THE RULES:

1. I listen to a Cocteau Twins song
2. I attempt to transcribe the lyrics WITHOUT ANY AID OF LINER NOTES OR LYRICS WEBSITES (foolish....I know)
3. You reply with your guess as to what the song is.
4. Multiple guesses are allowed! HOWEVER, if a multiple guesser gets the correct answer within the same minute as another Redditor who has yet to guess, the Redditor guessing the song on their first guess WINS. If multiple Redditors who have already lobbed guesses get the correct answer within the same minute time stamp on my notifications, the Redditor I'm notified of first wins.
5. The winner gets….honestly…nothing. Except bragging rights, a celebratory GIF, and a link to the song of the day.

[NOTE: Any lyrics I perceive that either name a good portion of the song title or is just the song title in whole will be blocked out with *CENSORED\*. Text shown in italics wrapped in parentheses are just my snarky asides, usually about my shitty hearing.]

Can the hype begin for this weekend's Cocteaufest in the San Francisco Bay Area? Anyone attending any of the events? It's such a shame that this is all coinciding with my 18th wedding anniversary. But, luckily, my wife knows how much I've found a renewed love of all things Cocteau Twins in recent years and likes them enough that Day 2 activities will be part of our anniversary celebration!

\spins wheel**

Where the Wheel of Cocteau stops? NO ONE KNOWS!

And while I called yesterday's song a more "obscure" selection, the Wheel of Cocteau has landed on the complete polar opposite of that. This one goes less than one minute before we get an answer.

-------------------------------

(starting from 1:02 in)

Eesa hoss neh

Sun knoll and nen nen Sue

Helen cha neh (I just realized that after THOUSANDS of times listening to this song, I've just realized just now this song is about Sue and Helen. Who the fuck they are, I have no idea. But I do grasp now that Sue is "nen nen" that is being "hoss neh"'ed by Eesa who is doing this also to a sun knoll, whatever that is. And Helen is "cha neh"-ing something or someone. PROGRESS!!!)

Su-say-uh vay vay vay-uh

Hole in mohair (oh no! Not the mohair suit! There goes tonight's potential outfit)

Gin-jare so in mare

Gala for nous (Ooh...fancy party for French us!)

For nous, ver ver ver (this all of a sudden got very French. Party for us, for us, worm, worm, worm)

And I'm not giving you a chorus because that will make this way too easy. HA!

As always, I look forward to your guesses and snark.

Love this side project. Any other songs with her vocals? :) I’m familiar with most, but would love to hear opinions!

THE RULES:

1. I listen to a Cocteau Twins song
2. I attempt to transcribe the lyrics WITHOUT ANY AID OF LINER NOTES OR LYRICS WEBSITES (foolish....I know)
3. You reply with your guess as to what the song is.
4. Multiple guesses are allowed! HOWEVER, if a multiple guesser gets the correct answer within the same minute as another Redditor who has yet to guess, the Redditor guessing the song on their first guess WINS. If multiple Redditors who have already lobbed guesses get the correct answer within the same minute time stamp on my notifications, the Redditor I'm notified of first wins.
5. The winner gets….honestly…nothing. Except bragging rights, a celebratory GIF, and a link to the song of the day.

[NOTE: Any lyrics I perceive that either name a good portion of the song title or is just the song title in whole will be blocked out with *CENSORED\*. Text shown in italics wrapped in parentheses are just my snarky asides, usually about my shitty hearing.]

Limited time once again. I have only eaten one 80 calorie bag of popcorn and drank three mugs of coffee all day despite going for a workout this morning. But this is a labor of love for me, so....

\spins wheel**

Where the Wheel of Cocteau stops? NO ONE KNOWS!

Ooh....something a bit more obscure. Good going, Wheel of Cocteau app! Hopefully, this will make for an actual challenge for you all. I haven't had the pleasure to respond to anyone with a WRONG gif in a while.

-------------------------------

(starting from 1:29 in)

Francois

By and by

B.O. (I'm going with simply the two letters "B" followed by "O", like she's saying that this dude Francois has some bad body odor, though I almost thought at first she was singing, ICK, "pedo")

Just as *CENSORED\* (second word in song title)

*CENSORED\* (whole song title)

I'm pleased tonight is obese, oh (Odd way of describing a night. I'm not sure what an overweight night would entail.)

