Recently, I received an e-mail from Brazilian reader Macki indicated that he had just written an article for his college newspaper about The Cocteau Twins. Not only do I love to read what other people have to say about the bands I adore, but I was also humbled by the fact that Macki chose to cite yours truly as a reference. After all, to my knowledge, I've never been part of someone's bibliography before. :) Anyway, I've posted a copy of the article below. Be sure to show Macki some love by leaving your comments. And... just in case you simply cannot get enough of all things Cocteau, here's [url=http://www.tblog.com/template...]the link [/url] to the post I wrote about them a month or so ago.
Enjoy!
[i]Ok, Cocteau Twins. An exotic sound, perhaps? No that word is too vague. Strange, extraordinary, different; none of these words correctly define the Scottish band that has the “Voice of God” in its vocals. The expression, although maybe a little exaggerated, comes very close to define the voice of Elizabeth Fraser: it is, in a certain way, distant and at the same time raw and complex – Fraser seems to put her soul in each song; and, with a detail, she rarely uses inteligible words or phrases which have an explicit meaning. And even so it is possible to feel what she is trying to show in each song. But, besides Fraser, the Twins include both Simon Raymonde, bass, and Robin Guthrie, guitar – both of them are responsible for the arrangements, which, as Jennifer Jones (juniperflux.tblog.com) said, go beyond the limits of the invention of melodies, taking Fraser´s voice to a point that defies imagination, vatying between soft and suspirated melodies and others that are raw and rude. The Twins are a relatively unknown band. And yet, ironically, their impact was enormous – it can be said, without exaggeration, that the musical scene, specially the alternative and its underground parts, was never the same again. Musicians like Prince and Madonna list the band in their influences, without mentioning Curve and other similars, which are clearly followers of the Twins. Since Treasure, the landmark in their career and the album that introduced to the world the Cocteau Style, the band’s influence came to grow more and more, like the ripples of a stone thrown into the water. They never occupied hours in MTV, and built much before the support of a great label, but, inspite of that, they managed to create a totally new kind of music and, perhaps even more incredible, they tried to improve and innovate their own style throughout their whole career, not being satisfied with what they already had achieved. To those who don’t know the band, I would recommend Treasure (this is the album which led me to my passion for the Cocteau Twins). In all tracks, be they the divine aria of Donimo, the jazzy feeling in Pandora or the waves and sighs of Otterley, Treasure fascinates, showing the otherworldly voice of Fraser with the musical experimentatons of Raymonde and Guthrie.[/i]
I'm actually in the middle of writing a feature on the founding member of this band and of Projekt Records, Sam Rosenthal. I must admit that I was a bit starstruck by the entire interview ~ partially because I am such a fan of so many Projekt artists, and partially because I consider Sam Rosenthal to be an absolute icon of underground music. However, despite my adolescent giddiness, I really feel the whole thing is going well. Further details as they develop. :)
‘Glow’ the percussion heavy opening track on Black Tape for a Blue Girl’s latest release [u]Halo Star[/u] teases the listener with just over a minute of musical foreshadowing. Although there are no discernable lyrics in this brief yet, potent instrumental offering, the liner notes reveal a parenthetical accompaniment that begins with “graceful, dark and lonely. burnt. scared. stricken!” Ironically, these very adjectives could quite effortlessly be used to describe [u]Halo Star [/u]itself, the 9th full-length release from Projekt Record’s signature artist. The eleven tracks that follow ‘Glow’ represent the blend of Darkwave and Neoclassical styles that has become Black Tape for a Blue Girl’s trademarked sound. In typical BTFBG style, vocals on [u]Halo Star[/u] are distinct and varied with Elysabeth Grant providing a succulent soprano on such tracks as 'Your Love is Sweeter Than Wine,' an impassioned tribute to founding member Sam Rosenthal and flautist Lisa Feuer’s son Sasha, in which Grant coos, “I believe in the beauty in your eyes, in the power of your words / I believe, I believe in your purity / you’ll set me free / you’ll set the world free.” Later tracks such as ‘Already Forgotten’ further showcase her range as she stretches into a nearly bottomless alto in such lines as “I thought to walk away / my emptiness stabs right through me / my thoughts are plaguing me / deceiving me / and isn’t that just like it always is? / and isn’t that just like it always is?” Conversely, Bret Helm (of Audra) provides a sagacious and moody male voice for seven of the album’s tracks including 'Knock Three Times,’ a tongue in cheek, vamp-goth take off on the Tony Orlando song of the same name. However, in the BTFBG version Helm instructs the listener to “Knock three times on your coffin if you want my love / twice on the pipe if your answer is no.” But Helm’s vocals are perhaps most powerful on [u]Halo Star’s[/u] tenth track ‘The Fourth Footstep’ in which they take on a gauzy and breathy quality that couldn’t possibly be better suited to this seven minute long composition that is as haunted and ethereal as it is lovely and seductive. Indeed, [u]Halo Star[/u] is sure to please loyal fans of Black Tape for a Blue Girl who have had to wait for a new album since 2002’s [u]The Scavenger Bride[/u]. However, while the blanket of familiarity does certainly stretch around most tracks on [u]Halo Star[/u], don’t be fooled. This release represents a new chapter for Black Tape for a Blue Girl, a band that has, since its inception, been the vehicle through which Rosenthal’s creative juices ran unobstructed. And although Halo Star is without question a Black Tape of a Blue Girl creation, there is a change in the wind that can be easily seen through the album’s varied instrumentation. While Rosenthal’s distinctive electronic work, with the inclusion of such classical elements as flute (Lisa Feuer), violin (Vicki Richards) and dulcimer (Michael Laird), remains the cornerstone for most melodies, [u]Halo Star[/u] is marked by an unusual emphasis on percussion and guitar, elements that have not, until this release, been readily associated with Black Tape for a Blue Girl. What is remarkable about this evolution is that while it adds an additional layer to [u]Halo Star,[/u] it does so without detracting at all from the sound that has come to define one of Darkwave’s most influential and architectural artists. That said, [u]Halo Star[/u] seems to reflect a collaborative vision, rather than simply that of its founder making it not only a well crafted and captivating new chapter in Black Tape for a Blue Girl’s development, but also Projekt Record’s most important release this year.
I've not been here for awhile. If you're interested in why, (and honestly, I cannot imagine why you would be), I encourage you to check out the reasons dragonbait22 listed in response to a similar lack of blogging on her part. I doubt I could have put it any better myself.
So. Does this mean I'll be posting more frequently? Hmmmm. The jury's still out on that one. But for the moment, I'll leave you with this recent review from [url=www.losingtoday.com]Losing Today.[/url] Enjoy!
Tigerella’s self-titled debut is a collection of intelligent and witty indie-pop tunes that is reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian’s debut masterpiece Tigermilk, albeit not nearly as consistent. Like B&S, Tigerella is made up of a talented and diverse ensemble of musicians that experiment with a variety of sounds in their jangly guitar driven power pop. Diving into subject matter that ranges from a world taken over by robots in “Caleb,” to an harsh critique of 19th century adventure novelist Jack London, in a track that shares his name, Tigerella’s strength lies in the depth and intelligence of their lyrics which are so often deliciously juxtaposed against the backdrop of sunny lo-fi arrangements. This is a clever and intellectual group of artists who are not afraid to embrace their bookish side. Unfortunately ,however, lead singer Yvonne Ng's vocals, while certainly unique and sweet in their fragility, seem ill suited to several of the tracks, falling flat against particularly bright and rich arrangements. Strongest on tracks in which they are combined with the soft male vocals of her bandmates, such as the CDs third track “Stun Machine,” they often seem stretched on later tracks, and particularly so on “Insomniac” in which Ng’s chirping borders on annoyance. Overall, Tigerella’s self-titled debut offers promise. Musically, this a band with a lot of potential and talent. If in future releases they are able to iron out some of the rough edges, this will be a band to watch.
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For the individual who requested that I review the new CD by The Cure: While I would love to do so, I doubt that will happen. First, Losing Today already posted a review (not written by me, by the way) and I can't imagine finding time to review their new release, when I currently have a stack of about 10 CDs on my desk that I am supposed to review in the next week (ACK!) However, as astute readers may recall, I posted this review of the new Cure release back in June, not ony because I strongly agreed with it, but also because I found it to be extremely well written. (And even though only two people, at the time, felt it was worthy of commenting on, perhaps you will find it interesting).
And...
To those of you who have been kind enough to e-mail me ideas for new posts: Thank you and keep checking back. I plan to put your ideas to good use.
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Even though in recent years he's been reduced to merely a caricature of his former self... I must admit I'm sad to see the old boy go.