“The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s”

• Pitchfork
• 10-Sep 2018

Treasure (1984) and Blue Bell Knoll (1988)

Treasure: Number 27

“While Cocteau Twins guitarist Robin Guthrie would later bemoan Treasure’s “so 1984” sound of drum machine and DX7 synth, for their fans, the Scottish band’s third album had little to do with the rock music of that decade. Rather, Treasure marked the point at which the Cocteau Twins floated off into their own, hugely idiosyncratic paradise, severing the post punk and gothic rock links of their first two albums in favor of a lustrous, angelic sound. Indeed, other rock music seems brutish and unnecessary when faced with the mystical drift of “Aloysius” or the choral drones of “Donimo.” Best of all, though, is “Lorelei,” an idiosyncratic wonder that marries the divine sound of singer Elizabeth Fraser in full, operatic swoop with Christmas bells, velvet-soft guitar walls, a muscular bass line, and oceans of reverb—creating something of such otherworldly beauty, it felt incredible that mere human beings could have been involved in its creation.” — Ben Cardew

Blue Bell Knoll: Number 89

“For a group whose sound is seen as so monolithic and singular, the Cocteau Twins’ catalog is actually surprisingly diverse, from angsty, gothic noise-pop to their early, effervescent post-punk missives. But by the time they released Blue Bell Knoll in 1988, they had permanently settled on the now-classic lineup of guitarist Robin Guthrie, bassist Simon Raymonde, and vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, and all three further locked into the ethereal and glossy sound that they would become best known for. From the to-and-fro melody of “Carolyn’s Fingers” to the summertime jangle of “A Kissed Out Red Floatboat,” each dreamlike track deftly weaves into the next, with Fraser’s lyrical spirals offering their own language of fantasy.” — Cameron Cook

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