Heaven Or Las Vegas

Nja. Helt ok, men inte mer. Försökte lyssna en andra gång men kände "meh, nä"

Trivsam lyssning men inte så värst mycket mer än så för min del. Börjar riktigt bra med Cherry-coloured funk, men därefter är det rätt slätstruket.

Call it dream pop or shoegaze, but neither label completely fits. They're a bit too muddled to be completely dreamy and a bit too light to be shoegaze. It feels like being pulled between the earth and sky, or as they've aptly named it, 'Heaven or Las Vegas'. The clear highlight is Elizabeth Fraser's vocals but the music also has an unusual quality to it, like a daydream you can't quite wake up (no matter how much you might want to) from on a mild afternoon. There's a mild discomfort about it but also a temptation to lie back and let it wash over you. It's hard to say how much I actually like it, but is growing on me.

Interesting. Good vibes, but I could not tell one song from another.

felt like a transition from 80s to 90s. Liked more as the album went on. Good vibe.

Silly made up language, interesting shoegazey noisescape, are they Scottish? I can't tell. Fine when played at low volumes int he background while something more interesting is happening

Heaven or Las Vegas is a really cool song, gives strong Twin Peaks vibes. Turns out it was an influence for the music there, which makes sense. The rest of the album is ok, easy to get lost in, but not nearly as memorable as the title track. I also liked Cherry-Coloured Funk.

Not conviced their singing in a legit language. It's like that song from the 60s where that Italian bloke sang a song to sound like English but it was all just gibberish.

This album shows up on so many lists that I was excited to finally listen to it. The lyrics are unintelligible and the music was entirely forgettable. Very disappointing.

Never heard of this before, but it was pretty good.

It was alright, nothing about it really grabbed me though

I’d be lying if I ever claimed I knew what Cocteau Twins were ever on about. I just know that I’ve always been a big fan of Elizabeth Fraser’s voice. There were a handfull of their songs that I really liked - The Spangle Maker (1984), Aikea-Guinea (1985) - but generally speaking in the record shop I worked in, each of their albums, as it was released, was like aural wallpaper. It didn’t matter that I didn’t get a handle on them, because Fraser’s voice was sublime & her approach to singing was unique. A bit like Kate Bush with no boundaries. It was her vocal on This Mortal Coil’s cover of Tim Buckley’s Song To A Siren(1983 & one of the greatest covers of all time) that I never tire of hearing. So by the time Heaven Or Las Vegas was released, I was used to the Cocteau Twins. For me, this album was more wallpaper - classy & her voice was as good as ever. I do love Wolf In The Breast.

Estos discos siempre estuvieron en mi lista de la compra en su época, pero eran difíciles de encontrar en las tiendas de música que tenía a mano y pedirlos por correos no recuerdo que fuera posible. Desconozco si eran tiradas muy cortas o solo eran de importación. Hasta que no llegó el digital no pude disfrutarlos. Entiendo que habrá gente que no los aprecie, es un sonido y unas vocalizaciones muy particulares. Para guardar: "Cherry-Coloured Funk", "Iceblink Luck" y "Heaven or Las Vegas".

Love the vibes of this album, it creates such a dreamlike atmosphere. It feels very 80s. I have no idea what they're saying most of the time, but it sounds cool regardless.

This album had me questioning if I spoke English at times. Why did it sound like it would drift into japanese or something. I'm pretty sure it was all English. Who knows.

This is a hard review for me because the genre the Cocteau Twins operates in is my main go to. So there are two things to consider. I have a huge pool of artists floating around to consider, and most of them I view as having "this song" or "that song" I really love, and don't dig deep into their playlists. Also, those I have dug deep on are really quite special to me for whatever reason and I have been swimming in their pools for a long time. I have been viewing the Cocteau Twins mainly from the first pool, and LOVE a few of their songs. On the other hand, after a full album listen, I can see that I could get into this band enough to maybe consider putting them into my first pool after all. It may take a bit of a deeper plunge is all.

Begint met bekend nummer en ik vind het wel een lekker geluid maar het kan niet het hele album m’n aandacht vasthouden.

Heard of them but don't know any of these songs... Standouts: Icebrink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas 3.5

She has a good voice and there are a few we'll written tracks but by and large this is mediocre.

This was ho hum for me. I did not really enjoy the mixture of English and random other languages that happen to sound good in the song, but did not have an applicable meaning in English.

wasn't familiar with artist or album, so expectations were quite low. overall I was pleasantly surprised. maybe I was just in a good mood today, but even though it is not my usual style it made for some nice background music. did give up trying to understand the lyrics tho & just focused on music. solid 2.5

I liked this more than Treasure, has a more interesting sound.

Again, fine. Kind of like Abba on downers.

My mom problem love ever note of this album. It's got some nostalgic vibes to it because it sounds like things I heard as a kid. Definitely has that Wilson Phillips sound to it but with a synth pop/post-punk/new wave flavor

Bettter than first Cocteau Twins album. Chill, electronic, original, a little weird.

a dreamy, soundscapey pop album from the Cocteau Twins, who I never really got into. The instrumentals are pretty nice here - they’re lush and have that floaty vibe to it. The vocals aren’t as enjoyable. Sometimes they add to the floating, sometimes they pull me back down. Plus I have no idea what they’re saying. Overall, it’s fine - don’t love or hate it. Some moments are pretty pleasurable but also can get a bit boring or just feel like it’s missing something. Or maybe it’s me who’s missing something…there are aspects of this that make me want to revisit, but the music just leaves me wanting something more.

Not having heard of this group, I was kind of dreading it. I figured it'd be some sort of loud screaming or something. It was actually kind of pleasant and relaxing.

Scottish Wilson Phillips singing in Simlish.

3,5!

Ok

more on a pop vibe than i thought it would be . i liked it

cocteau twins made some of the most heavenly music ever created with electric instruments and voice - and then they made this slightly shimmery restaurant music

Hard to rate. There were moments I was really into a song and other moments where it just didn't click. The singing was so different than most, I can't tell if I liked it or didn't.

Interesting and worth a listen

Really nice and interesting sound. Just came across Cocteau Twins and I am a fan.

3.2

A couple of songs were ok.

Smooth and poppy - very nice new wave album. The title track was by far my favorite.

Incomprehensible Sims radio music

This album wasn't all that bad actually. Has a very nice 90s sound to it and in a weird way kinda reminds me of a (not as good) Cranberries. I've definitely heard worse. 6/10

Dream pop - quite appropriate as listening to this made me want to sleep. Not unpleasant, but didn't grab my attention.

5/10

Dreamy, poppy, vibes.

These lyrics are supposed to be their MOST intelligible yet?

Not my cup of tea

I really wanted to love this!

Texture muaic

Solid choice to listen to when walking around Twin Peaks

liked this one a lot! very dreamy and layered. top 3: cherry-coloured funk, frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires, pitch the baby honorable mention: heaven or las vegas

Nice sound

Ethereal, vibey, beach housey but less depressing

cute og chill :))))

Kind of a good blend between 80s and 90s. It’s like 80s synth pop meets 90s shoegaze. It makes for really easy listening and enjoyable music.

That was good! It reminded me of indie pop and synth pop. I can see where Lucius gets a lot of their inspiration. There were some cool psych elements as well. Not sure if I'll revisit, but I enjoyed it!

Pretty solid - 7/10

Okay, not amazing. Not very novel imo. 6/10

I'm afraid that I never particularly cared for the Cocteau Twins' music, even at the time of original release. I have revisited their albums periodically over the years but I still find their music a bit over-produced and excessively dreamy for my taste. This album is no exception. After listening to it three times, I don't see any stand-out tracks (or, to be fair, any absolute dogs). Inoffensive. 3/5

It didn't exactly tickle my pickle but I still enjoyed listening to this.

This album was okay. It really didn’t do much for me. It sounded a lot like all the other synth-pop from the 80s that I’ve heard before, just this time, not in English. 🥴 This album also felt like a wall of constant sound all at the same volume. It didn’t have any levels, and it was therefore, fatiguing to listen to. Bonus points for being a short ass album though.

Könnte man noch mal rein hören. Klang nicht schlecht.

Synth pop rock. Cool background music, but nothing super interesting. The vocals some times disappear in the mix.

Acquired taste

It's a good listen. It has a cohesive dream pop sound throughout. While I did like listening to it, I'm not sure it's something I would come back to often.

Liked it.

I like the bubbly bass. I didn't finish this all the way because I ran out of time but it wasn't bad. Slightly too floaty for me.

Fun and original album. Great outing by the Scottish stars.

This album was kind of interesting. The instrumentation and arrangements gave the rather simple songs a real spacey vibe. The vocal harmonies were kind of weird but they worked. I could listen to this again, but I probably wouldn’t ever seek it out

gut, aber würde ich jetzt nicht so anhören

Pas trop mon truc, même si cherry... était pas mal :)

Fluffy and ethereal, makes sense why they were called one of the original dream pop bands

I love the Cocteaus - Treasure and Victorialand but lost interest when they went a bit poppy (which proved to be their 'breakthrough' sound it seems in terms of popularity. It's very distinctive sound and Liz's vocal and 'wall-of-sound' guitars immersive and moody. Early Cocteaus would get a 5* but this is only a 3* I'm afraid.

Interesting rhythmic album. Wasn't amazing, wasn't the worst. Might have trouble coming back to it with more modern options in the queue.

Synthetisch klingender Dream-Pop. Naja!

Not unpleasant, but instantly forgettable

Dream pop. Ni fu ni fa.

c'est vrai, belle atmosphère c'est certain. La voix aussi, mais c'est plus un album qui passe qu'autre chose. J'ai des vibe de Enya.. ahaha mais bon je l'ai écouté un 2 partie donc j'ai un peu de la misère en men souvenir. Cependant, jen'ai rien qui ma vraiment frappé. 3.25

Awesome vocals, dull repetitive music. But they're Scottish, and Liz Fraser is a genius.

Liked the sound of this one. Wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it though.

Despite being Scottish I somehow have never heard of Cocteau Twins until now. This was a cool album, especially for the time, the strange vocal style captures you immediately. Easy listen but nothing that blew me away.

I’ve had this on my phone for over a week and finally listened to it! I didn’t super care for Treasure, which is probably why I procrastinated listening to this (that and I was on holidays). Anyway, I liked this better than Treasure. I can’t see myself choosing to listen to it again, but I didn’t mind it. Solid 3/5 material.

