touch upon touch

Probably the last Cocteau track ever to be released (unless someone finds a long forgotten track lying on a shelf somewhere) Touch Upon Touch is mostly a soft and lovely ballad, but it has a few unexpected twists in it as well.

As so often Liz is the star of the show, her beautiful melodies dominating the first parts. Light percussion, and a few sparse guitar chords is all she gets for company. Vocal overdubs make for a stunningly gorgeous chorus, and for a long time it seems unlikely the song's serenity will be disturbed. And it would have been a great track even if the band would have left it at that.

But they didn't. As if the band were aware this was to be one of their final tracks they decided to dig deep once more. Suddenly there's an interlude with a heavy guitar. In fact it even appears to be played with a bit of distortion. Shades of Garlands! Liz reacts by switching into overdrive, and a prominent bass puts Simon into the limelight as well.

The louder episode is soon followed by a return to tranquility, although there are still a few more lovely guitar wails woven in. But everything ends in peace and harmony eventually, and with it so did their career as a threesome.

If the band would have proceeded to produce yet another album, would it have sounded like this? If so, what a treat it might have been. We'll never know of course. Still, Touch Upon Touch is a composition well worth filling the final page of the amazing Cocteau Twins book of songs.

Cocteau Twins
1997