One music act that has influenced my art (writing and visual) consistently is Cocteau Twins, a Scottish 80s goth band. I first got into them through a roommate and almost immediately fell in love with their sound. Although no Cocteau Twins tunes appear on
Cocteau Twins
my Blood To Blood playlist, I still listened to them while writing.
For those of you that don’t know, there were no twins in the group. The lead vocalist, Elizabeth Fraser, is probably best known as the voice on Massive Attacks’ classic “Teardrop.”
They disbanded some time in the late 90s, and I always thought it was a crime that a band with a sound this ethereal never got the recognition it deserved. Many would agree, the music is timeless and atmospheric.
My go-to albums are the darker ones where Elizabeth doesn’t bother to sing real words but somehow the lyrics are packed with life-changing meaning.
Treasure is my breathless favorite and features a number of songs that are on the playlist to the follow-up to Blood To Blood
- “Ivo” – 3:53
- “Lorelei” – 3:43
- “Beatrix” – 3:11
- “Persephone” – 4:20
- “Pandora (for Cindy)” – 5:35
- “Amelia” – 3:31
- “Aloysius” – 3:26
- “Cicely” – 3:29
- “Otterley” – 4:04
- “Donimo” – 6:19
My Top 3 from this album…
1. “Donimo” always leaves me wanting more. This one song has inspired a number of scenes involving angels:
2. “Pandora” I cried when I first heard this. Sometimes I still do:
3. “Lorelei” – Rather happy but just as ethereal
Very Honorable Mentions:
“Pearly Dewdrops Drops” What human words can describe this song? Surely this is the sound of something Higher.
“Musette and Drums” Sheer brilliance. Best with headphones at the moment when darkness softly devours the last of the daylight:
