Cocteau Twins

Essential Albums

  • Heaven Or Las Vegas (Remastered)
  • Treasure

Artist Playlists

More To Hear

  • Little Dragon

About Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins took their name from a song by Johnny and the Self-Abusers, the band later known as Simple Minds. ∙ The trio was inspired by post-punk legends Bauhaus, The Birthday Party, and Siouxsie & The Banshees. ∙ They were pioneers of 1980s dream pop—a hazy psych sound that has influenced such artists as My Bloody Valentine, Lana Del Rey, and The xx. ∙ Vocalist Elizabeth Fraser employed a type of glossolalia in her songwriting, lifting words from foreign books and random sources that “sounded right,” even if their meaning was opaque. ∙ Heaven Or Las Vegas made virtually all of 1990’s best-of lists, and Pitchfork named it best dream-pop album of all time. ∙ Prince used a sample of “Fifty-Fifty Clown,” from Heaven or Las Vegas, on his collaboration with singer Martika, “Love...Thy Will Be Done.” ∙ Fraser provided vocals for “Lament for Gandalf” in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. ∙ On his track “The Knowing,” The Weeknd sampled the gauzy wash of Robin Guthrie’s guitar from “Cherry-Coloured Funk.”

ORIGIN
Grangemouth, Scotland
FORMED
1981
GENRE
Alternative

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