Cocteau Twins Heaven Or Las Vegas CD

2003 4AD reissue of 1990 album remastered by guitarist Robin Guthrie.

Cocteau Twins include: Elizabeth Frazer (vocals); Robin Guthrie (guitar); Simon Raymonde (bass).
Deciding to scale back the overly pretty sound on Blue Bell Knoll while experimenting with more accessibility -- -- the Twins ended up creating their best album since Treasure. From the start, Heaven... is simply fantastic: on "Cherry-Coloured Funk," Guthrie's inimitable guitar work chimes leading a low-key but forceful rhythm, while Raymonde's grand bass work fleshes it out. Fraser simply captivates; her vocals are the clearest, most direct they've ever been, purring with energy and life. Many songs have longer openings and closings; rather than crashing fully into a song and then quickly ending, instead the trio carefully builds up and eases back. These songs are still quite focused, though, almost sounding like they were recorded live instead of being assembled in the studio. Due credit has to be given to the Cocteaus' drum programming; years of working with the machines translated into the detailed work here, right down to the fills. "Fifty-Fifty Clown," starting with an ominous bass throb, turns into a lovely showcase for Fraser's singing and Guthrie's more restrained playing. But the Twins don't completely turn their back on Knoll's sound; "Iceblink Luck," has the same lush feeling and a newfound energy -- the instrumental break is almost a rave-up! -- and everything pulses to a fine conclusion. There are many moments of sheer Cocteaus beauty and power, including the title track, with its great chorus, and two spotlight Guthrie solos: "Fotzepolitic," a powerful number building to a rushing conclusion, and the album-ending "Frou Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires." Possessing the same climactic sense of drama past disc-closers as "Donimo" and "The Thinner the Air," it's a perfect way to end a near-perfect album. ~ Ned Raggett
A band who have had to endure the term 'ethereal' being bandied about around their name more than any other. With their soulful and quite blissful meanderings, their music has a sustainable beauty free of regard for contemporaries or peers. Heaven Or Las Vegas saw vocalist Elizabeth Fraser substituting the occasional obscure lyric in place of her uniquely visionary wall of sound, and the single, 'Ice Blink Luck', even had a near-recognizable structure and a very tempting hook. Their unearthly wealth of ideas remains undiminished even though Fraser has suffered greatly from problems with her voice in recent years..

Spin (12/90) - "...Best to sit back and let the Twins' pleasant sound effects envelop you, because the pleasures `Heaven Or Las Vegas' has to offer aren't the sort you should spend any time thinking about. The Cocteau Twins are proof that you don't necessarily need something to say to get by; something to feel will do just fine..."
Q - 4 Stars - Excellent - Included in Q's list of the Fifty Best Albums of 1990.
Alternative Press (7/95, p.81) - Ranked #21 in AP's list of the `Top 99 Of '85-'95.'
Alternative Press (7/95, p.81) - "...The enchanting genius of the Cocteau Twins' high-wrought soul stirrings is more concentrated, and, yes, sublime, than ever on HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS. The place their music inhabits is undeniably closer to heaven than Nevada..."