.

This was ethereal and mythology heavy and beautiful. Persephone, Donimo, Pandora, all of it is great.

Forty-two minutes of Elizabeth Fraser moaning into the mic while the guys whist some chords together. A defining 80s sound and pretty original, but not very exciting and lacked range. Enjoyed very few parts. 3/5

fuck yeah !!!! i love the cocteau twins. don’t understand a word they say but god bless them ❤️ best of the best: lorelai, beatrix, ivo

The atmosphere on this album is unique and fantastic. A magnificent cross between their more gothic side and their more dream pop side. The timbre of the instruments is always particularly well put together to accompany this voice and these distinct words. This album is a nice breath of fresh air despite being dark. Absolutely love it.

Not sure what it was, but the angelic vocals and the large stadium sound, great run time, made for a great dream pop album. The vibe was amazing.

Treasure by Cocteau Twins (1984) This Scottish trio’s third album is colorful and weirdly soothing, but it’s not that good. Maybe you could give it a listen when you’re recovering from heart bypass surgery (I speak from experience). On this recording, lyrics are hidden in more ways that one. There is (1) a “fondness for idioglossia” (a medical condition in which words are so poorly articulated that speech is either unintelligible or appears to be a made-up language) as well as (2) a fondness for sprinkling in obscure references from a wide variety of relatively unknown tongues. There is plenty of debate as to what the lyrics even are, much less what they mean. This and the fact that they are quite subdued in the dreamy mix force the listener to rest content in only the musicality of the vocalizations, while suppressing a giggle or two. I mean, some of this gibberish is really laughable. In terms of sound, while it may be (and has been) described as ‘ethereal’ and ‘angelic’, what with its high reverb and wailing but sensitive soprano vocals, it’s more like Enya on Red Bull. And the drum machine that gives it that energy is highly artificial and mechanical. Both of these features have their pluses and minuses. Mostly minuses. No tracks stand out. They’re all equally pretentious. When two of the members of the trio later described this album as “an abortion” and “arty-farty pre-Raphaelite” (a pretty arty-farty expression itself), one feels comfortable listening to it once and rating it ‘one star’. 1/5

As it turns out, they are not actually twins and there’s 3 people in this band. Talk about false advertising. I kid, but I always kind of wondered if there were actual twins in this band. There aren’t, but, I swear*, I’m not going to let that have an effect on my review. Treasure is an enjoyable, ahead of its time dream-pop record. Its influence on modern indie is undeniable. If you’re a Stereolab fan, like me, I think you’ll find quite a few similarities between the ‘Lab and Cocteau Twins, especially on a track like “Pandora (for Cindy)”. (Full Disclosure: I’m partially hoping that a positive rating and Stereolab mention will bump up Stereolab in the generator’s recommendation queue for my account) Like a lot of British indie/underground of the 80’s, Treasure is a little overly dramatic and maudlin sounding, but makes up for it with interestingly layered vocals and beautiful guitar work. A thoroughly enjoyable 4 out of 5. *Deducted 1 star for not having any twins in the band

A lot of people seem to think dream pop is quiet background music but this sorta thing should be played loud for you to pick up on all the lush details here and let it rush all over you. Anyways, this Aussie is happy to be back and gives this album four bags of Burger Rings out of five.

👍

All the songs sound the same

Dreamy! Amazing textures, arresting vocals, interesting melodies and harmonies

Had this album on constant play back in the 80s, but I hadn't revisited the whole thing in probably 30 years. Absolutely lovely, one of the great albums of that era. I agree with those who say that some of the technological aspects of this album's sound seem a bit dated. But you can't argue with that vibe, which sounds rather timeless. Darkly lovely, exotic and ethereal music. Gorgeous, haunting arrangements and one of the most striking uses of vocals I've ever heard. This is an outstanding album by one of the most unique and influential bands in music, arguably their best. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Persephone, Beatrix, Lorelei, Otterley, Donimo, Pandora (for Cindy), Aloysius, Amelia, Ivo, Cicely

