Summerhead
It's unbearably hot, so grab a cold Cico Buff.
Dear fans, friends, and followers,
The inevitabilities of climate change continue to bear down upon us on a daily basis, and this has meant an especially harsh northern summer. Our thoughts are with you if you are experiencing particular hardship during this time. It does put Elizabeth’s and Damon’s choice to name their new project “Sun’s Signature” in rather an ironic perspective! (They meant for it to mean something about flowers blossoming, I think, but probably not wilting.) So, with hopes that you’re able to cool yourself, here’s what’s been happening in the Cocteauverse…
Garlands turned 40
Things from the forest die here
But I don’t
Dead forest things are offered here
But I’m not
(At this point, lass, maybe ye are.)
Cocteau Twins’ debut LP on 4AD Records, Garlands, is officially middle-age. There’s been a lot of confusion over the years as to exactly when this record was first released, but it looks like we’ve been able to finally pin it down to 10 July 1982. During the week in December 1981 when Garlands was being recorded, the trio of sweet-natured but potty-mouthed teenage Scots from Grangemouth probably couldn’t imagine their first record would still be celebrated in 2022, including by fans who weren’t even born then.
Here’s some fun Garlands trivia…
The band had been working on these songs for awhile; they weren’t made up in the studio, as was most of their work afterwards.
Garlands happened because Ivo hadn’t heard Elizabeth’s voice properly on the band’s demo tape, and so scrapped his original plans for a single and b-side and got the band into the studio A$AP to record a proper album. (The original two songs planned for the single, ‘Speak No Evil’ and ‘Perhaps Some Other Aeon,’ were included as bonus tracks on subsequent re-releases on CD and cassette.)
The band was used to cranking up the volume, but their older, more experienced studio engineers weren’t having it, so the album came out sounding like a much tamer and more controlled version of their bombastic live sound (much to Robin’s disappointment).
The album sleeve is a photo by Nigel Grierson (co-founder of 23 Envelope/v23), and is an outtake from a session done for the Siouxsie and the Banshees album The Scream, featuring his brother in the photo. (The Banshees didn’t care for Grierson’s direction, apparently, so he got to keep the photos and decided to use this one for Garlands.) This didn’t exactly help with critics’ insistence that Cocteaus were just Siouxsie rip-offs.
When 4AD eventually released a remaster of Garlands in 2003, they mistakenly listed the first track, ‘Blood Bitch,’ as ‘Blood Bath.’ If you happen to have one of those, it’s a rarity maybe. (tbh, ‘Blood Bath’ is a bit too on-the-nose goth, anyway.)
In 2003, Garlands was named #59 in “Scotland’s 100 Best Rock and Pop Albums.”
Songs from Garlands were rarely performed live after Will Heggie left the band in 1983, but in ‘96 the band collaborated with Mark Clifford of Seefeel (who had worked with them on the EP Otherness in ‘95) to do live mixes of three songs, one of which was ‘Wax and Wane.’ This thrilled audiences, many of whom weren’t sure what song it was until Liz started singing. (You can hear a version of this on the Audio & Video page on the website.)
“The Drum Machines of Cocteau Twins”
“Equipment and Sounds” is a consistently popular page on the Cocteaus’ website. It turns out quite a lot of musicians and gearheads are curious about how Robin and Simon came up with all that beautiful noise. Adam Douglas of Reverb took a deep dive into which drum machines were used on various songs, albums, or EPs. You still need to know how to actually program the things and use them creatively, but at least you’ll know which ones to shop for.
While much has been said about Fraser’s operatic vocals and poetic lyrics—not to mention Guthrie’s heavenly guitar playing and effects chains—very little attention has been paid to their use of drum machines. This could be because the band was rarely photographed with one, preferring to run the rhythm track off a reel-to-reel when performing live and in music videos. It’s also likely because the vocals and guitar were so distinctive that they overshadowed everything else.
Whatever the reason, it’s time to shine a little light on the unsung element of the band: the rhythm machines.
Simon got his Ivor
As you might recall, Simon wasn’t able to attend the Ivor’s in person due to a scheduling conflict. The presenter, John Grant, accepted on his behalf, while Robin and Elizabeth were also there. We can now confirm that Simon’s statuette has arrived safely in his possession.
‘The opening of a window onto rapture’
The first release by Elizabeth Fraser’s new project with her partner Damon Reece, Sun’s Signature, is officially out in the world, and even I have a much-coveted vinyl copy now. I’ve written about this in previous newsletters, so I won’t go on, but suffice it to say that it’s a rewarding listen all ‘round, and you won’t regret snagging a copy for yourself, physical or otherwise. It’s available via digital as of 29 July. (My favourite track is ‘Apples,’ but all of them are lovely.) Pitchfork just gave it 8/10 in their review.
Sun’s Signature, an eponymous five-track EP from Fraser’s duo with percussionist and romantic partner Damon Reece, is her most substantial undertaking since the Cocteau Twins. It proves worth the wait: a display of rarefied skill scaled to surprisingly human proportions… Fraser is in predictably fine form. Her voice has matured considerably from the slightly jagged tones of her Cocteau Twins debut, when the band sailed close to punk rock and goth; here, she lands on a tone that is higher, fuller, and more recognizably human in register. (Ben Cardew, Pitchfork)
Enjoy — preferably indoors with air conditioning, or outdoors, either by the sea or beside a gently feathered river.
Robin Guthrie debuts new collaboration
Robin has collaborated with beloved Taiwanese musician 吳青峰 (Wu Tsing-Fong) who performs as Qing Feng, on a new song, ‘The Egg of Columbus,’ and it has taken off, at least on YouTube. (‘The Egg of Columbus’ probably makes a lot more sense in Chinese.)
Humanity unites briefly as we glimpse the heavens as never before
…or is it just Las Vegas? (Probably not, but cheers to @theeroamer for this.)
At the intersection of craft brewing and Cocteau Twins fandom
Is there a diagram somewhere that shows a link between the desire to craft unique beer and loving (or at least appreciating) Cocteau Twins? It’s also possible, plausible, and quite likely, that the song titles — which aren’t copyrighted — make for outstanding, whimsical names for beer that stand out from the crowd. Whatever the reason, an ice cold “Glass Candle Grenades” sounds really good right about now. (I’ve actually had that one, and can confirm it’s delicious.) Thanks to the wonderful Scott Heim for tracking these down and sharing them with us!
Random things…
Cocteau Twins are not reuniting and performing live, anywhere, at any time. There’s some clearly fraudulent, scammy website that looks like it’s based in India (it has an Indian domain, at any rate) that promotes “upcoming concerts,” often for bands that broke up ages ago. It’s obviously ‘search engine-optimised’ click-bait designed to get you to visit the page (notice we aren’t linking to it) and “sign up to receive updates,” which you’d surely regret doing. If you hear about it, or happen to see it posted on somewhere on the dreaded social media, just ignore it. It’s not real.
YouTube channel stellaVista has some Cocteau mashups they (or someone) created — one with David Sylvian and another with Vangelis. Interesting ideas, but not the most groundbreaking things I’ve ever heard. You might like it, though.
Simon’s Cocteau Tweets
…and that’s all, folks! Do try and enjoy what remains of summer while keeping comfortable and hydrated. And if the noisy world gets to be too much, put on your headphones and go walkabout for a bit.
“We shall both die in you rosary.”
Michael