Cocteau Twins | |
|---|---|
_(cropped2).jpg) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Grangemouth,Stirlingshire, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1979–1997 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
|
| Website | cocteautwins |
Cocteau Twins were a Scottishrock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed inGrangemouth on theFirth of Forth byRobin Guthrie (guitars,drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), addingElizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 1983, Heggie was replaced by multi-instrumentalistSimon Raymonde. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal,effects-laden sound and thesoprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language.[1] They pioneered the 1980salternative subgenre ofdream pop[2][3] and helped define what would becomeshoegaze.[4][5]
In 1982, the band signed with the record label4AD and released their debut album,Garlands.[1] The addition of Raymonde in 1983 solidified their best-known lineup, which soon produced the No. 29 UK single "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops", their highest-charting UK single. The trio crystallised their "swelling, euphoric" dream pop style on the 1984 albumTreasure,[6] which became the band's first UK Top 40 album.[7] In April 1986, they released their fourth album,Victorialand, becoming their first top ten album in the United Kingdom, and in November 1986 releasedThe Moon and the Melodies, a collaborative album with American composerHarold Budd.
The group's fifth albumBlue Bell Knoll (1988) peaked at number 15 in the UK and at 109 on theBillboard 200 in the US: "Carolyn's Fingers" was popular on US alternative radio stations and reached number 2 on theBillboardModern Rock Tracks.[8] Their sixth album,Heaven or Las Vegas (1990) became their most commercially successful album in the UK, reaching number 7 on the albums chart.
By 1993, the band had left 4AD forFontana Records, and released their seventh albumFour-Calendar Café (1993). Following its release they made their debut American television appearance onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno performing the single "Bluebeard".[9]Four-Calendar Café became their highest charting album on theBillboard 200 in the United States, reaching number 78.[10] They released their eighth and final albumMilk & Kisses in April 1996, supported by two singles – "Tishbite" and "Violaine". After nearly 20 years together, the group disbanded in 1997 in part due to issues stemming from the disintegration of Fraser's and Guthrie's romantic relationship.
Guthrie and Heggie, both fromGrangemouth, Scotland, formed the band in 1979.[11] They met the 17-year-old Fraser in 1981 at a local disco, The Hotel International, where Guthrie wasDJing, and she became the group's vocalist.[1]
Prior to releasing their debut album, the band recorded a four track session forJohn Peel in June 1982, including "Wax and Wane" and "Garlands".[12] Their debut LPGarlands, released through 4AD in July 1982,[13] was a sales success, peaking at number 14 in the indie albums chart in the UK.Sounds wrote that the style of the band was "mixing strongSiouxsie and the Banshees andJoy Division influences".[14]NME established the same comparisons, likening it to "BansheeJohn McKay's guitar",[15] whileSpin compared it in 1986 toBauhaus.[16] The album was followed by the EPLullabies in October. In April 1983 the band released a second EP,Peppermint Pig.[1]
A European tour supportingOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark followed, but after a gig in Hamburg the band left the tour and parted ways with bassist Will Heggie, leaving Guthrie and Fraser unsure how they would continue. The pair returned to Scotland, settling to re-think their whole approach and write new songs for an album.[17]
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-lengthLP record,Head over Heels, relied solely on the latter two, following Heggie's departure (he would later joinLowlife).[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; he later said that his reliance on effects and layering was initially due to his own technical limitations).[18] Guthrie has citedPhil Spector'swall of sound as "an obvious influence" on his sound.[19]
In 1983 the band participated in 4AD'sThis Mortal Coil project, which spawned a cover version ofTim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" (performed by Guthrie and Fraser). Despite appearing under theThis Mortal Coil name, the cover has subsequently become one of the best-known Cocteau Twins tracks. While working onThis Mortal Coil, Guthrie and Fraser became acquainted with another project contributor, multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde (formerly a member ofDrowning Craze), who joined Cocteau Twins later that year.[1]
With Raymonde, the band released a series of albums and EPs that explored their new style. These includedThe Spangle Maker (1984),Treasure (1984),Aikea-Guinea (1985),Tiny Dynamine (1985),Echoes in a Shallow Bay (1985), andLove's Easy Tears (1986). FromThe Spangle Maker, "Pearly Dewdrops Drops" was a hit single, reaching no. 29 on theUK Singles Chart in April 1984[20] and No. 1 on theUK Indie Chart.[21] Raymonde, who was called in to work on the second album by This Mortal Coil, did not participate in the recording of the fourth Cocteau Twins LP,Victorialand (1986), a predominantly acoustic record which featured only Guthrie and Fraser. Raymonde returned to the group forThe Moon and the Melodies (1986), a collaboration withambient composerHarold Budd,[1] which was not released under the Cocteau Twins name, instead being credited to all four participating musicians alphabetically.
