Cocteau Twins - Stars and Topsoil: A Collection (1982-1990) [2LP]

Cocteau Twins' Stars and Topsoil: A Collection (1982-1990) gathers the shimmering, otherworldly highlights of the band's 4AD years into one generous set.

First released in 2000, it runs from the gothic shadows of Garlands to the bright, sun-dappled pop of Heaven or Las Vegas, charting how Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde shaped a sound that would come to be called dream pop. Fraser's voice, often singing words that seem to belong to no language at all, sits at the heart of it.

Sugar Hiccup and Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops capture the early magic, guitars dissolving into clouds of echo and chime, while Lorelei offers a soaring highlight from Treasure. Heaven or Las Vegas shows the band at their most radiant and accessible, proof that all that mystery could also carry a gloriously big hook.

Guthrie's guitar textures, drenched in reverb and effects, built a world that countless shoegaze and ambient artists have tried to step into since. Raymonde's bass and keyboards add warmth beneath the haze, grounding even the most weightless moments.

As a first step into their catalogue, it is hard to beat, and even seasoned devotees will find it a beautifully sequenced reminder of why few bands have ever sounded quite so unearthly.