The Cocteau Twins were my favourite band of the '80s and '90s. Their distinctive sound is quite unlike anything that had been heard before and indeed since (despite attempts at imitations). The glorious sound of Elizabeth Fraser's heavenly voice against a backdrop of swirling ethereal guitars and bass transport you to some other mysterious place. Elizabeth Fraser's voice is truly unique - for me it is the type of voice that just makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end it is so beautiful. Much has been made of the fact that the lyrics she sings are barely decipherable (and in fact on some tracks the lyrics are actually a nonsensical collection of words), but actually I think this just adds to the other world quality of her voice.
Typically, for most of their career The Cocteau Twins shunned the usual convention of releasing 7" singles taken from albums, choosing instead to release EPs containing tracks that were not available elsewhere, despite the fact that this made commercial success less likely.
The band split in 1997 and are sadly missed.
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