A beautiful album. Really love the drums thumping out in a really mad way over these beautiful delicate tracks

I've heard of this band but that's it - always had it in my head that it's old school electronica for hipsters. I'm expecting similar feelings to Depeche mode in that half my friends and bands I like dig it, but I won't care. Baseline 3/5. Ok, it's not really electronica (beyond obvious drum machine) but I got the hipster part right. Initial thoughts are "accessible Kate Bush". Guitars well produced, the acoustic tones are lovely. Singing is nice, well harmonised etc. I dig the lack of expected song structures, it doesn't throw convention completely out the door but it kinda blurs the line between verse and chorus, and that's cool. Songwriting is consistent, if a little samey. The drums though, wtf. A few songs in they started to get really jarring, it sounds like midi drums from a $50 Casio keyboard. At times the drums are all you can hear - they didn't even try to hide the shit. Overall I probably won't listen to the whole thing ever again, but this wasn't a horrible experience by any means. The first song in particular was a standout, might make its way into a playlist. And if they'd used real drums I might have even given it a 4. 3/5.

Me and the 1001 albums guy have drastically different ideas about "must hear before I die"

This is such a mess. Musically, vocally, and production-wise this band sound like they could do so much better but they somehow landed on this atrocity. There's no other way to describe it than a mess, it confuses my ears. Someone dropped all the elements of a decent album, and lost the instructions on how to put it back together, so we end up with all this disjointed dissonant nastiness.

Honestly so stunning

This is such a lovely and enchanting album. There is a lot of reverb here!

This is my favorite Cocteau Twins album I've heard so far, maybe because it's more accessible? Whatever it is I love it

Obviously indebted to shoegaze and dreamy goth pop, but also doing its own weird and beautiful thing. Liz Fraser is such a treasure.

Another Cocteau Twins album that just gets better and better the more I listen to it. Hard to pick a favorite from them, but this one is definitely up there. An easy 5 for sure. Cocteau Twins permanently changed the way I appreciate music in general, and I appreciate the hell out of them for it. Time to go on a CT kick for a while. 🤙

One of my fav albums of all time, Really opened my eyes to music in college. Set me on a cool trajectory to find more underground 80s music. Five stars easy.

cocteau twins is a name i've heard but i don't know if i've ever experienced their music before this. really cool stuff. very atmospheric and the vocals are haunting. i could see myself absolutely falling in love with this album if i give it another few listens, but as it stands right now, i am extremely impressed. very compelling and stark.

One hears Cocteau Twins and envisions mosaics and stained glass windows and and tapestries, with so many attractive and engaging filigrees, not just as the fringes but at the very core. A bit chirpy at times but still most charming, with all the lovely breathiness, fantastic fragmentations and intricate little vistas. "Lorelei" and "Pandora" are highlights. If not as extensively or outright glorious as Heaven or Las Vegas, this still glitters plenty.

