A hauntingly beautiful newsletter that showcases the band’s ethereal sound and poetic lyricism.
Even A.I. has run out of useful adjectives.
Dear fans, friends, and followers,
I don’t know anything about Cocteau Twins1, but that hasn’t stopped me from writing these newsletters.
So, uh, wow. There’s just so much going on out there — most of it utterly awful — it sometimes seems rather pointless to do this. I don’t know what generation my readers tend to be from, but I’m “Gen X” and our super power is perseverance and an almost comical ability to scoot below the radar while everyone else positively roasts one another. When the apocalypse comes I anticipate that, somewhere out there in the scorched landscape that used to be human civilisation, we will find each other, and we will survive on music, weed, and eye-rolls as we sarcastically and self-consciously joke about it all and try to look on the bright side that at least the internet and smartphones are gone.
In all seriousness, if you happen to be struggling right now, you’re not alone.
Most of us are scared out here, and millions of people — billions, in fact — truly aren’t sure what the future holds and are simply trying to exist and make a life like anyone else.
You are loved. You matter. Don’t give up.
If we gained any wisdom from the music Robin, Liz, and Simon created, it’s that incandescent beauty can sometimes grow from dark places and dark times. Find a friend and look towards the light.
(And if you observe, Ramadan Mubarak to you.)
Robin Guthrie working with 4AD on “several projects”
I’ll kick off this edition with a slightly teasy and potentially awesome announcement from Mr. Guthrie. What might we be looking forward to? Speculation has included the much-wished-for professionally edited DVD of high quality videos, interviews, and other ephemera that for some reason still doesn’t exist. We shall see. (I could ask him, but I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you anyway.) In the meantime, check out “Two Tiger Heartbeats” over at Robin’s Bandcamp page.
Did you all know about this?
Apparently there’s this ensemble of “Scotland’s leading young musicians” who get together now and then to perform a selection of albums from start to end, called, er, Start to End. Unbeknownst to me, anyway, and I guess a lot of other folks, they pulled off a live performance of the entire album Heaven or Las Vegas in Edinburgh and Glasgow, respectively, back in August and November 2022.
Did anyone go? Was it good? I was able to find this online, but it’s only a tease… I reached out to them on the Facebook page but so far nothing. If anyone knows them, I’m keen to know if they recorded the show. We might want to feature it — or excerpts — on the website.
According to this review, it was ripping good.
The artists were Zoe Graham and Rachel Lightbody on vocals, Andrew Cowan (guitar) Krayg Miqman (keyboards), Lyle Dear (drums/percussion) and Joe Rattray (bass).
That QTVR, DV8 thingy I mentioned last time?
In the last instalment of this newsletter I talked about this odd artefact I managed to dig up from the Days of Yore of CocteauTwins.com — a sort of immersive, 3D, panoramic kind of thing that Apple toyed with in the ‘90s and which some website crew captured in Seattle in 1996 during the “Milk & Kisses” Tour? That thing? I was able to view it on — oh, the irony — QuickTime for Windows, and did a screen recording of it. As a bonus, I dropped in a clip from “Touch Upon Touch,” a song that debuted on that tour — a song I didn’t know not everyone was aware of.
Elizabeth Fraser: Sticker Designer
She also did woodcuts? Or maybe it’s a drawing? I had absolutely no clue this even existed, and I would have given it the usual dismissive side-eye for sure if the source hadn’t been 4AD itself.
I’ll grant you it’s rather literal (she was probably still in her teens, so, fair) but also weirdly prefigures the video she did with Massive Attack for “Teardrop” so many, many years later. I think it’s wicked cool.
Elizabeth Fraser: Apollonian Spirit
Sorry if I’ve mentioned this before, but has anyone else read the novel, No One Is Talking About This, by Patricia Lockwood? Remember this part?
The doors of bland suburban houses now looked possible, outlined, pulsing—for behind any one of them could be hidden a bright and private glory. The woman who had once been called the voice of God, who had been absent from the stage for two decades, went on singing in her own home, her partner heard her. He felt sorry for the rest of the world, he said.
“I just had a lot of something—what was it?” the singer had once told an interviewer. “So much sun, I suppose, running through me. All this wonderful sun!” The doors of suburban houses might be shut up on that sun.
Lovely, right? (Excellent novel, too. You should check it out.)