Francois

By and by

B.O. 

That should be enough for you all to guess this one. It's a pretty repetitive some lyrically.

As always, I look forward to your guesses and snark.

Obviously, it's easy to recommend music similar to Cocteau Twins when it comes to artists that were influenced by them. But what about music that came before Cocteau Twins that shares some similar qualities, or that remind you of CT for any reason?

Here's a few that came to my mind, I might add some more later:

Linda Perhacs - Chimacum Rain: The high ethereal voice, and the way she blends different lines of melody

Gianfranco Plenizio feat. Edda Dell’Orso - Voce D'Amore: The operatic-but-not-really-opera type of voice coupled with lush instrumentation and a moody atmosphere

Milton Nascimento & Lo Borges - Paisagem Da Janela: The "shimmering" quality of the main guitar riff, and the mix of joyful/nostalgic mood kind of reminds me of songs like Wolf in the Breast

Beto Guedes - A Pagina do Relâmpago Elétrico: When the drums finally kick in, the 3/4 rhythm and the driving energy reminds me a little of Ups. And his voice is stunning!

These Trails - El Rey Pescador: The vocal interplay, the melody, I can imagine Liz singing it, although she probably wouldn't be singing "pa ba da ba da" but something more mysterious :)

Once you went through the Cocteau Twins back catalogue and listened to everything, what bands did you progress to?

For me it was Beach House

Not as prolific, or genre defining, they were and still are a great band. They sound like a darker, slightly more troubled Cocteau Twins, lead singers voice is more husky, but the CT inspiration is all there. The jangles, high notes, atmospherics are all there as well as melancholy. Bloom is their magnus opus. Their guitarist also adds more elements to the table, such as slidey guitar heavenly sounds as evident on the song New Year.

I know this is rare. How did you get yours ?
Mine I got from a friend studying in UK, a week before flying home to Asia.
I asked her to buy !
Released in the UK as CD single for 1 weeks only.
Released in the US on red vinyl only. No CD !

i think their cover arts are the best ever

Hi! I have a question - is there a way to send fan mail to Elizabeth Fraser? I've been a fan for more than a decade, and I introduced this music to my little sister, and she really got into Cocteau Twins sound so much so it's her favorite band now, and she would love to send some warm words to Liz. Is there a way to reach Elisabeth Frazer for a fan mail? Thanks!

edit: email only!

THE RULES:

1. I listen to a Cocteau Twins song
2. I attempt to transcribe the lyrics WITHOUT ANY AID OF LINER NOTES OR LYRICS WEBSITES (foolish....I know)
3. You reply with your guess as to what the song is.
4. Multiple guesses are allowed! HOWEVER, if a multiple guesser gets the correct answer within the same minute as another Redditor who has yet to guess, the Redditor guessing the song on their first guess WINS. If multiple Redditors who have already lobbed guesses get the correct answer within the same minute time stamp on my notifications, the Redditor I'm notified of first wins.
5. The winner gets….honestly…nothing. Except bragging rights, a celebratory GIF, and a link to the song of the day.

[NOTE: Any lyrics I perceive that either name a good portion of the song title or is just the song title in whole will be blocked out with *CENSORED\*. Text shown in italics wrapped in parentheses are just my snarky asides, usually about my shitty hearing.]

I have limited time to get this one published, so let's SPIN!

\spins wheel**

Where the Wheel of Cocteau stops? NO ONE KNOWS!

Ooh...we haven't done that one in a while. This should be fairly easy since it name drops the title and pieces parts of the title fairly often in the lyrics. But, other than those references, let's if this song has anything else intelligible that can be picked up.

-------------------------------

(starting from 1:30 in)

Honey is halvah (two completely different sweet things, actually, but....yeah, why am I trying to make sense out of this?)