The band that revolutionized Dream Pop with some of the best albums of the 80's and 90's. This album that the Cocteau Twins released 6 years before their most critically acclaimed album was already one of the most forward thinking albums of the first half of the 80's by combining the dreamy sounding guitars with ethereal sounds and some Goth Rock influences to create a dark and mysterious album full of atmosphere and psychedelic parts. One is thrown into the album with 'Ivo' which is a nice blend of the Dream Pop and Ethereal Wave which makes up most of the album but it also adds some elements from Psychedelic Folk music which is a pretty cool touch especially right at the start. Also, like most of the album, you don't understand a single word that is sung even if it is English but that doesn't matter as it just adds to the dreamy atmosphere. The song feels cryptic and strange and full of mystery which makes it a great intro to the album. The high pitched vocal hook is quite interesting but I wish they added more to it. The song is pretty good but with a lot of room for improvement which still makes it a pretty great song overall. It gets a little noisy on 'Lorelei' which adds some Shoegaze, Post-Punk and even more Psychedlia into the mix. The result is a mix between dark and dreamy instrumentals combined with vocals that feel surreal and other-wordly, almost like a night creature you find in a nightmare but in the best way possible. This song feels more focused and more like it gets the thing done that it wants to achieve. The result shows that as it is one of the best songs on the album, simply incredible. 'Beatrix' on the other hand adds some Neoclassical tones while being much more openly Pop. It feels anthemic and nearly operatic, full of atmosphere you'd expect to find in a church but more Goth, if you know what I mean. The song is really lovely and weirdly hypnotic and the way builds up in the second half is just amazing. It is a stunning song which is just absolutely incredible. It gets even more Goth and Post-Punk on 'Persephone' which means it gets even darker and the atmosphere here is unmatched. The vocals are quieter and feel like they come for much further away which gives the song a creepy distance between listener and artist. It is genuinely a great piece of music and easily one of the albums biggest highlights. A truely wonderful song full of psychedelic and stunning moments especially with the vocals. The albums first half ends with 'Pandora (For Cindy)' is again, very dreamy, very ethereal, very atmospheric but here it feels way more like this would be liked by a bigger sized audience. It isn't as creepy, it has a nice and relaxed melody and is performed like it somehow finalises something (Side 1 in this case). It's a great song but doesn't really reach the heights some other songs here have so far as it is a little longer and looses itself a little. On the second side, 'Amelia' introduces the themes that were established on the first half and here there is again a little more Goth Rock worked into the song. That results in it being instrumentally darker and more angsty with some of the rhythmn sections feeling very anxious which is only strengthend by some of the vocal parts. The track is simply amazing and just full of hypnotizing moments. 'Aloysius' breaks things a little up by adding some jangly guitars that serve as a little more standard melody but the ethereal drums and bass parts add the deserved atmosphere. It's a pretty decent song with some really good moments but in comparison it just feels like it falls a little short although the drums are really good. The slight industrial influences on 'Cicely' are pretty well made and do make up the most interesting parts of the song but overall the song just feels a little like it tries too hard which ends up hurting it a bit. It's still a pretty good song but it isn't one of my personal favourites by a long shot. But I do have to give some credit to the organ which is my second favourite thing about the song, sad that it appears only for a short time. The very Ambient and nearly New Age sounding 'Otterley' adds some very echoey vocals on a mix of laid back instruments and Field Recordings which give the whole thing an own atmospheric touch while still somehow working within the albums context. In fact, they way that it is structured makes it a pretty memorable song and it doesn't get boring at all. I actually think that it is one of the best moments on the entire album. 'Donimo' closes the album with the longest song the tracklist has to offer. It keeps some of the Ambient elements of before but actually adds all of the influences that other songs had as well. There is some Goth Rock, some Art Pop, some Neoclassical Darkwave, some Post-Punk and also some Industrial moments. The result is an amalgamation of what makes the album as a whole which happens to be fantastically enjoyable and one of the albums most diverse and interesting songs. favourites: Lorelei, Persephone, Beatrix, Amelia, Otterley, Donimo least favourites: Aloysius, Cicely, Pandora (For Cindy) Rating: decent to strong 8 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

My best friend is probably the biggest Cocteau Twins fan I will ever meet and formally introduced them to me last year. I can't tell you how many nights I've spent with him on one of our couches or in one of our cars stoned out of our mind just disassociating to "Lorelei" and more songs from Heaven or Las Vegas. This album just brought about some good memories. While this is certainly their second best album and coming into it I only really knew "Lorelei" and the general sound of the band, I did enjoy this album. I found some tracks I like that I haven't heard before like "Pandora (For Cindy)" that were really good. All in all this was a great album to get blazed and vibe out so hard to.

