Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins may not have invented dream pop—an ethereal, amorphous strain that arose in the ‘80s as a softer, more psychedelic offshoot of post-punk and indie rock—but they perfected it.

Formed in 1979 in Grangemouth, Scotland, as a stark, shadowy reaction to the era’s goth and post-punk, the band eventually settled on its legendary lineup of multi-instrumentalists Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde and singer Elizabeth Fraser.

Between their 1982 debut for 4AD and Milk & Kisses, their 1996 swan song, they softened and sweetened their sound, turning first to the wispy, almost ambient atmospheres of records like 1986’s Victorialand before sharpening their pop hooks on 1990’s Heaven Or Las Vegas, their masterpiece.