In 1985 4AD signed an agreement withRelativity Records for distribution of Cocteau Twins releases in the US and other territories. To commemorate the event, the compilationThe Pink Opaque (1986) was released as a way of introducing the new, broader audience to the band's back catalogue.
While remaining a 4AD band, Cocteau Twins signed a major-label contract withCapitol Records in 1988 for distribution in the U.S., and released their fifth album,Blue Bell Knoll, that September.[22] "Carolyn's Fingers" was popular on alternative radio, reaching number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[23]
The group releasedHeaven or Las Vegas in early 1990.[22] The most commercially successful of their many recordings, the album reached number seven in theUK Albums Chart immediately after its release.[24] Despite the success of the record and the subsequent concert tours, not everything was well with the band. They parted ways with 4AD followingHeaven or Las Vegas partly because of conflicts with the label's founderIvo Watts-Russell, and were close to breaking up over internal problems due in large part to Guthrie's substance abuse.[25]
While on their international tour supportingHeaven or Las Vegas, the group signed a new recording contract withMercury Records subsidiary Fontana for the UK and elsewhere, while retaining their US relationship with Capitol. They added several live musicians to their touring band during this era, to better replicate the layered sound of their studio albums. In 1991 4AD and Capitol released a box set that compiled the band's EPs from 1982 to 1990, and also included a bonus disc of rare and previously unreleased material.
Fraser and Guthrie had a daughter, Lucy Belle, born in 1989. The couple ended their 13-year relationship in 1993.[26] The band's seventh LP,Four-Calendar Café, their first since Fraser and Guthrie's separation, was released in late 1993.[11] The band explained thatFour-Calendar Café was a response to the turmoil that had engulfed them in the intervening years, with Guthrie entering rehab and quitting alcohol and drugs, and Fraser undergoing psychotherapy. The band made their debut appearance on television in the U.S. for a performance of "Bluebeard" on theTonight Show with Jay Leno in 1993.[27]Four-Calendar Café was the band's highest position on theBillboard 200, peaking at number 78, and stayed three weeks in that chart..[8] Fraser provided guest vocals onthe Future Sound of London's single "Lifeforms" in 1993.
In 1995, the band released two new extended plays (EP) –Twinlights andOtherness.NME dubbed the latter as "Cocteau Twins and ambient" and added, "it never finds a point".[28] Some of the tracks onTwinlights andOtherness were versions of songs from the band's eighth album,Milk & Kisses (1996).[1] The record saw the return of more heavily layered guitars, and Fraser began once again to obscure her lyrics, though not entirely. Two singles were taken from the album: "Tishbite" and "Violaine"; both exist in two CD versions, with differentB-sides included on each. Raymonde said on the recording of the album that it "all happened so fast", further claiming that "Robin and I would write a song and then not have to wait around forever the muse to visit Liz". Guthrie described making the album as "a very joyous experience", stating that "Simon [Raymonde] used to come into the studio in the daytime to do his thing, then I would come in at night to do mine, and then Liz would come in when neither one of us was around".[29]
The band, augmented by an extra guitarist and a drummer, toured extensively to support the album, their last for Mercury/Fontana. A new song, "Touch Upon Touch", which debuted during the live shows and was recorded later in 1996 was also one of the two songs written and arranged by Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde for Chinese pop singerFaye Wong for her Mandarin albumFuzao released in June 1996, the other being "Tranquil Eye" fromViolaine released in October 1996.
