My Own Biggest Fan

I was first introduced to The Cocteau Twins in 1992, when I bought the compilation album Never Mind the Mainstream Vol. 1. It was my first compilation album that wasn’t a soundtrack or a christmas gift. It was my first music that I could say was mine to discover, because almost all of it was NEW (to me). The reality was that I meant to buy Vol. 2, on the merits it had Depeche Mode and Ministry on it, and it was probably MUCH COOLER. But the fact is I hemmed and hawed over both for an hour. do I want older music that is more of a risk and therefore more exciting, or do I want a compilation that I’m guaranteed to like half of? life is so haaaard I THOUGHT I put Vol 2 on the counter at the K-Mart in Billings, Montana, where we were vacationing for the long weekend in The States, and didn’t realize my mistake until I got back to our camper-van which we kept parked in the mall parking lot. Regardless, the compilation brings a dozen stories to mind, and you aren’t interested in any of them. You, reader are asking, “What about that fucking album you are holding in that picture up there?”

It’s fucking great. At least on first listen — to someone who is in a pretty melancholy mood. It suits what’s going on in here, and it suits what’s going on up here. It also makes me a little sad for the reasons I didn’t expect. I was assuming it’d be gloomsville because these guys aren’t really a party band. They can be a pick me up, or light listening, but mostly they are a warm bath to steep your gloomy in. But the unexpected sad comes because I don’t understand why I didn’t fall in love with this band when I was 16. It wasn’t like I wasn’t open to it, I must have listened to Carolyn’s Fingers a thousand times since I bought that compilation. (I actually traded it in for some unmemorable cd while I was in art school, and subsequently re-bought it off eBay 4 years ago) I’ve aways been a fan of the over produced ethereal sound with all the digital reverb and droning guitars. At the time I was even into the “college rock” jangle of bands like XTC, which I had found lacking in 90′s grunge and industrial, but comes in spades here.

Whatever the case, I’m happy I own this record now, and I’m glad I found it at the “all you can carry” sale at Inner Sleeve. It’s helped me kick off the Month of New Music on a bit of a personal, sentimental even, sappy probably, verbose definitely, note. ALSO: sorry I’m having a hard time keeping this train on it’s tracks tonight, maybe tomorrow will be better?

Verdict: Recommended. ☹ ☹ ☹ ☹ / 5