Cups of POLLy-Dewdrops' Drops -- ILM Artist Poll #35 -- The COCTEAU TWINS results thread

Here's the Top 50 recap:

50. "Pepper Tree"
49. "Cico Buff"
48. "The Itchy Glowbo Blow"
47. "Suckling the Mender"
46. "Great Spangle Fritillary"
46. (Tie)"The Thinner The Air"
44. "Five Ten Fiftyfold"
43. "When Mama Was Moth"
42. "Persephone"
41. "How to Bring a Blush to the Snow"
40. "Oomingmak"
39. "I Wear Your Ring"
38. "Sea, Swallow Me"
37. "Wax and Wane"
36. "My Love Paramour"
35. "Seekers Who Are Lovers"
34. "A Kissed Out Red Floatboat"
33. "Kookaburra"
32. "Crushed"
31. "Melonella"
30. "Beatrix"
29. "Whales Tails"
28. "Song to the Siren"
27. "Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires"
26. "Fifty-Fifty Clown"
25. "Pandora (for Cindy)"
24. "Millimillenary"
23. "Iceblink Luck"
22. "Athol-Brose"
21. "Love's Easy Tears"
20. "Carolyn's Fingers"
19. "Fotzepolitic"
18. "Aloysius"
17. "Hitherto"
16. "Donimo"
15. "From The Flagstones"
14. "Pink, Orange, Red"
13. "Lazy Calm"
12. "Blue Bell Knoll"
11. "Ivo"
10. "Heaven or Las Vegas"
9. "Orange Appled"
8. "Musette and Drums"
7. "Those Eyes, That Mouth"
6. "The Spangle Maker"
5. "Pearly Dewdrops’ Drops"
4. "Cherry-Coloured Funk"
3. "Lorelei"
2. "Sugar Hiccup"
1. "Aikea-Guinea"

Wow, did not see that #1 coming. I love the song—had it at #9—but it maybe lacks that pure rush that some of my favorite things by them have.

Btw, how did Ned not participate in this?

My ballot:

1. Cherry-Coloured Funk
2. From the Flagstone
3. Fotzepolitic
4. Seekers Who Are Lovers
5. Frou-Frou Foxes
6. Orange Appled
7. Hitherto
8. Love's Easy Tears
9. Aikea Guinea
10. Sugar Hiccup
11. Song to the Siren
12. Millemillenary
13. The Spangle Maker
14. Sea Swallow Me
15. Serpentskirt
16. Pearly Dewdrops Drops
17. Ooze Out and Away Onehow
18. Tishbite
19. Because of Whirl Jack
20. Kookaburra

Thanks, Roo!

very cool, thank for doing this. totally happy with the winner, it was my #8

ballot, non-placers in bold:

the spangle-maker
pearly dewdrops-drops
lorelei
sugar hiccup
wax and wane
16 days/gathering dust
lazy calm
aikea-guinea
when mama was moth
millimillenary
quisquose
in the gold dust rush
donimo
heaven or las vegas
oomingmak
plain tiger
melonella
iceblink luck
orange appled
ivo

nothing from BBK, that was my discovery this time around

My whole ballot placed in the top 50 I think

The Spangle Maker
Fotzepolitic
Pearly-dewdrops' Drops
Love's Easy Tears
Aikea-Guinea
Fifty-fifty Clown
Blue Bell Knoll
I Wear Your Ring
From the Flagstones
Musette and Drums
Song to the Siren
Sugar Hiccup
Carolyn's Fingers
Lorelei
Orange Appled
The Itchy Glowbo Blow
Hitherto
Cherry-coloured Funk
Athol-brose
Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires

If I could've chopped the bottom half off and given all the points to The Spangle Maker, I would've. I love that song so much.

I must have missed the discussion on the noms thread but why did we allow 16 Days/Gathering Dust/STTS?

(not that I'm complaining, I LOVE their 16 Days take. One of my fave things ever. And I love the original)

It was debated during the nominations thread. We decided to include "16 Days" and the songs from the first This Mortal Coil album that the band members appeared on because people wanted to vote for them.

