Cocteau Twins Head Over Heels CD

2003 remastered version of their 1983 album. 4AD.

Cocteau Twins: Elizabeth Fraser (vocals); Robin Guthrie (guitar); Simon Raymonde (bass).
Losing original member Heggie might at first have seemed a troubling blow, but in fact it allowed the duo of Fraser and Guthrie to transcend the darkened one-note gloom of Garlands with Head Over Heels. The album introduces a variety of different shadings and approaches to the incipient Cocteaus sound, pointing the band towards the exultant, elegant beauty of later releases. Opening number "When Mama Was Moth" demonstrates the new musical range nicely; Fraser's singing is much more upfront, while Guthrie creates a bewitching mix of dark guitar notes and sparkling keyboard tones, with percussion echoing in the background. Other songs, like the sax-accompanied "Five Ten Fiftyfold" and "The Tinderbox (Of a Heart)" reflect the more elaborate musical melancholy of the group, while still other cuts are downright sprightly. "Multifoiled" in particular is a charm, a jazzily-arranged number that lets Fraser do a bit of scatting (a perfect avenue for her lyrical approach!), while "In the Gold Dust Rush" mixes acoustic guitar drama into Fraser's swooping singing. Perhaps the two strongest numbers of all are: "Sugar Hiccup," mixing the mock choir effect the band would use elsewhere with both a lovely guitar line and singing; and "Musette and Drums," a massive, powerful collision of Guthrie's guitar at its loudest and most powerful and Fraser's singing at its most intense. ~ Ned Raggett
The Cocteau Twins released their second album, 1983's HEAD OVER HEELS, following their first bass player's departure, and came close to reinventing themselves. Songs like "Sugar Hiccup" and the brilliantly named "Glass Candle Grenades," with their swooping vocals, clattering percussion, and vibrant guitars, go a long way to lightening the downbeat mood cast on the band's previous album. (Collectors should note that early versions of the CD included all four tracks from the band's 1984 EP, SUNBURST AND SNOWBLIND.)
Standouts include "The Tinderbox (of a Heart)," which is fleshed out with synthesized orchestral strings and multilayered vocal tracks; the strange, barreling, music-hall quality of "Multifoiled"; and the crunching, heavily echoed "Musette and Drums," which features Elizabeth Fraser's vocals at both their most commanding and most elusive. Arguably the best track is the spectacular "In the Gold Dust Rush," which highlights Robin Guthrie's multiple guitar effects to create an enveloping cocoon, broken only by shards of distortion. The underlying combination of basic song structures, ethereal vocals, and effects make HEAD OVER HEELS probably the best place to start investigating the Cocteau Twins' unique sound.