Elizabeth Fraser’s isolated vocal for Cocteau Twins song ‘Lorelei’
Scottish alt-rockers Cocteau Twins pioneered the dream pop subgenre in the 1980s, forging ethereal soundscapes made up of incomprehensible lyrics and layered, echoey instrumentals. Elizabeth Fraser’s airy vocals have contributed to the band’s distinctive sound, with her esoteric soprano tones floating gracefully above celestial guitars, keys and percussion.
Amidst a torrent of new wave and synth-pop in the 1980s, Cocteau Twins introduced a gentle, shimmering, fuzzy guitar-led sound. Their discography has had a wide influence on alternative music, from shoegazers Slowdive and Ride to dream-pop-inspired indie bands The Sundays and Beach House to metal outfit Deftones.
Perhaps the most distinctive element of Cocteau Twins’ dreamy soundscapes is Fraser’s unintelligible but beautiful lyricism. In 1983, she told Sounds: “It’s impossible. It’s impossible in as much as… You’d be disappointed if you found out. I might make it sound as if I think it’s unimportant, but the words are important, important to me I mean, but I think you’re just supposed to get out of them what you can. And they do make sense.”
Though the lyrics might make sense to Fraser, they have often taken a backseat due to her breathy style and the choice to blend her words into hazy guitars. More often than not, her voice acted as another instrument, contributing to their distinctively dense sonic atmosphere.
On their 1984 album Treasure, Cocteau Twins threw themselves into the soundscapes that would define not only their own legacy but the legacy of 4AD. Though co-founder Robin Guthrie told Pennyblack Music that he finds the record “dated… because of the early digital stuff and the technology we used”, Treasure preempted the band’s sound for the next two decades.
With the addition of bassist and keyboardist Simon Raymonde and Fraser’s commitment to elusive lyricism, Cocteau Twins put out the LP’s standout track ‘Lorelei’, which, surprisingly, was a hit in the dance scene in the 1980s. ‘Lorelei’ sees Cocteau Twins rely heavily on pedals and delays, forming a soft pillow of sound for Fraser’s vocals to float above. Over shimmering and chiming instrumentals, Fraser’s sensual tones sing, “We make love and we can go”.
Her voice blends further into instrumentation with the refrain, “Without a doubt”, which she repeats endlessly over soft guitar and percussive elements. The lack of enunciation leads the words to blur into each other – it sounds like Fraser is just humming along to the instrumentation.
On an isolated vocal version of the track, it’s only ever so slightly easier to make out Fraser’s words without reading the lyrics alongside. Though it might not reveal the lyrics, the isolated vocal illustrates the band’s use of layering and distortion not only on their guitars. Fraser’s warped, lonely vocals take on a more eerie tone without their dreamy accompaniment.
Listen to the isolated vocal for ‘Lorelei’ by the Cocteau Twins below.
