The Daily Feather — Heaven or Las Vegas?

Chinese checkers. Koala bear. Funny bone. All are “misnomers,” incorrect labels for what they describe. “Misnomer” also applies to the Cocteau Twins, who were neither French nor genetically identical siblings. Rather, the band was a trio of Brits—Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie, and Elizabeth Fraser—who were progenitors of an ethereal style of music we now call “dream pop.” It’s fitting their name is ill-fitting, as their music eschewed traditional lyrics in favor of random phrases, mispronunciations, and unintelligible gibberish. And yet, even without clear words, the songs captured emotions that resonated with fans worldwide. Their most acclaimed album was 1990’s Heaven or Las Vegas, but despite its commercial success, label 4AD dropped the band shortly thereafter. In a retrospective review, the music publication Pitchfork gave the album a rare perfect “10” rating, arguing that “if punk had chased beauty instead of glorious ugliness, if goth had emphasized light rather than fetishize darkness, those movements might have sounded like the Cocteau Twins, who had contemporaries but no real peers.”

In that spirit, we’ve all heard “What Happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” The catch is right now not much is happening in Sin City. News articles and anecdotes abound of how strangely quiet the city feels. On Friday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published, “Nickel and Dimed: Are Las Vegas Casinos Pushing Visitors to a Tipping Point?”