Cocteau Twins
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=100976
Printed Date: August 24 2025 at 02:36
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Topic: Cocteau Twins
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Subject: Cocteau Twins
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 12:32
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Over the course of the fall and winter I've been listening a lot to this pioneering shoegaze group which still remains my pick of the litter as far as that style goes, perhaps as a result of them being a bit more willing to think outside pop/rock songwriting convention than usual. I think so far that Blue Bell Knoll is my favourite album of theirs, but I've yet to have explored the entirety of their discography. I might in fact end up preferring their earlier, gothier/punkier material but the time still remains. To be honest, it seems to be that CT are a band I like in spite of themselves: At first, their approach to sounding ethereal and otherworldly struck me as somewhat New Age-kitschy in an "ideal background music for a store that sells incense and scented candles" way, with the 1980s indie pop aesthetics being a bit further out of my own cultural comfort zone than something like CT's key influence Siouxsie and the Banshees not helping... but at some point they finally clicked for me. The best example of this is probably Liz Fraser's "glossolalia" vocal style, where she selects vocals for phonetically harmonic effect ahead of whether the lyrics actually are recognizeable words. Now that I think of it, they remind me of a gender-flipped Damo Suzuki except she takes it a step further than he did. There are also some things I still haven't quite "cracked" about their style, for instance how many of their rather strange song titles really mean anything or in fact refer to obscure Scottish slang. An example would be my surprise to find out that http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Atholl-Brose" rel="nofollow - Athol-Brose was a real thing. http://secretsun.blogspot.dk/search/label/Elizabeth%20Fraser" rel="nofollow - It also looks like there's a lot of references to Forteana, occultism and witchcraft in their lyrics and aesthetics as uncovered by this blog . You gotta admit that Liz Fraser's eyes kinda make her look like an extraterrestrial-human hybrid...  ...and would any Earthling choose to sing like that?
------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Replies:
Posted By: Walton Street
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 12:38
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great sound - been enjoying them for years. ------------- "I know one thing: that I know nothing" - SpongeBob Socrates |
Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 12:51
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Take your pick: ------------- Help me I'm falling! |
Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 12:55
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oh and later ron.. not Cocteaus...Massive Attack... ------------- Help me I'm falling! |
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 12:57
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I'm about to also start listening to This Mortal Coil, the supergroup that several of the Twins participated in. ------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 13:29
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CT did start out as a goth rock group as on their first album, so the song names are no surprise. ------------- https://dreamwindow.bandcamp.com/releases" rel="nofollow - My Music 
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Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 13:32
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By the way. When Liz did a 'tour' in 2012 (3 gigs) guess who turned up on guitar - Steve Hackett! Can't find film of it though! ------------- Help me I'm falling! |
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 13:41
I've also heard that they look a lot gothier in the live videos from around then, than the more subdued look they'd adopt afterwards. The one posted from 1983 certainly hints at that.
------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Polymorphia wrote:Posted By: Walton Street
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 13:42
are you already familiar with Lush? ------------- "I know one thing: that I know nothing" - SpongeBob Socrates |
Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 13:54
this is the only vid I know of them from early days and as you can see they look slighty gothier than the first one I posted - same song - from Garlands. They were gothic with a small g for me - goth-light maybe. But any self respeting Goth must havr Garlands in their collection and the first couple of 12" records and the second album Head Over Heals. Which are all gothic. I love this period. I love the bass heavy sound. you can also see they were supporting Killing Joke ------------- Help me I'm falling! |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 14:04
| Although This Mortal Coil is more accessible to me, the CT were a major influence on early Sigur Ros albums as well as other bands, which are very accessible to me. So, I give the CT kudos for being influential. |
Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 14:39
My favorite shoegaze band, though, is still My Bloody Valentine. Probably not a shoegaze band out there as sonically restless. ------------- https://dreamwindow.bandcamp.com/releases" rel="nofollow - My Music
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 15:25
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Been a fan of CT from the beginning....and TMC......saw CT with Mazzy Star in Chicago many years ago. I suppose Treasure is my favorite by CT but they are all good. Wasn't aware there were occult references in their lyrics since it's hard to make them out most of the time. Thanks for that link Toaster. Love this track,,,,,, ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 16:09
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alright, maybe this... you may have heard... ------------- Help me I'm falling! |