Cocteau Twins

Whenever I shoot I have to have to be listening to music.

In the studio, I plug my iPod into my CD player/Radio and when I'm out and about I simply carry my iPod. The choice of music directly influences my mood and the way I see things. Lately I've been finding a lot of inspiration from a Scottish band called the Cocteau Twins.

This was a 3 piece group who were around during the 80's and 90's consiting of Elizabeth Frasier (vocals), Robin Guthrie (guitar), and Simon Raymonde (bass).Trying to describe their sound is no easy task. Although they seem to fit in with the alternative genre, words that come to mind are "angelic," "haunting," "hymn-like," "ethereal..."

Guthrie's guitar work is unlike anything I've ever heard. Heavy on reverb and echo, quite ambient but melodic. Frasier's vocals are at times undecipherable, but the lyrics aren't what's important. She uses a lot of unpredictable word play which draws you in but you can only pick out an occasional word or phrase...her voice is more of an instrument. Her singing is beautiful and sad, optimistic and haunting.

There are so many ways to describe their sound I couldn't possibly list them all...

Aikea-Guinea:





I first discovered them in 1984 when I bought an album because I liked the cover (sometimes you CAN tell a book by it's cover - or in this case an album). What I heard was nothing like I had ever heard before and I was instantly hooked. I was a loyal fan until the early 90's when they started to get a little too "pop" for my taste and I lost interest.

In the last 10 years I've managed to track down most of the music they released on CD (I only had vinyl Cocteau Twins releases) and finally gave a serious listen to their later material. I found that I liked them even more than before. When I feel like being "transported" to someplace else, this is the music that does it for me.

So while I was in the woods taking pictures of trees searching for something suitable on my iPod, I tuned into my Cocteau Twins playlist. It worked...for me anyway. I feel like I get in the right frame of mind to take photos and now whenever I'm out and about with the camera I'm always listening to the Cocteau Twins.

In the studio it can be a much different story. I always ask the client what they'd like to hear to which the most common response seems to be "whatever." Next time I hear "whatever" I'm definitely putting on my Cocteau Twins playlist.

Heaven Or Las Vegas: