CERTIFIED DREAMPOP CLASSIC. By the time Cocteau Twins released Heaven Or Las Vegas, they had been perfecting their unique sound for nearly 10 years, recording exclusively for Ivo Watts-Russell’s highly respected indie powerhouse 4AD. After the fallout of goth & post-punk, 4AD became a buy-on-sight label for fans of lush & dreamy indie pop sounds, largely due to the Cocteaus' near-perfect run of albums in the mid to late 80s. On Heaven Or Las Vegas, Liz Fraser’s uncanny voice and lyrics are higher in the mix and more intelligible than ever before, and Robin Guthrie’s masterful, proto-shoegaze guitar playing and Simon Raymond’s atmospherics fully distilled, culminating in the most critically and commercially successful record of their career. Watts-Russell called it his favorite record in the entire catalog of the label “by a long shot”, and while it may be a bold statement, we’re inclined to agree with him. Recommended.

• includes mp3 download card
• music label: 4AD 1990 / 2014

reviewed by Peppermint Pig 02/2017