Antarctic Wonderland: Revisiting Cocteau Twins' "Victorialand"

Cocteau Twins

In 1984, Cocteau Twins released their third album, "Treasure", complete with the lineup that would persist throughout the rest of their career - Robin Guthrie on guitar, Elizabeth Fraser on vocal duties, and adding Simon Raymonde, a multi-instrumentalist who added an extra dimension to their already ethereal sound.  They strayed from their gothic roots and veered into an wispy and dreamy soundscape that even today resists all classification.  All through the rest of 1984 and 1985, they released a rash of EPs, sometimes every month, creating some of the most memorable music of their 18 year career.

In 1985, Simon Raymonde took a brief break to work as a session musician on 4AD's grandiose collaboration project called This Mortal Coil for the album "Filigree & Shadow", so Guthrie and Fraser once again entered the studio to record an album without Raymonde, the last time they would do so as a band.

The result was an experimental collection called "Victorialand", named after a region in Antarctica.  In fact, many of the names of the songs here are named after features and locations on that icy continent.

Produced completely by themselves, their were able to explore sonic vistas like they were not able to do before.  First of all, they ditched the drum machine, so there is virtually no percussion on the whole album.  A few keyboards.  A saxophone lent by Richard Thomas of Dif Juz.  And Guthrie's guitar on heavy reverb and effects to make his guitar sound like anything other than a guitar.  That's it.  The result is panoramic and colorful, like floating on a cloud, like watching the evening sun reflect on ice floes.  This is possibly the most experimental of all of the albums by Cocteau Twins.

The album starts out with "Lazy Calm" with quiet strumming and sound effects like the wind blowing over ocean waters, brought to life by a gentle saxophone.  This goes on for several minutes until Fraser's voice sparks up, singing a sweet melody with no discernible lyrics, none that you can understand, anyway.  "Fluffy Tufts" swirls together several layers of crystal guitars with Fraser's voice flitting like a bird through the clouds.  "Throughout the Dark Months of April and May" features a morose guitar and Fraser's tremulous voice, creating a melancholy resonance that makes sense if you understand the weather shifts on the southern hemisphere.  The song ends on a single bright note.  "Whale Tails" is resplendent like sunshine on the waves, and Fraser does vocal gymnastics, the notes bouncing up and down through the scales.  "Oomingmak" starts out with staccato music and voice, and then Fraser goes positively operatic halfway through the track, showing that she is indeed one of the most versatile singers ever.  "Little Spacey" is a joyful waltz through the clouds.  "Feet-like Fins" is shimmering and aquatic, the guitars watery and glistening, and then the song takes off quickly like a dolphin speeding through the water.  "How To Bring a Blush to the Snow" is a sad piece with exquisite layers of voice and harmony and is possibly the most beautiful song ever written.  The record finishes out with "The Thinner the Air" - just an acoustic guitar, some piano, and Liz Fraser's plaintive voice.

Cocteau Twins have always been artistic enough that they have influenced many, many artists that came afterwards.  This album, in particular, has influenced the sound of artists like Shelleyan Orphan.  I am glad to have this one added to my collection.  I owned it back in the day in cassette, and it was the last of the Cocteau Twins albums that I was missing in digital format.  It sounds beautiful remastered.  It brings me back to the days that I wandered long and far into the night, streetlights glowing beguilingly gold, a Walkman in my pocket, and "Victorialand" playing through my headphones.  This is eternal.