Pretty okay

3.3/5 Best Track: Heaven or Las Vegas

Heaven Or Las Vegas is fine. The main thing I like about this album is Elizabeth Fraser voice because man it is quite good and pretty unique too. The songs were all okay albeit a bit forgettable. The sound choices weren't annoying though so this album didn't make me want it to end really fast. Best Song: Iceblink Luck Worst Song: I Wear Your Ring

Liked it, but realistically won't listen to it again. 3/5

Only a couple moments which I thought were good

could i write poetry to this? n

I enjoyed this. The sound feels very full throughout, which is a bit challenging on a first listen. I feel like this gets better and better with repeated listens. I'm not sure how realistic it is that I'll actually ever perform those repeated listens, but I wouldn't mind it if that ever came to pass.

I haven't heard it before, but I liked it very much for being the first time.

This was an interesting and surprising album. I only liked a couple of songs, but the dreamy, pop, alternative rock style was really prominent here. Not a bad album! Was kinda lame at the later half except for the last song. Favorite Song(s): "Cherry-coloured Funk", "Pitch the Baby", "Heaven or Las Vegas", "Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires"

Precisely the kind of insular music a pair of twins would make. I rate it snake eyes plus one. 🎲🎲🎲

Another unknown for me. Pretty regular inoffensive 80s music, nice singing even if the words were unintelligible. Looked up the lyrics, they look like they’ve been put through google translate a few times but this band is Scottish so what’s with that?? Listens: 2 Fave Track: Cherry-coloured Funk. Rating: 3

Duger väl till vardags.

Seemed pretty good

Pioneer's of the Dream Pop, Shoegaze sound. Really lovely warm tones throughout. I liked the french lyrics, forced me to focus on the instrumentals. Enjoyed this album.

Didn’t really know what to think about this. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something I would seek out

good.

Weird 90’s ethereal and ambient. Which is what I think they were going for. Like the New Wave feel but with other more 90’s sounds to it. Was confused lyrically and so I looked it up and that seems to be the big confusion. Are they singing in English… kinda? Will register to this again.

Lesbian spiritual fever dream music

Still can't understand anything Liz is singing, but mostly I enjoy all the Cocteau Twins have released. I do find the all the guitars (and everything else that isn't the bass) excessively bright, but I can get past it.

cherry-coloured funk 6.9 pitch the baby 6.5 iceblink luck 5.5 fifty-fifty clown 5.3 heaven or las vegas 6.4 i wear your ring 5.8 fotzepolitic 6.7 wolf in the breast 7 road, river, and rail 6.3 frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires 8 Some very pretty songs, and some I didn't care for too much but overall it's a vibe. The last song was a banger. 3 stars.

Didn't sound bad but not really up my alley

I think I understand what people like about this record. I just don't like it very much myself. It's good enough and original enough to be on the list. Favorite song: Frou-frou foxes in midsummer fires

Sounds nice enough, but not something I'd actively listen to. Nice as background, though.

3.4

Scottash senging

Another reasonable entry in the 1001

Not a huge fan of dream pop as a genre. I can see why it's on the list; it just wasn't my thing.

Feels like Djo

I liked some of this. But I really didn't like some of it, too. Some of the insturmentation is really good and interesting. Some of the vocals are fine, but some are utterly uncomprehensible. I don't think I'll be putting this on again anytime soon.

3 Shoegaze meets dance pop meets Kate Bush meets… ABBA? This isn’t my first foray with Cocteau Twins. Anyone who knows me knows that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is my favorite movie (and book) of all-time, and there’s a great line in it where Sam describes her first time hearing the song Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops by the group, an experience that entirely changed her musical taste by inspiring in her a vision of looking up, seeing someone at a party, and realizing that everything will be okay. So, of course I had to seek out the song, and while the music surrounding the movie is a large part of my adoration… I didn’t have quite the same reaction to it. Now, Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops is not on this album, but from what I’ve read, many people have had similar experiences with Heaven or Las Vegas that Sam did that song, describing the ambience of the album as absolutely enchanting and transcending unlike anything else - but I wasn’t quite able to get there myself. I’m not even exactly sure why that is, I’m a sucker for this dream pop type of bullshit (see my War on Drugs review), but this really didn’t do it for me. It’s not bad by any means, and I definitely wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but it really failed to pull me in like it has so many others. Granted, each time I listened to this album was while I was working, so maybe I just need to fully immerse myself in it on a quiet, responsibility-free night? I’ll give it a shot one day, but in the meantime, we’re going to go with a 3. Sorry, Sam.

Kinda like swimming with dolphins when you can't actually swim. Music to die to

Yeah man lovely chorus pedals, synths and mega reverb on vocals. Its a great sound and reaches some heady heights. Altough any differnt ideas in there? I guesS they made a sound. Its a lovely sound but couldnt help but wonder what would it be like if they recorded it on a double decker bus on the morning commute to Machester. Sure a few elbows and probably a fair amount of Manc heckling. But surely a unique and evolving experience and ergo sound.

Ah yes, the Cocteau Twins. Makes you want to lie in a field with a pretty girl on a warm sunny day and watch clouds go by.

Too well produced, too sweet. Not a real Cocteau album.

Enjoyable and atmospheric, but annoying that the lyrics are unintelligible

Kinda weird, kinda unsettling, and I lost focus multiple times. Still pretty captivating in a lot of ways. Some fascinating sounds and beautiful harmonies. Best song: Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires

I get a little bored around 3-4 songs, but it's good sunset music, especially when driving I would imagine. 3/5

Felt like I was driving through a John Hughes movie.

Kind of easy on the ears. But I like to understand what I'm listening to. Guess it would be fine as background music.

Everyone knows (you might not know the name, but you’ve heard it for sure) Cherry-coloured Funk for a reason, it’s that good. As for the rest of the album, after setting the bar that high right from the start… it’s alright I guess

Decent easy listening, but not terribly memorable

Close to being a 2. Annoying but also kinda of okay as just music being on

Style over substance. Didn't hate it though, is just too much of this specific sound for me to really enjoy a whole album. I do like the title track.

nice ethereal sounds

It's a quite nice floaty-sounding album. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I think I had these guys confused with another band who were a bit more hard-hitting. I can't say this is particularly exciting. They kind of sound like a softer, less-interesting Roxette or something. 2.5 rounded up.

3.5/5 Heaven or Las Vegas was quite pleasant after the album we just had. It was very calm and soothing. I understand why it's call Dream Pop, and "ethereal." The synths feel very airy and floaty. The songs all kind of ran together for me because there were any changes in mood, feel or key, but Elizabeth Fraser has a nice feminine voice and has nice vocal control and adds nice embellishments. She kinda reminded me of a young Sinead O'Connor.

A little bit into it... Just a little...

This feels like an album Kevin would like a lot. I also like this album a lot. It's early pop music that isn't overly poppy. It got a little repetitive toward the end, but overall was enjoyable. Probably won't listen to this one again, but happy I listened once :).

Dream pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Not to my taste but there was something quite relaxing about listening to it whilst walking in the sunshine and heat through fields at work

Intéressant mais pas transcendant

Not annoying but quite anonymous

I actually quite enjoyed this one, almost a 4 for me

When you hear 'Cherry Coloured Funk' you think, wow, this albums going to be amazing. But the ten tracks that follow are all so similar it gets a bit tired. Still, the wobbly, lofi, intriguing sound is very pleasant, and different from a lot outside of it.

Sounds more like heaven than las vegas but not sure it's where I would like to be. Nice music, a bit boring though.

A harrowing outburst of baby vomit restricted my time with the Cocteaux to a listen and a half on my crappy phone speakers, enough for me to start liking them, but not enough to dispel the snide, one-line review I came up with over the first song and a half, which I’ll get to. I’d bounced off them a couple of times for a perceived thinness of sound, a samey, echoey thrum. But this has songs, hooks, climaxes, and some heartfelt melodies. I should listen to it again. My bad review follows. The correct answer to this question is “Björk”. (Sorry.)

Reminiscent of Abba in places

Good

Not something I would normally listen to but OK

Wasn't blown away, but definitely got into it

I had a Cocteau Twins album come up a while back, I preferred this one.

Allegro

Haven’t heard this album in quite a while! Cocteau Twins create a musical dreamscape with unique distortion and reverb while blending each musical phrase together. At times I wish I could hear the lyrics more clearly though and I do wish they diversified the sound a bit more.

Back to the synth, it was actually very well received. Fun album to take a ride with.

An early 90s alternative album that has the sounds of shoegaze and feels like something a little more modern. Overall I thought it was okay and enjoyed the simplicity of most of the album. The instrumentals and beats were relatively the same in tempo and didn’t overload the songs. The singer has a good voice although sometimes hard to understand. There were a few songs worth revisiting. 6.0/10

Rock alternativo. Melódico.

It was ok

Dream pop indeed. Vocally similar to Kate Bush (particularly The Dreaming album). Smooth indie, covering chorused guitars, synthpop and other smooth styles. Good unique sound, certainly worth hearing before I die, but I'm still not won over as a proper fan.

Inspiring, deep, meaningful,

Shimmering sounds, very evocative of the 90s

3/5 it was good, production is super interesting, Melodie’s and vocals are unique, a bit monotonous at times and it’s hard for me to tell between one song and the other. Don’t know if I was distracted yesterday or what but I guess it didn’t grab my attention like the other albums did. But definitely has its cool things just not the masterpiece I thought I would be.

Me gustan las vibes súper calmas y tranquilas, pero es un álbum de domingo a la tarde de fondo, no mucho mas

Stille og rolig 90'er indierock, meget drømmende, lidt for kedeligt måske

Opener is mega! Rest could use some tightness

Should listen to again. Like the sound.

Not too many thoughts on this tbh. Maybe i didn’t like as much as I originally thought I did. Not like I hated it or anything. There’s some really fun songs there for sure. Just overall 🤷‍♀️. Weak 4 strong 3ish

Enjoyed it well enough, nothing special though.

First time listening to this, very nice sounding album. All around very dream-like sounds through the whole album. Hard to make out the lyrics but still such a very nice sound coming out of the album regardless, not my favorite but not a bad album.

Decent album. The sounds were interesting, and I did like what they were doing with vocals, very ethereal like. However, the actual music itself was soft and not ear-catching to me. It was just "nice" to listen to. None of them really gave me shivers throughout, except for one "I Wear Your Ring" which I did add. It's another album that sounds nice in the background and I can see why people would like this, however, I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to listen to this again. Perhaps as background music?

Okay, some songs gave me a Twin Peaks vibe.

A jangly dream that doesn't turn into a nightmare. Doesn't turn into anything, really. 3 / 5 stars.

I enjoyed it.

Like the vibes.

