Treasure

Definitely a unique album. Ethereal Yodeling in a made up language. Overall I thought it was alright, and it went by fairly quickly.

Good, but not great. Love the vocals, and the sound is pretty unique, but still doesn't quite make it to four 🌟 - not even with a bonus point for being Scottish!

Vocals were a little weird but also kind of cool. I liked the ethereal sound, though it got to be a little too much after the first few songs.

OK, maybe *Heaven Or Las Vegas* should be included in an ideal list of 1001 albums, even if some of its instrumentations have aged quite poorly--it's a bane that many eighties LPs have after all, and three decades later, one could argue that such dated instrumentations are also adding a layer of quaint charm to the whole thing. Not so sure about *Treasure*, though, which is plagued by similar problems--even if its own gated drums are here closer to goth shenanigans than the more overproduced affair that *Heaven Or Las Vegas* is. Yep, hardcore Cocteau Twins fans will tell you the contrary, thay will certify that those goth shenanigans are what makes this one closer to a purer version of the band. But when two thirds of said band have disowned your favorite album by them, it seems that there is some of misunderstanding at play between artists' intents and their target audience. In a way, I'm tempted to side with the band here, given that the two albums that followed, the far less famous *Victorialand* and *Blue Bell Knoll*, have at least aged more gracefully production-wise. Besides, I'm not so sure about how Liz Fraser herself feels about this one. Maybe 100% of the band members actually hate *Treasure*, who knows? All those considerations aside, I guess that what the fans fell in love with on that record are the impressive vocal feats performed by Fraser. One gets the sense that there are no bounds she is reluctant to tackle and even explode on *Treasure*. But this blessing might also come with a curse given that Liz's voice admittedly risks becoming grating on some tunes. Yes, she is a gifted and adventurous vocalist. But "adventurous" often becomes *overkill* on *Treasure*. At some point she even goes to a yodelling mode, and it's easy to see why such Meredith Monk-like vocal feats won't sit well with each and every listener out there. You could even suspect they might even serve a hidden purpose: to convey how insubtantial and/or purely mechanical Cocteau Twins' music sounds at times... So my overall take is that *Treasure* is a mixed bag. Too bad, it kicked off with two catchy tunes, *Ivo* and *Lorelei*... But unless your mind and ears are stuck in 1984, what might have been new and exciting back then may now sound awkward or clunky. So next, please. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 824 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 95 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 45 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 38

The ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Girl Soundtrack.

This a pretty weird one and most definitely not what I expected. I remember getting some songs by Cocteau Twins on spotify playlists related to atmospheric/ambient trip-hop music. Therefore, I had them mentally pegged more in that corner than in any post-punk corner. Maybe they are very different album to album, maybe they're just doing their own thing and are hard to classify. Be that as it may, I quite liked the instrumental but found the percussion rather tinny and didn't like the vocals too much. Dreamy, yes. But not not in the 'floaty', relaxing manner I'd prefer. Definitely OK background music and I know that I quite enjoy some of their other tracks on playlists that I like. But this album isn't really right for me.

Definitely an interesting sound and style here. Elizabeth Fraser's voice is wonderfully haunting. Some of the tracks (e.g., Pandora) have a real nice sense of melody and countermelody that caught my attention. This band composes and performs quite well. At times, the drum machine sounded a little harsh to my ear, but that's a personal preference. I get it as an artistic choice to punctuate the songs. Overall, I liked this album.

Surprisingly good. I went in with low expectations but this was pretty cool.

Spacey and etherial. I've never really been a fan but I could see why it might appeal. 3 stars cause it's interesting, even if I don't love it.

Strano, orecchiabile, etereo?

Solid

I like the ethereal-ness of it, but not a huge fan of the vocal delivery. For some reason I thought they were techno as well, so it was an unexpected surprise to hear dream pop. Still plagued by 80s-ness unfortunately.

interesting album, not exactly my cup of tea but its an intersting melodious dreamy style of ambient like music

sounds like bijork

Good album

Mellow eerie goodness

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.

Some good tracks

Interesting sound

Lovely ambient sound to this album. You could imagine some of the songs cropping up in Lost in Translation

Some songs hauntingly beautiful others hauntingly shit

Not really sure why but I liked quite a few of these songs

decent bit of dream pop

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.

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. 🧚‍♀️

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.

'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.

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

One man's treasure is another man's... decent?

Liked it. Really light

Pleasant sounds to drift off to. Favorites: Ivo, Lorelei, Otterley

Prior commentary on this group pretty much holds, though it grew on me a little in this outing. Not quite my thing.

Less exciting version of the Cranberries. Not bad, but probably wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again.

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

Interesting, unorthodox "spacy" sound but fails to catch my attention further

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.

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.

-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)

Alt Enya vibes. Some pretty moments, but I felt myself tuning out a lot. 2.5

Didn't dig it as much as Heaven or Las Vegas.

1984: Lorelei, Beatrix

Not super my thing, but it was fine as background music for the day.

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.

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.

I like their sound.

