Cocteau Twins' Blue Bell Knoll

(Paperback)

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This book examines Cocteau Twins' Blue Bell Knoll to dive deep on the value of artistic ambiguity, the limits of language, and what we can learn about creative practice from this once-in-a-lifetime band. Throughout the 80s and 90s Cocteau Twins defined dream pop and opened the door for shoegaze. Robin Guthries reverb-soaked guitar sound and production set the template for a generation, while Elizabeth Frasers mesmerising voice and mysterious lyricism beguiled listeners. Blue Bell Knoll was their fifth album and their first to be released on a major label in the US. The lead single Carolyns Fingers remains their biggest hit. And yet this album represents the band at their most unknowable; the songs inscrutable and the lyrics entirely indecipherable, while somehow being deeply emotive. So often, music is understood through lyrical analysis or framed by what we know about the musicians lives. Famously reserved in interviews, Cocteau Twins offered up neither. Their belief was that music can express something beyond the capabilities of language. Which poses the question: what does it mean to really know a song is it simply to feel something

Author Bio

Chris Tapley is a writer based in Glasgow, Scotland. His writing on music, television and comedy has been published in The List, The Skinny, and The Line of Best Fit among others. His fiction has been published by ThiWurd magazine and The Scottish Writers Centre. He has been commended for The Costa Short Story Award and longlisted for the David MacLennan Award for playwriting. He currently works as a copywriter and brand consultant in Glasgow.