In 1997 while recording what was to have been their ninth LP, the trio disbanded over irreconcilable differences in part related to the breakup of Guthrie and Fraser. Some songs were partially recorded and possibly completed, but the band has stated that they will likely never be finished or released in any form.
Fraser provided guest vocals for three songs onMassive Attack'sMezzanine in 1998 (as well as touring with them several times), and for other musical projects and groups. She wrote the lyrics and sang the vocals for "Teardrop" by Massive Attack which was released as a single in 1998 and reached number 10 in the UK singles chart.[30]
In 1999,Bella Union, the record label founded by Guthrie and Raymonde, released a double-CD Cocteau Twins compilation entitledBBC Sessions.[31] The collection is a complete record of the band's appearances on UK radio programmes from 1982 to 1996, with rare and unreleased material included.[31] In 2000, 4AD releasedStars and Topsoil, a compilation chosen by the band members that had been released during their years with 4AD; all recordings had been digitally remastered by Guthrie.[32] Fraser provided the vocals for "Lament for Gandalf" onThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack, and in 2000, she sang withPeter Gabriel onOvo (The Millennium Show).[33] In 2003, 4AD released digitally remastered versions of the first six Cocteau TwinsLPs.
Raymonde released the solo albumBlame Someone Else as the first release on Bella Union in 1997.[34] He also co-produced the posthumous album byBilly Mackenzie from theAssociates, then went on to produce severalDomino Records artists likeJames Yorkston,Archie Bronson Outfit (whom he later managed) andClearlake.[34] Additionally, he has produced the UK bandthe Duke Spirit, London-based duo Helene, former Golden Virgins frontman Lucas Renney and has mixed theMercury Prize nominated albumThe End of History byFionn Regan.[34] In his role running Bella Union, he has discovered such artists asLaura Veirs,Fleet Foxes,Midlake,Lift to Experience,the Low Anthem,I Break Horses,the Czars andJohn Grant.[35]
In January 2005, Cocteau Twins announced that they would be reforming to perform at theCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on 30 April, and later indicated that additional tour dates would be added. On 16 March, the reunion was cancelled after Fraser announced that she would not take part. In a 2009 interview, Fraser said she could not go through the pain of sharing the stage with her former lover Guthrie, the issue behind the band's 1997 breakup.[25] Raymonde revealed that the band had also booked a 55-date world tour, which would have paid him £1.5 million.[36]
In 2005, 4AD released a limited edition of 10,000 compilation box set titledLullabies to Violaine, a 4-disc set that includes every single and EP released from 1982 to 1996. This was shortly followed up by two 2-disc sets of the same names, known as Volume 1 and Volume 2. In 2012, "Cherry-Coloured Funk", "Pitch the Baby", and "Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires" which featured onHeaven or Las Vegas (1990), were performed live by lead singer Elizabeth Fraser during her Meltdown Festival solo performances. Each of the three songs featured new musical arrangements during Fraser's performances at the festival.[37]
In 2005, Fraser worked with Breton musicianYann Tiersen on two songs for his albumLes Retrouvailles.[38] Since March 2007, the band has startedpodcasts of exclusive material.[39] On 6 October 2008 Cocteau Twins were awarded theQ Awards Inspiration Award, which they accepted in a rare collective live appearance.[40][41] In 2009, Fraser released the single "Moses" onRough Trade.[42]
Guthrie has released six solo albums—Imperial,Continental,Carousel,Emeralds,Fortune, andPearldiving—and eight EPs.[43] He toured extensively with his band Violet Indiana, which included ex-Cocteau Twins guitarist Mitsuo Tate. He has also scored the music for three movies—Gregg Araki'sMysterious Skin (in collaboration with Harold Budd),Dany Saadia's3:19 Nada Es Casualidad (a Mexican/Spanish production), and again with Gregg Araki and Harold Budd on the score and the soundtrack ofWhite Bird in a Blizzard.[43] He reunited with Budd to collaborate on two companion albums,Before the Day Breaks andAfter the Night Falls, and the albumsBordeaux,Winter Garden (a collaboration that included Italian electronica artistEraldo Bernocchi), andAnother Flower, which was released after Budd's death in 2020.[43] In 2006, Guthrie produced three songs onMahogany'sConnectivity. He also produced and played guitar onApollo Heights debut album,White Music for Black People.[43]
In 2022 Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde were awarded with the Visionary Award byThe Ivors Academy.[44] Fraser and Guthrie attended the award ceremony in London in May 2022.[45] In 2023, Guthrie remastered the albumsFour-Calendar Café andMilk & Kisses, which was later re-released under an exclusive license by their former record label, 4AD, in 2024 on vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats.[46][29]
Cocteau Twins' early recordings were classified in thegothic rock[47][48][49][50] andpost-punk genres.[51] The band's influences at the time they formed includedThe Birthday Party (drummerPhill Calvert encouraged the group to sign to 4AD),[52]Sex Pistols,Kate Bush andSiouxsie and the Banshees[53] (Fraser had Siouxsie tattoos on her arms for several years).[54][55] The band was named after the earlySimple Minds song "The Cocteau Twins" (later rewritten as "No Cure") with a reference to aJean Cocteau novel.[56] As the band's sound developed, their subsequent music was classified asdream pop,[2][57] anddarkwave.[58] Fraser's vocals included invented or unknown words, sometimes ones she found in foreign language books, adding to the band's dreamy ambience.[59]
Cocteau Twins' music has influenced numerous artists in different genres, includingSlowdive,[60]Ride,[61]Cigarettes After Sex,[62]Quicksand,[63]Deftones,the Weeknd,Napalm Death,John Grant, andPrince.[64]
The Guardian described their music as "the gold standard for enigmatic, ethereal indie-pop", citing their ability to "emerge fully formed from the post-punk shadows".[65]
Music critic Rob Morton ofThe New York Sun wrote, "With their impenetrable lyrics and intense privacy, the band quickly developed an aura of mystique. The Twins were largely responsible for defining the 4AD aesthetic in the late 1980s, they have proven hugely influential over the years, and they have been namechecked by artists as diverse as Prince,Madonna, andMy Bloody Valentine".[66]
"Have you met Liz?" 3D splutters with laughter. "[...] She loved our Siouxsie and the banshees sample off 'Metal Postcard' — she'd just had this Siouxsie and the Banshees tattoo removed from her arm.
Colin Wallace, their friend, confident and roadie has come from the same background as Fraser; Heggie and Gutrhie. [...] he says, '[...] Elisabeth was a huge Siouxsie fan - she had Siouxsie tattoos which she's had lasered off since'.
Since I've gone back to learn these early Ride songs for the reunion tour, I've noticed how much Robin Guthrie's playing influenced me, and it harks back toJohnny Marr andGeorge Harrison with little patterns and little sort of partial chords with open strings. (...) The Cocteau Twins were very otherworldly and were very influential on the Ride sound.
I think the main one wasFrançoise Hardy music just because her music sounds so pure and beautiful… She's my favorite singer, songs like "All Over The World" and "Voilà" are really striking. But also bands likeThe Paris Sisters and this kind of early 60's gentle girl groups stuff,Julee Cruise and the stuff she did forTwin Peaks. Cocteau Twins were also a big influence.
It's a little bit of a homage to The Cocteau Twins, who are a really big influence on us...
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |