Cocteau Twins - An Ethereal Treasure

In 1982, Cocteau Twins released their debut album Garlands. For this Scottish band of Robin Guthrie, Will Heggie and the amazing vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, this was the beginning of a new sound on the path to becoming one of the most influential artists of the era.

Soon after the debut album, founding member Heggie would leave the band and be replaced by Simon Raymonde prior to the third album, the 1984 genre defining, Treasure.

From the early works of the band, Cocteau Twins earned critical praise for their sound as the band pioneered the music styles known as “dream pop” and “ethereal wave”. 

Not only did this group define new genres of music and also influence the music world and countless artists that followed, but they additionally created a singing style with lyrics of no known language where the voice was more like an instrument. 

This episode of our podcast tells the story of the formation of the band, their early years, and the music through the time of their third studio album, 1984's Treasure.