The Quietus - A new rock music and pop culture website

Baker's Dozen

A Document in Time: Neil Halstead Of Slowdive's Baker's Dozen
Joe Clay , May 3rd, 2017 10:11

With Slowdive reformed and about to release their fourth album (as well as playing Field Day and Roskilde), Neil Halstead tells Joe Clay about the gateway albums that influenced him the most. Photo by Ingrid Pop.

Cocteau_twins___treasure_1493742579_resize_460x400

Cocteau Twins – Treasure
After getting into the Mary Chain I went back and discovered lots of other stuff – Cocteau Twins, AR Kane, those sort of bands. Treasure was the first Cocteaus album I heard. It's not my favourite one, but it blew me away in the same way that Psychocandy did. It was a sound I'd never heard before. It was completely otherworldly, beautiful. Liz Fraser's vocals were astonishing. It's as close to classical music as it is to pop music. I fell in love with them immediately. It was so ethereal, with the guitars sounding not like guitars. I used to try to make my guitar sound like that, but it was impossible. At that point I'd just got a distortion pedal and then I heard Treasure and I was like, 'Fuck, I'm gonna need more pedals!'