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Simon Raymonde's New Memoir Recalls Joining Cocteau Twins
The arrival of Simon Raymonde's memoir, 'In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor And Me,' stateside this Tuesday isn't just another book release; it's the long-awaited backstage pass for anyone who ever got lost in the ethereal soundscapes of 'Heaven or Las Vegas' or felt their heart sync with the otherworldly ache of Elizabeth Fraser's voice. For those of us who live and breathe music, who collect the vinyl and debate the liner notes, Raymonde’s narrative is the deep cut we’ve been craving, the story of how a young bassist stepped into a dream-pop constellation already shimmering with genius and helped shape its orbit.Imagine the scene: the mid-80s, a post-punk UK scene still buzzing, and Raymonde, then a fresh-faced musician, gets the call to join Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser. This wasn't just joining a band; it was being initiated into a sonic temple where Guthrie's walls of guitar gauze and Fraser's glossolalia created a language all their own.Raymonde’s bass lines, often melodic and foundational rather than merely rhythmic, became the crucial, often overlooked, gravitational force that grounded their celestial noise, providing the emotional anchor on tracks like 'Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops' that prevented the entire beautiful construct from simply floating into the ether. His memoir promises to pull back the curtain on the creation of seminal albums like 'Victorialand' and 'Blue Bell Knoll,' offering a firsthand account of the alchemy in the studio—the tensions, the triumphs, the sheer, unadulterated creativity that defined 4AD's most enigmatic act.Beyond the Cocteau Twins' saga, the book inevitably traces the genesis of Bella Union, the legendary label Raymonde would found, a natural progression from musician to curator. It’s a story that connects the dots from the Cocteaus’ influential haze to the discovery of modern indie darlings like Fleet Foxes and Beach House, illustrating how an ear trained in the studio directly translated to an unparalleled A&R instinct.For the music obsessive, this is more than nostalgia; it's a masterclass in the evolution of taste and the business of beauty, a testament to how the lessons learned in the crucible of one of alternative music's most revered bands can fuel a decades-long mission to support artistry. 'In One Ear' is the liner notes to a life in music, a resonant chord that stretches from the echoing studios of the 1980s to the record stores and streaming playlists of today, reminding us why some sounds are truly timeless.
#featured
#Cocteau Twins
#Simon Raymonde
#memoir
#Bella Union
#music biography
#dream-pop
