Cocteau Twins recorded the kind of music you discover late night, those rich and blissful and mysterious textures that envelope you and leave you speechless. You do not know what she is singing about most of the time, but ultimately it does not even matter. Songs like "Lorelei" or "Cico Buff" do not need to be decoded to remain transfixing, beguiling, utterly stupendous.
Cocteau Twins's sound was defined by gorgeous guitar freakouts by Robin Guthrie ("Musette And Dreams", already perfect, is capped off by one of the most astonishing guitar solos in existence), otherworldly vocals by Elizabeth Fraser (how does one even begin to describe those?) and clever bass runs by Simon Raymonde (check out "Cicely", for example).
One of the most unique bands in history, they created their own sound and stuck to it until the very end. They never recorded a bad album, and their extensive EP collection Lullabies To Violaine is absolutely essential. They disbanded in late 90s due to inner turmoil, leaving behind one of the most consistent discographies I know of. They were everything that band name suggests, and more.
8. Four-Calendar Cafe (1993)
Like I said in the introduction, Cocteau Twins never released a bad album. This, though, was the closest they came to losing a bit of their identity. You would not know it from the first song, though, the dreamy (I have a feeling this is going to be the most abused word in these reviews) and achingly beautiful "Know Who You Are At Every Age". The melody is otherworldly and could fit into any of the Twins' classic albums. Other highlights include the single "Evangeline" and the closing "Pur" that wakes up from its slumber after two-minute mark and brings back the lushness and the energy of that old magic. Overall, though, while I love the sound, this feels a little diluted and uninspired after the masterpiece that was Heaven Or Las Vegas.
Best song: "Know Who You Are At Every Age"
7. Milk And Kisses (1996)
After the relative disappointment of Four-Calendar Cafe, the band's final album was a welcome, if slight, return to form. There was more energy this time, more drive, more meat to the melodies. No, it does not have the touch of genius that was all over their 80s/early 90s albums, but you do get a few glimpses. The guitar that underpins "Serpentskirt", for instance, or Liz's vocal inflections in "Seekers Who Are Lovers" have the sort of mystique that evokes albums like Treasure and Blue Bell Knoll. The two unispited classics here are "Tishbite" and "Rilkean Heart". Plus, I'm also very partial to the heavenly "Half-Gifts" that would almost sound like a normal waltz had it been recorded by someone other than Cocteau Twins.
Best song: "Rilkean Heart"
6. Garlands (1982)
If you want to find an album in Cocteau Twins' catalogue that did not come completely out of nowhere but had some strong contemporary influences, then that album would be the debut. While Garlands still sounds unique, it is seriously indebted to the goth-punk of Siouxsie & The Banshees. You see the unnerving cover, you notice the title of the first song ("Blood Bitch"), and you think you know what to expect. Well, not entirely. Because underneath it all, you get the sonic textures that are both beautiful and deeply disturbing. There is a density to their sound that is still a little lacking in confidence - but in few months this will be fixed. The highlights include "Wax And Wane", "Blind Dumb Deaf" and the title song.
Best song: "Wax And Wane"
5. Victorialand (1986)
Every Cocteau Twins album is a world to get lost in, and Victorialand taking that concept to absolute limits. There are times when I listen to this album and can't even tell one song from another. That is not a criticism, however. The songs are good, if perhaps a little more relaxing and less hook-filled this time (well, the hooks are there but they are less obvious this time around). It is like the cover suggests: incomprehensible yet utterly beautiful. Dreamy to the extent of hypnotism. As a side not, this was not the only Cocteau Twins associated album released in 1986. There was also a collaboration with the ambient artist Harold Budd titled The Moon And The Melodies. It is credited to Budd, Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde, and all I can say is that the Cocteau part of it is excellent.
Best songs: "Lazy Calm" (but that may be because it comes first)
4. Head Over Heels (1983)
Head Over Heels ends with "Musette And Drums", and I have long considered it to be among the greatest sonic experiences I've had in my life. It is just so intense, so dense, so powerful that my response to it is almost physiological. There are shivers, tears, nervous laughter. There is of course no way Head Over Heels can all be like that, but the first half comes very close. While Garlands could be accused of a certain lack of originality, this was the album that put them on the map. You could probably discern that there are ballads ("Sugar Hiccup") and rockers ("In My Angelhood") here, but really, by 1983 this became completely irrelevant. Not when the music is this strange and idiosyncratic. And while the second side can not hope to scale those height again, it absolutely destroys me with the final song.
Best song: "Musette And Drums" (see below)
3. Blue Bell Knoll (1988)
Now the next three are all pretty much immaculate. I do not believe any of them features a song I find in the least bit underwhelming. Blue Bell Knoll (the title is based on an old British legend that says the death will take you the moment you hear the blue bell's knoll) is different from Victorialand in the sense that there is more drive and energy to the songs. "Carolyn's Fingers" was a relative / deserved hit and would be a good place to start exploring the bizarre and wonderful world of Cocteau Twins. With its melody and an array of vocal hooks (Liz was always good at those), its appeal is undeniable. Stuff like the intensely dreamy "Athol-brose" or the oddly anthemic closer "Ella Megalast Burls Forever" (oh those song titles) is just as good, though.
Best song: "Carolyn's Fingers"
2. Heaven Or Las Vegas (1990)
Preferring Treasure to Heaven Or Las Vegas is similar to choosing The Dreaming over Hounds Of Love. The latter albums are more accomplished and universally beloved, but the former ones have something extra to them, some special ingredient (call it magic, call it a spell) that pushes them beyond the limits of humanly possible perfection. And Heaven Or Las Vegas is perfect. It is masterfully composed and produced, and does not have a single misplaced note. I love it to bits. When I listen to songs like "Cherry-Coloured Funk" and "Iceblink Luck", I'm transported to a different dimension with such effortless ease it is actually frightening. You know how after a few glasses of wine you can lie down and feel your head spinning away. It is not actually a pleasant feeling. When Cocteau Twins do it, however, you never want to leave that state.
Best song: "Iceblink Luck"
1. Treasure (1984)
Really, the only thing wrong about Heaven Or Las Vegas is that Treasure was just... a little better. From the mesmerising acoustic rhythm and Liz's angelic vocals of "Ivo" and all the way to the majestic choir and sonic grandiosity of "Donimo", listening to this album is like walking through an enchanted forest and loving every second of it. I don't know what else to say about it, really. Treasure is a fucking masterpiece, and one of the strangest and most beautiful albums ever recorded.
Best song: "Lorelei"