My Top 1000 Songs #990: Wax And Wane

[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 I love the later, more ethereal dream pop of Cocteau Twins, there was something incredibly striking about that first album, 1982's Garlands. It was darker, a little scary; much more reminiscent of Joy Division and goth-era Cure. "Wax And Wane" might still hint at the later dreaminess, but was definitely on the nightmarish side of the dream spectrum. Over a primitive drum machine and discordant bassline, Elizabeth Frazer's intermittently decipherable vocals and Robin Guthrie's shrill guitars feel like they are physically striking you, warning of danger around the corner.

Live 1983: