4. Cocteau Twins – Blue Bell Knoll
I didn’t really know which album to choose, but I have this one on vinyl, and by proxy it’s the one I’ve listened to the most. Elizabeth Fraser is an absolute hero of mine, and that’s almost in opposition to some of the things I’ve been talking about. She’s so unafraid of melodrama, and creates these arias with her vocal layering. The gymnastics of her voice – I mean I can’t even… I love the fact I can’t sing along to them, it feels like something so other. I’m also addicted to the sound of chorus guitars so I sort of have to ween myself off (laughs).
I find it undermining when male journalists talk about "ethereal" female singers who are meant to be these otherworldly, angelic figures,. And Elizabeth Frazer still has a very real strength, that womanliness of it all is still tangible, and she uses her voice in so many different ways. It’s such an incredible instrument. It’s not just her – it’s the way the band have almost given themselves up to the cause of her voice. They support everything that happens around her in such a sensitive way, and that’s unusual to find that relationship in a band.