If I could've chopped the bottom half off and given all the points to The Spangle Maker, I would've. I love that song so much.

It was the only song to receive multiple #1 votes.

My ballot. And thanks so much for the poll, LeRoo!

1. "Beatrix"
2. "Musette and Drums" 
3. "Ivo"
4. "Hitherto"
5. "Seekers Who Are Lovers"
6. "Another Day"
7. "The Spangle Maker"
8. "Millimillenary"
9. "Song to the Siren"
10. "Blue Bell Knoll"
11. "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops"
12. "From the Flagstones"
13. "Sugar Hiccup"
14. "Love's Easy Tears"
15. "Crushed"
16. "Those Eyes, That Mouth"
17. "Five Ten Fiftyfold"
18. "Sea, Swallow Me"
19. "Aikea-Guinea"
20. "Touch Upon Touch"

No love for their version of "Another Day" surprised me.

http://cocteautwins.com/images/cocteau_comic.jpg

No love for their version of "Another Day" surprised me.

Ahem! :D

1. Donimo
2. Song to the Siren
3. Heaven or Las Vegas
4. Another Day
5. Musette and Drums
6. Frou Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
7. Persephone
8. Plain Tiger
9. Beatrix
10. Melonella
11. Blue Bell Knoll
12. Lorelei
13. Aikea Guinea
14. Cherry Coloured Funk
15. Those Eyes, That Mouth
16. Serpentskirt
17. Cherry Coloured Funk (remix)
18. Ivo
19. Amelia
20. Athol-Brose

For all my wrong-headed guessing re: placement, 75% of my ballot placed! I don't think that's EVER happened before in any ILM poll.

LeRoo, thanks a lot!

Ah, there it is. I'm not alone. :)

And now I'm embarrassed because I completely overlooked "Donimo"!

My ballot:

Aikea-Guinea
Blue Bell Knoll
The Tinderbox (Of A Heart)
But I'm Not
Iceblink-Luck
Love's Easy Tears
Ivo
The Thinner The Air
Sea, Swallow Me
Crushed
Carolyn's Fingers
Lazy Calm
Great Spangled Fritillary
Garlands
Orange Appled
The Spangle Maker
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Musette and Drums
Feathers-Oar-Blades
Pink Orange Red

Thanks everyone for participating !

"Pearly Dewdrops Drops" at #5? Ya twee fucks! (someone has to be the voice of Robin)

anyhoo:

songs/tracks:
#1. Otterley
02. Feet-like Fins
03. My Love Paramour
04. Cico Buff
05. Pandora
06. Sugar Hiccup
07. Those Eyes, That Mouth
08. Aloysius
09. My Truth
10. A Kissed Out Red Floatboat
11. How To Bring A Blush To The Snow
12. The Itchy Glowbo Blow
13. Oil Of Angels
14. Fotzepolitic
15. Athol-Brose
16. Pink Orange Red
17. She Will Destroy You
18. Mizake The Mizan
19. Kookaburra
20. Pale Clouded White

albums:
#1. Blue Bell Knoll
02. Head Over Heels
03. Victorialand
04. Garlands
05. Four Calendar Cafe

EPs:
#1. Tiny Dynamine
02. Sunburst And Snowblind
03. Aikea-Guinea
04. Echoes In A Shallow Bay
05. Iceblink Luck

songtitles:
#1. Ella Megalast Burls Forever
02. The Itchy Glowbo Blow
03. Spooning Good Singing Gum
04. A Kissed-Out Red Floatboat
05. Those Eyes, That Mouth

my lists would be different today, in part thanks to this poll and extra time spent on the Cocs!

"Pearly Dewdrops Drops" at #5? Ya twee fucks!

Was thinking the same thing about "Sugar Hiccup" at #2. One rare song of theirs I really don't care for.

My sub-poll ballots:

albums:

Victorialand
Head Over Heels
Heaven Or Las Vegas
Treasure
Garlands

EPs:

Love's Easy Tears
Aikea-Guinea
Echoes In A Shallow Bay
The Spangle Maker
Lullabies

Song titles:

When Mama Was Moth
How To Bring A Blush To The Snow
Orange Appled
Ooze out and away, Onehow
Eggs and Their Shells

What an incredible band. Thanks again LeRoo. Here's my poll.

Songs:
1 Blue Bell Knoll
2 Donimo
3 Cherry-Coloured Funk
4 Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
5 Lazy Calm
6 Pink Orange Red
7 Lorelei
8 Song to the Siren
9 Those Eyes, That Mouth
10 Aikea-Guinea
11 I Wear Your Ring
12 Pandora
13 The Spangle Maker
14 Alice
15 Pur
16 From the Flagstones
17 The Thinner the Air
18 The High Monkey Monk
19 Hitherto
20 Millimillenary

Albums:
1 Heaven or Las Vegas
2 Treasure
3 Blue Bell Knoll
4 Victorialand
5 Four-Calendar Cafe

EPs:
1 Tiny Dynamine
2 Love's Easy Tears
3 The Spangle Maker
4 Aikea-Guinea
5 Twinlights

The complete results:

1. Aikea Guinea, 393, 16 votes, 1 #1

2. Sugar Hiccup, 354, 14 votes

3. Lorelei, 329, 13 votes, 1 #1

4. Cherry-Coloured Funk, 293, 11 votes, 2 #1

5. Pearly Dewdrops’ Drops, 285, 10 votes, 1 #1

6. The Spangle Maker, 252, 9 votes, 3 #1

7. Those Eyes, That Mouth, 239, 11 votes, 1 #1

8. Musette and Drums, 237, 11 votes

9. Orange appled, 230, 10 votes

10. Heaven or Las Vegas, 227, 9 votes

11. Ivo, 223, 10 votes

12. Blue Bell Knoll, 220, 8 votes, 1 #1

13. Lazy Calm, 212, 8 votes, 1 #1

14. Pink Orange Red, 206, 10 votes

15. From the Flagstones, 194, 8 votes, 1 #1

16. Donimo, 189, 7 votes, 1 #1

17. Hitherto, 166, 8 votes

18. Aloysius, 164, 8 votes

19. Fotzepolitic, 163, 6 votes

20. Carolyn's Fingers, 162, 8 votes

21. Love's Easy Tears, 161, 6 votes, 1 #1

22. Athol-Brose, 155, 8 votes

23. Iceblink luck, 155, 7 votes

24. Millimillenary, 152, 8 votes

25. Pandora (for Cindy), 146, 6 votes

26. Fifty-Fifty Clown, 131, 5 votes, 1 #1

27. Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires, 128, 5 votes

28. Song to the Siren, 125, 5 votes

29. Whales Tails, 123, 4 votes

30. Beatrix, 114, 4 votes, 1 #1

31. Crushed, 111, 4 votes, 1 #1

32. Melonella, 111, 5 votes

33. Kookaburra, 110, 6 votes

34. A Kissed Out Red Floatboat, 107, 4 votes, 1 #1

35. Seekers Who Are Lovers, 107, 5 votes

36. My Love Paramour, 104, 4 votes

37. Wax and Wane, 99, 5 votes

38. Sea, Swallow Me, 6, 4 votes

39. I wear your ring, 92, 4 votes

40. Oomingmak, 89, 4 votes

41. How to Bring a Blush to the Snow, 87, 3 votes

42. Persephone, 84, 4 votes

43. When Mama Was Moth, 83, 4 votes

44. Five Ten Fiftyfold, 80, 3 votes, 1 #1

46. The Thinner The Air, 79, 4 votes

46. Great Spangled Fritillary , 79, 4 votes

47. Suckling the Mender, 78, 4 votes

48. The Itchy Glowbo Blow, 6, 3 votes, 1 #1

49. Cico Buff, 70, 3 votes

50. Pepper Tree, 64, 3 votes

51. Ella Megalast Burls Forever, 63, 3 votes

52. Oil of Angels, 57, 3 votes

53. For Phoebe still a baby, 56, 3 votes

54. Road, River and Rail, 56, 3 votes

55. Rilkean Heart, 56, 2 votes

56. Another Day, 56, 2 vote

57. Otterley, 54, 2 votes, 1 #1

58. In Our Angelhood, 54, 3 votes

59. Blind Dumb Deaf, 53, 3 votes

60. Shallow Then Hallow, 53, 2 votes

61. In the Gold Dust Rush, 50, 3 votes

62. Summerhead, 46, 3 votes

63. Serpentskirt, 45, 3 votes

64. She Will Destroy You, 43, 2 vote

65. Feathers-Oar-Blades, 42, 3 votes

66. Know Who You Are at Every Age, 41, 2 votes

67. Cicely, 40, 1 votes, 1 #1

68. Plain Tiger, 40, 2 votes

69. Quisquose, 40, 2 vote

70. Amelia, 37, 2 vote

71. Alas Dies Laughing, 37, 2 vote

72. Feet-like Fins, 36, 1 votes

73. Theft and wandering around lost, 36, 1 votes

74. Wolf in the Breast, 36, 1 votes

75. The High Monkey Monk, 35, 2 votes

76. Bluebeard, 33, 2 vote

77. Half Gifts, 33, 1 votes

78. The Tinderbox (Of A Heart), 33, 1 vote

79. Garlands, 31, 2 votes

80. But I'm Not, 30, 1 votes

81. Circling Girl, 30, 2 vote

82. Eperdu, 30, 1 votes

83. Because of Whirl Jack, 29, 2 votes

84. Sixteen days/gathering dust, 26, 1 votes

85. Pale Clouded White, 25, 2 vote

86. Little Spacey, 24, 2 vote

87. Frosty The Snowman, 23, 1 vote

88. My Truth, 23, 1 vote

89. Grail Overfloweth, 22, 1 vote

90. Golden Vein, 21, 1 vote

91. Pitch the baby, 19, 1 vote

92. Spooning Good Singing Gum, 18, 1 vote

93. Alice, 18, 1 vote

94. Mud And Dark, 18, 1 vote

95. Throughout The Dark Months of April and May, 18, 1 vote

96. Pur, 17, 1 vote

97. Sigh’s Smell Of Farewell, 17, 1 vote

98. Glass Candle Grenades, 16, 1 vote

99. Memory Gongs, 15, 1 vote

100. The Hollow Men, 15, 1 vote

101. Cherry Coloured Funk (Remix), 15, 1 vote

102. Ooze Out and Away Onehow, 15, 1 vote

103. Evangeline, 14, 1 vote

104. Mizake The Mizan, 14, 1 vote

105. Tishbite, 14, 1 votes

106. Fluffy Tufts, 12, 1 vote

107. Touch Upon Touch, 12, 1 vote

108. Watchlar, 12, 1 vote

109. Rococo, 12, 1 vote

Brilliant work, thanks so much LRLR, and y'all have great Cockatoo Twins taste.
My ballot:
1. Crushed
2. Shallow Then Halo
3. How to Bring a Blush to the Snow
4. Those Eyes, That Mouth
5. Beatrix
6. A Kissed-Out Red Floatboat
7. Pink Orange Red
8. Aikea-Guinea
9. Heaven or Las Vegas
10. Wax and Wane
11. Athol-Brose
12. In Our Angelhood
13. Oomingmak
14. Carolyn's Fingers
15. Road, River and Rail
16. Suckling the Mender
17. Aloysius
18. Oil of Angels
19. Know Who You Are at Every Age
20. Watchlar
yeah, that's right, a compilation track #1 and a B side to finish ... !

Rococo 1 vote, Ribbed And Veined 0 votes, RONG!

ok I've worked out that Rococo is my least fave Cocteau Twins track cos it doesn't have Liz on it and it's not their best instrumental

re "Sugar Hiccup" - I love that line: "heavens curtsey and bow"

I love Roccoco! Its a massive wall of noise!