OK

Bueno

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.

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"

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.

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.

Eh

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

Prettt iconic sound, pretty out-there. Definitely an influence for modern synth pop stuff

Very interesting. I wanna know more about the things they used to produce this album at that time.

I really liked the ethereal vibe and harmonies. I did not like the nonsense lyrics and boring drum machine.

Very punchy drums, sort of a haunting sound, engaging and introspective but not a standout

Atmospheric. Good listen.

Enjoy as subdued background music. Eerie at times.

Quite liked it.

Ended up listening to the greatest hits but I may come back to this.

Unusual folk woman's vocal with interesting music. But something is missing because doesn't catch.

Ganz interessant, sphärische Klänge

Gut zum "Nebenbei"-Hören aber dann doch irgendwie schnell wieder vergessen.

Good. Would listen again. Her voice is beautiful.

Knew the name but had never heard any of their music - pleasantly surprised and might go back

Reminds me of Kate Bush both in the instrumentals and the vocal style. Consistently decent with a few really nice tracks, 3.5

Experimenteel zonder té vreemd te zijn.

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

.

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?

Not for me

Decent female wave

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.

easy listening - pretty voice. not my jam tho

Nästan en fyra. Drömsk och mysig.

Dreamy, but not something I would put in my rotation.

It was okay. Background music while cleaning

I kinda liked it, it's like odd ambient music with singing

Not necessarily my bag, but appreciate some of the more atmospheric parts of it

Good stuff from essential band. Never really into them but can’t really criticise it’s uniqueness or quality

Once is enough for this “Treasure”.

Really? Another CT album? Really? They're that good?! This is better than say any Journey album, or any Chuck Berry, or Billy Idol, or Weezer? Oreven stuff I don't like from Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston, Neil Diamond, Billie Eilish, etc? They're only on here cause they were big in England in '84 apparently. Didn't make a dent over her. They suck and this list is slanted to any band who came from Stratford Upon Avon, Dorchester, Liverpool, Spotted Dick, Manchester or Worcestershire. 2 stars, it's not good.

El album parece un ritual para invocar espíritus, todo muyyy extraño

Album cover looks like a shirt that would make a mint in Hot Topic or Spencer's circa 1999. Especially that logo. Man, I think STAIND directly ripped their font from this. IIIIIT's BEEN AWHILE. Wow. Now there's a five star experience. Experience. Listen to me. My vocabulary has been shaped by evil gremlins perched atop a Highrise plotting society's doom to scrounge together a few extra bucks. Let's go back to thinking about nu-metal bands that omit the last vowel. We got Staind. Hmmm Trapt? They took a bunch of liberties with that one HEADSTRONG I'LL TAKE YOU ON. HEADSTRONG, I'LL TAKE ON ANYONE, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRONG. That song played on repeat during the gaming "experience" that was "Legends of Wrestling II" for the GameCube. I can recall desperately trying to vanquish Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in a cage match while Trapt wormed it's way into my brain like a virus. No wonder I'm such a star writer now! Anyway, this album is not nu-metal. It's weird, and I can see why I've heard the name "Cocteau Twins" so much in the world of musical pretentiousness. A world that I like to observe, laugh at, cringe at, and of course, occasionally steal recommendations from. "Treasure" started off HOT. Not in a weird sexual way you disgusting pervert, but in a "this is cool album kind of way." It faded into the background from there. This is your middle of the road sort of record, but considering I expected to be ablaze in the ditch, being middle of the road seems just fine. 2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: JACQUES CARTIER VOICE REVEALED??? (EMOTIONAL)

Not in the mood for this today

#426 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ It was... uneventful. It played, I noticed it playing few times, thought the vocalist sounded unnecessarily breathy and whispery. I've no recollection of the music, it wasn't offensive I guess. Vaguely miffed 2, under mediocre 3/5.

very ethereal, a bit too esoteric for my taste, like Enya more

Felt too experimental, like they were trying too hard to be artsy. Not my kind of sound

Was not the type of pop I expected, but it still wasn't really my thing.

