Cocteau Twins Victorialand CD

With a further change in musical direction the fourth Twins' album feature instrumental tracks and, had the term not fallen into such disrepute, Victorialand could be one of the first 'chill-out' albums. The original is still the greatest.

Cocteau Twins: Elizabeth Fraser (vocals); Robin Guthrie (guitar); Simon Raymonde (bass).
Additional personnel: Richard Thomas (saxophone, tablas).
With Raymonde taking a break to work on the second This Mortal Coil album, Fraser and Guthrie made up the Cocteaus for the first full-length follow-up to Treasure. Rather than trying for a full-band approach, Fraser and Guthrie instead created a much more simply beautiful effort, with a relaxed air to it. Rhythms are subtler, with bass and drum machine often totally eschewed in favor of Guthrie's delicate guitar filigrees and lush, produced textures. Fraser is, as always, in wonderfully fine voice; her words are quite indecipherable, but the feelings are no less strong for it. "Lazy Calm" starts things perfectly, as deep, heavily-treated guitar strums combine with a heavy flange and guest saxophone from Dif Juz member Richard Thomas. Other songs sparkle with a lovely vivaciousness. Far from being stereotypical arty music to sit around and be gloomy to, two pieces especially shine with a gentle energy: "Fluffy Tufts," with its many-layered ringing strings and Fraser's overdubbed vocals; and the joyful "Little Spacey," with a soft rhythm underlying more sheer electric loveliness. Guthrie adds heavy reverb and overdubbed lines to create the Cocteaus' wash on such songs as "Throughout the Dark Months of April and May" and "Feet Like Fins," the latter again featuring Thomas, this time on tablas. For all the sweet beauty of Victorialand, things end on a quietly dramatic note, but a dramatic one nonetheless. "The Thinner the Air" starts with treated piano and rather spooky guitar leads -- the mysterious soloing is especially wonderful -- while Fraser then sings with a slightly haunted feeling, concluding with slightly nervous wails. It's an unexpected but effective touch for this fine record. ~ Ned Raggett
In the two years following TREASURE, the Cocteau Twins released three EPs: AIKEA-GUINEA, TINY DYNAMINE, and ECHOES IN A SHALLOW BAY. Each of these records saw the band moving progressively further away from the heavier sound of previous releases. VICTORIALAND (1986) was the apex of this trend and easily their most ethereal, airy album. Interested listeners should also check out the band's 1986 THE MOON AND THE MELODIES, recorded with ambient musician Harold Budd.
VICTORIALAND features very little in the way of percussion on most tracks, instead concentrating on the interplay between Elizabeth Fraser's vocals and Robin Guthrie's elaborate, but unassuming, guitar effects. This is most successful on "Oomingmak," where the ambient sounds backing the two smoothly ebb and flow, augmented by Simon Raymonde's intermittent bass notes. Other standouts include "Feet-like Fins," which whirls around Guthrie's gorgeously echoing guitar before adding bass and bongos in a swirling climax, and "The Thinner the Air," a haunting track that suggests a more archaic Dead Can Dance. VICTORIALAND and its predecessor, TREASURE, are consistently cited as the band's best records by their fans.