Great poll ... "Aikea Guinea" is a worthy #1.

I backed into "Cherry Coloured Funk" (and to some extent, the Cocteaus) via the Otherness remix too!

Thank you LeRoo!

My ballot:

Pearly Dewdrops Drops
Orange Appled
Half Gifts
Sugar Hiccup
Heaven or Las Vegas

Iceblink Luck
Cherry Coloured Funk
Aikea Guinea
Love's Easy Tears
Carolyn's Fingers

Golden Vein
Rilkean Heart
Kookaburra
Blind Dumb Deaf
Lorelei

Musette and Drums
Memory Gongs
The Thinner the Air
Hitherto
Serpentskirt

Love Blind Dumb Deaf. Sat up til midnight last night working on a cover versh.

I thought we'd ruled out Another Day? As it's just Liz plus McCarrick/Ball strings? I'd have voted for that.

Here are my ballots. Great poll though I am pretty surprised by the results. Nobody loves "Theft and wandering around lost" except me? That song is like a bath on a cloud in heaven. It's warm & cosy & a little sad, in one word pure bliss. Additionally the lyrics are about her body, maybe this is the song about menstruation?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTtL74Ytp0Y

1 Songs
Fifty-fifty clown
Theft and wandering around lost
Heaven or Las Vegas
Cherry-coloured funk
Know who you are at every age
I wear your ring
Lazy calm
Oil of angels
For Phoebe still a baby
Sugar hiccup
Ivo
When mama was moth
Pitch the baby
Bluebeard
Shallow then halo
Ella Megalast burls forever
The hollow men
In the golden dust rush
Wax and wane
Garlands

2 albums
Heaven or Las Vegas
Four-Calendar Café
Victorialand
Garlands
The Moon and the Melodies

Mine:

From The Flagstones
The Spangle Maker
Hitherto
Donimo
Orange Appled
Sugar Hiccup
Oomingmak
Alas Dies Laughing
Pandora
Grail Overfloweth
Cico Buff
Kookaburra
Great Spangled Fritillary
Carolyn's Fingers
Persephone
Pink Orange Red
Those Eyes, That Mouth
Seekers Who Are Lovers
My Love Paramour
Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires

From The Flagstones is, and always will be, my favourite. I saw one of the last Will Heggie shows where it was roughed out and was clearly a song about to be transformed, and then the early Simon shows took it somewhere else and began to be the roadmap for what the band would become. I remember the days when they would play it twice, rewinding the drum tape back to it for the encore.

I think the Gothteaus get a bad press tbh, there are some really good songs in there.

Mine:

1 Itchy Glowbo Blow
2 Crushed
3 Orange Appled
4 My Love Paramour
5 Lorelei
6 The Thinner The Air
7 Sea, Swallow Me
8 Ella Megalast Burls Forever
9 Musette and Drums
10 Fotzepolitic
11 The High Monkey-Monk
12 Pepper Tree
13 Millimillenary
14 Throughout The Dark Months of April and May
15 Aikea-Guinea
16 Circling Girl
17 Athol Brose
18 Great Spangled Fritillary
19 Ivo
20 Summerhead

Yeah, yeah, spell-checker, underline all you like.

Never liked "Aikea-Guinea", so a bit baffled by that being our #1. And "Wolf in the Breast" woz robbed. Otherwise, great work everyone. And an exemplary roll out by LeRooLeRoo.

My ballot:

01. A Kissed Out Red Floatboat
02. Wolf in the Breast
03. Suckling the Mender
04. Sugar Hiccup
05. Ivo
06. Donimo
07. Aloysius
08. Fotzepolitic
09. Beatrix
10. Blue Bell Knoll
11. Musette and Drums
12. Orange Appled
13. Quisquose
14. Athol-Brose
15. From the Flagstones
16. Heaven or Las Vegas
17. Those Eyes, That Mouth
18. Lorelei
19. Fifty-fifty Clown
20. Rococo

Nobody loves "Theft and wandering around lost" except me? That song is like a bath on a cloud in heaven. It's warm & cosy & a little sad, in one word pure bliss. Additionally the lyrics are about her body, maybe this is the song about menstruation?

