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Îïèñàíèå: Cocteau Twins — Blue Bell Knoll (4AD/Capitol, 1988) Elizabeth Fraser – vocals Robin Guthrie – guitar, keyboards, synth & drum machine programming, production Simon Raymonde – bass guitar, keyboards “I listened to [Blue Bell Knoll] for the first time in years and I cried” / «ß ñëóøàëà [Blue Bell Knoll] âïåðâûå çà ìíîãèå ãîäû è ïëàêàëà», — âñïîìèíàëà Ýëèçàáåò Ôðåéçåð âî âðåìÿ íåäàâíåãî ðàçãîâîðà (â èþëå 2024). Upon the release of the album, Ivo Watts-Russell, co–founder of the band's record label 4AD, commented on lead singer Elizabeth Fraser's vocals on Blue Bell Knoll saying "It’s got her best singing since she discovered her higher range. ‘Carolyn’s Fingers’ is absolutely beautiful, and still gives me the shivers". Fraser would later comment on the album, saying "Blue Bell Knoll was the easiest I’ve ever done to make a record. The records are a representation of our coping skills, and I think I was very much in denial, and I think that you can hear that on Blue Bell Knoll. Not one word can you grasp. Giving anything away it just wasn’t allowed" The Scottish shoegaze predecessors made emotionally stirring music, but it wasn’t as a result of their lyricism. In fact, Fraser’s words were usually unintelligible. They would verge on familiar phrases, but as if she was speaking in another language or in reverse. Even when her nonsensical vocals aren’t getting lost amidst Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde’s hazy dream-pop soundscapes, it’s almost impossible to make out what she’s saying. The feeling concocted by the Cocteau Twins’ soundscapes didn’t necessarily spawn from beautiful lyricism or melancholic metaphors but from the atmosphere and ambience, they created with guitars and wailing vocals. On genre-defining records like Heaven or Las Vegas and Treasure, the trio allowed her soprano vocals to swirl around, echoing strums and the occasional tambourine, forging moving soundscapes entirely through instrumentation. The stirring nature of their sound has even exerted its impact on Fraser, who once admitted that relistening to Blue Bell Knoll left her in tears. She recalled during a conversation: "I listened to [Blue Bell Knoll] for the first time in years and I cried, I just thought it was so lovely," says Fraser, remembering the creative process as an opportunity for the band to escape the pressures of their private lives. "It was quite a difficult time, and I think we just decided to throw ourselves into the creativity. Getting immersed in that process and not worrying about how it would be perceived or the outcome, just going with the flow without expectations, no endgame, just enjoy it, and if it’s not working try something else." ... Fraser went in-depth about her famously unconventional approach to songwriting, for which she used a self-constructed language to provide lyrics. "I gained so much from [inventing language]. I didn’t expect it to be such a fulfilling experience, at first it was an avoidance tactic, more than that, but I must have given myself permission along the way that I was really gonna go for it and not worry about people’s opinions." Of Blue Bell Knoll‘s lyrics in particular, she said: "I often get into trouble with lyrics in a way that wasn’t happening with Blue Bell Knoll. I often get stuck with lyrics, I get into old habits and keep doing the same thing. Writing Blue Bell Knoll I had a wonderful freedom to put lyrics aside and not to worry." The host took particular interest in the Cocteaus’ song titles, asking Fraser to explain Blue Bell Knoll‘s. ‘Athol-brose’ is named after the Scottish drink, "whiskey and honey… I’d had quite a lot of that…" the singer revealed, while of ‘A Kissed Out Red Floatboat’, she said: "I remember I felt love, a really intense love, I was romanticising about it, a romantic image of being open and having your heart open." Ella Megalast Burls Forever, meanwhile, was written in tribute to the mother of bandmate Robin Guthrie. "She was quite a big woman, in terms of personality as well as physique, and she was very jolly and nimble; even though she was a big lady there was something very delicate about her. I just had this image of her revolving, and this going on and on forever and ever, eternally. And so she should!" The host and Fraser also discussed their battles with self-criticism, especially when it comes to live performance. "I’ve struggled with a lot of fear on stage, and one of the things that made me really angry on stage was that I wasn’t able to do the things I knew I could do. Did you have moments like that?" "I get it in the studio, it’s a horror, but it’s part of the journey," responded his guest. "I don’t think I was confident, especially when I stopped singing. That’s when the voice kicks in, really nagging you, telling you what a horrible person you are and ‘what do you think you’re doing’. But then you sing and it shuts up that voice, the other voice is louder… I think my insecurities mean I worry what I think about me, I don’t really listen out for other opinions, whether they’re complimentary or derogatory. They’re not something I think about." #cocteautwins #ethereal #shoegaze #dreampop #4ad

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