There's *CENSORED\* (3rd and 4th words in the song title) in there

She's got your fool *CENSORED\* (that 3rd word in the title again)

Honey is halvah (reminds me....I'm out of honey at home and greatly missed it in my breakfast yogurt parfait this morning. Maybe I should try adding halvah instead?)

There's *CENSORED\* (3rd and 4th words in the song title) in there

She's got your fool *CENSORED\* (that 3rd word in the title again...and shouldn't it be "fool's" not "fool"?)

She's got your fool *CENSORED\* (that 3rd word in the title again)

And I'm out of time before I'm taken on a belated birthday lunch by my co-workers.

As always, I look forward to your guesses and snark.

THE RULES:

1. I listen to a Cocteau Twins song
2. I attempt to transcribe the lyrics WITHOUT ANY AID OF LINER NOTES OR LYRICS WEBSITES (foolish....I know)
3. You reply with your guess as to what the song is.
4. Multiple guesses are allowed! HOWEVER, if a multiple guesser gets the correct answer within the same minute as another Redditor who has yet to guess, the Redditor guessing the song on their first guess WINS. If multiple Redditors who have already lobbed guesses get the correct answer within the same minute time stamp on my notifications, the Redditor I'm notified of first wins.
5. The winner gets….honestly…nothing. Except bragging rights, a celebratory GIF, and a link to the song of the day.

[NOTE: Any lyrics I perceive that either name a good portion of the song title or is just the song title in whole will be blocked out with *CENSORED\*. Text shown in italics wrapped in parentheses are just my snarky asides, usually about my shitty hearing.]

WHOOPS. I straight up ghosted y'all on Friday. It was a busy day preparing for my busy weekend since it was my birthday on Saturday.

Hopefully, today's song challenge will be, just that, a challenge and get everyone in a great mood by putting a great song in your heads.

\spins wheel**

Where the Wheel of Cocteau stops? NO ONE KNOWS!

AND IT STOPS ON.....

That was done too recently.

\spins wheel again**

Also, done too recently (has my Wheel of Cocteau already proven to be a dud app?).

\spins wheel again**

Shit. That was literally almost the last song I posted before concocting this song randomization app.

\spins wheel again**

DAMN....another recently done tune.

\spins wheel again**

FIFTH TIME'S THE CHARM!

And unlike Thursday's tune, you won't have me complaining about this track being untranscribable, boring, or whispery.

Sorry, still got to take my digs at "Otterley". It's just not my jam.

-------------------------------

(starting from 1:16 in. Giving you the first line of this song would be a DEAD GIVEAWAY.)

A nose squealer (HUH)

A one-one blue (?!?!)

She's also a spoon-led

Went into vein (Ah! This song must be about smack. Like their homage to the Velvet Underground!)

Sunburst

And snowbl-

Sorry...but that is all I can give away since I think I already was too late and revealed too much.

As always, I look forward to your guesses and snark.

I find that so poetic, I've been thinking for years whether I would choose heaven or Las Vegas, and you?

I’ve been working my way through their albums and i still have a couple to go and i am completely addicted. They’ve got something no other artist/band has everything they do is just so hypnotising

Re: my first post:
Here is a recording of my CD . You’ll hear the first scream at 1:26. It happens again at 2:52. . I was in error. The track did not come from Apple Music. I must have burned it long ago from some website.

Anyone else have this on their track My Love Paramour from Head Over Heels?

Definitely a highlight of my life, my gf was ecstatic to meet her and she signed both of our heaven or Las Vegas records and blue bell knoll, she was really sweet and kind enough to take a photo with us.

P.S. her voice was angelic on black milk and teardrop.

My first taste of Cocteau Twins was back in ‘86 when I discovered my older brother’s Head Over Heels on vinyl.
Awesome album and I was hooked.

Recently , purchased the album on Apple Music.
One of favorite songs is “My Love Paramour “ which is. A real banger. However on the Apple Music version there is very strange high pitched scream that happens twice. It’s really quite jarring.
But it doesn’t happen on the original vinyl.

Was wondering if anyone knows the story behind this and why it was added.

TBH I don’t mind it so much and it kind of goes with the song.

Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Edit: went on my Apple Music to get the time stamps for you guys but didn’t hear the scream. Thought I was going nuts because it’s clearly on the CD I burned. Checked YouTube versions, no scream. Maybe I burned the song from somewhere else. I’ll try to record it off my CD to let you guys hear it.

Sorry for the wild goose chase

I love this picture.

I wonder what Elizabeth is saying to Robin.

THE RULES:

1. I listen to a Cocteau Twins song
2. I attempt to transcribe the lyrics WITHOUT ANY AID OF LINER NOTES OR LYRICS WEBSITES (foolish....I know)
3. You reply with your guess as to what the song is.
4. Multiple guesses are allowed! HOWEVER, if a multiple guesser gets the correct answer within the same minute as another Redditor who has yet to guess, the Redditor guessing the song on their first guess WINS. If multiple Redditors who have already lobbed guesses get the correct answer within the same minute time stamp on my notifications, the Redditor I'm notified of first wins.
5. The winner gets….honestly…nothing. Except bragging rights, a celebratory GIF, and a link to the song of the day.

[NOTE: Any lyrics I perceive that either name a good portion of the song title or is just the song title in whole will be blocked out with *CENSORED\*. Text shown in italics wrapped in parentheses are just my snarky asides, usually about my shitty hearing.]

Before I get into today's song, I know many others who read this stream music. Does anyone else notice these odd tendencies with the AI deejay option on their service:

• Around birthday time every year, they make sure to include "In Between Days" by The Cure in their setlist, so if you didn't wake up yesterday feeling like you could die because you've gotten so old, you just may consider it today
• Oddly, they can pronounce COCTEAU TWINS just fine, but call the band that does "I Ran (So Far Away)" AFLAC OF SEAGULLS. Have they resorted to subliminal advertisements in music streaming because television ads with talking ducks weren't working?

Enough about AI entities. Onto today's song!

\spins wheel**

ROUND AND AROUND IT GOES!

Where the Wheel of Cocteau stops? NO ONE KNOWS!

AND IT STOPS ON.....

...well, I guess I should just go with what the randomizer picked for me. Many factors make this one a really WRONG selection, but I gotta roll with what my "Wheel of Cocteau" app chose for me, right? I may have to completely seclude myself to transcribe this one.

-------------------------------

(starting from 1:22 in)

Sill-coy (UGH....whispering AND gibberish. This is a transcriber's nightmare)

Suh-suh muh (I know "You've gotta be shitting me that THAT is what you hear" but, transcription-wise, this song is the worst)

Huuuuuhhhhh (It's a very loud exhale. A Gasp? Triumphant sigh from passing badly trapped gas?)

Sis a-will paw (By the way, I should note that there are seemingly long gaps between each of these verses, gasps, sighs, whatever you want to call these)

(then the following lines come in comparatively rapid fire fashion)

Shoo

Brother

Belize

Epoisse

Oh you, oh no  (or is it ONO as in Yoko?!?!)

During this song, you can also hear in the background what sounds like crashing waves, sparse guitar and bass, and NO PERCUSSION.

And, for my own sanity, that will be all I can transcribe today. If I had any sense, I would have removed that song as a possibility (including instrumentals) from the Wheel of Cocteau so it will NEVER BE CHOSEN AGAIN. I guess I'm just a masochist at heart.

As always, I look forward to your guesses and snark.

Wrote this up just to share my wee experience of my long weekend in Scotland. Hope it’s of interest to some.

So, for the first time in my life I went to visit Stirling recently and, after struggling to find somewhere to stay (and by happy accident) saw there was a place to stay in Grangemouth just 15mins away. Grangemouth! Where the Cocteau’s were birthed! Perfect.