Dreamy, which is not great in this case

Album #124, Cocteau Twins, Treasure ⭐⭐ About 10 years ago, I was completely in love with and obsessed with Cocteau Twins’ Heaven or Las Vegas. I loved the dream pop sound, which wasn’t a genre I’d really been familiar with up to that point, and I loved the languageless singing of Elizabeth Fraser. I thought it was wonderful and totally unique. There was a period where I listened to that album daily during a pretty tough period of my life. I was making music at the time, not very good music, mind you, and I became obsessed with the idea of making dream pop songs because of that album, even though I never actually got around to it. Despite that, I never really got into Cocteau Twins beyond that. The only other song I knew off the top of my head was “Lorelei” from this album. Turns out I was wrong. Turns out I had listened to Treasure years ago. Turns out I remembered disliking it. And here we are again. This was a really unpleasant surprise this morning. Maybe it’s because I’m older now. Maybe it’s because I’m no longer smoking weed daily and being stoned off my gourd all the time. Whatever the reason, this music feels pretty meaningless to me now. I no longer find Elizabeth Fraser’s glossolalia-style singing charming, beautiful, or mysterious. I find it lacking in substance. She has a very good voice, but for me it feels more like a vocal exercise than anything emotionally meaningful. I also think the production is a major problem. The album is extremely lo-fi. I don’t have an issue with lo-fi music generally, but in a style like this, I think you need lush production to really bring out the beauty of what you’re trying to create. Instead, this sounds cheap. It sounds underfunded and undercooked, and whether that’s because of budget limitations or creative choices, it doesn’t work for me. The production actively diminishes the music. The music itself is an issue too. This thing is so twee that I feel like it might collapse under the weight of even mild criticism. After a while it all blends into one mushy haze. I remember Heaven or Las Vegas feeling much more shoegaze-adjacent and much more song-oriented, whereas this feels more like Kate Bush on sedatives in a nursing home. The funny thing is that I’m now almost afraid to revisit Heaven or Las Vegas. It was such an important album to me at one point that I don’t really want to discover that it no longer connects with me either. There are a handful of songs I liked. “Lorelei” is still lovely, and the closing track “Donimo” was actually one of the stronger moments on the album. That said, when I saw that it was over six minutes long, I genuinely groaned because by that point I was so fed up with the record. Thankfully, it turned out to be one of the better tracks. I suspect this won’t be a popular review. Cocteau Twins are one of those bands people hold very dear, and I completely understand why. But this album did very, very little for me. I’m hoping Heaven or Las Vegas survives the revisit when it eventually comes up, because Treasure certainly didn’t.

Twins? Tell me there isn't more than one of these.

At times quite pleasant, but for the most part it just washed over me.

Its ok

Ambient and that about all I can say.

Great background sound to add to my sleep mask music. Vocals are weird with no identifiable lyrics, but the band is Scottish (for that a star...) so maybe there is a highland wool waulking song in there?

Not a great start to my day. Can't believe I'm writing this, but I would rather be listening to Enya.

I gave the other album a 3, but this felt like more of a drag. Maybe I was having a good day last time.

Signature sound, but didn't leave much of an impression

Very harsh sound

I would have liked this more if she had been singing actual words.

After six years they begun to find a structure. After eigth years the had learned to play music. One extra plus because the singer made good melodies and glued the rubbish together. I dont think anyone listen to this record today. How could it end up on the list??? And what about Tangerine dream, Yello, and Adolphson & Falk. A & F with the best album from the synth era with Med rymden i blodet.

I feel like I was supposed to enjoy this, but I didn't. I found the high-pitched vocals, as angelic as they tried to be, almost like knives through my brain. I know it's supposed to give off a dream-like vibe, but I found the mix to be so dense that it was impossible to lose myself in the music. Pretty big swing and a miss for me.

It's a little different, but I'm not sure what significance this album has. Maybe I should learn french?

2/5 I liked the instrumentals, they felt very unique. However I didn't really like lyrics. I do like the ethereal vibe they are going for which I think they nailed. Favorite Song: Ivo

Found this to be largely forgettable. It's just not for me. 2/5 Won't listen again

Why is this something I had to hear?

as friend said, dreamy music and made up noise to sound like words as lyrics.

A second album from Cocteau Twins on this list surprises me. I gave the last one a 3, so I must have liked it more. This album is annoying. Very quiet vocals over bland music. Pandora stood out. 1.5/5

4/10

Not aged well really, not sure what it is about. Very Kate bush influenced wooshy vocals.

Lots of trance and dissonance on this album. Kinda gibberish and yodeling? I didn't necessarily hate the sound, but I definitely didn't like it.

I never really got them.

meh

Not bad but not my vibe, easy to listen to

unfortunately, not for me!!

It all sounded the same. A bit high pitched (music not voiced). My gf thought it was Kate bush

I'll bet they're not even twins! So why two stars? POETIC JUSTICE.

Melodic and dreamy. Interesting first time listen but it's probably nothing I'll ever want to hear again.

Unusual

Kinda biring

Did not care for this genre

I've never really been head over heels (no pun intended) for Cocteau Twins the way a lot of other indie nerds are. Like sure, I enjoy Heaven or Las Vegas, and I even think Victorialand is underrated, but I've never really liked this one. I'm just not goth enough for this stage of their careers I guess? Plus I really can't stand the alliteration that Elisabeth Fraser is indulging in on "Ivo" and "Lorelei", which just sounds too contrived compared to the near-glossolalic quality that people tend to attribute to her singing.

#910. Are we sure it wasn't a typo, and maybe it was supposed to be '1001 albums that make you want to die? 2/5: no

No

I found it interesting that from beginning to end the album is kind of vibey, but there is no song that I would want to listen to on it’s own without the rest of the album around it.

I wanted to like this more, and maybe if I were in the right mindset for it, I'd enjoy it, but today it's a bit grating.

Not it

Just bizarre and as unpleasant to listen to as I remember. They’ve never been my thing but I’m happy they exist. Much love to my childhood friend, and huge Cocteau Twins fan, Eric Johnston.

Helt ok fint ibland, men mest prettotråk.

I can absolutely enjoy ethereal pop, and there are some Cocteau Twins songs that I do consider a guilty pleasure. I loved their (darker) second album, but this one didn't really convince me. There aren't many songs I like here (Beatrix and Otterley are pretty much the only ones I would come back to), and overall it's too shrill, too pop-ish and not ambient enough for my taste. They're certainly a creative band (the nonsensical lyrics crack me up), the dreamy vocals are all right, but I'm disappointed by the instrumental parts. Not their best album, won't listen again. 4/10

The foundation of dream pop, among the favorite album of my older sister. Dreamy, clean, the sound floats. Fraser’s voice is the center, everything else just supports the haze. It’s soft, distant and too boring to me.

According to the label and the description, this should be right in my wheelhouse. But upon listening, I am left cold.

Pretty nice! Ethereal. My favorite was "Otterley" and "Pandora (for Cindy) was cool too.

The songs lull one into a sort of trance, and then halfway through that "What the hell am I listening to?" feeling hits. It's devious like that, but all in all, it's just too much wailing with too much reverb.

Lorelai

me deu ansiedade, parece que nada acontece mas!! muito bom!!

I didnt love this one. background noise

Weird high vocals. Didn’t understand the lyrics and got annoying really quickly.

It's not that bad, but it's also not at all my cup of tea.

Forgettable and disappointing

This album is very ethereal... so ethereal that it becomes an uninteresting and bland atmospheric music. It is slow, and not in a good sense. The album just goes through a kind of music that, even though sometimes it is in some way "beautiful", it becomes redundant and with no direction. And it neither transmits anything to me, so, there is not much here to dive in.

Not enough corners for me

I mean, it’s fine. It’s weird but fine. Listened while working and it didn’t piss me off, also didn’t catch my attention by any means. Was kinda just music I guess.

Pop, etherisch, 1984 -> 2

Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: 🦋👗🕯️ Production: 🌵🤏🫤 Music: 👼🖤👻 Rating: ♊♊(♊)/5

Melodic, but not my kind of music.

To describe it in one word: aimless.

Atmospheric and good but a different kind of listening

The twins were aborted :( 2/5

This album sounded very futuristic for being released in 1984, with the production being very polished and modern. However the music itself didn't really make a connection with me, as cohesive as the album was.

Never heard this before. Pleasant but not memorable

Meg

Not my bag

Self-indulgent noise

Feels very thematic, kind of like early 90s twist on Kate Bush. Interesting, but not something I'd seek out.

This just added to the noise in my head and in my house. 2 stars.

The music isn't bad. I may even like it. The vocals, however, are quite annoying to the point that I can't just sit and listen.

Lowkey ethereal.

Parece ser todas as mesmas músicas. Muito simples e enjoativo

I find the music pretty sleepy on this. I also question the band's decision to record their vocals underwater.

meh.

Ethereal is the perfect word to describe this music. It is a mood I do not seek often if ever.

3/10

En kort, bagarn ska strax stämpla in. Coctteau Twins är mer sound än låtar. Inget fel i det men jag personligen hade valt nåt av de två tidigare albumen, detta är väl med för den oväntade hitsingeln "Lorelei". Liz Frazer som den felande länken mellan Kate Bush och Nina Hagen är alltid lyssningsvärd. Och att Rob Guthrie blivit en eftertraktad producent och samarbetespsrtner för sitt innovativa ljudskapande har man full förståelse för. CT fick ju definiera 4AD (skivbolaget) som ett skivbolag med helt eget sound, den våg av drömpop som sköljde över för en 20 år sen hämtar alla sitt grundrecept ur 4AD. Men det finns som sagt roligare CT grejer , redan nämnda album innan och vill man åt än mer banbrytande sound finns två album (Blue bell knolb och Harold Budd-samarbetet) från senare delen av 80talet. Treasure blir lite mycket mellanmjölk för att vara riktigt intressant. En stabil tvåa

0/10 bekannt 4/10 Beste Songs: Beatrix, Amelia, Aloysius Zu langweilig für mich

It had a whiney vibe, with lots of synthy instruments. I was going to say that I hated it, but the back end was actually quite listenable. Maybe like a Kate Bush vibe? Whatever it was, I wasn't too impressed. 2 Stars.

This album is like going for a walk through a forest and finding a group of elven nymphs, who cautiously welcome you into their circle. They tell tales of how humies are destroying the natural lands and need to be sacrificed to the gods. You feel like you should maybe try and escape to warn other people about the impending danger, but one of the nymphs is gorgeous so you decide to stay. You work hard to convince the nymphs that you are a pure soul, and that humans can find redemption. Alas, the nymphs are focused on their one true goal. You manage to convince the gorgeous elven beauty to lay with you. Afterwards she warns you that their mission must be carried out, and that you do not belong with them. She softly presses her fingers on your forehead, and you wake up naked in a parking lot outside a Pizza Hut. “I should probably lay off the ayahuasca and the forest walks”, you think to yourself, as you try in vain to hitchhike home.

The first song was aweful but it did get slightly better as it went on. Tracks like Aloysius were somewhat listenable. But the rest is an acquired taste and I have not squared that taste yet

Not my thing, it was kinda weird bit in more of a confusing way

Eurovision. In a bad way.

There's a world where I could get into stuff like this but it didn't grab me

This was disappointing. I really wanted to like it, but I found that it lacked soul without a real drummer. Fraser's voice is one for the ages.

A lot of strange production and performance decisions make this a very rocky album. Certain songs stand out with very strong use of ambience and pop, others are so wildly unpleasant (particularly the vocals) that I couldn't wait for them to be over. A few tracks worth listening to, but a lot to skip over. Top tracks: Lorelei, Pandora (for Cindy)

Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Nope, garnicht meins.

Half good / Half wtf?

Not really my thing

The only song that stood out to me was Persephone. I could eawily live without the rest of it.

They nailed the ethereal but it doesn't go anywhere

Album #960 Effect heavy vocals create a dreamy atmosphere. Doesn’t sound like it came from 1984. Would have given it a better rating if it ended two songs sooner. Those last couple were a drag.

Interesting album with an almost otherworldly feel about it. The high singing and heavy use of strings give it a very unique sound. Not to my tastes but I’m sure some people would love it.

Un peu weird

Cocteau Twins are a group that I feel I should like a lot more than I do. But this album annoyed the crap out of me.

It's no Heaven or Las Vegas.

Found this fine but rather unengaging. I wouldn't call it bad, just mostly bland and a bit boring. I think it was just a bit too dreary and empty to really stick with me. Overall: 2.2/5

Very confused by the genre, not something I've heard before but can imagine it being very different for it's time. Produced in a bizarre way but actually don't hate it. REVERB. Actually some listenable parts but the vocals I struggled with at times especially with having no clue what she's saying. Quite enjoyed Persephone for some reason. Then took what felt like a huge change in direction with Pandora.

*Atmospheric and Ephemeral *Good background music but not much more than that

4.5/10 definitely not my cup of tea

Ugh, this record smells like my high school girlfriend’s Volvo station wagon. Legitimately appreciate the band’s style and kind of hope they had some instrumental only versions floating around. This is entirely a personal preference, but there’s such a fine line for me between mesmerizingly ethereal vocals of this nature and just breathy annoyingly dramatic singing. Just saying… But really though, the music minus the singer is really good. Like, when the cool long intros or pauses are jamming away, I was totally feeling every track, but then all of the sudden this Thursday-night-drunk-karaoke-Dolores O'Riordan starts scat-yodeling and kills the entire buzz. What the fuck kind of lyrics are these supposed to be, anyway? (Note: Dolores O'Riordan is the singer from The Cranberries. You know, that zombie song?) Just to reiterate- 1 star for the singer, 3 for the band.

First song turned me off. Busy day so I didn’t really listen to the rest.

Eh. This fades into the background for me almost immediately. I just can’t connect with music like this. Not for me.

If we’re not counting the three hour Etta James album I narrowed down to roughly 41 minutes, this is the first album on the list I didn’t finish. I made all the way to track 8 before I tapped out because it’s all just the same format: One dude chooses a preset on his drum machine, the other dude finds 2 chords to strum, and the vocalist layers nonsense on top of nonsense. They add as much reverb as possible and boom, you’ve got this album. I could’ve vibes with 2-3 songs layering the vocals like this during the last chorus or something but every song? No thanks. Perhaps if one of the fellas took over background vocals just to add some tonal difference it would’ve worked better. I don’t know. I’m not sure who this is for, but I know it ain’t me.

Certainly not my favourite Cocteau Twins album. Nothing particularly stands out, and the gibberish vocals don't help in this regard. Still, its not terrible, just not good.

Interesting, atmospheric, alt rock. Not something I would listen to, but I don't mind it on.

what the hell was this

Gotta give them credit. They do have a style all their own. One of their songs starts playing and you know immediately it's Cocteau Twins. Ethereal, haunting, other-worldly, and like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. I only know of two groups that have tried singing made-up words. Sigur Rós's "Hopelandic" songs, and Cocteau Twins' syllables that sound good, but don't mean anything. My assumption (and I could be wrong) is that it's meant to make the vocals more like another instrument, and not the center-piece of the songs. Problem is the lyrics are the song. If another band takes the lyrics and writes different music for them, that's a cover song. But, if they take the music and put different lyrics over it, it's either a parody, or a new song based on the original one. Like it or not, the lyrics matter, and to me at least, making up your own meaningless "language" comes off as hugely pretentious. /end rant So, for me, Cocteau Twins have always been a really talented band that loses me in all the pretentiousness. They're talented and original enough that they don't deserve a 1, but I wouldn't ever listen to them again by choice, so I can't go higher than a 2.