This album has such a fucking vibe, and I'm so here for it. I can only imagine how fucking awesome it must've been to be at the club in 1984 as something from this album took the speakers. It reminds me of a darker, more adult version of AURORA because Fraser's voice is so etheral and she uses her own made up language. Only the outdated drum machine (Persephone suffers from this one) is kind of an issue together with some mastering that seems slightly rushed, but somehow it just adds to the vibe. Really torn on this one, 4 or 5. Lorelei is such a jammer. Though I don't think about half of the songs are going to age very well to me, and just begin sounding weird at some point. Like Aloysius, which is already annoying after two listens. I think this album is a very strong 4. Truly a treasure.

Another style my kids cannot abide. I've got plenty of time for Cocteau majesty in its highlights, but this was a tough sell today

Not really my style. Lovely ethereal voice and distorted guitar to listen to in small doses 80’s Scot band

Not for everyone…

Start is a bit fuckin weird and meandering. Track 1 alternates between beautiful & haunting and flat out annoying as fuck Lorelei is pretty good Beatrix is creepy and interesting Persephone is bluesy and heavy. Twin peaks roadhousey Pandora is dream pop incarnated. Gorgeous Donimo closer is solid beautiful melancholy. I haven’t understood a single goddamn word on this album. The album got off to a weak start—Ivo is one of the most annoying tracks I’ve heard. Ended up being a sweet, eery melancholy great dream pop album. A great pick to put on a night road trip. Gives me vibes of late nights before the sleep takes over just before the sun rises.

Reverb is the fourth band member.

There's nothing to object to. But nothing i want to hear, either.

Bit airy fairy meh

80's UK Alt Rock... a little bit lighter of lighter listening, some orchestral sounding songs. Not really any BANGERS.... 2-3 stars

Super 80s. Loved Pandora but was underwhelmed by most of the rest of the album..

Kinda screachy

Surreal ethereal piece of art

The first C Twins album on this list was from their later 'more straightforward' period on Fontana. This is perhaps the apex of their 4AD sound, adding a muscularity and thicker texture to the gossamer (compulsory CT word) soundscapes of the two next albums, and a more ethereal (2nd compulsory CT word) sound to the first two albums. In conclusion: the CT mk 1 sound in perfect balance.

this is an absolute vibe! loving it! persephone and pandora are standout tracks for me.

I never got into shoegaze barring one band (Silversun Pickups - one of a handful of 'buy unheard' groups left for me), but this release makes it more compelling than when it had its heyday. While I can appreciate it for what came after, though, I felt it relied on the aethereal voice modulation aspect more than on any actual song lyrics. Sure they're there but lyrically they seemed to focus on one type of vocal over the other, whereas Silversun Pickups has the lead lyrics and the aethereal vocals happening at the same time. That said, I put more of their discography on after I finished this album and there is quite a lot to like in there, and I feel secure in saying that one of my favorite bands wouldn't exist if they hadn't paved the way, so a 5-star from me.

Like it very much

Brilliant

I’ve been listening to this album pretty regularly for over thirty years now. There’s really nothing else like. It’s layered, reverby, dreamy, and of course the lyrics are incomprehensible. Is it my favorite album? No… you really have to be in the right headspace for it, but there is nothing else like it.

Treasure is one of the very few albums that I would use to describe as ethereal. When I tell you I have never in my whole life heard an album that sounds anything close to this one, it just sounds like it was made on a whole different planet. I've never really been too interested into listening to Cocteau Twins but oh my god are these guys amazing. I'll be honest although there are a few songs that I like less than others, there is no denying that they have the most unique sound and there has never been anything like them since. Their work is pretty much flawless. I would greatly consider this to be one of the greatest dream pop albums ever, just from how abstract it sounds. I absolutely love it when bands use the lead vocalist's voice as an instrument rather than having clear lyrics that match the vibe of the instrumental. Rather than focusing on lyrical meaning, they instead decide to go for a more abstract and emotional style, which for the most part is the wailing. Elizabeth Fraser's vocals go so incredibly hard throughout the entire album, and it gives the music a sort of uncanny and haunting sound, which just works so well with the pretty basic instrumental. The general focus is on the emotional impression rather than the narrative of the music, which works so well with the atmospheric instrumental. The instrumentals on Treasure might seem pretty stripped-down, but that’s honestly what makes them so effective. They assist in creating the dreamy and weightless atmosphere while gives Fraser's vocals to do its thing. The guitar is so heavily manipulated by reverb and delay, shifting the focus on creating texture in the music rather than taking a heavy influence in the album. The drums and bass are kinda just pulsing in the background and are just super understated throughout. When combined, it creates that dream-like state that is lowkey just a vibe to listen to. Everything just works so well together to build this weirdly beautiful, otherworldly soundscape.

