Las Pop?

[mmmender]

I've always considered "Heaven or Las Vegas" to be their most "pop" sounding album. I feel the songs are more mainstream in their sound and the tracks seem more upbeat and brighter than on previous recordings. "Pitch The Baby" has those seriously dancey beats! Also, Liz's vocals seem to have taken a strong turn towards being more comprehensible on this album. I know that Robin has stated that the band wanted to create songs that were easier to play in a live situation and this album is a result of that: "I think we've had it in the back of our mind that we wanted to play live again, so we thought we'd make some of the pieces more like songs we could play live...We've never actually sat down and said 'let's make a record sound like this'. (Robin Guthrie, Mondo 2000 Magazine, 1994)

"Heaven or Las Vegas" - a 'pop' album? Agree or disagree?

http://cocteautwins.com/images/sleeve_holv.jpg

[Baddy2shoos]

Kylie is pop, this is not.

[mmmender]

No, Kylie is just bad.

[winters]

Pop in the sense of being the most accessible. The best album for most newcomers, I think. It's also the most satisfying as a whole for me.

[mmmender]

All we have to do is get rid of "CCF" and the album is near perfect!

*ducking*

[Baddy2shoos]

I'd say BBC sessions for first timers

[mmmender]

I'd say BBC sessions for first timers
No way! You've gotta be kidding me!

[Baddy2shoos]

Well that's what I listened to first...it only gets better.

[mmmender]

I would never recommend a first-timer listen to live recordings first. Something like Treasure or HOLV is much easier on the ears.

[Baddy2shoos]

But they are perfect and the vocals are spot on.

[mmmender]

Hang on a sec.............BBC SESSIONS.....PERFECT?

HA!

[winters]

Misread Baddy's reply re: BBC sessions. How many versions of Musette and Drums can a newbie handle?

[mmmender]

The ONLY thing BBC SESS has going for it is that alternate version of IVO!

[Baddy2shoos]

I can't be the only one who thinks this??

[Nanite]

I get what Baddy is saying....."it only gets BETTER from there" well BBC is raw and I personally love live as opposed to over produced but I only pull BBC out of the drawer every so often. I love FCC and think that's more "pop" (*cringe*) becase Bluebeard was in heavy circulation. Or so I noticed....I once heard Bluebeard while at Denny's, then at Wal-Mart and it was played on MTV's The Real World SF.

[Baddy2shoos]

FCC is probably the most accessible for first timers, but it doesn't represent what they were all about.

[winters]

FCC is probably the most accessible for first timers, but it doesn't represent what they were all about.

Good take on FCC. I find myself listening to Treasure on the most consistent basis then I'll go into a phase with another album.

[Baddy2shoos]

I listened to Victorialand for the first time in over a year over Xmas and I was like wow.

[Nanite]

True enough re:FCC but I still say it's the most "pop" simply by exposure. The most accessible for newcommers who already truly appriciate music.....I'd say Love's Easy Tears (single) then Milk and Kisses. Perhaps it's because HOLV seems to start off too slowly, with Cherry coloured funk.....and I personally don't care for the last 2 tracks. I have to be in a 'mellow'/'Jazz-like' mood when I start HOLV. Not something newbies may be drawn to.
It also depends on your audience. My Dad (age 59) likes CT and that started with a segway from his Dead Can Dance phase into CT via Victorialand.
To answer Mmmender's Q. No, I don't think it's 'pop'

[gustav]

I agree with Leesa, HOLV is the poppiest of them all. And I love it that way.

[Adam]

All we have to do is get rid of "CCF" and the album is near perfect!

*ducking*

This album IS perfect because of "CCF"! :nod:

[moeism]

yeah HOLV is probably the poppiest.

I like the BBC sessions but I don't think it's too great for beginners...

I love both Musette and Drums recordings on that one!

[Ketamine]

I love all the tracks on HOLV, it's the prefect album. CCF is great, why do you loathe it so much? I dunno if i'd class it a 'poppy' album but it's certainly more accessable to new listeners as the sound has become more refined. God, those vocal arrangements are something else, how the hell does Liz sit down and plan those? Totally unique and very complicated, the emotion that's conveyed in this album are fabulous.

[K-ne]

I agree, it's by far their poppiest (this is coming from someone who first heard CT in... 1998 or so - wow, it's almost been ten years!). It scales back their sound a lot from Blue Bell Knoll - I love BBK, but it's so musically "bright" that I can't just listen to it on a whim like I can with HOLV. Going in the other direction, Four-Calendar Cafe is more of an accessible sound, but it's more watered down. HOLV is the high point, IMO. It's the first CT album I heard and it's the one I'd recommend to newcomers.

And "Cherry-Coloured Funk" is one of my favorite tracks off the album, next to the title track and... oh... "Wolf in the Breast," maybe. (I never could reconcile that title with how the song actually sounds.)

[seagirrl]

I think it's their poppiest too, I know what you mean.

....I am also a CCF fan.

[Avninder]

I agree. I was greatly disappointed with HOLV and its lack of complexity and edgyness. I was hoping for more Blue Bell Knoll and instead felt ripped off by something watered down. To this day, I only listen to two tracks from HOLV, Cherry Coloured Funk and Pitch the Baby.

[pilgrimx]

Some agree it's pop,other disagree.Why don't we call it alternative pop,and we all be happy.:lol:

[Rondel]

i remember it being played all over the city here when it was in vogue (HOLV) So in my mind...it's rather accessible for sure and perhaps on the alternative pop side of things. Seems CT's strived to make an album that would appeal to a broader spectrum of people - they succeeded.

[elisa]

I've always considered CT to be pop music, every album, whether it was "popular" or not. It's not punk, metal, folk or grunge... so what is it? It's pop music.

[andylama]

HoLV is poppy, but to me "Bluebeard" is their most unbearably poppy moment.

Twinlights was their most 'accessible' effort (for people who aren't already CT fans).

HoLV is still a very excellent record, AFAIC.

[pilgrimx]

i remember it being played all over the city here when it was in vogue (HOLV) So in my mind...it's rather accessible for sure and perhaps on the alternative pop side of things. Seems CT's strived to make an album that would appeal to a broader spectrum of people - they succeeded.

I agree with you.

I've always considered CT to be pop music, every album, whether it was "popular" or not. It's not punk, metal, folk or grunge... so what is it? It's pop music.

and i agree with you too,except with garlands,garlands was from post punk era,like killing joke,the first albums were more punk,then you have love like blood,or brighter than a thousand suns albums wich are not punk,but aren't pop either,so i prefer to call it post punk.The rest i think we can call it pop,not that pop as we usually call to some bands/singers,but a diferent pop,like i told in my post,we can call it alternative pop,or dream pop to make the diference with the other crappy pop bands or singers.Victorialand we can call it has ethereal pop album:D

[rufusmtvern]

i also think that this is the most "poppiest sounding album they've done. I was also put off by it some when it came out because I'm more into the more darker intense sounding older stuff. But when I listen to it lately, I feel that it's one of the best things they've ever done now (my fav...Foetzpolitic).

I agree with elisa about them always being pop. There is a certain style in the songwriting that they do that is considered "classic popular" (the verse chorus verse bridge thing) that adheres to that for the most part. It's not a bad thing considering most of the music we all listen to has the same (albeit different variations) formula. Just my two cents...

[chaco75]

I hate cocteau twins live because of liz. the music is always perfect, but I personally just cannot stand her singing live.
and heaven or las vegas is no doubt their pop record, one I LOVE.

[Funkjedi]

All we have to do is get rid of "CCF" and the album is near perfect!



No Way. Get rid of Road River & Rail. Then it would be perfect!

[fornasetti]

No Way. Get rid of Road River & Rail. Then it would be perfect!

No Way. Get rid of Wolf in the Breast. Then it would be better.

[elisa]

I'll second that. Never really liked that one.

[Ghosty]

Maybe we could do one of those 'reduction threads' again until there's only one song left.

[Quisquose]

My least favorite song on HOLV is Iceblink Luck. I think I may be alone in that opinion.