Top 100 Albums of the 1980s
098: Cocteau Twins
Treasure
[4AD; 1984]
The Cocteau Twins' third album was titled simply enough. Treasure was an adjective for the endlessly inventive melodic lines you'd find buried in these songs, and a verb for what you'd do with them for years to come. With the addition of Simon Raymonde on guitar, the Twins had moved beyond the moody, bass-driven sound of Garlands and come into their signature ethereality. The drum machine tracks added a sharp edge to some songs, especially the 80s dancefloor mini-hit "Lorelei". But as always, it was Elisabeth Fraser's angelic vocals that managed to comfort, confound and mystify in the end, perfectly matching the song titles. Affixing words to the Cocteau Twins often seems pointless; in its own unique way, Fraser's streaming glossolalia speaks for itself. --Christopher Dare
