Album: Treasure
Artist: Cocteau Twins
Artist: Cocteau Twins
Born: Grangemouth, Falkirk
Released: November 1984
Genre: Ethereal Goth
Influenced: This Mortal Coil, My Bloody Valentine, Portishead, Sigur Ros, The xx
Listening to the BBC Sessions that Cocteau Twins did for John Peel in 1983, you can hear how Siouxsie & the Banshees and other gothic rock bands influenced the group's sound. Kate Bush was also clearly an inspiration for Elizabeth Fraser, whose singing style is similarly dramatic and dreamy. That said, with the release of Treasure, Cocteau Twins created something completely unique. What's also clear from hearing them in sessions is that this sound was very much a studio production, the shimmering textures and layered guitar washes not as convincing in a live setting. Indie label 4AD, home to a wide array of acts from The Birthday Party to the Pixies, allowed Cocteau Twins the time and space to evolve and was also instrumental in finding a replacement for bass guitarist Will Heggie, who left the band in 1983. Simon Raymonde was already a friend of the group, so made for an obvious fit, and his guitar lines create a good balance with Robin Guthrie, offering melody and counter-melody. There's a real experimental feel to Treasure. Guthrie's liberal use of echo boxes and effects pedals would be influential on shoegaze music, while Fraser's impressionistic singing (similar to Michael Stipe's approach in its emphasis on emotion over meaning) gives the record its otherworldly, ethereal sound.
Cocteau Twins scored their first UK Top 40 single earlier in 1984 with Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops, while Fraser had already seen her star rise by singing a stunning version of Song To The Siren (as part of This Mortal Coil) in late 1983. Fraser's voice is also the most extraordinary element of Treasure, in the way she uses it more as an instrument rather than a way to convey meaning. Ivo is a reference to 4AD label founder, Ivo Watts-Russell, but little else about the lyrics is understandable. Lorelei is the first standout track on the album, Guthrie's surging and digitally altered guitar lines mixing with drum machine beats and Fraser's breathy vocals to create a soaring epic. Other highlights are Pandora (for Cindy), Aloysius and Otterley, the latter inspired by ambient pioneers like Brian Eno and Harold Budd. Domino provides a grand finale to the record, starting out with an ambient hum and then seeing the tempo build slowly with fuzzy guitar washes and Fraser's heavenly vocals. Although Treasure is not Cocteau Twin's most accomplished record, it's definitely their most groundbreaking, and you can hear the influence of the band's guitar sound and Fraser's triumphant singing on so many acts throughout the decades.
Listening to the BBC Sessions that Cocteau Twins did for John Peel in 1983, you can hear how Siouxsie & the Banshees and other gothic rock bands influenced the group's sound. Kate Bush was also clearly an inspiration for Elizabeth Fraser, whose singing style is similarly dramatic and dreamy. That said, with the release of Treasure, Cocteau Twins created something completely unique. What's also clear from hearing them in sessions is that this sound was very much a studio production, the shimmering textures and layered guitar washes not as convincing in a live setting. Indie label 4AD, home to a wide array of acts from The Birthday Party to the Pixies, allowed Cocteau Twins the time and space to evolve and was also instrumental in finding a replacement for bass guitarist Will Heggie, who left the band in 1983. Simon Raymonde was already a friend of the group, so made for an obvious fit, and his guitar lines create a good balance with Robin Guthrie, offering melody and counter-melody. There's a real experimental feel to Treasure. Guthrie's liberal use of echo boxes and effects pedals would be influential on shoegaze music, while Fraser's impressionistic singing (similar to Michael Stipe's approach in its emphasis on emotion over meaning) gives the record its otherworldly, ethereal sound.
Cocteau Twins scored their first UK Top 40 single earlier in 1984 with Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops, while Fraser had already seen her star rise by singing a stunning version of Song To The Siren (as part of This Mortal Coil) in late 1983. Fraser's voice is also the most extraordinary element of Treasure, in the way she uses it more as an instrument rather than a way to convey meaning. Ivo is a reference to 4AD label founder, Ivo Watts-Russell, but little else about the lyrics is understandable. Lorelei is the first standout track on the album, Guthrie's surging and digitally altered guitar lines mixing with drum machine beats and Fraser's breathy vocals to create a soaring epic. Other highlights are Pandora (for Cindy), Aloysius and Otterley, the latter inspired by ambient pioneers like Brian Eno and Harold Budd. Domino provides a grand finale to the record, starting out with an ambient hum and then seeing the tempo build slowly with fuzzy guitar washes and Fraser's heavenly vocals. Although Treasure is not Cocteau Twin's most accomplished record, it's definitely their most groundbreaking, and you can hear the influence of the band's guitar sound and Fraser's triumphant singing on so many acts throughout the decades.
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