Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language.[1] They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop[2][3] and helped define what would become shoegaze.[4][5]
Cocteau Twins
They signed with the record label 4AD in 1982 and released their debut album Garlands.[1] The addition of Raymonde in 1983 solidified their final lineup, which produced their biggest hit in the UK, "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops", peaking at No. 29 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1988 Cocteau Twins signed with Capitol Records in the United States, distributing their fifth album, Blue Bell Knoll, through a major label in the country. "Carolyn's Fingers", the only single from Blue Bell Knoll, was a commercial success for the band on the US Alternative Airplay Charts.[6] After the 1990 release of their most critically acclaimed album, Heaven or Las Vegas, the band left 4AD for Fontana Records, where they released their final two albums. Heaven or Las Vegas was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,[7] and was voted number 218 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[8] In 2020, Rolling Stone listed it at No. 245 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[9]
After nearly 20 years together, the band disbanded in 1997 in part due to issues stemming from the disintegration of Fraser and Guthrie's romantic relationship. In 2005 the band announced that they would reunite to headline Coachella Festival and embark on a world tour but the reunion was cancelled a month later after Fraser "couldn’t bring herself to work with Guthrie".[10] In a 2021 interview, Raymonde claimed that Cocteau Twins "will never reform".[11]
History[edit]
1979–1983: Early years[edit]
Guthrie and Heggie, both from Grangemouth, Scotland, formed the band in 1979.[8] They met the 17-year-old Fraser in 1981 at a local disco, The Hotel International, where Guthrie was DJing, and she became the group's vocalist.[1]
Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi recalls that the Cocteau Twins were the support act for his band The Dream Boys at a gig at a hotel in Grangemouth, for which he did a runner and failed to pay them because the door takings did not cover the cost of his van hire.[12]
Prior to releasing their debut album, the band recorded a four track session for John Peel in June 1982, including "Wax and Wane" and "Garlands".[13] Their debut LP Garlands, released through 4AD in July 1982,[14] was an instant success, peaking at number 2 in the indie albums chart in the UK. Sounds wrote that the style of the band was "mixing strong Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division influences".[15] NME's Don Watson compared it to gothic rock bands such as Gene Loves Jezebel and Xmal Deutschland,[16] while Spin magazine's Sue Cummings compared it retrospectively to Siouxsie and the Banshees and Bauhaus.[17] It was followed by the EP Lullabies in October. In April 1983 the band released a second EP, Peppermint Pig.[1]
Cocteau Twins' sound on their first three recordings relied on the combination of Heggie's rhythmic basslines, Guthrie's minimalist guitar melodies, and Fraser's voice. The band's next full-length LP record, Head over Heels, relied solely on the latter two, following Heggie's amicable departure after the tour that followed the release of Peppermint Pig (he would later join Lowlife).[1] This led to the characteristic Cocteau Twins sound: Fraser's voice, by turns ethereal and operatic, combined with increasingly effects-heavy guitar playing by Guthrie[1] (who has often said that he is far more interested in the way the guitar is recorded than in the actual notes being played, though he later admitted that his reliance on effects and layering was initially due to his own technical limitations).[18] In the band's earlier work, Fraser's lyrics were made up of words she found in various foreign language books.[19]
In 1983 the band participated in 4AD's This Mortal Coil project, which spawned a cover version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" (performed by Guthrie and Fraser). Despite appearing under the This Mortal Coil name, the cover has subsequently become one of the best-known Cocteau Twins tracks. During the TMC sessions, Guthrie and Fraser became acquainted with another project contributor, multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde (formerly a member of Drowning Craze), who joined Cocteau Twins later that year.[1]
Musical style and influences[edit]
Cocteau Twins' early recordings were classified in the gothic rock[32][33][34][35] and post-punk genres.[36] The band's influences at the time they formed included The Birthday Party (drummer Phill Calvert encouraged the group to sign to 4AD),[37] Sex Pistols, Kate Bush and Siouxsie and the Banshees[38] (Fraser had Siouxsie tattoos on her arms for several years).[39][40] The band was named after the early Simple Minds song "The Cocteau Twins" (later rewritten as "No Cure").[41] As the band's sound developed, their subsequent music was classified as dream pop,[2][42] darkwave[43] and ethereal wave.
Cocteau Twins' music influenced numerous artists in different genres, including Slowdive,[44] Deftones, the Weeknd, Napalm Death, John Grant, Prince, Sigur Rós and Massive Attack.[45]
Touring contributors: