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Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins in 1985, from left to right: Simon Raymonde, Elizabeth Fraser, and Robin Guthrie
Cocteau Twins in 1985, from left to right: Simon Raymonde, Elizabeth Fraser, and Robin Guthrie
Background information
OriginGrangemouth, Scotland
Genres
Years active1979–1997
Labels
Past members
Websitecocteautwins.com

Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 1983, Heggie was replaced with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde. 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]

In 1982, the band signed with the record label 4AD 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 hit "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops", their highest-charting UK single. The trio crystallised their "swelling, euphoric" dream pop style on the 1984 album Treasure,[6] which became the band's first UK Top 40 album.[7] 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. After the 1990 release of their most commercially successful album, Heaven or Las Vegas, the band left 4AD for Fontana Records, where they released their final two albums.

After nearly 20 years together, the group 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".[8] In a 2021 interview, Raymonde claimed that Cocteau Twins "will never reform".[9]

  1. ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Cocteau Twins' Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference AllMusic1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Reynolds, Simon (1 December 1991), "Pop View; 'Dream-Pop' Bands Define the Times in Britain", The New York Times, archived from the original on 2 September 2020, retrieved 7 March 2010
  4. ^ Troussé, Stephen (15 December 2021). "Ultimate genre guide: shoegaze". Uncut.
  5. ^ Parys, Bryan (13 September 2019). "Do You Shoegaze?: a primer on the underground genre". Berklee.
  6. ^ Schoenfield, Zach. "The 25 Best Dream Pop Albums of All Time". Paste.
  7. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Treasure by Cocteau Twins Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
  8. ^ Anonymous (30 November 2009). "Elizabeth Fraser breaks silence about aborted Cocteau Twins reunion, releases new single". Slicing Up Eyeballs. Archived from the original on 13 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Cocteau Twins' 'Milk & Kisses' Turns 25: Bassist Simon Raymonde revisits the band's swan song". Spin. 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.

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