Emerged in the aftermath of the punk era, alongside
Siouxsie & The Banshees or Cure, the Cocteau Twins
have, in the fifteen years they were together, invented
a unique combination of foggy guitars, hypnotic bass
lines and ethereal vocals. Stars & Topsoil
retraces eight years of their collaboration with legendary
label 4AD.
From their first album, Garlands, released
in 1982, to 1996’s Milk & Kisses, the Cocteau
Twins have skilfully developed their craft, the waves
of layered guitars engulfing the exceptional voice of
Liz Fraser, to the point where it became an instrument
in its own right. To add to the mystery, Liz has, over
the years, perfected her own language, in which a few
English words only would filter. She has also given
the strangest titles to her songs, sometimes using first
names, on Treasure, or butterfly names, on
Tiny Dynamine and Echoes In A Shallow Bay.
Stars & Topsoil compiles tracks taken from
nearly every single EP or album released by the band
on 4AD, and follows last year’s BBC
Sessions, released on Robin Guthrie's and Simon
Raymonde’s label Bella Union. The eighteen tracks, in
chronological order, demonstrate more than ever how
the Cocteau’s universe has remained so tightly sealed
over the years. Ignoring fashions, Liz Fraser, Robin
Guthrie and Simon Raymonde have remained consistent
in their art, faithful to their original sound.
Stars & Topsoil includes some of the finest
moments ever recorded. Sugar Hiccup, Pearly-Dewdrops’
Drops, Pale Clouded White, the magnificent
Lazy Calm, with its icy saxophone, Orange
Appled or Iceblink Luck are as many reminders
that the music produced by the Cocteau Twins is breathtaking,
jubilant and peaceful. It is timeless.
5/5 |
