Cocteau Twins reissues

It’s unfortunate that sonic groundbreakers like the Cocteau Twins sometimes sound so unremarkable in retrospect—in part because they spawned dozens of soundalikes, some of whom went on to greater glory and radioplay, such as Fascination Street-era Cure. We have fond memories of the Twins’ earliest records from the 80s, like Garlands. These were brooding, proto-gothic dirges with operatic vocals that sounded as if they ‘d been recorded in an empty squash court. But we’ve changed: Today, we actually find ourselves listening to the later, poppier stuff like Victorialand, and discovering the tunefulness with which they invested their brighter maturity. This is the more hummable, less pretentious stuff, and you can play it in the car without scaring the kids.