Heaven Or Las Vegas

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NME named Heaven or Las Vegas the 28th best album of 1990. [36] Retrospectively, The Observer listed the album as the 97th-greatest British album ever made. [37] In 2017, NPR listed Heaven or Las Vegas 138th of the 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women. [38] In 2018, Pitchfork ranked it first on its list of the 30 best dream pop albums. [39] Morton, Rob (2006). Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. pp. 634. ISBN 0789320746.

The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. 16 April 2018. p.3. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018 . Retrieved 24 April 2018. Dimery, Robert (2013). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. ISBN 9781844037353. OCLC 855705638. On the other hand, its general dismissal by critics and fans as a lesser Cocteau Twins album may have less to do with the album itself and more to do with the fact that it is bookended by better and more ecstatically creative works. There are moments of disarming beauty on Blue Bell Knoll—the melting keyboards on “ Cico Buff”, the lush vocal layering of “ Athol-Brose”, the shooting-stars opening of “ A Kissed Out Red Floatboat”, Raymonde’s syncopated bass trudge of “ The Itchy Glowblo Blow”, the whatever that is at the end of “ Spooning Good Singing Gum” (I think it might be a herd of lovelorn goats playing saxophones). But the standout is “ Carolyn’s Fingers”, which would become the Cocteau Twins’ first American single. The band never utilized its rhythm section to better effect: Against Guthrie’s crisp guitar line, that churning momentum pushes Fraser’s vocals to greater and greater heights, her unexpected swoops and eloquently rolled consonants creating a bewildering indie-pop aria.

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a b "Cocteau Twins: 'Blue Bell Knoll' and 'Heaven or Las Vegas' LP Represses Coming this July". 4AD. 22 May 2014. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016 . Retrieved 5 August 2017. The working title of the song “Heaven or Las Vegas” was “Crispy Fiver Blue,” a joke name that Melody Maker had included in a lampoon of the band’s tendency toward eccentric titles. Heaven or Las Vegas displays musical evolution, with the music becoming more accessible. Fraser's lyrics were more intelligible; many concerned her newborn child Lucy Belle, particularly "Pitch the Baby", which is about her experience in giving birth and welcoming a child. [12] [17] Despite most of Fraser's lyrics "[emerging] in alien tongues", which she sums up as "laziness" and "bad diction", she attributed the album's more identifiable words to Lucy Belle's influence. [15]

a b Perry, Andrew (October 1990). "Viva Las Vegas". Select. No.4. p.95. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021 . Retrieved 28 January 2023. The album title was suggested by Lawrence (Hayward) of Denim/Felt, who liked the line from the song of the same name. This was the last Cocteau Twins recording to appear on the 4AD label, and was simultaneously released on Capitol Records in the United States. Lorusso, Marissa (24 July 2017). "The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women". NPR. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017 . Retrieved 4 August 2017.

Actually, the drum machine on "head over heels" doesn't sound too bad because they ran it through a bunch of effects. It sounds a lot worse on "treasure", IMHO, but again, doesn't bother me too much there.