Blue Bell Knoll

Cocteau Twins

I've been late to the party when it comes to Cocteau Twins. I've been aware of Elizabeth Fraser and her angelic voice for years having spun Massive Attack's Teardrop countless times. I'm not sure how I finally came across the video for Carolyn's Fingers - maybe I was looking up Pixies videos and was recommended it due to the 4AD connection - but I clicked it and I was floored. Fraser's vocal acrobatics are absolutely astounding and quite frankly, inhuman. I honestly don't even know how to describe it. I guess you could say it has somewhat of an operatic quality, but I wouldn't say it is as rigid or disciplined. It sounds much more free. After probably watching that video ten times that day, I added Blue Bell Knoll to my library and it became the soundtrack that got me through my final year of my undergraduate studies.

Athol-Brose quickly became another favourite for numerous reasons. The soft percussive start unexpectedly explodes with a wall of joyous sound. Fraser's vocals steadily climb at regular intervals which at times feel at odds with all the guitar layers in the back. They don't clash in a sour way, but it adds a level of melodic peculiarity that I find very intriguing. The more rhythmic approach to the chorus vocals provide a nice contrast to the long, regimented vocal pattern in the verses. We get more acrobatic vocals on the bridge followed by a much lighter, and heavenly falsetto performance.

I could see one saying that songs on this album don't really feature all that much musical progression. Tracks like For Phoebe Still a Baby ride the same programmed drum groove and cycle through the same guitar phrases over and over. For me personally though, this song is an absolute slow jam. The guitars are saturated in chorus effects creating this wonderfully calming feeling. Fraser is double tracked, harmonizing with herself beautifully. The brief additions of marimba are lovely and did bring a sense of movement in the song. Many songs on here I would say follow a similar format, perhaps only switching things up for a bridge. Therefore, the songs really rely on Fraser's ability to deliver one compelling vocal performance after another, a task she goes way above and beyond to accomplish.

The tone of The Itchy Glowbo Blow and the title track is not as joyous as the others, and for that reason I am not as drawn to them, but even those tracks have unreal performances from Fraser. The title track also has this alluring synthetic harpsichord type sound that is certainly an interesting way to kick off a record. Other than that, however, this record is one beautiful, warm, dreamy song after the next with such an incredibly unique, unmatched vocal talent on top. This record has only been in my life for around two years, but it has quickly become one of my all time favourites.