...and quite a bit of their stuff is on e-music, including the compilation "Stars and Topsoil - A Collection". >From: "Don Stroud (Nocean)" >Reply-To: audities@smoe.org >To: "Audities" >Subject: Cocteau Twins >Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:23:00 -0700 > >One of the bad things about growing up in rural North Carolina is that I >didn't have access to much non-Top 40 or AOR music. It wasn't until I hit >college that I was exposed to things that were "off the beaten path". But >just because you're exposed to something cool, that doesn't mean you're >ready for it yet. In many cases, there were artists that I turned away from >because I couldn't wrap my brain around what they had to offer. XTC, Peter >Gabriel, Let's Active... those and many others were put into my ear-holes >by friends and acquaintances, but I couldn't appreciate them. Now, two >decades later, I've fallen in love with them. (Especially XTC... Andy >Partridge is one of the best wordsmiths ever...) > >You can add COCTEAU TWINS to that list. Again, back in college, someone I >knew tried to get me to enjoy them, but my brain couldn't parse what it was >hearing. (Heck, you KNOW you're not ready for a band when the Love Of Your >Life hands you the CD after a wonderful passionate weekend spent together, >and you can't get even two songs into it!) The echo-y drums, the lilting >voice, the non-lyrics... After coming from a Queen background, it was too >much to handle. > >But, once I got older, and I began to appreciate melody and *sound* more >than just 4/4 rhythms, I stumbled across them again, and WOW. I was in mad >serious love. I am now their biggest cheerleader. I know they're not for >everyone, but the music is *beautiful*. The ringing guitars, the ethereal >vocals... I love it. The recent 4-disc "Letters To Violane" collection was >stuck in my player for weeks on end. > >(Oddly enough, I think that I know what gave me the foundation to >appreciate music like Cocteau Twins and their ilk, and that is "Loveless" >by My Bloody Valentine. A co-worker played that CD one night back in early >1992, and it was like I'd been blind for years and suddenly received the >gift of sight. It is now my favorite CD, and I listen to it often. Now I'm >a sucker for soundscapes worked into pop music.) > >You know, this post isn't really a review, isn't really a question... it's >just a fan rambling about a band he loves. If you're curious and want to >check them out, try their CD "Treasure". It's my fave, and considered by >some to be their best work. It's certainly the most indicative of their >style. > >Oh, and for your movie geeks: the Twins' vocalist, Elizabeth Fraser, did >the vocals for "Gandalf's Lament" in "The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship >Of The Ring". Even more reason to love the band! > >Don > >NP: Cocteau Twins - "Blue Bell Knoll" > >======================================================================= >Detailed Audities-List information: >To manage your Audities List settings or unsubscribe: >