Good music to mark to

80s nothingness maybe sung in a made up language

Pioneers of dream pop. The production is a bit too 80s for my taste. Slowdive did it better.

Better than the last album by them on this list.

Reminds me of beach house. Smooth and easy to listen to. I definitely would have but nothing too crazy good in my eyes.

Not bad, a bit of the times but there are some interesting elements. 3.5

Floaty, unintelligible, generally pleasant. I don't dislike this album as much as I usually hate this kind of music. Indeed I can think of times and places and situations where it would be appropriate listening. Stars not because I like it but rather because they pull it off. Too bad the genre didn't go a better direction from here.

Buen pop un tanto melódico de los 90, acompañado por una buena voz femenina y con toques sosegados. Prometía algo más al principio

Nice background music.

Not great

I thought this was a little dull Not bad but nothing stood out

Kept me interested throughout this one - enjoyed it. Titular track ‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ is a cracker

Weird one this. I'm pretty sure they sang in gibberish for most of the album which seems ridiculous. But the general sound of the album was alright, but pretty repetitive. How did they remember the lyrics at live performances? I dunno. The amount of thought some musicians put into lyrics and these rock up sing nonsense and get into the 1001 albums to listen to before you die.

3.9/5

1990, dus dan denk je, dat kennen we allemaal wel. Maar ik had dus echt nog nooit van deze band gehoord en dan ken ik nog best veel obscure 80s crap. Klinkt als een soort dromerige en zweverige Pretenders. Ach, ik kan het toch nog best uitzitten eigenlijk, zit niet slecht in elkaar verder.

Coke and glossolalia go well together.

sweet

Sonically interesting. Great guitar sounds, super dreamy, lyrics ??? YouTube comment about girl at prom spot on.

....

Another good album, and one that I hadn't heard of. Equally good for having on in the background during work and for actively listening to. I don't quite get why I like it, it's definitely an overall construction thing rather than any specific part of the music or individual track being out of this world. Her voice is nice, the stuff behind it is verging on psychedelia. And it's really consistent, solid tracks pretty much from start to finish. Top end of a 3, missing a standout element, but I will be listening to this plenty more.

2/10, 20%

This gave me late 80s Spice Girls vibes and I wasn’t mad about it

Cocteau Twins: proof lyrics don't matter when the voice is an instrument in its own right. Can't understand a bloody word. Nice though

On est désolé pour les Cocteau Twins d'assister à une telle quête d'identité. Après s'être partiellement émancipés de l'âme de Kate Bush, ceux-ci se sont fait envoûtés par celle d'Abba, avant de se faire rattraper par celle de Jean Cocteau. Quelle tristesse...

Les Cocteau Twins nous proposent une nouvelle fois leur bouille Kate Bushesque pendant 30 bonnes minutes, avant de se décider d'enfin lancer leur album sur le dernier titre. Totalement insuffisant, ce qui leur vaut un 3/5 affable.

Enjoyable listen

This was a challenging 1001 listen for me. Treasure is without a doubt the pinnacle of my 1001 albums experience so far. It is something I will hold close for all time. It may have even wiggled its way into my top ten albums. So to park another Cocteau Twins review alongside it isn't really fair. Soaked in reverb, with a few more audible lyrics that I was expecting, Heaven or Las Vegas is a nice foray into the landscape that bridges the 80s and 90s. I can hear sections that influenced bands like Belly and other charming Indy acts. Is this the birth of shoegaze? It is lovely and easy, but not my favourite child.

I really enjoyed most of this - some lovely melodies, great mood-setting songs.

This is pretty good. It's a little dreamy, but enjoyable. Ice Blink Luck was really good.

Nice to have on in background. Pretty chill. Can't really remember much of it now though.

Good but got old after a while, however it sounded great.

80s dream pop. Relaxing.

Preface - I did not listen extremely closely. Was kinda on as just background noise. This is really chill background noise though. Very nocturnal feel - great for night drives with the windows down and a slight chill. I’m sure this is a lot better than I’m rating it, I just can’t give it any higher from my personal first listening experience.

I expected better from this album because I really love the opening track! But it ends up being quite one note and the rest of the songs don’t seem to capture the catchiness and shit of cherry coloured funk

Sounds like something found in a “Garden State” soundtrack, not the era where hair metal, east coast/west coast, and grunge all met in a musical melting pot. Has vibes of ABBA and the softer songs from the Cranberries, all while having strong French overtones. It’s a chill album that could be thrown on in the background of a slow evening and not be at all distracting.

Very ethereal, good background music. Probably wouldn't listen to it more actively

Quite enjoyed this. Another bit of a nostalgia trip. Was never a big fan, but reminds me of listening to Peel waiting for the Cocteaus tracks to finish to hear what delights were in store afterwards. Some nice tunes in here (Iceblink especially), but I found the nonsense poem lyrics bit wearying by that point. And the warbling vocals, if done by Mariah Carey would have put me off right off the bat. As mentioned, some good tunes, but the 80s flange & chorus all over everything really dates this album.

Dreams have become demoted. Throughout history, humanity has sought meaning in their somnolent imagery. Traditionally, people deciphered ambiguous prophecy in reverie, and psychoanalysis held that the more furtive secrets of the individual psyche revealed themselves during dreams. Nowadays, the scientific consensus believes that dreams mean nothing whatsoever, and they are just the result of random synapse firing during sleep. Your bowel movements say more about you than your dreams. But what about dream pop? For those outside the cognoscenti, dream pop is a style of indie that evolved in the eighties, which made melody-driven guitar pop smashed up with reverb, echo, distortion and whatever all the sliders on the mixing desk could do. This also tended to strip the singing of its diction, making the lyrics incomprehensible and the vocals just part of the music's multilayed texture. The resulting emphasis on exquisite, woozy noise made the music appear more emotive than intellectual, focusing on a blissful soundscape rather than lyrical didactics. Well, that's the standard critical line. Critics have raved about the transcendental nature of dream pop (and its sibling shoegaze), how it replaces meaning with ecstasy. Me, I feel some scepticism on my tongue. Dream pop's wilful indistinction usually produced tracks ("songs" doesn't seem the right term) that sounded pretty indistinct from each other. I know that is a partly intended effect, and that it facilitates the understanding of the album as a piece, but I care naught for intentions. It may be an unintended consequence that dream pop's homogenity could induce boredom, but it is still a real consequence. But anyway, the Cocteau Twins were a Scottish indie group that were one of the major pioneers of dream pop, especially with Elizabeth Fraser's indecipherable singing. This, their most celebrated album and the signature album of their label 4AD, exhibits the strengths and weaknesses of dream pop: it has moments of sublimity, but those moments are muted by dull passages that counterintuitively sound rather like the good bits but not as good. The album peaks halfway with the title track, but then gradually yet continuously slips further and further into languor as the album progresses. In their attempt to make the definitive Cocteau Twins' sound, they forgot to add other sounds, leaving their sound sounding less special and more superficial. The whole is less than the sum of its parts. For comparison, when writing the review I also listened to Treasure, the other Cocteau Twins album on the list. Though ther best seconds on Treasure are perhaps not as beautiful as the best seconds on Heaven or Las Vegas, it does have the benefit of divergent tracks. I'll deal with Elizabeth Fraser's voice when I get to reviewing that album. That alright with you?

thought it was good - not knowing what the hell was being sung stressed me out though but I did enjoy the dream pop sound and vocals

Meh

A beautiful vibe. It's really chilled - I can imagine lying in a grassy field of daisys under an old oak tree whilst looking up at the sun and the birds floating between the powdery clouds, sipping from a lemonade. It's a bit 'repetitive' though, repeat listens gets a bit boring.

Dreamy electronic indie, quite calming

Klinkt wel geinig. Doet soms een beetje aan AbbA denken, maar is ook weer zoveel anders eigenlijk :-). In het algemeen is de zang en de muziek mij iets te wazig, maar het blijft ook een soort van boeien.

If you decide not to linger here with the Twins, there are three roads: noise, pop songs, indistinction. Meritorious music in all directions, and Heaven or Las Vegas itself flows without trying to cohere a concept. It's an important stop, but nonsense with distinction has distinct shortcomings (the closing track definitively not among them).

this album to me sounded like a mixture of ABBA and a little bit of enya. it was nice i liked it.

I remember this group as a teenager but it was so out of my sphere of listening that I'm sure I'd dismissed them out of hand - but I really like it. Parts of it sounds like ABBA meets The Sundays :) There's still an unavoidable late-80s production value to it but I suspect this album would hit much differently and not as well if it didn't have that aspect. Dreamy yet accessible, happy (as far as I can tell - I couldn't pick out anything in terms of lyrics :D....), hypnotic. Simply enjoyable. 7/10 3 stars.

Easy listening while bopping around the house.

I really liked how it started but I grew less and less impressed as it went. Not bad and the good parts are really good though. I'd just rather listen to the choice cuts.

Solid easy listening, not too ambitious. Maybe a little over compressed. Drums seemed to lack transients, but that makes it less edgy and thus more accessible. Melodies were solid and sound design seemed in line with end of 80s synths, instrumentation, and safe mixing.

Seems OK, not really my main jam, but I can appreciate it. Mazzy Star vibes.

dice.blink.luck in What3Words is near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire.

i choose the middle way

Ethereal pop music at its finest

This oddly feels the way listening to Happy Mondays feels—like a farewell to the 80s.

Light, airy pop tracks with an almost shoegaze quality to the vocals. Within a couple songs you'll be able to tell if you'll enjoy this album or not.

Yeah ok, seemed like generic 90s electro

I’ve heard the first track on this album a million times but never knew this is what it was from. Overall though, everything except that song kinda blurred together but I liked the essential 80s vibe despite being from 1990

As admirable as the project is, it is hard to escape two fundamental factors: one, the tracks somewhat blend together and lack a distinctness which might make the album more interesting and two the vocalists are singing underwater with marshmallows in their mouths making it impossible to work out any sense of meaning to the lyrics. I found the whole thing quite elusive, despite enjoying much of the overall mood which at times could be quite beautiful.

Nice atmosphere and instrumentals, kind of boring and repetitive aside from a few stand-out tracks though.

An interesting album that was somewhat unnerving to me. Most times, I can place exactly what emotion an album/song gives me but this album had me borderline disoriented. I don’t think I’ll go back to listen to it, nor do I think it will become one of my all-time favorites but it was a cool album to listen to.

Not bad background music, but too atmospheric and slow to catch my attention.

Couple of recognizable songs but not something I'd listen to all the way thru.

5/10/2022 - ALBUM #104 Today's Album: "Heaven or Las Vegas" by Cocteau Twins - This may be the most unique album to come out of the generator thus far. It isn't really that it's incredibly inventive or really does anything shocking, but it just has a really unique atmosphere to the sound and the production and mixing, despite being subjectively poor, add to the experience and tone of the project. Each song has a similar sort of laid back bass and drum beat joined by a very ethereal, hazy, synth. The chord structure is usually pretty basic, but there is a really cool hazy atmosphere created by the instrumentation and the vocals sort of float above as unintelligible murmurings. I usually have a problem with vocals I can't comprehend, but they're so unintelligible here I am just really ignoring any of the lyricism and I have to say, the vocal melodies in the choruses work really well due to this sort of incomprehensible mumbling. I also think it's aided by whatever post production is being placed on the vocal track to make it so washed out and hazy. Now, there are moments where the lyrics do shine through and I like these moments a lot. For instance, Pitch The Baby has a really infectious hook singing, "I really want to love you" and I really like the chorus of Heaven Or Las Vegas, which is a highlight among the track list because of it's clear vocal delivery. I think there are a lot of tracks outside of the highlights that sort of get boring and drone on for a little too long, but I think it's entirely missing the point to judge this kind of ethereal music for it's structure and not it's overall vibe. Once I judge it for that, I really just like this album as something to put on in the background and forget about. All the performances are great and it's obvious there is a strong attention to the mixing and mastering on this project. Overall, this is a great introduction into shoe-gazy, ethereal, pop rock and it's vibe is immaculate enough to bump up the final score by a half-point. Listen to this one if you like a spacey and chilled out vibe album and want something a little different. Highlights: Cherry-coloured Funk, Pitch the Baby, Heaven Or Las Vegas, Frou-frou Foxes in Midsommer Fires Score: 7/10 Decent Ethereal Rock

Really lovely but it just lacks the excitement of Treasure

Pretty slick for 1990

Not really a fan of this dream pop genre. The songs are fine, most of them have great hooks and interesting composition, but it all sounds way too similar to me, thus making the songs very forgettable. It's one of those - quite nice when you listen to it, but barely remember anything afterwards. So in that sense it falls into "OK" category.

Je ne connaissais ce groupe que de nom. Riches arrangements, très belles couleurs. Le chant est versatile et accrocheur. Les chansons sont assez semblables et versent un peu trop souvent à mon goût du côté pop de la force. Mais très agréable. 3/5 à cause de la redondance et du fini pop qui, à mon sens, atténue l'originalité de l'orchestration.

It's beautiful and esoteric. And one of the best singers that's ever graced this earth. But this album is just not their best work.

I don't know what the lead singer is saying most of the time on this album, but I like her voice. Pitch the Baby is so quirky, and again - I've listened to it twice now - I don't know what she's saying. It's English though, and I like it. So there you go. The rest of the album continues on in this style. That makes it hard to review much higher than a 3.

Insistente pero interesante

It was ok, as noted in other reviews largely incomprehensible lyrics

It’s easy not as good as treasure probably deserved a few more lessons I’ll give it three stars for now

Great voice, melodies, harmonies. Conor thinks band is a bit boring. Very nostalgic for Bill. Shannah wasn't really paying attention but like the background noise. 3.5/5.

Background music

decent dream pop, prefer beach house though

This one took some time but it really grew on me. Once I stopped trying to understand the lyrics and just accept the vocals as 'instrumentation', the record became really beautiful and blissful. 6/10

singin on a feebo streeee, I want to love a gomba gom gombee gets me every time

I love an album with a vibe. This has that. Nothing really memorable or very interesting, but it has a definite vibe, and I'm all in for that. 3

Synth dream pop! Don’t mind if I do! Some nice stuff on here for sure!

Really enjoyed it, love the sound, but all the tracks almost blur into one for me. Different tunes didn't seem to have much identity, it takes one thing and does it well but gets a bit samey. Maybe a 4 with time but a high 3 for now.

Sounds very much like the alternative scene of the 90s pretty reminiscent of the pumpkins

Buen disco, bonita voz de la cantante. No conocía al grupo pero no creo que lo siga, demasiado dream pop para mi gusto.

Was okay, again not something I would listen to often.

So the Cocteau Twins learned a thing or two between 1984’s disastrous Treasure and this album in 1990. I was not pleased when I saw the twins pop up again. However upon listening, Heaven or Las Vegas is decent. The album unintentionally came on during my car ride this morning after listening all the way through yesterday. I didn’t turn it off. I’ll even say that I enjoyed hearing parts of it again. The Cocteau Twins might be the most improved band of the 1980s.

nogal sferisch enya achtig

I was excited to listen to this as I have not heard of Cocteau Twins, and I love alt rock/dream pop music. I wasn't let down, I really enjoy the dreamy very 80s/90s vocals and the vintage sound to it. It has given me great vibes and it's very relaxing and happy. The only problem is that the songs are all a bit too similar and one-noteish and I love hearing the lyrics and feeling all the feels. I am feeling feels for sure but not to the max because I can't tell what she's saying which I both love and dislike. So I'm a bit confused. Therefore, a 3 seems only appropriate.

I'm fairly neutral about this one. It was fine but nothing amazing.

Not best but good

Didn't think I would like this band and I'm not sure if I do, but this album was better than I expected. I'm not one to enjoy electric drums or dreamy synth pop, the songs were easy to listen to and kept me engaged, but are they memorable? Time will tell.