I don't know if I am missing something or that the production is just really bad, or the band is just not that interesting.

This is solidly meh. It's interesting, but I don't think that automatically makes it good. And actually, I think it's really bland. There isn't really anything special about this album, in my opinion. The only plausible reason I can see this making the list is that it was innovative in some way, but that doesn't seem to be the case, unless I'm missing something. The last song was the most interesting, although, I could really tell you why. It almost made me second guess my opinion on the rest of the album, but a quick listen to some of the other songs confirmed that I was right the first time. I'm not sure what it is, but if the rest of the album was like "Donimo", I think I would have liked it more. Favorite Song(s): Donimo

dreamy, shimmering, spooky, reverb-drenched nursery rhyme pop, with a sound that lacks any core - sparkly chorused guitars, ethereal choirs and fragments of lush melodies, all filigrees and sprinkles but no bottom. it is not their fault that the album allowed music journalists of the 80s to write dreamily adoring tosh about "cathedrals of sound".

Dear Great Britain: Just because your indie rock/shoegaze scene hit fiveish years before grunge does not make it superior to grunge in any way. One surprising lesson I've learned (sorry, is it "learnt"?) from this project is that the British feel a particular way about prog rock, synth rock, and whatever category you put the Cocteau Twins in, and a very, very different way about grunge. While I preach to my children that "an opinion cannot be wrong," please don't tell them that in this instance, the British opinion is wrong. When this album was released, hair metal was peaking in the U.S. Hair metal is wild, debaucherous fun with a hint of feeling and underappreciated skill behind it. Then grunge came and ended the party, but kept the emotional undertone, skill, and music appreciation. Meanwhile, across the pond, we had stuff like this: one-note, boring, zero depth. No hits, no influence, I didn't actually hate it.

Kept waiting for something to grab me but it was mostly tuneless caterwauling

En till psykodelisk art-music, och jag dissar inte genren. Dessutom finns inslag som tilltalar, t.ex. i låt 2. Men jag har svårt att ladda loss.

Not. My. Thing.

Music for and by people who use the term "faeries"

This must have been a huge influence on Enya.

I'm a late 90's/early 00's indie guy. I'm supposed to like this. I mean it's not bad. Very creative. But very repetitive. Someone cranked the treble knob on this as well.

The thing about dream pop, is you're never quite sure if you've actually listened to it, or it was all just a dream. 2 snooze button taps out of 5

Not really my thing.

not my music taste but alright :]

Weird but not horrible. 2.5/5

It was all right for some spacey background music.

2nd Cocteau Twins album on the list so far and I still can’t understand a single lyric they’ve sang

Not my style, though i wouldn't be surprised to find out if Radiohead got some inspiration from them.

I was looking forward to this album based on some of the reviews I read. Perhaps this was a mistake? I went in with high expectations and came out pretty disappointed. For me, this album felt like listening to a dream about wind chimes in an echo chamber. Way too much reverb and each track was very similar. It reminded me a lot of Kate Bush, but at least with a Kate Bush album there is a bit of variety (and 300% less reverb).

Not too bad but it really didn't stick for me. Vocals are nice but gets pretty repetitive. Perfect length for the album so it's not so bad.

2.8

Generic girl rock

I applaud the direction the band has on this project even though I don't completely get into it. The high pitch vocals really got on my nerves after the 3rd song. 4,5/10 fav songs : Aloysius & Otterley

I was never a huge fan of Cocteau Twins and this album just reinforced that impression.

Occasionally reminded me of Kate Bush, but never as good as Kate. I just didn't get into this one.

A bit too ethereal-sounding for my musical palate.

1.9

Not really for me!

Parts of the album i quite enjoyed, but too many tracks i wanted to skip, too much wailing

Beautiful at times, but not really my jam. Singer reminds me of Bjork where the talent is there, but the execution is mostly off for my liking; lots of breath. High 2.

Not bad just an interesting piece. Decent melodies. Just didn’t connect.

This album was a miss for me. I loved their other album on the list but I just could not catch fire with most of the songs

Meh.

begon als Siouxsie en haar Banshees, maar verzandde na een song of vier vijf in Enya...

Its some sort of post something. I dont know dude. Its listenable but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to this. It does mix it up but its not for me

Unique but repetitive

I finally have an answer to the question of what would happen if someone tried to make a new age easy listening album but hired a singer with a voice like nails on a chalkboard.

Niet gemaakt voor mij. Prima te beluisteren, maar zal het nooit aanzetten.

Niet helemaal mijn ding. Hoge bijna opera achtig stem, met wel oke muziek.

This was an interesting album, not sure I'll go back to it but I can appreciate what they were doing.

This album is a treasure in the same way that a colonoscopy is a pleasant experience

Every single 80's movie featured one of these songs, and it's inseparable in my mind. Uncle Buck is having a heartfelt moment right now. No idea if the music is any good.

I respect classics but I’m not a 60s rock guy

A little too one-note for me. Every song felt like it was the interlude for the next song but the next song never came. I would probably enjoy this album more at a different time or in a different mood.

