The Cocteau Twins are a Scottish dream pop band, whose career spanned from 1979 to 1997. The group comprised of guitarist Robin Guthrie, bassist Simon Raymonde and singer Elizabeth Fraser. Known for their heavily treated guitars and usage of drum machines, the Cocteau Twins offered a distinctive and influential sound. Major recording artists such as Madonna, Prince and Annie Lennox have named the band among their influences.http://www.cocteautwins.com/html/history/index.html

They garnered a sizable following during the 1980s, being lumped in with the shoegaze movement, which championed bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Chapterhouse and Lush. Signing with 4AD Records, the group released nine full-length studio albums in their 18 years together.http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifexqw5ldte~T1 After the band split up, Elizabeth Fraser went on to a successful solo career, working with artists such as Massive Attack and Yann Tiersen.http://www.cocteautwins.com/html/theband/liz_fraser.html#solo

With the otherworldly vocals of Elizabeth Fraser at the forefront of their music, the Cocteau Twins utilized guitar effects, drum machines and versatile bass guitar to carve out a sound of their own.http://www.soundunwound.com/music/cocteau-twins/1008?ref=AADP They began their career with droning tones and operatic melodies, characterized by their debut album Garlands and their critically-acclaimed effort, Treasure. The band then went into ambient territory, incorporating a softer, sweeter sound with Victorialand. Afterward, the group would round out their career by infusing pop into their ambient palette, most notably on their 1988 release Blue Bell Knoll.http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifexqw5ldte~T1

The Cocteau Twins were influenced by music artists such as David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Brian Eno, the Birthday Party and Kraftwerk.http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifexqw5ldte~T0http://www.cocteautwins.com/html/history/history01.html

• 1982: Garlands
• 1983: Head Over Heels
• 1984: Treasure
• 1986: Victorialand
• 1986: The Moon and Melodies (featuring Harold Budd)
• 1988: Blue Bell Knoll
• 1990: Heaven or Las Vegas
• 1993: Four-Calendar Cafe
• 1996: Milk & Kisseshttp://www.allmusic.com/artist/cocteau-twins-p3932/discography