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Evangeline (song)

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Evangeline
EP by
Cocteau Twins
Released20 September 1993 (1993-09-20)[1]
StudioSeptember Sound
GenreDream pop
Length11:19
LabelFontana
ProducerCocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins chronology
Heaven or Las Vegas
(1990) 		Evangeline
(1993) 		Snow
(1993)

Evangeline is a song and the 12th EP by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was recorded and mixed at September Sound in London, and released in September 1993 by record label Fontana. The song, written by group members Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde, was a moderate hit in several countries and very popular in Portugal. It was included on the band's seventh studio album, Four-Calendar Café (1993). The accompanying music video for "Evangeline" was directed by German film director Nico Beyer.[2]

Critical reception

[edit]

Jason Ankeny from AllMusic stated that songs like "Evangeline" "continue the trio's advance into more accessible melodic and lyrical ground without sacrificing even an ounce of their trademark ethereality."[3] Josef Woodard from Entertainment Weekly felt it have "an otherworldly shimmer, a mode perfected by these early architects of dream pop."[4] David Beran from the Gavin Report wrote, "Headphones are a must for this sonic picnic and first single from the upcoming album. Drop into background landscapes of milky way-out keyboards and slivers of airy guitar. Oh, did I mention that the foreground vocals are patent 'Teau Twin ringlets of bliss?"[5] He added that the song "slowly plunges as Frazer's voice soars into a firmament crowded with spacey snippets of computerized sound."[6] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News-Sentinel described the "gorgeous strains" as "typical Cocteau Twins triumphs, aural massages of magical quality." He also noted that the instruments supply "an air of dreamy melancholia that both chills and warms."[7] A reviewer from Lennox Herald complimented it as "a fine effort".[8]

Peter Paphides from Melody Maker remarked Fraser, "seemingly concussed by the heartbreak, harmonising with herself on the chorus".[9] American Musician remarked the song's "sly pop appeal", adding that "the candyland blur of the Cocteaus' sound has never been so alluring".[10] Martin Aston from Music Week declared it as "a slow, stately affair with all their charm and melodic ingenuity intact."[11] R.S. Murthi from New Straits Times felt that a song like "Evangeline" "evince concerns that go beyond the ordinary. And the combination of surreal verbal imagery and atmospheric music makes for an engaging mystique."[12] Stuart Bailie from NME found that "it has the kind of cheesy drum fills and forlorn arpeggios that would sound at home on a Des O'Connor record."[13] Ted Drozdowski from Rolling Stone wrote that it "ride gentle guitar-bass-drums grooves that allow Fraser to insinuate her phrases into choruses based on memorable melodies that pack a sweet-tooth rush."[14] Alec Foege from Spin magazine named it one of the album's three most successful songs, noting that it "swells with the effects-treated grandeur of Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie's accompaniment".[15] In his book The Da Capo Companion to 20th-century Popular Music, Phil Hardy described it as "dreamy".[16] Weisbard and Marks wrote in their Spin Alternative Record Guide, that it is "a song so adult-sounding it could have come from Prefab Sprout."[17]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]

Track listings

[edit]

All tracks are written by Cocteau Twins (Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde)

No.TitleLength
1."Evangeline"4:29
2."Mud and Dark"3:43
12-inch vinyl release
No.TitleLength
1."Evangeline"4:29
2."Mud and Dark"3:43
3."Summer-blink"3:09
September 1993 CD release
No.TitleLength
1."Evangeline"4:29
2."Mud and Dark"3:43
3."Summer-blink"3:09

Personnel

[edit]

Cocteau Twins

Production

  • Additional engineer – Lincoln Fong
  • Original photography – Walter Wick
  • Writer, composer and producer – Cocteau Twins

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Evangeline"
Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 135
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[20] 89
Portugal (AFP)[21] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 34
UK Airplay (ERA)[23] 70

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. 18 September 1993. p. 25. Misprinted as 13 September.
  2. ^ "Cocteau Twins: Evangeline". Mvdbase.com. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Cocteau Twins – Four-Calendar Café". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Woodard, Josef (November 19, 1993). "Four-Calendar Cafe". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  5. ^ Beran, David (September 3, 1993). "Alternative: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 42. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Beran, David (October 15, 1993). "Alternative: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 45. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Campbell, Chuck (November 10, 1993). "Cocteau Twins Hypnotize Again With New Magic". Knoxville News-Sentinel.
  8. ^ "Cocteau Twins Evangeline". Lennox Herald. October 1, 1993. page 28.
  9. ^ Paphides, Peter (September 18, 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  10. ^ "Review of Cocteau Twins - Four-Calendar Cafe". Musician. 1993. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  11. ^ Aston, Martin (September 18, 1993). "Market Preview: Alternative" (PDF). Music Week. p. 17. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "Reviews by R.S. Murthi: Cocteau Twins - Four-Calendar Cafe". New Straits Times. February 23, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Bailie, Stuart (September 18, 1993). "Singles". NME. p. 20. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Drozdowski, Ted (March 10, 1994). "Recordings". Rolling Stone. Issue 677.
  15. ^ Foege, Alec (Dec 1993). "Spins". Spin: 120. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  16. ^ Hardy, Phil (1995). The Da Capo Companion to 20th-century Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780306806407. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  17. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1995). The Da Capo Companion to 20th-century Popular Music. Vintage Books. ISBN 9780679755746. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  18. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Evangeline – Cocteau Twins : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  19. ^ "Cocteau Twins chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 20 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  20. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 46. November 13, 1993. p. 19. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 45. November 6, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Airplay 100" (PDF). Hit Music. 9 October 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
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