Garlands
Released
The outright gothiest album that the Cocteau Twins would ever release, Garlands, their debut effort, was seen in some corners at the time of being a Siouxsie and the Banshees knockoff, and certainly there’s hints of it in Elizabeth Fraser’s tone and Robin Guthrie’s angry sheets of guitar. But while it’s a sometimes monochromatic listen it retains a fierce, dark power, with original bassist Will Heggie holding things down with their band’s famed electronic rhythms, and songs like the title track and the mesmerizing “Wax and Wane” remain powerful.