“10 Best Cocteau Twins Songs of All Time”
“ChatGPT, what are the 10 Best Cocteau Twins Songs of All Time?”
SingersRoom.com “published” a “story” ostensibly written by someone named “Simon Robinson.” If Mr. Robinson is, in fact, a sentient being who, in fact, writes, I have a feeling we are being trolled. If so, touché, Simon.
Cocteau Twins song MadLibs™
__________________ is a hauntingly beautiful song that __________________ with its ethereal soundscape.
__________________ is a complex and hypnotic piece of music that __________________ unique sound and experimental approach.
__________________ is a mesmerizing and enchanting song that __________________ signature dream-pop sound.
__________________ is a hauntingly beautiful song that __________________ ethereal sound and poetic lyricism.
__________________ is an infectious and upbeat song that __________________ to create __________________ that is both ethereal and danceable.
__________________ is a delicate and atmospheric instrumental piece that __________________ the band’s __________________ to create music that is both minimalist and evocative.
__________________ is a hauntingly beautiful song that __________________ the band’s ethereal sound and emotive lyricism.
__________________ is a dreamy and enchanting song that __________________ to create __________________ both ethereal and accessible.
__________________ is a haunting and enigmatic song that __________________ unique sound and poetic lyricism.
__________________ is a mesmerizing and ethereal song that __________________ dreamy sound and poetic lyricism.
Speaking of Lists
Cocteau Twins: estos son algunos de los mejores covers amateurs en YouTube
SVMusica/Sound & Vision recently published a list of their favourite amateur Cocteau Twins cover versions on YouTube (in Spanish). As always, proceed with caution. Mileage may vary. However, I’m happy to share this one by electric harpist Elena Cacciagrano, which I find particularly impressive, both in terms of the instrument chosen and the facility with which she performed such a complex song and more or less nailed it. (The drum machine helps, too.)
“But don’t think the thimbleful I’ve got / Is what it takes”
Not to be outdone by Marc Jacobs, the House of Valentino has licensed “Persephone” from Treasure for their current campaign, “Unboxing Valentino.”2 Is it just me or does this come off rather oddly? Is this how these sorts of things are, usually? I prefer what Jacobs did.
Coc-tail Corner
PRESENTED BY SCOTT HEIM (Twitter: @Scott_Heim / Instagram: @scottheim926)
(If you don’t drink, skip to the end.)
In this edition of original cocktail recipes inspired by Cocteau Twins songs, we have for you “Eggs and Their Shells.”
2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. white grapefruit juice (if you can find it, pink is fine; fresh squeezed is best)
1/2 oz. Meyer lemon juice
7-8 smashed-up pink peppercorns
white of one egg
grapefruit bitters
Shake egg white alone with ice in shaker first for foam; then pour out excess liquid, leaving white foam, and add all other ingredients plus more ice. Shake for two minutes until cold, and serve up. Garnish: pink peppercorns on top of egg-frothy liquid and Meyer lemon peel curling around the lip of glass.
And finally…
Simon appeared on The James Kennedy Podcast on 8 March. He also posted this visual confirmation to Instagram that he did, indeed, receive his SAY 2022 Award, which was given to Cocteau Twins in recognition of Heaven or Las Vegas. (I recommend following Simon on Instagram and, if you are one to do such things, Twitter. He’s very active, and his posts documenting his recent trip to Austin, TX, for SXSW 2023 are really worth checking out.)
BIG SIGH
Now, three long breaths in and out. Hit random on the music player of your choice, close your eyes, and live in the moment.
Thanks for reading, you lovely kookaburras.
Michael
That subhead may or may not be an actual lyric from “Persephone,” but I dig it. Please don’t debate me on it, I’m just having fun.
"...we will find each other, and we will survive on music, weed, and eye-rolls as we sarcastically and self-consciously joke about it all and try to look on the bright side that at least the internet and smartphones are gone."
Truer words have never been spoken. See you there. Hopefully, one of us remembers to bring snacks.
''Most of us are scared out here, and millions of people — billions, in fact — truly aren’t sure what the future holds and are simply trying to exist and make a life like anyone else.
You are loved. You matter. Don’t give up.
If we gained any wisdom from the music Robin, Liz, and Simon created, it’s that incandescent beauty can sometimes grow from dark places and dark times. Find a friend and look towards the light.''
I really needed this. Thank you.