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THE REVIEW
In the early Eighties, many bands contributed to the rise of the newborn dark wave movement (not only musical but also literal and generally cultural).
The 4AD label, an independent label that produced the best gothic productions ever (Bauhaus, Cindytalk, Dead Can Dance, among the most famous), released an EP by a virtually unknown band, the Cocteau Twins, support for the Birthday Party of the early Nick Cave. The band, which took its name from a song by fellow Simple Minds, consisted of a guitarist/composer, Robin Guthrie, a bassist, Will Heggie, and a singer, Elizabeth Fraser. The three presented themselves to the public with an anguishing work of a brief duration of a quarter of an hour, composed of just three songs: "Feathers-Oar-Blades," "Alas Dies Laughing" and "It's All But An Ark Lark", the latter containing the verse that gives the name to the entire work, "Lullabies".
Side A of the 7" opens with a standard post-punk style, "Feathers-Oar-Blades", and closes with the terrifying tale of Alas, who dies laughing, punctuated by a vibrating bass and a synthetic drum that sets an almost indefinite rhythm. The irritating voice of the singer repeats obsessively the few verses of which the song is composed.
"It's All But An Ark Lark" comprises the entire B side of the disc. A piece of just over eight minutes, complex, in perfect "Garlands" style, the album that will follow "Lullabies" in 1982; a nursery rhyme, a dark, incomprehensible lullaby, with Fraser's voice overlapping itself amid endless reverberations.
This first EP was to be followed by the release of the first single from "Garlands", titled "Wax And Wane" and accompanied by a B-Side that few (and fortunately I am among those few) managed to enjoy in all its dark beauty: "Speak No Evil". The 4AD, for unknown reasons, decided to release only the album on the market, without a launch single, and consequently, that piece remained in the archives of the record company and was later published as a bonus track on the first CD version of the album and then by fans on various bootlegs.
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Summary by Bot
The review praises Cocteau Twins' 1982 Lullabies EP as a seminal release in the dark wave genre. Highlighting the unique, haunting style of Elizabeth Fraser's vocals and the EP's post-punk influences, it explains the context of the band and the 4AD label. The songs are described as anguishing and atmospheric, particularly the lengthy B-side tribute to their distinctive sound. Additionally, the review mentions rare tracks tied to the EP that remained largely unreleased for years.Tracklist Lyrics
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish band associated with 4AD, widely credited as key architects of dream pop. Reviews highlight Elizabeth Fraser’s distinctive, often non-lexical vocal style and Robin Guthrie’s reverb-heavy guitar textures, with early work rooted in dark wave/post-punk and later releases becoming more melodic and accessible.24 Reviews