I like shoegaze and dream pop, but this album didn't click with me at all. It’s not that it’s bad, It’s hard to describe exactly what bugged me about the album, but I kept feeling annoyed by a lot of the songs.

Really light, wispy, high-pitched and annoying. No fun here.

Okay, describe it as gothic dream pop

Boring to the point of tedium for me. It might be fine if I were just looking for some ambient background music, but giving the full album my attention grew difficult.

Not quite sure it is gold, or treasure for that matter

Not my thing

In de kroeg even vooruit gekeken met een luistermaatje. Wat staat ons te wachten? Cocteau Twins? Die hebben we toch al eens gehad? Wat was dat ook alweer? Eens even teruglezen. Ja hoor: ik noteerde een vergeetbare 2. Dit album is niet zo anders. Wel staat er ineens iets op wat ik ken. Lorelei stond op een verzamelaar met Enya-achtige muziek. Het heeft iets van die richting, maar ik vond dit nummer altijd het minst interessant wat er tussenstond. Het staat wel symbool voor de rest van het album. Aardig idee, maar de uitvoering kan toch meer signatuur bieden. Saai en flink vergeetbaar.

..

Not a massive fan of this

again?

This is the second album of theirs I've had (the first being Heaven or Las Vegas). They are a super ethereal dream pop/goth rock band from....you guessed it.....Scotland. Fuck... This music is so airy and jangly that it almost lulls you into a trancelike state. It may be ok to have on in the background while working, but to physically sit and listen to it would be difficult. The vocals are layered so much I have no idea what the singer is saying... Favorite songs: Pandora (For Cindy), Lorelei Least favorite songs: Donimo maybe? Hard to say...it all ran together, and I kept drifting in and out while listening to it... 2/5

I really want to like Cocteau Twins since so many people I know love their music, but I just can't get into them. Dream pop really isn't my thing, but even then it's dreadfully boring. I much preferred their other album on this list. This one was okay for background music, but that's about it.

Kind of ethereal, ambient, dream poppy. Weird lyrics

Cannot seem to get into this group. Very ethereal but kind of boring and sounds the same to me.

Not my cup of tea

Anime soundtrack

Second time through the Twins and another time where im wondering what Im missing. The vocals are too Yoco Ono for me The hit, Lorelei, uses a fire alarm sound (i cant be far off there). The vocals and drums are super cool, but its main progression is piercing to my ears. Alousius and Pandora were okay and for only for them I bump it to 2 stars.

Weird.

I didn't dislike this album but I didn't really like it either. It's not something I would choose to listen to. 2.5/5

The Good: We’ve got Twins!!!! The Bad: No we don’t… The Ugly: We don’t have Cocteau either Being a child of the ‘80s, and a great fan of most of the music that has come from that decade of decadence, yuppies and the sky’s the limit, I was actually excited to dig into this album, as, believe it or not, I had never really listened to the Cocteau Twins before… And now I understand why they were not on my radar… This is not my kinda jam. This is not my kind of relax. This is not my kind of anything. There is one thing that I did notice, and that was that once I turned up the volume (to piss off my upstairs neighbor) I started noticing the multilayers of sound that are involved in this production… So, I am going to give this album a 2* and will add it to a list of albums I need to listen to with good headphones on. Because, just maybe, I might start enjoying this more...

Not for me. I appreciated the use of eastern trill vocals on Amelia. But generally the sound was too similar throughout for me to get into. I did like the sound on Beatrix and Domino had a clear sense of building to an ending. The rif on Persephone I quite enjoyed. The gibberish lyrics felt always slightly out of touch, like I could maybe hear real words in them but not if I listened closer. It's clever but left me feeling frustrated. Other reviews have talked about this being a good listen for specific circumstances. I can see that. I've enjoyed post-rock and thought this might be similar but it's not as emotive. Persephone has a sound closer to that and had sounds I enjoyed.

Not entirely in love with shoegaze, I like it as background noise so I can't really say that I sit and appreciate it. I liked the composition but that's about as far as my interest goes.

Meh. Nothing special, can't really see why this is an album that I have to listen to before I die. It's not bad just very mediocre.

Meh, again too pop for me.

OK, I guess. A lot of ethereal women's voices almost baroque over a bunch of echoes synthesizer a bunch of memorable melodies but I guess it's OK.

I wish I could compare this to the Cocteau Twins album I've already reviewed, but I literally don't remember it. I don't really like the etherealness. And a bunch of the songs are too repetitive. I think the drum machine really hurts my enjoyment. Singing is not bad. I think the whole vibe just isn't for me.

Day 0021/1001 of One Album a Day / Listened to whilst: commuting Unfortunately just not my thing although can absoloutely appreciate why it's so acclaimed, very ethereally.

Are there any actual real lyrics to these songs?

The music struck me as bland. Was not familiar with this band previously.

I'm torn. Not a fan of the vocals. But quite enjoyed some of things the instruments were doing.

