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Cocteau Twins | |
|---|---|
 Cocteau Twins in 1986, from L-R: Simon Raymonde, Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Grangemouth, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1979–1997 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
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| Website | cocteautwins |
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] Fraser's vocals included unknown words she found in foreign language books, adding to the band's dreamy ambience.[2][3] They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop[4][5] and helped define what would become shoegaze.[6][7]
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. 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 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".[8] In a 2021 interview, Raymonde claimed that Cocteau Twins "will never reform".[9]
- ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Cocteau Twins' Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ "The nonsense lyrics at the centre of Cocteau Twins' best songs". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Elizabeth Fraser talks about her lyrics. Retrieved 7 May 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AllMusic1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ 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
- ^ Troussé, Stephen (15 December 2021). "Ultimate genre guide: shoegaze". Uncut.
- ^ Parys, Bryan (13 September 2019). "Do You Shoegaze?: a primer on the underground genre". Berklee.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.