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.
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...)
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.
This was ethereal and mythology heavy and beautiful. Persephone, Donimo, Pandora, all of it is great.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
!!!! this is so good can’t believe I’ve never listened to this album before. dreamy, soft, magical + feels really ahead of its time. this album really relaxed me and made me v happy :) also the songs had cool names too
Different than all the music I've ever heard. Not my style, but would enjoy listening to it once in a while
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.
je fais une mega remontada dans mes reviews et il y a beaucoup d'albums qualitatifs ce qui présage un effrayant creux musical très bientôt
Tell you what's the fuckin bomb boys. This album. Wacky 3am listen for me but mamma mia. Why isn't it a 5 star album then I hear you say? Well, I was freaked out by it too.
Haha I love the Cocteau Twins! This album is good but not as good as Heaven or Las Vegas.
"We're covered by the sacred fire When you come to me You come to me broke" (Lorelei) No sé si señalaría ninguna canción por separado como mi favorita, pero todo el disco tiene un aura de brujería muy guay.
all of the sounds on this really work for me, i love the heavy guitar effects and the layered sounds. the vocals are really beautiful, definitely growing on me as i listen. i think some of the songs in the middle could really use a stronger beat to break up the floatiness, but maybe that's just my taste. i think it'd really reward a second listen.
Quest’album mi ha sorpreso, suona molto moderno e ha un’estetica singolare. L’uso del riverbero mi piace molto.
In conclusione: Ho dovuto ascoltare questo album 2 volte perché è davvero difficile da mettere a fuoco. L'impatto mi ha spiazzato, conoscevo questo gruppo di nome e conoscevo Lorelei (ma non so dove l'avevo sentita) ma se non per questo non sapevo altro. Devo dire che mi ha colpito molto, ho salvato vari pezzi su Spotify (forse i due che più mi hanno colpito sono Beatrix e Cicely). Ci sento davvero tanto di gruppi che verrano dopo come i Daughte o Sigur Rós ma anche un po' di emo in alcuni arpeggi di chitarra. Considerando sta sorta di glossolalia della voce mi sembrano tipo un gruppo indie che fa cover della sound track di Loco Roco. Un punto sicuramente molto negativo è la produzione che è veramente a malapena ascoltabile in certi momenti, non so se questo album è autoprodotto come sembrerebbe (di certo autoproduzione nell'84 non era autoproduzione oggi) però è veramente terribile. Capisco cosa volevano fare però... no. In ogni caso ho fatto tutti e due gli ascolti molto volentieri, penso proprio che me lo riascolterò, se la produzione fosse stata all'altezza forse avrebbe rischiato il 5, chissà.
Very mystical sounding. Great vocals, even though I couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. Song structure is simple, but works very well in practice.
This album is a medival-rock-sphere pop mix. The tracks are less pop-songs and more rock. In the fact its amzing how these hamonic experiments are grafted onto rock structures. (7/10) Favourite Tracks: Lorelei, Persephone
This is a pretty cool album. Not really my thing but they have a very unique style and I didn't hate it so there must be something to it, right? Hard to judge this kind of thing. Probably one of those albums that I wouldn't mind having on in the background while doing other things.
Easy 4 for me. Has all the stuff I like from the mid 80s - layered synths and ethereal vocals. Ultimately, I think The Glove's Blue Sunshine from the year before (1983) hits some of this stuff better. Also, I wish the album had ended with Cicely.
4.0 - Lush dreamscapes that are dark and jagged, like waking up in a fever and looking out your window onto an icy winter night.
I like this a lot. I had heard of the Cocteau Twins and had a vague idea in my head of their sound being alternative with an ethereal twist, but was expecting more alternative and less ethereal. It was actually the other way around though. Very nice. 4 stars.
It's super weird and unique. I like this album a lot and I'm excited to dive into their other records.
This album starts out very strongly. The first four songs are absolutely magical. They sound like a mystical, ethereal siouxsie and the banshees. the second half of the album leans too much on atmospherics forgoing the gorgeous melodies of the first half. Still a really beautiful and accomplished album 4 🌟
This was really good! I never really got into Cocteau Twins but had a great time with this one, the production is just immaculate and the melodies are so folkish and dreamy Will definitely be going back and checking out more of their albums
Other than their non-album single I'd never listened to the Cocteau Twins. Very pleasant listening, albeit with a slightly intrusive drum machine. Dreamy and ethereal, and I will be digging this one out again.
The album where they arguably became the "Cocteau Twins". They hate it. The disjunct between the general etheralness of the music and the solid crunch of the drum machine (did they feed that through gated reverb? It has the same sort of machine gun sound as The Church's "Seance" album) is fascinating.
Dream soundscapes and Elisabeth Frazer adding vocals of incredible beauty. It’s all about atmosphere here, and gets slightly boring if the ears are set for rythmic 3 min songs with lyrics telling a story, but as a back drop for a meditative moment it works. And the best from Cocteau Twins
Loved this - will need to listen again. Lush sounds, but still so much space in the music.
I don’t know if Spotify’s source is faulty or not but the sound quality of this album was worse than I remembered, particularly the drum machines. They do add a mechanical charm. Anyway, it’s Cocteau Twins.
A beautiful album. Really love the drums thumping out in a really mad way over these beautiful delicate tracks
Familiar with "Lorela", but I hadn't listened to a full album before. Certainly a very unique sound. The closest thing I can equate it to is Kate Bush. I certainly don't begrudge the use of the drum machines and think they are a big part of the reason why this album sticks out in their catalog.
Okay looks cool… The album opens off with the song Ivo an interesting plunge into the soundscape of the album with dreamy guitars and odd lyrics cool song. Then there is Lorelei another song in a very similar vein to Ivo but with some cool bell sounds. Honestly if you’re looking for like a less heavy and distorted version of my bloody valentines loveless ( so basically a non showgaze version of that) this would be what I think it would turn out like. Beatrix takes the listener through a more haunted soundscape basically being a creepy chant backed up by dream pop sounds. Persephone is a heavier cut going to more of rock sounding existence it’s just the small things like this rattle sound like a snake crawling out of a cave an the fact that the lyrics are more understandable and less loveless’y really makes it a stand out on first listen. Pandora ( for Cindy) ends off side A it’s this haunting swirling track hidden in with the dreamy soundscapes that make this band sound so special. Side 2 opens with Amelia a loud but not a heavy song the soundscapes are very similar to what we’ve herd before but in a perfected way one of my favourites to be fair. Aloysius is another track moulding into similar sounding stuff but the drums are a real highlight on here. Cicely has an awesome base line that really bring this song together the best bit has to be the spiralling pre chorus though a proper trip. The penultimate track otterley is a morbid thing indeed slow and gloomy yet gentle with the rushes of the see. Probably my least favourite but it’s still cool. The album closes with it’s longest song domino which is this sorta song from heaven being slow but grand and an amazing send off. I really liked it and was close to giving it a 5/5 but I think you really have to be in a certain mood with this but if it clicks like it did with me well my god it’s great.
Good stuff from essential band. Never really into them but can’t really criticise it’s uniqueness or quality
Nice abum. I liked it. I have now learned about Dream Pop en Shoegaze. As far as I know they never had a hitsong in the Netherlands. But did 24 concerts in the Netherlands.
Dieses bescheuerte Skript hat schon wieder meinen Text gelöscht. Damn! Jedenfalls hat mich der Genuss dieser Platte folgendes über zwei Genres gelehrt, von denen die Cocteau Twins Mutter und Patentante zugleich sind: am Shoegaze liebe ich am meisten die Gitarren und die Pedale; am Dreampop ist es der Gesang, der mich stört. Beides nimmt die Treasure nämlich in Reinform vorweg. Für diese wunderbar erhellende Quintessenz deshalb auch die ausgewogendste Note hier: genau 3 Sterne.
Nothing remarkable but nice chill music to study to. I couldn't really tell the songs apart. Sounded almost like the background of a Ghibli movie at times?
De 2e keer dat deze groep passeert. Deze keer meer 'dream' en minder 'pop'. Het gaat een beetje alle kanten uit en is niet zo genietbaar 2,5 sterren die ik afrond naar 3
Reminds me of Kate Bush both in the instrumentals and the vocal style. Consistently decent with a few really nice tracks, 3.5
Knew the name but had never heard any of their music - pleasantly surprised and might go back
Unusual folk woman's vocal with interesting music. But something is missing because doesn't catch.
Very punchy drums, sort of a haunting sound, engaging and introspective but not a standout
I really liked the ethereal vibe and harmonies. I did not like the nonsense lyrics and boring drum machine.
Very interesting. I wanna know more about the things they used to produce this album at that time.
Prettt iconic sound, pretty out-there. Definitely an influence for modern synth pop stuff
Non conoscevo. Nonostante la maledizione "sound degli anni '80" li ho trovati interessanti e molto più di nicchia rispetto al panorama musicale di quel periodo. Unica nota negativa la voce, che a un certo punto diventa insopportabile. Tutto sommato mi sento di premiarli per l'originalità. Voto 3
At first I couldn't decide if her 'Joey Tribbiani speaking French' was genius or stupid but in the end gets annoying. Having said that I still really like the music so it's a 3 for me.
This album is weird. Which is fine, but it's not the kind of weird that I find all that interesting. A couple highlights, but I didn't find it very consistently good during my initial listen. Second listen: It was a little better, but still not really for me, i guess.
223 albums later, here we are. "Heaven or Las Vegas" was the first record I got on this site, and I feel like that is a better, more evolved record. I like the ethereality (is that a word?) and choral elements of this record, I just don't think the group hit their stride until later. Still a nice, relaxing offering. Favorite tracks: "Lorelei", "Ivo", "Aloycius"
Inarticulate even for the Twins, and not to their benefit. It still sounds unlike anything else out there, but there's the distinct sense that it's for good reason this time. Especially on the back half of the record, the textures begin to settle into songs, albeit not in the neatness-unneatness of later releases. For that reason, it's notable as a transition point for the band's sound.
Really enjoyed this album. Giving it 3 stars b/c it isn't the most technical of albums. But very creative and unique in sound.
Haunting vocals. The album art and sound remind evoke the Evanescent style from the mid 2000s. Cocteau Twins were probably an influence. I'd say the guitar work is ahead of its time for 1984. It feels like its ushering in what will be the alternative wave of the 90s. Like Autobahn or Ladysmith Black Mombozo, not knowing the language forces me to focus more on the music and rhythms. On the whole, this is not really a negative for this album. The first two songs Ivo and Lorelei are actually really great, the former being the better. Lorelei has a sense of 80s that is not bad but very time stamped with those synths and bells. I do like how the female vocals mix. I think The Cranberries were probably also influenced by this band. Persephone reminds me of of a funky blues rock song like Led Zepplin maybe? As the album goes on, I began to wish I understood the lyrics, so it's not musically dramatic or diverse enough to carry me all the way through. Otterley gives me David Lynch vibes though, so I wonder if he's a fan? This would have pre-dated Twin Peaks and Angelo Badalamenti definitely scores similarly to this song. I'm going to give this 3 stars, but for something like this, 3 stars is pretty impressive to get from me.
-Liked this album -Familiar with Cocteau Twins but not this album -Really like the moodiness to the songs -Very unique sound and vocals -Love the harmonies throughout the album -Favourite songs are Ivo, Lorelei, Persaphone, Pandora (For Cindy)
Like an incomprehensible Kate Bush, not in a bad way, just not really what I’m looking for in my life right now. Listened twice, couldn’t tell you how any of it went.
First group in the list I've barely heard of. They sound like music from the future for 1984. Definitely interesting, creative, ethereal...but not my thing so much. I can see why people would love this though.
Listened to this twice as I didn't get much from it first time. I think it takes a while to sink in as it's so floaty and vague. The drums are far too 80s to score higher
Less exciting version of the Cranberries. Not bad, but probably wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again.
Prior commentary on this group pretty much holds, though it grew on me a little in this outing. Not quite my thing.
Very dreamy and ethereal. I will say though I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Whilst at the time of release I can see how it would have been quite out there and different. This would not have been the same record had they not included the backing drums on each of the tracks. It reminds me of the "Mermaid Song" from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie. It's a good album to pop on when you're in the mood for a chill/space-out session. Best: Ivo Worst: Amelia
've heard HOLV before, but never listened to a full album. I enjoyed the music, so this all comes down to the vocal, when it works, it's great, but when it doesn't it's annoying and some of the tunes were downright corny. Ultimately, this album just made me want to listen to the Sundays and understand the lyrics.
It's baffling to me how they pick the albums for this. Blue Bell Knoll is better. I'm an old timey mod girl (goth, believe it or not, was after me), so the spooky echo-y siren thing works for me. Some good tracks, but not a whole album listen for me.
I can’t figure this album out. I actually liked it, but I can’t imagine when I would play it again. When relaxing at home? On a train ride or cross country drive? At the club? I dug the vocals and low key was into the vibe, but I have no clue why. Very dreamy. Felt like a soundtrack for a specific kind of 80s fantasy movie. 🧚♀️
Qué recuerdos!!! Y cómo me sigue gustando "Lorelei". El resto no es lo mejor ni más entretenido del grupo así que se va a quedar en 3 estrellas por el cariño que les tengo.
Lovely ambient sound to this album. You could imagine some of the songs cropping up in Lost in Translation
Intéressant. Mon premier album du groupe. Étrangement, je trouve qu'il y a des sonorités, particulièrement sur le drum, qui ont mal vieillies comparativement à d'autres artistes de cette époque. Les guitares sont bonnes. J'aime moins le petit côté Enya dans la voix pour certaines pièces. La première pièce est bonne malgré tout. Ce n'est pas un coup de coeur à la première écoute, mais ça a suscité mon intérêt envers le groupe. Je vais sûrement revenir à cet album.
interesting album, not exactly my cup of tea but its an intersting melodious dreamy style of ambient like music
Didn't know Dream Pop was a thing before this! I wanted to like the weird psychedelic vocals and stuff but it ends up just being annoying noise for the most part. Lorelei was cool though.
