You're either going to love the Cocteau Twins or not. The Scottish alt rockers are best known for their innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals. Their ethereal creations can be entrancing enough to sink into your subconsciousness. The mgmnt likes it and puts their music "somewhere a bit more awkward than Kate Bush but ions cooler than Enya." Blue Bell Knoll was their first album to get distributed in the US, with "Carolyn's Fingers" being the first single most of us heard. Elizabeth Fraser's outlandish soprano vocals may be one of the defining characteristics of the band, but Robin Guthrie's idiosyncratic sound and arrangements deserve attention as well. With this album the band was given the freedom to be their own producers. They built their own studio from the ground up and went in to record uninhibited by any time constraints. The result was some of their best and most divisive work to date. From the foundation set by this album they would go on to record Heaven or Las Vegas, the album most fans and critics agree is their best. Take Blue Bell Knoll as an introduction to Cocteau Twins and their alternate pop universe.

• 180g black vinyl pressing
• printed inner sleeve
• digital download included
• original release year: 1988
• music label: 4AD 2014

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 08/2014