Sono gran poche le band degli anni 80 che hanno saputo marcare e definire nuovi territori musicali, gettando le basi per sconfinare nell'ambient, nell'elettronica, nella psicadelia e nella tanto bistrattata new-wave che tante "perle nascoste" ci ha regalato. Una di queste fu la band dei Cocteau Twins che ha avuto un notevole peso sull'immaginario collettivo del nuovo rock che si è andato a delineare fino ai giorni nostri.

Il canto etereo e al tempo stesso inquietante di Elizabeth Frazier e gli arpeggi cupi e angelici al tempo stesso di Robin Guthrie, hanno animato il movimento new wave della prima metà degli anni Ottanta e sono giunti fino a oggi assolutamente attuali e ancora più affascinanti. Un disco perennemente in equilibrio instabile tra atmosfere dark, ambient e new-wave che intreccia trame ricamate con fili elettronici e psichedelici di rara suggestione. La voce "sacrale" di Elizabeth si inerpica fragile in scale ipnotiche e circolari sorretta soltanto da esili strutture armoniche uniche ed inconfondibili, un vero e proprio "marchio di fabbrica" che ha fatto di questo duo uno standard di riferimento per i cultori del genere.

Colonna sonora immaginaria per un ipotetico film noir di Tim Burton per le atmosfere notturne e "insane" che evoca, il doppio disco raccoglie invece le fatiche delle registrazioni fatte tra il 1982 e il 1996 e volute dal grande John Peel che li volle negli studi della BBC in più occasioni. Il risultato è questo strepitoso doppio album con versioni oscure e magiche di loro celebri hit come "Ivo", "Feathers-Oar-Blades", "Beatrix" e la magica cover di "Strange Fruit" di Billie Holiday. Disco magnetico, a tratti irresistibile. Unica pecca, se proprio vogliamo spulciare qualche difetto, è la produzione un po' troppo monocorde e "granitica": quasi un'esibizione live con poca attenzione al suono e agli arrangiamenti che, se curati e cesellati nel modo migliore, avrebbero confezionato un prodotto "inattaccabile" nel tempo. Un piccolo neo che si dissolve come per incanto quando partono le prime note di "Waxe and Vane" del disco 1. . . da brivido!

Elenco tracce e testi

01   Wax and Wane (03:51)

Carrying prose
Broke my real friend
The devil bites dirty
We wax and we wane
The devil bites dirty
We wax and wane
(x4)
Licking our wounds
The devil bites dirty
Rattling we'll taste
We wax and we wane
The devil bites dirty
We wax and wane
(x4)
Caring is a bury gin shot
The devil bites dirty
Up 'till the wee wanes
Oh, we laugh in their faces
The devil bites dirty
We wax and wane
(x8)

02   Garlands (04:19)

Garlands evergreen
Forget-me-not wreaths
Chaplets see me drugged
I could die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary

Well, with these brave garlands
They never find out for her
They never find I'm lying
Well, with these etchings
Cravings convince
My cravings commence

Garlands evergreen
Forget-me-not wreaths
Chaplets see me drugged
I could die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary

Well, with these scarve's scars
Cravings convince
My cravings commence
Well, with these splint's scars
I'm all that to you
I'm all that's who

Garlands evergreen
Forget-me-not wreaths
Chaplets see me drugged
I could die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary
Die in a rosary

Well, with these scarve's scars
Cravings convince
My cravings commence
Well, with these splint's scars
I'm all that to you
I'm all that's who

03   Alas Dies Laughing (03:28)

Flaxen, the dress is born
Crush a crushing stone
Tie a starching walls
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form

Flaxen, the dress is old
Fingers, this dress is tied
Tie a starching walls
Wake takes a mumbling form

Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form

Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a

Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form

Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a

04   Feathers-Oar-Blades (02:19)

Their fate
And hot
Their face
They're haters

Then they form, then hands
Then they form, then hands

Crestfallen
Weaken
Here comes the oppressors
Oppress, fallen, weaken

Feathers-oar blades
Spitting their feathers

Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades

Crestfallen
Weaken
Here come those oppressors
Oppress, fallen, weaken

Ordered
To attention
The choice of this party

Use your hands, he talked to him
Use your hands, he talked to him

Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out
Spitting out

05   Hearsay Please (04:25)

At least tonight it should be so

For I swore
By and by
Of your
Justice please

For I swore
By and by
Of your
Justice please

Hearsay please
At least tonight it should be so

For I swore
By and by
Of your
Justice please

For I swore
By and by
Of your
Justice please

I swear
I swore
By and by
By and by

I swear
I swore
By and by
By and by

Hearsay please
At least tonight it should be so

For I swore
By and by
Of your
Justice please

For I swore
By and by
Of your
Justice please

Boiled pain
Rip their castles
I swear
I swore
Boiled pain
Rip out cradles
I swear
I swore
Boiled pain
We can't stay his
I swear
I swore

By and by
By and by

By and by
By and by

By and by
By and by

06   Dear Heart (03:38)

07   Blind Dumb Deaf (03:41)

Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it
Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it
At the bosom
Or the breast
Or the forehead
Or the fist

Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it
Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it
My mouthing at you
My tongue the stake
I should welt should I hold you
I should gash should I kiss you

Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it

Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it

Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it

Blind dumb deafen offends
I was never a part of it

08   Hazel (03:21)

Oh, on the phone
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
Ta- tattletale
And on the phone
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball

Oh, on the phone
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
Ta- tattletale
And on the phone
Julie outside
Julie outside
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball

Oh, on the phone
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
Ta- tattletale
And on the phone
Julie outside
It's a scuttle
I'm a cheater
Julie outside
Oh, I slammed sleighs to him
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
I slammed the sleighs down
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball

Oh, I slammed sleighs to him
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
I slammed the sleighs down
Julie outside
As a scuttle
Your playground
Across you
Julie outside
In vagrance
Playground
Julie outside
I won't need you
Julie outside

09   The Tinderbox (Of a Heart) (04:48)

10   Strange Fruit (01:52)

11   Hitherto (03:57)

Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes

Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes

Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes

Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes

Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes

12   From the Flagstones (03:32)

At times I've seen you from the armyard
At times I've seen you from the flagstones

At times I've seen you from the balustrade
At times I've seen you from the flagstones
And you can't cajole
And you can't cajole
And you can't cajole
And can't cajole

At times I've seen you from the aureole
At times I've seen you from the flagstones
Like another goalstone
You may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
You may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
You may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And make a joke

At times I've seen you from the balustrade
At times I've seen you from the flagstones
At times I've seen you from the balustrade

13   Sugar Hiccup (03:41)

Sugar hiccup, hiccup, Sugar hiccup
Makes the earth tough and tumble
Sugar hiccup, Heavens curtsey and bow
Sugar hiccup, Makes a pig soar and swoon
Sugar hiccup, Sugar hiccup or she reels
Sugar hiccup, Sugar hiccup or she reels
Sugar hiccup
Sugar hiccup, hiccup
Sugar hiccup, Makes the earth tough and tumble
Sugar hiccup
Sugar hiccup or she reels
Sugar hiccup
Sugar hiccup
Sugar hiccup
Sugar hiccup

Heavens curtsey and bow, Sugar hiccup
Makes a pig soar and swoon, Sugar hiccup
Heavens curtsey and bow
Makes a pig soar and swoon now
Sugar hiccup or she reels
Sugar hiccup, hiccup now
Sugar hiccup, hiccup
Makes the earth tough and tumble

14   In Our Angelhood (03:55)

He's gonna chalk you out
In his angelhood
He's got the love, let- let us
Like he said he would, like he said he would

He's gonna chalk you out
In his angelhood
Please stand alone and let us
Like he said he would, like he said he would

Like he said he would
Like he said he would
Like he said he would
Like he said he would
Like he said he would

Like he said, the angelfish
In our angelhood
Now our heart's on the edge
Like you said they would, like you said they would

We're truly angelfish
In our angelhood
Now our heart's on the edge
Like you said they would, like you said they would

Like you said they would
In our angelhood
In our angelhood
In our angelhood

Judging you, Angelhood, Judging you
In our angelhood
In our angelhood
In our angelhood

Judging you, Angelhood, Trust in him
In our angelhood
In our angelhood
In our angelhood

Judging you, Angelhood, Trust in him
In our angelhood
In our angelhood
In our angelhood

15   My Hue and Cry (03:02)

16   Musette and Drums (04:11)

Did it again
We're fast follow trained, yes
Money and
Watching gets too hard
Writes a song
The favor of Juliet's
Somebody's
She turned thirteen oh

Tragedy end
Am I pretty enough

Musette and drums
Our answer Juliet's
Somebody's
She turned thirteen oh

Writes a song
The favor of Juliet's
Somebody's
She turned thirteen oh

Tragedy end
Am I pretty enough

Musette and drums
Watching is too

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