Wie Helium atmen. Klingt komisch, bleibt nicht lang im Kopp & hat keine weitreichenden Folgen. Extra points for „Pandora“ and helping 4AD getting on the map. 2,2
Reading about the album helped me appreciate it more. Not sure how often I would come to it.
There were some good parts to this album. I particularly liked Amelia, and some part of Lorelei. But on the whole I felt like this album tried too hard to hit a particular style. The combination of overly dreamy music and forward vocals, paired with harmonic background vocals, and (in my opinion) overly strong drums made for a not so pleasant listen.
Whilst I did love the big atmospheric reverberating rock sound and the beautiful choruses sung by these big female voices...there was no real substance in my opinion. It made me feel really disappointed as all the songs held so much promise. Oh well...2 Stars!
I find it hard to believe that I know who this band is. So not my bag. It's like listening to Bjork. The music is well written but I can't stand listening to what amounts to someone putting a peacock in a rear naked choke.
I have heard the name, but wouldn't have guessed that I would not recognize their most popular songs. I half-listened to a lot of pop-radio in the 80s (we couldn't just ask Alexa to play something different when our parents were listening to something!), but none of the Cocteau Twins' stuff sounds even remotely familiar. And probably because its quite unspectacular and wasn't that popular when it came out. But they have two albums on this list! So, some additional notes after listening to the full album. It is not radio-friendly pop, and that's likely why I never heard it. It's... "dream pop?" And yes, it has a lot of dream-like, ethereal elements. A lot of fluttering soprano and meandering tracks that feel a lot longer than their actual run-time. Not my jam, but more interesting than I expected.
Music when the lights go out... Drömmig drömpop. Liz Frazer spännande sångerska, melodiösa ordljud, men good fucking luck med att lista ut vad som egentligen sjungs. Siouxsie and the Banshees-känsla. Bästa låt: Persephone
Can't think of a time when I'd want to listen to this. Even the good parts I liked in the songs (to be fair most songs had a part I liked or didn't mind) they would only last for 10 seconds or so and then the song would take another turn into something not as good.
i like "persephone" & "pandora". i understand why people would like this album but nothing about is really grabbing me. 2.5
I have never heard of this band before and it wasn't necessary. I am not sure they are even saying words in their songs.
This is a group that my wife, who has very questionable taste in music, might enjoy. Me, not so much
This is one of the least memorable albums I've ever heard. I won't remember one song from this more than ten minutes after the album ends.
Not as definitive or memorable as their other works, mainly lacking in verve due to a noticeably less prominent rhythm section.
-Well it certainly was ethereal -Idk if I'm just not being super nice to this album but nothing friggin' happened
J,aime pas vraiment ca, c'Est trop cristallin et le style ne me rejoint vraiment pas. Je n'aime pas ce genre de musique et franchement je ne me vois pas écouter cela.
A Scottish electronic pop act…I must love this…right? No…no I do not. I most certainly could have died without hearing this album. There are a lot of seemingly random elements to this album somewhat like a Salvador Dalí painting. However unlike a Dalí, there is no overarching theme to the elements, no thematic beauty. Just random shit…like I swear there was yodeling in Amelia…WTF. According to Internet, these guys started the modern dream pop genre. They deserve credit for doing so because Internet also tells me these other bands are dream pop too: Au Revoir Simone, Chromatics, and Troye Sivan. They all kick some major, major, MAJOR fucking ass. So kudos to Cocteau Twins for pioneering this genre. This album is still shit though.
Remember that time you were huffing nitrous while being chased through the house of mirrors by those clowns playing the bagpipes and you couldn't find a way out? THIS IS THAT ALBUM!!! I bought my first and only CT album in 1993 because of Jeremy Klein's part in "Ravers." I liked that Iceblink Luck song, yet it wore on me after only a few plays and I never listened to it again. But that was 30 years ago ... on a different album, and we've all changed ...so why not start fresh, eh? No such luck, and if I changed, it's only to be less forgiving. Yes, this album is terribly-unique in that it's uniquely terrible. I had a visceral reaction to Treasure and though technically, it is music, I hated everything about it. The bajillion fasletto voice overlays, high-pitched keyboard overlays and more overlays of echo-y feedback overlays gave me the sickly-anxieties so bad that were tough to shake even after it ended. Somehow, I managed to find my way though without barfing and lose the clowns in the process. So, that's one good thing about this one. Truth be told, I'd rather be in this room, with these two guys just before being murdered than giving Treasure another listen. (https://youtu.be/7E_U1xyK7Gw?t=91).
very strange trance-like featuring airy/moany vocals that are unable to be interpreted with a very old school production sound. Not for me
I was a bit underwhelmed, it sounds like it may have been fresh for the time but now it sounds badly produced and there is so much better ethereal stuff out there now
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