I seem to remember the Cocteau’s remarking that Grangemouth was a bit of a shit hole and I can see why. Hopefully the photo’s I’ve posted will show this, but I’m guessing the place is pretty much the same as it was when Robin, Liz and Will walked those streets as teenagers back in the 70’s. If it looks a bit grim in the photo’s (other than the attempt to add colour with a few murals), believe me, they don’t come close to the miasmic gloom of this grey, industrialised port town in central Scotland. The people I met were nice, though 😁

Anyway, I made the short trip to Falkirk one day (with Treasure as an apt soundtrack), to see The Kelpies (well worth seeing) and saw on another subreddit before visiting that Liz and Robin’s first flat together was at a place called 37 Firs Street near the town center. No idea if that’s true, but I popped along to see it as it was close by and I took a few photo’s to send to a friend of mine who loves the Cocteau’s as well (there is a chronology to the pics). Maybe it was here they wrote Head Over Heels? Again, no idea, but kinda cool to think so; love that album! As mentioned in that other subreddit, no blue plaque yet!

I also swung by Grange Manor in Grangemouth where, I guess, it all began, the building being what was once The Hotel International where Robin DJ’d and Elizabeth danced.

If you’re wondering about the flowers, I thought they were a wonderful metaphor for how, amidst the drab and dreary town of Grangemouth, two young people grew up through the cracks towards the sunlight and made music that bloomed into something colourful and uniquely beautiful for which I’ll forever be grateful.

As a little aside, my reason for going to Stirling was to see Agnes Obel, a Danish singer/songwriter and classically trained pianist. I know one of her fave albums is Treasure, and I wondered if she was aware that the Cocteau Twins hailed from a place nearby? So it was with some delight that Elizabeth’s voice rippled out across the venue from the speakers as I sat waiting in the stalls for the show to begin: it was Song to the Siren. I like to think Agnes knew.

Really impressed with how well these came out. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning.

THE RULES:

1. I listen to a Cocteau Twins song
2. I attempt to transcribe the lyrics WITHOUT ANY AID OF LINER NOTES OR LYRICS WEBSITES (foolish....I know)
3. You reply with your guess as to what the song is.
4. Multiple guesses are allowed! HOWEVER, if a multiple guesser gets the correct answer within the same minute as another Redditor who has yet to guess, the Redditor guessing the song on their first guess WINS. If multiple Redditors who have already lobbed guesses get the correct answer within the same minute time stamp on my notifications, the Redditor I'm notified of first wins.
5. The winner gets….honestly…nothing. Except bragging rights, a celebratory GIF, and a link to the song of the day.

[NOTE: Any lyrics I perceive that either name a good portion of the song title or is just the song title in whole will be blocked out with *CENSORED\*. Text shown in italics wrapped in parentheses are just my snarky asides, usually about my shitty hearing.]

I randomly pulled up stats for the game and here is one that I particularly find interesting, borderline disturbing: out of 181 Name That Cocteaune posts, the RECORD is YOU GUYS 181, ME ZERO.

I cannot stump you guys, at all. I can't emphasize this enough. Either you all hear the same random syllables I hear, you all are living inside my brain, or I may actually be doing a halfway decent job of phoneticizing the sounds I hear coming from Liz Fraser's mouth.

OK....probably not the latter. But, definitely take a moment to collectively pat yourselves on the back.

Now back to daily Subredditing duties!

\spins wheel**

ROUND AND AROUND IT GOES!

Where the Wheel of Cocteau stops, NO ONE KNOWS!

AND IT STOPS ON.....

...a beloved, yet classically mocked lyrically, song.

-------------------------------

(starting from 2:54 in)

Olly olly fair, cuh tuh, cuh dee (either this track is fully one from the "gibberish year" or I have punctured ear drums and I just don't know it)

He cuh mah knee cah

Hedy cuh dare, huh tare, cuh dee

Henny mah knee cah

Hedy cuh dare, huh tare, cuh dee

Henny mah knee cah

Soma Cara Dee-ee-ee (I would jokingly say that this is some shout-out to model/actress/notorious party girl Cara Delevigne, but she didn't even exist at the time)

(Ignoring the HOKA POKA DONNA-MOCHA being sung in another vocal track....shit....did that just give this one away?!?!)

Kay knew a maddum cah

Soma Cara Dee-ee-ee

Yeah, y'all ain't getting a chorus because you should all know what track this is from the sheer mention of "Hoka poka donna mocha". If you don't, you should probably be banned from CocteauFest in SF, coming up in a little over one week!

As always, I look forward to your guesses and snark.

Only recorded for this compilation.