Великая группа с лучшим названием на свете. Никто не делал и не делает дримпоп как они. И, конечно, сносящий крышу голос Элизабет Фрейзер. Вот факт: я произношу название этой группы как Кок--Те--А--У Твинз, что странно, но вот. Лучшая песня - Ivo.

Cool mix of goth/ethereal. I had only heard Heaven/LasVegas before this and this is just as good in a completely different way. I went and listened to their early stuff and it’s crazy how much of a step up this feels into their own sound compared to before with their obvious Siouxsie and the Banshees influence. Rating: 4.7

Skotlannin alternative rock -perhe alkoi kehittyä hiljalleen tämän eteerisen yhtyeen ansiosta. Välkehtivän sopraanolaulun siivittämä kolmosalbumi oli bändin siihen asti huikein täysosuma. Kypsä, yhtenäinen levy hurmaa mystisellä dream pop -leijailulla, joka rönsyilee folkin, keskiaikaisen tunnelman, shoegazen ja noise-henkisen kitararockin välimaastossa. Jylhät äänimaisemat kätkeytyvät ovelasti ohuen hunnun taakse, jolloin raskaus ja herkkyys korostuvat samanaikaisesti. Vaikuttavaa ja kaunista.

Could you repeat that

5 stars immediately. Fuck with this band so hard forever.

She coc on my teau till the twins I will treasure.

A perfect record. I remember when I first heard it I was so amazed by the guitar work. After relistening to it now I still am.

Know the name but not sure I’ve ever listened to any of their songs.. regardless, I’m super into the ethereal, shoegaze music like this. Definitely biased somewhat, but 4.5/5 for me, will definitely be exploring more of their music catalog

One of the best of the 80's

This was pretty decent! Never listened to these guys before, but I enjoyed it. Listened a couple times.

Some of the best dream pop you'll hear outside of Beach House. Solid 5 Stars.

You know what? I think I’m at a 5. The last time we got a Cocteau Twins album, I specifically wrote the following: “I just don’t know that I could personally give a 5 to an album with vocals, but without lyrics, simply because I’m a sucker for storytelling”. However, I think this album hits just the right type of vocal presence, where they’re used as an instrument and not as a guiding melody of each track, in a way that I can feel comfortable with giving this a 5. “Heaven or Las Vegas” structured its songs in a way that was more of an homage to the 80s as a whole, and it used its vocal presence in a way that felt more poppy & familiar – the vocals felt like they could have real lyrics to them, and it was nice to listen to, but felt sort of awkward for my ears. This album leans fully into the ethereal & the dreamy – a lot of this is Eno-esque white noise, with the vocals used to just sort of flow each moment into the next. There’s not many moments where you can feel a general chorus open up, and as such, it’s a lot easier to zone out and let the rest of the instrumentation take you where it goes. Really good instrumentation too – lots of great percussion & guitar melodies are here, and each track does have a good structure to it, so the vocals still feel important, even if they’re used differently. Much like the last Cocteau Twins album, I do think it’s hard to really find a way for me to analyze this any further other than just “it sounds really good”. It is, however, an improvement over my grand analysis from last time, which was “that sounded really good, but sometimes it didn’t” – there is not a single bad track here, only brief moments where it’s a little loud, or just a hint repetitive enough to get out of the zen state. It is on a lower end of the 5 scale, but I think it’s a 5 nonetheless – a really enjoyable 41 minutes, and if nothing else, fabulous studying music.