Very dream like. Something completely different for me. Can't understand the vocals but they seem to blend well so feels more like an instrumental album to me.

Very dreamy! It was a bit same same at times, but I still enjoyed it. I especially liked 'Iceblink Luck' and the title track - great basslines and use of synths.

Dreampop

Nice Friday morning album, ethereal and poppy.

This is probably brilliant if it’s your kind of thing but I just can’t get into the music - the kind of high toned, cascading orchestration kind of exhausts me.

3, very pleasant.

It didn't start out as something I liked, but there's a floaty weirdness to it that resonates. It's not incredible but it's not bad either.

Definite 90s vibe.... Hard to dislike but did not capture my heart

Didnt mind this one, glad i had a listen.

Typical 90s girl band

Regular

Sounds like the soundtrack to a John Hughes' movie - but one that went straight to VHS. Soft focus, Thanksgiving turkey/Christmas lights and a couple of lessons learned on the way. I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing. Best Tracks: Iceblink Luck; Heaven or Las Vegas; Fotzepolitic

A bridge album between 80s and 90s

Quite enjoyed listening to this. 3*

Quite liked it. Although more on first listen. Got a bit samey on subsequent play-throughs.

Nice album to listen to. Lots of interesting tracks. Not really my thing but didn't mind it at all. I was expecting to dislike the whole thing.

Interesting. I think the description dream pop is quite fitting for this one. The songwriting is interesting and the execution pretty good. Unfortunately, it's just not really a style of music I enjoy.

Sophisticated Pop. An extensive use of electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and polished arrangements. It sound very 80's instead of 90's. (6/10) Favourite Track: Cherry-Coloured Funk

It was totally not what I was expecting. In a good way. But a bit too dreamy for me.

I really like the sound, I just wish I could understand the words. The album reminds me of ABBA if they had made less disco songs and more dreamy songs. All the songs have a nice pop feel. The main gripes are that the songs tend to sound like each other in addition to the problem mentioned about the lyrics. Favorite track: Cherry-coloured Funk

The first song, Cherry-coloured Funk, is leagues ahead of this album. I don't really care for it other than that because the first track is way too good. The instrumentation and vocals are all pristine in the album and adds to the dreamy feel of the album. It's just unfortunate that the rest of the album is disappointing compared to the first song. Highlights: 1.

Pretty good. Nice in the background but nothing standout.

Sounds like something you'd find in a Sofia Coppola movie and that can only be a good thing.

I liked this one a lot. It was really ethereal and spacy. It didn't have any "bangers" but I did look forward to listening to it.

WTF are these women saying half the time? Now I see where Beach House came from The title track and last track are a whole vibe

Like the vibes on this album a lot. I do wish I could understand literally a single lyric though. It’s impressively Scottish.

Good background noise.

goed voor achtergrond, but not that special

3.1 tof niet speciaal maar eens een leuke listen. heb wel het gevoel dat elk nummer naar iets opbouwt maar die climax komt wel telkens niet

Really enjoyed it. It's going to get quite a few more listens for sure. Cherry colored Funk absolute classic.

First few seconds in it feels like a grower. I hope I’m right cause those albums are usually the best. Well I added it to my favorites, going to need a few more listens though. Tbh I kinda found the vocals a bit annoying, can I say that? I guess I just did.

For whatever reason, I wanted to dislike this. I think I wanted to unleash a low score on some unwitting long forgotten band. Just to feel like I have some agency with this thing. Like I have some control over myself and my opinions. Sadly, not the case. I found this inoffensive. I didn’t particularly dig it but I quite enjoyed some of the vocal lines and airy guitar riffs. We doing this again guys? Another 3? Yeah why not.

This album sounds like pop from another planet - "otherworldly". If one wants to escape reality for just a little while, all they have to do is turn on this album. Very nice!

I had heard of this band but wasn't familiar with their music until I just listened to this album. While I'm not really into synth-pop, their sound has a little more edge to it, and Elizabeth Fraser's voice is incredible. Just on a purely subjective, personal preference basis, not too into this, but can understand their appeal.

Spare, waifish, and sheer as a silk stocking. This is music to evoke an atmosphere; a blurred photograph; the hazy memory of a holiday past; a long-forgotten contact whose number is still in your phone. I suppose from that list you might ascertain that this speaks to me of the ephemeral nature of remembrance, how it drifts and reshapes itself, ultimately leaving behind a residue of the actual experience. But also, it’s probably not that deep.

I don’t know what the fuck language they’re speaking, but this is nice dream pop, if you like that sort of thing.

Fairly standard synth pop with a good voice on top. Need to work on their lyrics though. Songs don't really go anywhere or not anywhere I want to go. Singer elevates them to 3 stars.

Not bad, didn't mind cherry-coloured funk and a couple of others. But not sure I'll come rushing back for another listen.

Kind of forgettable background easy alt-rock. The sort that will probably get better on subsequent listens, but nothing special at first.

Kinda into this.

Gave me 80's vibes. I appreciated it.

Never heard of this band before. Perfectly pleasant.

Nooit eerder van deze cocktail gezusters gehoord, maar prima op smaak gebracht met Cure-achtige gitaren en licht zoete zanglijnen.

syntwave achtig. Wel fijn om naar te luisteren

Fine

OK but just OK

Impressed. Knew nothing of them prior. Nice pop-y album!

Ethereal and soothing.