Bella Union
It seems like only a matter of time before Cocteau Twins reunite. The Scottish dream-pop act has been referenced a lot lately with many reappraisals of classic albums but also as an influence on countless young artists. Thanks to reunions by contemporaries like My Bloody Valentine the Jesus & Mary Chain and most recently Slowdive we may see the trio of Liz Fraser Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde resurface. They’ve just gotta!
In the meantime though we can enjoy Snowbird Raymonde’s newest project with vocalist Stephanie Dosen. Released by his label Bella Union Snowbird is bit of a collective that features members of Radiohead and Midlake as well as Jonathan Wilson and Lanterns On the Lake’s Paul Gregory.
Despite the full house it’s Dosen who steals the spotlight. A vocalist for both Midlake and (ironically) Massive Attack her ethereal voice is twinkly and sublimely delicate not unlike Fraser’s “voice of god.” The arrangements are minimal with that heavenly aura that ruled the 4AD catalogue in the ’80s. Sound familiar?
And that’s the thing: Snowbird isn’t far from what the Cocteaus could sound like in 2014. Hopefully this similarity isn’t coincidental and Raymonde has realized this is what he does best. Because Moon deserves a sequel.