I always thought that song was about... well, rape, to be blunt. Abuse at the very least. She was abused by a family member as a kid, and I figured the song mightve been about that, seeing as she was doing therapy and stuff at that point.

"The man is an offender
He took my value
And I give back his shame
And I take back my power"

Its jarring when she started singing actual,emotional real stuff,because some of it was fairly dark. Reminds me of how TMBG sound so happy but a lot of their songs are miserable lyrically!

And on that note actually, and I'm sure ive mentioned this before: love how "Rilkean Heart" and "Tishbite" are about Jeff Buckley. And his song "Morning Theft" is about her.

Sorry, Half-Gifts, not Tishbite!

(tho, I guess HG could be about Robin as well now I think about it)

Oh and, sorry to blather on so much, but "Theft" has one of my fave ever lines of hers in it: "keep cutting myself on the edges of reality". So awesome.

i think you are right about theft, trayce, actually it's quite obvious, i think the lyrics go on like that:

My body is my own
My body is mine alone
And I deserve protection
And I can create it for you
Is this what my body said?
Use me
Drain me
Fall around me
Is this what my body said?
Engulf me
I'm already dead

it's even more so an absolute miracle of a song. how can someone write such beautiful music about such a terrible experience? that's incredible.

Indeed :)

"Theft, And Wandering Around Lost" is the first track I regretted not including after alex in mainhattan repped hard for it on 2 other threads including the poll setup. was amazed when I looked up those lyrics! Four Calendar Cafe is hella underrated, side 1 is pure gold!

thanks to digging due to this poll I've also discovered new faves like "Mud And Dark" and other FCC & M&K era b-sides.

woulda put "Itchy Glowbo Blow" higher too had I relistened before submitting ballot. also regret not voting for "Suckling The Mender".

who's the other "Otterley" vote? good on ya! no love for "Feet-Like Fins" (OG Victorialand version)?

I love "Feet-Like Fins". That whole album is incredible. I'm surprised I was the only one who voted for "The Tinderbox (Of a Heart)". It's so dramatic.
But I love the Gothteaus (lol love that name), I also gave "But I'm Not" it's only vote.

paul, i am happy that you appreciate fcc and esp. theft, and wandering around. a minor correction though: in the poll setup i didn't mention the song, but you quoted me from the old album poll thread.

Speaking of "Otterley" does any French speaker think she's actually using French words in this? I hear "On est bien", "On est ensemble", "Saveur de toi", "Doucement", etc...

great poll! thanks, LRLR!

my ballot:

1. The Spangle Maker
2. Pearly Dewdrops’ Drops
3. Lorelei
4. Aikea-Guinea
5. Sugar Hiccup
6. Cherry-Coloured Funk
7. Millimillenary
8. Kookaburra
9. Frosty The Snowman
10. Iceblink Luck
11. Wax And Wane
12. Heaven Or Las Vegas
13. Donimo
14. Mud And Dark
15. Sigh’s Smell Of Farewell
16. Hitherto
17. Bluebeard
18. Circling Girl
19. Feathers-Oars-Blades
20. Musette And Drums

re: French "Otterley" - I'm convinced I hear "ce soir la", but I'm sure there's some lyric site interpretations to tell me otherwise.

I really do believe some of the obsessives (originally on the Cocteau Twins website/s?) who've subjected the music to overlistening have uncovered some closer-to-true lyrics. for example, I always heard "Fotzepolitic" as "seams sew me back to you", but missed the word 'bounce' which I now can hear! so: "see and saw bounce me back to you".

on the other hand, I own the Japanese LP of Garlands complete with lyric sheet so I see where it can go horribly wrong and comical.

as in, the printed lyrics are incorrect, or having the correct ones lets you see how wrong everybody else was?

I think I was the other Otterley voter! I like it for its presaging of Victorialand.