After
a discovery hiatus and with a new year ushered in, I felt it was time
to return to the Cocteau Twins. This next destination being the one
other record of theirs I knew alongside Treasure. Heaven Or Las Vegas is
the trio's commercial peak and a record of notoriety among "albums to
hear before you die" lists and whatnot. Rearranging the various aspects
of their sound, the group hit a stride and roll with it through ten
fantastic songs that revel in the Dream Pop realm they helped to
pioneer.
Opening
with Cherry-Coloured Funk, the temperament and pace is swiftly set as
each song moves with this steady shuffling drive, as lavish, pedal
effect drenched guitars drone in a wash of color and delays. Its the
defining aesthetic of each track which hinges on simple, straightforward
song structures. Each one plays out presenting its main idea and
upfront with a few variations woven in. With Guthrie on a stride its a
fine curation of ideas, resonating well with his fellow musicians who
put icing on top.
Fraser
pivots from her wordless performance style to sung lyrics which arrive
with a magical cadence and distorting accent to throw one of the scent
on occasions. The way she lays emphasis and elongates notes is charming
yet often out of step with expectations, giving her words a cryptic
dimension. Behind them, on every song, Simon Raymonde pumps away simple
yet warm and cushioning bass lines, with an occasional tough of groove
but mostly very simplistic and straightforward playing.
Brief
moments of electronic synths can be heard too, often woven into the
drum machine arrangements. They can sound bare and stiff on some tracks,
bearing its mechanical nature with claps and snaps. Counter too that,
it sounds completely organic on a handful of songs too. All in all its a
beautiful aesthetic arrangement of Ethereal colors dazzling in the wash
of dreamy guitars and singing that finds its charm swiftly and keeps
you with them for the duration of the record without a blemish, bar a
couple of drearier songs, however they bring their own rainy day magic
too.
Rating: 8/10