Music Features
The Infallible Legacy of "Heaven or Las Vegas" 30 Years On
The Cocteau Twins' 1990 masterpiece is still the blueprint for dream pop.
09.17.2020
For a band whose lyrics were famously difficult to make out most of the time, the Cocteau Twins left an indelible impact on the world of pop music.
The Scottish trio emerged in the 1980s as some of the most notable pioneers of dream pop, a subgenre of alternative rock defined by airy, sublime sonic textures. But it was their sixth album, Heaven or Las Vegas—which turns 30 today—that truly withstood the test of time, affirming the Cocteau Twins' status as perhaps the most important dream pop act of all time.
<p>Combining the ethereal, otherworldly nature of Kate Bush with Siouxsie and the Banshees' gothic aura, <em>Heaven or Las Vegas </em>was written in a time of personal upheaval; bassist Simon Raymonde had just gotten married, while vocalist Elizabeth Fraser and her partner, guitarist Robin Guthrie, were expecting their first child together. Much to the worry of his bandmates, Guthrie's cocaine habit had spiked during the making of the Cocteau Twins' previous album, <em>Blue Bell Knoll.</em></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p></p><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- Popdust Mobile Banner 320x100 --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="6952751205"></ins><script>
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</script></center><p></p><p>While Fraser and Raymonde hoped that fatherhood would curb Guthrie's drug dependency after his daughter was born in 1989, the guitarist continued to rely heavily on substances during the recording of <em>Heaven or Las Vegas. </em>This sent Guthrie into a "<a href="https://exclaim.ca/music/article/essential_guide_to_cocteau_twins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deep paranoia</a>," paired with the grief of losing his father shortly after welcoming his daughter. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-633"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent1 - mid_content --></p><p>In spite of the circumstances surrounding the recording of <em>Heaven or Las Vegas, </em>the album bears a sense of escapism and peace. Of the rare intelligible lyrics on the album, one stands out in particular: "But is it heaven or Las Vegas?" Fraser wails on the title track, juxtaposing two places that really couldn't be any more different from each other. Heaven is a place where, so long as your virtues are in order, you're guaranteed to spend eternity. Las Vegas, on the other hand, is a hotbed of sin. The album similarly feels suspended between utopia and the burdens of reality and humanity.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-634"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent11 - mid_content --></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7449c77c38a442f61ae54d2d2613b8df"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6KnYw4EwYGc?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Cocteau Twins - Heaven Or Las Vegas (Official Video)</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KnYw4EwYGc" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>For the entirety of its 38 minutes, <em>Heaven or Las Vegas </em>feels effervescent and ultra-saturated. The record never sounds aggressive, but few records in its lane have managed to sound so full and lavish, from the moody funk of "Pitch the Baby" to the sheer euphoria of "Iceblink Luck." Fraser's featherlight vocals sweep and swirl atop Guthrie's trademark guitar jangle, with each track enveloped in a sort of psychedelic shimmer that leaves you transfixed in wonder. </p><p>What makes the album all the more impressive, though, is that much of what makes Cocteau Twins so singular is <a href="http://laziness" target="_blank">completely unintentional</a>: Fraser has credited her slurred singing style to "laziness," while Raymonde claims many of the unusual instrumental tones were created with guitars "by accident" rather than with synthesizers.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><p><em>Heaven or Las Vegas </em>was received well both critically and commercially upon its release, propelling the Cocteau Twins to mainstream status and bringing more widespread attention to their record label, 4AD. The Cocteau Twins would release two more albums—1993's <em>Four-Calendar Cafe </em>and 1996's <em>Milk & Kisses—</em>before disbanding in 1997, largely due to the separation of Fraser and Guthrie a couple of years prior.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9d20cc2072149000d74d443596a5faab"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L_Tj4bJ0VFw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Cocteau Twins - Iceblink Luck (Official Video)</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Tj4bJ0VFw" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p>While each member of the Cocteau Twins have embarked on solo endeavors post-breakup, Fraser has been the most silent. Her most notable works since the band's breakup are "Teardrop," her collaboration with trip-hop group Massive Attack (which would be used as the theme song to the medical drama <em>House M.D.)</em>, and her debut solo single, "Moses." In 1997, Guthrie and Raymonde founded their own record label, Bella Union, which is now run solely by Raymonde.<br></p><p>One of Bella Union's most popular signees is Baltimore duo Beach House, who—like the Cocteau Twins—have amassed a large cult following from their reverb-heavy, atmospheric dream pop. "I find it really hard to go to a Beach House concert," Raymonde <a href="http://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/cocteau_twins_blue_bell_knoll_robin_guthrie_simon_raymonde/" target="_blank">told <em>Under the Radar</em></a> in 2014. "I see the way people look at Victoria [Legrand, Beach House's singer]. It's like I'm revisiting what it was like to see a sea of thousands of faces look at Elizabeth, just madly in love with her."</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p>Endless comparisons can be made between the Cocteau Twins and Beach House, and their impact is prevalent in other modern dream pop acts like M83 and Sigur Ros. But the Cocteau Twins' legacy has touched some unexpected artists, too, making fans out of everyone from Radiohead to Mike Kinsella of emo legends American Football. In a 2014 interview with <em>Rolling Stone, </em>Prince said that his favorite music to listen to was "stuff that [he couldn't] do...like the Cocteau Twins." </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-639"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p>Even today's Top 40 acts have borrowed elements from the Cocteau Twins. The Weeknd, who early in his career became known for his "haunted strip club" music, sampled the Cocteau Twins' "Cherry-Coloured Funk" on his debut album, <em>House of Balloons. </em>A few months later, the Weeknd's mixtape <em>Thursday </em>would contain a song called "Heaven or Las Vegas."</p><p><!-- Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph -->
</p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-813"><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
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<!-- End Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph --><p></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f8c416cbd70624b5bb85ca206a708302"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6k?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Weeknd - The Knowing (Official Video)</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPp5Ty9EE6k" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p><em>Heaven or Las Vegas'</em>s title track has also, inevitably, made its way to TikTok, where fans have endearingly poked fun at Fraser's indecipherable vocals.<br></p><p class="media-headline">
<strong>evdog (@evangordon8) on TikTok</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image">
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@evangordon8/video/6840468472237968646?lang=en" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGb2JqJTJGdG9zLW1hbGl2YS1wLTAwNjglMkZiMjQwOWIwNDQ2N2ViOWIxNzViYTUxYWFmNDJlZDExNSUzRngtZXhwaXJlcyUzRDE2MDA1NDkyMDAlMjZ4LXNpZ25hdHVyZSUzRCUyQiUyRlVWRXRHRnlqT0pNNTB2UXVwJTJCbXBUOGdWQSUzRCZobz1odHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnAxNi1zaWduLXZhLnRpa3Rva2Nkbi5jb20mcz04MCZoPWVkNTRmNWMzOWJkOWQ5OGEzZTViMzA3NGRmNjNiNzFhNmIxZmQzY2UzOWYzOWUzZjgwNGFjYzA5ODYzYzcwYWImc2l6ZT05ODB4JmM9MzQzODM5MDQyNCIsImV4cGlyZXNfYXQiOjE2NjE5Nzk4NDR9.iw-VEmDWpbSJFZUVbg1gJpwE1sNpoqcjdRRtO1cuBV0/img.jpg" id="2638c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b56d2fa8783201578680a00262304371"></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">evdog (@evangordon8) on TikTok</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@evangordon8/video/6840468472237968646?lang=en" target="_blank">www.tiktok.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>Due to the strained relationships between the band members today, Cocteau Twins fans shouldn't hold their breath in anticipation for a full reunion. But 30 years on, the impact of <em>Heaven or Las Vegas </em>has proven that the love of the Cocteau Twins' music won't die out any time soon.</p>
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Culture News
European Panel Officially Rules that We Are All Banksy Now
Now that Banksy's "Flower Thrower" trademark has been revoked, anyone can profit off his work.
09.17.2020
This week anonymous street artist Banksy officially lost the European trademark to his "Flower Thrower" mural.
The guerrilla graffiti artist had engaged in a prolonged legal battle with the small greeting card company Full Colour Black—which was selling products featuring the image of a Palestinian man throwing a bouquet of flowers. But now a panel at the European Union Intellectual Property Office has announced their decision to revoke the artist's trademark on the grounds that he could not definitively prove himself to be the mural's creator.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQyMTIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNzAyMTA3NX0.p05Eq8mXwW7gPH5qfG0cwJaxhMMEUbGBnLwloAtaDOU/img.jpg?width=980" id="3f664" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eeaa3c02ea4c037347119b40ce626b30" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Banksy Flower Thrower Mural">
</p><p>The trademark—which was established through Banksy's "handling service," Pest Control, back in 2014—is distinct from the traditional method for an artist to protect their work through copyright. For a copyright to be valid, the creator must be positively identified, which was not really an option for Banksy, the famously anonymous graffiti artist—who has made a name for himself out of being nameless.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p><!-- Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph -->
</p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-813"><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
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<!-- End Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph --><p></p><p>Trademark, by contrast, is intended to help consumers identify genuine goods based on their branding. It's why Wal-Mart doesn't sell $5 Gucci knock-offs. Essentially, Banksy had attempted to avoid exposing his identity by operating as a brand rather than an individual. But in order to defend that trademark, there had to be a business using that branding. Enter <a href="https://grossdomesticproduct.com/" target="_blank">Gross Domestic Product</a>.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-633"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent1 - mid_content --></p><p>Last Fall, Banksy introduced his online store along with <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/521125/banksy-opens-london-art-shop-same-week-he-sets-12m-auction-record/" target="_blank">a physical store front in the Croydon area of South London</a>. The store offered "solutions for wealth" including a "clutch" consisting of a brick with some leather straps attached for nearly $1000, a faux tiger-skin rug resembling the flayed, cavity-riddled corpse of Tony the Tiger, and—critically—prints of "flower thrower."</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-634"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent11 - mid_content --></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQyMTIwOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMjQ5MTM1M30.UIRlcZ5gybVpj4Psp3iikO9mnteBoiJCZKjWvUsyHYk/img.jpg?width=980" id="fc068" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6f968e71de13caa87eb17ee8b9035ef7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="gross domestic product">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">A view into the Gross Domestic Product Storefront in Croydon</small></p><p>If Banksy had been satisfied with allowing the store to function outwardly as a simple cash grab, the plan might have worked. Unfortunately, he wanted the world to know that he was too cool for anything like that.<br></p><p>Referring to the whole ordeal as "possibly the least poetic reason to ever make some art," Bansky explicitly acknowledged that his true motivation for launching Gross Domestic Product was to defend his trademark. A note posted at the Croydon storefront stated that "This shop has come about as a result of legal action. A greeting cards company are trying to sieze [sic] legal custody of the name Banksy from the artist, who has been advised the best way to prevent this is to sell his own range of branded merchandise."<span></span></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>Unfortunately for Banksy, trademark law explicitly states that a business must be operating in good faith—in genuine pursuit of profit—in order to retain a copyright. So it's not that surprising that <a href="https://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/brand-management/gross-domestic-failure-banksy-trademark-portfolio-risk-after-eu-registration-declared-invalid" target="_blank">the EUIPO came back with a decision</a> stating that: "Banksy was trying to use the sign only to show that he had an intention of using the sign, but his own words and those of his legal representative, unfortunately undermined this effort."</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><p>What is somewhat surprising is that <a href="https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/012575155" target="_blank">the panel's statement</a> went further, indicating that Banksy's efforts to retain the rights to his work while concealing his identity were futile—that trademark is subject to the same problems as copyright, because he can never prove himself to be the true owner of his work.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d7d7facd4e3557cd99486ef1fc5c1acd"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xoe3Nn5vuBg?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Who is Banksy?</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoe3Nn5vuBg" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>As the panel put it, Banksy "cannot be identified as the unquestionable owner of such works as his identity is hidden ... Therefore, the filing of a trademark cannot be used to uphold these rights which may not exist, or at least may not exist for the person claiming to own them."<br></p><p>The panel also stated that, "Banksy has chosen to remain anonymous and, for the most part, to paint graffiti on other people's property without their permission, rather than to paint it on canvases or his own property," In other words, if you want to hide who you are in order to avoid the consequences of violating other people's property rights, you basically nullify your own property rights.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p></p><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- Popdust Mobile Banner 320x100 --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="6952751205"></ins><script>
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</script></center><p></p><p>Considering <a href="https://www.popdust.com/banksy-overrated-2645155215.html" target="_blank">how long it's been since anyone was really upset at their property getting the Banksy treatment</a>—it's the "vandalism" equivalent of throwing a gold brick through someone's window—it's hard not to read some stuffy spite into the EUIPO's statement. They are the enforcers of the established order of society, and if Banksy wants to sit on the sidelines and criticize the established order, then they don't have to do him any favors.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-639"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p>What this means for the future is that any and all of Banksy's artwork—not just the "Flower Thrower"—may be subject to unregulated reproduction within the European Union. Essentially, unless Banksy decides to reveal his identity, anyone on Earth has as much claim to his creations as he does.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQyMTI1Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODA0NTM3MX0.y4IkeLmPOyfCtHcfAk4BABoxqy5zNcNaTnaKyBynO3c/img.jpg?width=980" id="45b70" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d76f06edfe50e309ad6a62272394c726" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Ash snow banksy">
</p><p>You could move to Paris tomorrow (if not for the fact that Americans are currently barred from the EU...), and open up a store selling nothing but Banksy-branded merchandise—from Hip-Hop Rat to Balloon Girl, to that kid catching ash on his tongue. You could even tell all your customers that you're Banksy, and there's seemingly nothing <del><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1034538/Graffiti-artist-Banksy-unmasked---public-schoolboy-middle-class-suburbia.html" target="_blank">Robin Gunningham</a></del> Pest Control could do to stop you.<br></p><h2></h2><h2></h2><p>With his trademark officially cancelled, you have as much legal claim to Banksy's art and secret identity as anyone else. We are all Banksy now.</p>
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