PEAK PEAK PEAK PEAK PEAK!!!! cocteau twins my BELOVED!!!!!!

Music where you have no idea what they’re saying >>>

I'm a big fan of Cocteau Twins and shoegaze/dream pop in general. This album, IMO, is Cocteau Twins at their best. Atmospheric and interplanetary. Gorgeous layering, with a broad soundstage. Elizabeth Fraser's lyrics, for lack of a better word, tell you of life somewhere else. A beautiful, harmonic, and soothing escape from the mundane.

Oh I love this album. Wow. Third time (and being high) made everything click. Love the vocals, love the classic electronic drum sound, love the everything else in this album

No es un disco sencillo, de hecho puede llegar a sentirse bastante denso, pero desde la primera canción se nota el tremendo trabajo y genialidad escondida en su creación. Y no deja de crecer, cada canción se siente más envolvente y llena de misterios para descubrirle en cada escucha. Genial.

another band i really need to learn More About, but i remember most of this record surprisingly vividly from my spins years ago in the college dishroom. its difficult to isolate any One Part of cocteau twins music and what exactly its contributing besides the fact that the music would be emptier without it, it feels strangely and comfortingly inevitable in that way. fraser always sounds less like someone singing at u and more like a voice inside ur head, like ur remembering her rather than hearing her. compared to holv which im a lot more familiar with this is less anthemic and more esoteric...while not ofc being one bit less melodic, and the mysteries here are all inviting, like theres reason to believe there's benevolence behind them. kind of the best music ever lowkey

Adore this album. I don’t think it’s quite as ethereal as many would argue. Rather, I just think it’s elegant artsy pop, often with a great deal of propulsion to the programmed beat. Ms. Fraser’s timeless vocals always receive a lot of attention, and deservedly so, but there’s just so much here. The type of music that sounds like nobody before and everybody after.

Had this album on cassette tape in early 90s, with Heaven or Las Vegas on the flip side: both are timeless classics and two of the best pop albums made during 1980-90.

Still an amazing album. Dark and light at the same time. Cicely was, and still is, my favourite song.

I absolutely love a couple things about this album. 1. Our musicians are playing shoegaze before it was a thing. And they're doing an incredible job. 2. Our vocalist is spouting utter nonsense, but doing it so consistently with exquisite phrasing, that it has the form of lyrics without containing any linguistic content whatsoever. As a person who hears lyrics as music before I register that they're actually singing *words*, I consider the singing an amazing feat. If you were to grow music in a lab that was meant specifically for me, you couldn't do much better than the Cocteau Twins.

This one is a little hard to review as it’s a little unique to a degree. You’re kind of forced into just talking about how the vocals sound and the music itself, as lead vocalist Elizabeth Fraser sings in an entirely made up language. I’d love to say it’s a very daring choice to do so, but it seems to fit the music and production perfectly; adding an aura of total mystery to everything. It forces you to FEEL the music, while simultaneously adding to it. Her voice is dreamy, smooth, and ethereal as she hits high note after high note after high note with an unbelievably strong sense of melody and intensity. I was also surprised to learn, upon reading about this album, that the band aren’t very fond this release; regarding it as rushed and meaningless “arty-farty”. But at the same time they kind of admit defeat that people seem to like this album more than the others as it was their most successful. It really shows how sometimes there can be a pretty distinct disconnect between the audience and the artist. I myself am falling in line with the audience on this one. It may have been rushed, and it may not mean anything to the band. However, they have crafted a masterpiece here. Aside from the phenomenal vocals of Fraser, the music is just perfection. Gentle acoustic and electric guitars. Echo-y drums that feel far away adding to the ethereal, dream-like atmosphere. Bells ringing throughout each song. Subtle piano work. And just beautiful engineering all around. My personal highlights: ‘Ivo’, ‘Lorelei’, ‘Persephone’, ‘Amelia’, and ‘Domino’. I was very quick to add this to my list of LP’s I now want to physically own; and I think anyone and everyone should give this album a chance. Because while it means absolutely nothing to the band, they seemed to have accidentally stumbled into making just an absolute banger of a dream pop album. 5/5

Darker than their later stuff, but still with those same dreamy vibes I absolutely adore.

I can't think of another album with such a singular vibe than this one. The washed out distant vocals, the shimmering guitars, the childlike melodies, the unintelligible lyrics. Even the tracklist has a specific vibe, with every song have an uncommon person's name. I guess this must have been the moment when dream pop really began, and it sure sounds very dreamy and otherworldly. Key tracks: Ivo Lorelei Persephone Pandora (For Cindy) Amelia Domino

This is my second time listening to this album, and it absolutely fits the name Dream Pop. It’s dreamlike, ethereal, surreal, and abstract. This is definitely one of those albums you start from the beginning and just let it play all the way through. The whole thing feels like a journey, with each track seamlessly flowing into the next.

Liz Fraser's voice soars, and the guitar work from Guthrie remind us that he wasn't always a complete dick, or addicted to chorus pedals.

I've fallen in love with the Cocteau Twins since discovering them through this list. An excellent album with ethereal vibes.

As someone who’s a big fan of Heaven or Las Vegas, this is super cool to hear them essentially go inverse because of how rock/heavy and dark it feels. Sounds phenomenal but I still prefer the former to this one

one of my all time favorites blissful!

Wow, what an album. Where the sounds of light and darkness intertwine into an atmospheric soundscape. This will be going on repeat in the coming months.

10/10

Soundscapes alternating between dreamy and vaguely unsettling. The layered female vocals are largely unintelligible. Mechanical sounding programmed drums. And yet, the overall effect is organic and beautiful. Ivo and Lorelei are pretty, but Persephone is better; built around a dark, driving low end rhythm. Pandora and Aloysius are melodic again and uplifting. Strong closer in Donimo. Nothing else quite sounds like this. A treasure indeed.

Hadn't heard before, loved it.

I LOVE THIS ALBUMMMMM

Very fun

more like 4.5, love the cocteau twins already, but not as good as heaven or las vegas

Beautifully atmospheric, emotive and sweet

Treasure may just be my favorite Cocteau Twins album. I've commented on the tension I've often felt in listening to Cocteau Twins with respect to wanting them to unleash some aggressive riff or sonically crushing chord...to momentarily drop the ethereal charade and crush us with a burst of musical muscularity that they're hiding behind masses of restraint and reverb. Often some listeners with whom I've shared this feeling will cock their head to one side and look at me quizzically in a way that suggests there is little evidence in their opinion that Cocteau Twins posses this capacity. For them there is no aggression that is held at bay, but for me Treasure is a wonderful example of an album that when I turn up I can hear all the aspects of their sound that are absolutely massively muscular. The thing that I have learned over time is that with Cocteau Twins this aggression I apprehend will always be a subtext in the songwriting. And, in many ways that "threat" that I feel is a different, possibly more powerful feeling to elicit in a listener — all the better that with Cocteau Twins it is beautifully wrapped in their unique sound. Treasure indeed.

It's only the dreamiest music ever

Hauntingly beautiful. Shimmering, ethereal, gothic, shoegaze/dream pop masterpiece. 5/5

Unique and otherworldly.

Ethereal, dreamy, and mysterious. This is probably my favorite Cocteau Twins album. Everything is well thought out, from the one-word song titles to sequencing and visual art. I don't know how to put it into words, but these songs connect with my soul. They are pure yet lusty. There is nothing like this.

OMG! What a blast from the past. I absolutely love this album- 40 years old now. That makes me very very old ;-) Beautiful ethereal music- alternative rock and pre-shoegaze and post rock before those labels had been invented. One of the most special things to ever come out of Scotland.

The cloudy, dreamy blanket of sound is a great gag that I enjoy from all of my heart. I can't name the different songs or how they differ, and I don't care. I still love this.

Shoegazey dream pop at its finest.