My Top 1000 Songs #382: Lorelei

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

While Cocteau Twins' third LP, 1984's Treasure, wasn't a huge departure, it did see the band dropping some of the darker goth shadings of earlier work and blooming into the lighter dream pop that would characterize later records and influence countless artists. This is best exemplified on the ethereal "Lorelei," where Elizabeth Fraser's nonsensical yet enthralling vocals, paired with chiming harp-like guitars, truly sound like the heavenly chants one might expect to greet you as you approach the heavenly gates in the initial moments entering the afterlife. Yet there's still enough earthy substance to ground the song and elevate it above mere background ambience.

Old Grey Whistle Test performance: