1982 album by the Cocteau Twins
10 July 1982 (1982-07-10)
1981–1982
Blackwing Studios, London, England
Gothic rockpost-punk
35:09
4AD
Cocteau Twins
Ivo Watts-Russell
Garlands
(1982)
Lullabies
(1982)
Garlands is the debut album by the Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was released on 10 July 1982 by the record label 4AD. It peaked in the top 5 of the UK Independent Albums Chart, and received support from BBC Radio 1 radio host John Peel.
Professional ratings
AllMusic
Rolling StoneMartin C. Strong7/10Under the Radar9/10
Though it was their first record, by 2 August 1982 the album had reached number 14 on the UK Indie Albums chart. Sounds critic Helen Fitzgerald called the album \"bloody good. A fluid frieze of wispy images made all the more haunting by Elizabeth\'s distilled vocal maturity, fluctuating from a brittle fragility to a voluble dexterity with full range and power\".
However, Cocteau Twins\' roadie Collin Wallace recalled that \"Garlands was written off in the UK as another Siouxsie copy band, and Elisabeth was a huge Siouxsie fan.\" Spin wrote that the album \" like Siouxsie and the Banshees with echo and smeared mascara\". In its review of the album, AllMusic was generally critical, writing that \"Garlands falters due to something the band generally avoided in the future – overt repetition. As a debut effort, though, Garlands makes its own curious mark, preparing the band for greater heights\".
In a positive 2020 review, Dom Gourley of Under the Radar stated that the album \"represented a year zero for alternative guitar music,\" adding that \"songs like \'Wax and Wane\' and \'But I’m Not\' undoubtedly influenced a generation of effects pedalled guitar slingers decades on.\" In 2021, Mark Clifford of Seefeel praised the album\'s production and use of drum machine backing: \"I don’t think they get credited enough for that. Garlands, it’s basically electronic beats with noise on top.\"
Track listing
All tracks are written by Cocteau Twins (Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie)
\"Blood Bitch\"4:34
\"Wax and Wane\"4:02
\"But I\'m Not\"2:42
\"Blind Dumb Deaf\"3:45
\"Shallow Then Halo\" (printed as \"Shallow Then Hallo\" on the sleeve)5:14
\"The Hollow Men\"5:00
\"Garlands\"4:30
\"Grail Overfloweth\"5:22
\"Dear Heart\" (John Peel Session January 1983)3:38
\"Hearsay Please\" (John Peel Session January 1983)4:23
\"Hazel\" (John Peel Session January 1983)3:23
\"Blind Dumb Deaf\" (John Peel Session January 1983)3:42
\"Speak No Evil\"3:53
\"Perhaps Some Other Aeon\"2:57
Personnel
Cocteau Twins
Elizabeth Fraser – vocals, production
Robin Guthrie – guitar, drum machine, production
Will Heggie – bass guitar, production
with:
Cindy Sharp - backing vocals on \"Dear Heart\", \"Hearsay Please\" and \"Hazel\"
Technical
Ivo Watts-Russell – production
Eric Radcliffe – engineering at Blackwing Studios
John Fryer – engineering at Blackwing Studios
23 Envelope – sleeve design, photography and art direction