Wat mij betreft zijn ze hier iets (en met iets bedoel ik veel) te ver gegaan qua reverb en dat komt de muziek zelf niet ten goede. Ik heb normaal niks tegen een ruimtelijk geluid, maar de muziek mist wat diepte wat mij betreft. Op sommige tracks teveel hoge en mid range geluiden en te weinig lage tonen om de boel dragelijk te houden. Relatief plat dus. Iets te chaotisch ook. Ik weet niet of je ze allemaal bij elkaar in een hokje mag stoppen, maar als ik zoiets wil horen zet ik wel Katrien Schaamhaar of onze IJslandse vriendin aan. Die doen iets soortgelijks maar dan toch een stukje beter wat mij betreft. 'Persephone' is wel een hele dikke track, zowel qua zang, gitaar als drums. Niet dat ik er iets van versta overigens, maar dat geldt eigenlijk voor het hele album. 2,5 ster eigenlijk. Ik rond 'm streng af.

Not a fan of this type of music.

Just couldn’t get into it. A couple songs were alright enough but I just don’t care.

What was this album supposed to be about?

Just wasn't feeling it. 2/5

I don't find the music on this album particularly ethereal, as some have described it. And I really don't get the nonsensical lyrics thing. If this is treasure, I think it would be better to stay buried. Two stars is all I'm prepared to bestow on this one.

The album works well at setting up a mood, but there are no stand out songs. A big 2.

Mid album 3/10 weird music but if you like gothic vibes in albums then it would be a nice fit for your playlist for me it's Just ok

1.5

Fav song: Otterley This album has some really great ideas - it seems like an early progenitor of shoegaze, a genre I really, really like. But there's one absolutely glaring flaw that I just cannot seem to see past. The production on any of the tracks that include that awful, awful drum machine. They chose the bottom of the barrel, worst sounding drum samples they could and just soaked them in reverb. It makes most of the album down right unlistenable for me. That being said, tracks like Otterley that didn't have any drums sound really great. Those guitar tones are lush, the melodies sombre and the vibe is perfect. Thank GOD they didn't put drums on this one.

Not a fan

This wasn’t for me. There were a couple of good songs on here but I struggled to get into it.

So if you've never heard any songs by Cocteau Twins, this album is a good introduction, but it can be quite jarring at first listen because it's a bit disjointed in areas. The genre can be described as Dream Pop, just a bit wispy and floaty with the music and singing. Speaking of lyrics, a lot of them are just thrown together with no real reason or meaning and they're often hard to understand. Overall, the album is OK, but it's not something I would listen to every day. 2/5 Song Highlights: Lorelei Pandora (For Cindy) Aloysius Cicely

aika tylsä levy. ehkä dream pop ei oo mikään mun genre, mut silti.

Ethereal vibes, but too weird for me. Most of the songs sound the same.

better than the last Cocteau album i got here but seriously... two albums in this compilation???

As performance art, it’s pretty good…as music it’s not good.

Not really my jam

Ok 2/5

I'm not big on this style of ambient music. This was more bearable than other albums in this genre though

Not a fan of the vocals.

Neat

Well produced, with a couple standout tracks that flirt with dreampop and psychedelia. The airy vocals can be grating. 2.5/5

Dream Pop from the twins is as expected. Ethereal vocals, dreamy synths like a Labyrinth backing track for Jennifer Connolly to run away from the goblin king - sorry I lost my train of thought. The band think it's their worst album and I much prefer Heaven or Las Vegas. Again, did we need multiple albums from this band when so many others have been left out? Best Tracks: Lorelei; Pesephone; Aloysius

Strange and difficult in ways I didn't enjoy.

On paper, I should love Cocteau Twins. Ethereal vocals, dreamy, shoegazer-adjacent music... these peeps should be a favorite of mine. But I've never liked their sound. I think it's the tinny, thin production that grates on me, but even Elizabeth's vocals got on my nerves on this one (though I have enjoyed her vocals on other projects, especially with Massive Attack). In terms of personal enjoyment, this is a 1, but I'm giving it an extra star because I dig their concept, just not the execution.

It felt aimless, maybe purposefully so, but I didn’t dig it. Some tracks were fun to sway too. But none brought me in

Jos tämä ei ole huumoria, en vain tajua. Jos tämä on huumoria, se ei ole minun tyyppistäni. Mutta Lorelei on jonkin asteinen löytö, ja väitän kuulleeni pari muutakin nautintoa herättävää melodiaa. 2+

Uninspiring and not very interesting to listen to

Dream pop or any of the Cocteau Twins' stylings don't really appeal to me, so Treasure doesn't resonate as much as it will for others. A lot of it sounds really similar to my ear, the lyrics are deliberately incomprehensible but I'm not really interested in that, and while it occasionally hits the right sort of notes to build a massive epic sound like on Lorelei, it's a) not often enough and b) still not really what I enjoy. Always sounds like the sort of stuff that soundtracks something more interesting in tv or film than something that stands on its own merits, always find that quite telling. Just a 2 from me.