Cocteau Twins - Aikea-Guinea 12”

Welcome along to Saturday evening here in North Essex, Englandshire. This has been fun to collate because there are so many interviews (not) with a band who hated giving interviews, and reviews are decidedly thin on the interweb. So, let’s see what I can throw together shall we?

I’m surveying the hallway of a trim basement flat in Shepherd’s Bush in London. It is, supposedly, the residence of a member of a certain, you know, ‘underground’ group who are meant to be dead weird, hate giving interviews and refuse to appear on Top Of The Pops or generally behave like pop performers are expected to. In which case, where’s the teetering mound of unwashed crockery? And the half-empty lager cans full of fag ends? And why isn’t there a Cure LP playing and some bloke fast asleep in the corner?

Tiny Dynamine EP and Echoes in a Shallow Bay EP, were released within two weeks of each other in November 1985, while Aikea-Guinea surfaced on its own earlier that April. The Tiny/Echoes combination found the band shifting into a calmer mode, away from the sonic extremes that marked Treasure, so it’s no surprise to find that the earlier released Aikea-Guinea is, if not a midpoint between the two, a way for the Cocteaus’ to make sure they weren’t simply trapped in Treasure’s shadow. During an interview Robin commented that “Aikea-Guinea was done in a big flash digital studio that we got cheap, with really brilliant equipment. It sounded, well, not as good as it could have done. But that song is so underrated, one of the best we’ve written. It pisses over most things we’ve ever done, it’s brilliant!” While songs Kookaburra and Rococo have a brisk energy, the title track suggests a band now fully comfortable with a sound and happy to explore within it. Those sonic elements that had by now defined the band were all present; choral effects, something that had been a part of many earlier tracks, were also here, adding a further depth to the performance. But it’s Fraser’s showcase, singing with a sweet, compelling gentility that doesn’t float away into the ether. Elisabeth continues “Aikea-Guinea just means flat shells that have been bleached and smoothed out by the sea and the sand. I’ve just ruined it for you by telling you what it’s all about, haven’t I?” Not a chance of ruining it, you’ve simply enhanced what we’re listening to.

Released in 1985 on 4AD, the Aikea-Guinea 12'' EP is widely regarded as a pinnacle of the Cocteau Twins' ethereal dream-pop sound, showcasing a matured, lush, and atmospheric direction following their Treasure album. The four-track EP features exceptional vocal performances from Elizabeth Fraser,, blending intense, melodic singing with textured soundscapes from Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde. Considered a key bridge between the goth-influenced early sound and the more ethereal, shimmering style of Victorialand.

Following on from Cocteau Twins much-lauded 1984 LP Treasure, 1985's sonically adventurous Aikea-Guinea EP showcases an inspired and innovative musical outfit with no inclination to rest on their laurels.

Indeed, so good are Aikea-Guinea's four soul-nourishing and intensely lovely tunes that, more often than not, I find myself drawn to listening to this EP over either Treasure or its full-length 1986 successor, Victorialand. According to Cocteau Twins founder/guitarist/sound-sculptor Robin Guthrie, the title for the band's third EP "Aikea-Guinea" is derived from an old Scottish colloquialism for a seashell*. I have little reason to doubt this. And yet. The sceptic in me can't help but wonder whether an impish Robin Guthrie might have given some woolly-headed English journo a decidedly bum steer when discussing the title for this particular EP: "ach Lizzie, ye wouldn'y BUHLEEVE th' load of ol' pish I jus' told this daafty from th' NME aboot th' new EeePee beein' named afftarr a sEEshell..! heh heh heh". A significant part of the appeal of the Cocteau Twins in the 1980s was, of course, the atmosphere of intrigue and mystique that surrounded this most enigmatic of bands. Perhaps Guthrie's explanation for this particular EP title was yet another instance in which the group did not wish to seem too overly transparent, or to appear in any way prosaic. Surely no Cocteau Twins fan in 1985 wanted to hear that the title of the band's latest EP was inspired by Robin momentarily glancing down at a National Geographic article regarding Equatorial Guinea which Simon had left splayed open on his stylish, recently imported Ikea coffee table. In any case, the mysteriously titled opening track here 'Aikea-Guinea' is certainly one hell of a glorious specimen. In an eighteen-year musical career liberally sprinkled with high points, this soaring yet poignant number is surely one of the Scottish dream-pop trio's very finest creations. Liz Fraser's swirling, dizzyingly lovely soprano on 'Aikea-Guinea' is something that is simply not of this world. Following the dazzling luminescence of 'Aikea-Guinea' comes 'Kookaburra', which is an altogether different sort of musical proposition. Where 'Aikea-Guinea' is majestic and ethereal, the elliptical and understated 'Kookaburra' is churning, murky, and shrouded in reverb. But what truly makes the strange and lovely (oft-mentioned cult-fave) 'Kookaburra' shine, compositionally speaking, is the beguiling undertow created by Simon Raymonde's distinctively throbbing bass - its deep melodic shimmer on 'Kookaburra' is like partially-concealed gold glinting alluringly upward from the bottom of a turgid estuary. Although somewhat opaque in terms of song structure, the gothic strains of track 3 'Quisquose' are significantly clearer and more distinct, featuring heavy drums and Guthrie's dreamily foreboding effects-laden guitar. Every time I hear Liz's doomy vocal intro on 'Quisquose' it puts me in mind of a large spider tentatively emerging from behind an antique bureau mirror - one that gradually summons up enough arachnid courage to wail up at the mirror's preening humanoid owner: "AM I NOT BEAUTIFUL TOO..!?!" Great dynamics on this one, my second favourite CT track here. Last but not least, the venomous and deceptively titled instrumental 'Rococo' goes hard. Almost shockingly so. After a relatively hushed intro, 'Rococo's' abrupt sonic explosion at 0:42 feels like suddenly, impulsively flat-footing it on the freeway whilst dodging and weaving your black Pontiac Firebird past slack-jawed, disbelieving conformists in their white Toyota Camry's and grey Honda Civic's and gleefully flipping the bird at each and every one of 'em. And then, before you know it, Aikea Guinea is finished. And then you think, "well THAT was quite a trip". And then you think "none of these Cocteau Twins songs sound anything remotely like what came before or after this particular EP - and yet each and every one of these songs is still very recognisably Cocteau Twins-ian in nature." And then, finally, you think "GODDAMN, there really was no-one else like the Cocteau Twins, was there?"

Ripped to MP3

A1 - Aikea-Guinea
A2 - Kookaburra
B1 - Quisquose
B2 - Rococo