Cocteau Twins
Formed: 1979
Location: Grangemouth, Falkirk, Scotland
Genre: Dream Pop, Ethereal Wave
Years Active: 1982 - 1997
Meaning of the Name: Named after a song by Simple Minds that was later retitled 'No Cure'. There are three 'Twins'.
Core Members: Elizabeth Fraser (vocals), Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde
Way of Working: Collaborative
Essential Releases
Sunburst and
Snowblind EP (1983)
An early EP showcasing their ethereal sound.
Treasure (1984)
A seminal work that fully established their iconic, highly atmospheric, and often abstract sound.
Love's Easy Tears
EP (1986)
A rich, atmospheric EP that bridges their more abstract experimental phase with their later dream pop.
Heaven or Las
Vegas (1990)
Their most accessible and commercially successful album.
Popularising a brand new sub-genre of music would be enough for most bands, but when it came to Cocteau Twins they were only getting started. Upon the release of their 1984 album Treasure, the Scottish trio received critical acclaim for pioneering dream pop, a sub-genre of alternative rock that blended ethereal soundscapes with hazy guitars to evoke a dream-like atmosphere.
If the description reminds you of shoegaze, it's with good reason, for the genre developed shortly afterward and was heavily influenced by dream pop. Both styles have an atmosphere of warm serenity wrapped in a sleepy haze. The listening experience is like lying down on a summer's day and trying to make sense of the patterns overhead.
For a while, the clouds take on a recognisable shape, before fading into the sky again. A different person would perceive an altogether different shape while looking at the same exact clouds, which is part of the appeal.
In the same way, dream pop uses sound to create abstract, deeply personal figments in the minds of the listener. It's a genre about how it makes you feel. Other forms tell you concretely "I love you. I miss you when you're gone." Shoegaze and dream pop hint. The artists nudge and influence in a specific direction, instead of pulling you along with brute force.
Elizabeth Fraser, the vocalist for Cocteau Twins, sang in a way that placed interpretation at the fore. Her lyrics were purposefully hard to understand, not always in English, and sometimes spoken backwards, or even invented entirely, as she finds the specific sound of a vocalisation more evocative than any particular words. This approach complemented the layered guitars and misty soundscapes of the instruments.
Fraser has said "I don't know what the words mean until I sing them." Artistically, such vocals recreate the mysterious quality of dreams. How many times have you woken up, deeply affected but unsure of any particular meaning? Listening to Cocteau Twins is the same.
The true meanings of the songs are open to debate and, ultimately, there can be no right answer. This open-ended approach is exactly what makes them, and the dream pop they invented, so compelling.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
90
Mental Impact
65
Originality
100
Artistry
85
Authenticity
35
Live
85
Production
75
Musicianship
80
Singing
85
Songwriting
65
Danceability
60
Fun
40
Consistency
95
Range
70
Cool
60
Charisma
35
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications >>>
- Garlands: Silver in the UK
- Head over Heels: Silver in the UK
- Treaure: Silver in the UK
- Heaven or Las Vegas: Silver in the UK
Charts >>>
- Victorialand: Number 10 in the UK
- Heaven or Las Vegas: Number 7 in the UK
Critics >>>
- Sounds Magazine: Head Over Heels - Best Albums of 1983: 7th
- Pitchfork: Treasure - Best Albums of 1980s: 27th
- Pitchfork: Heaven or Las Vegas - Best Dream Pop Albums of All Time: 1st
CRITICISM
- Elizabeth Fraser's lyrics are gibberish. People act like they have a deep meaning but they don't.
- In the picture above, the person furthest to the right, (Simon Raymonde), has a haircut that could be described as 'pineapple chic'. It's rumoured he was the inspiration for the character Beetlejuice, in the 1988 film of the same name, although this is disputed.
