Cocteau Twins announce reissue of their classic Harold Budd collab ‘The Moon and the Melodies’

Cocteau Twins reissued most of their album discography on vinyl in the late 2010s, but one record that hadn’t been yet was 1986’s The Moon and the Melodies, their collaboration with ambient composer Harold Budd. This marks the first vinyl pressing for The Moon and the Melodies since its original release and it was remastered from the original tapes by guitarist Robin Guthrie. The reissue is out August 23 via 4AD and you can pre-order now.

For a group whose sound helped bring the word “ethereal” into the public lexicon, The Moon and the Melodies is especially gossamer and delicate, with Budd’s spare, haunting piano playing bringing a new element to the Cocteau Twins’ sound. The album — which was officially credited to Harold Budd ▪ Elizabeth Fraser ▪ Robin Guthrie ▪ Simon Raymonde — includes “Sea, Swallow Me” (one of their most streamed songs, thanks to TikTok), not to mention some well-used woodwinds, and is an essential side-street in the band’s career.

Bassist Simon Raymonde says, “It captured a moment in time between friends that are enjoying making music together. Really, that’s the essence of it.” Listen to the original version of the album below.

There’s a lot going on in the Cocteau Twins world. They just launched their official webstore, and have put remastered versions of all their music videos on YouTube, upgraded from the original masters found in both 4AD and Universal Music’s vaults.

Meanwhile, singer Elizabeth Fraser is touring with Massive Attack, with one of the highlights of current set being “Song to the Siren,” the Tim Buckley song that was famously covered by 4AD’s This Mortal Coil featuring Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie.

Guthrie has a new EP, Atlas, on the way, and Raymonde will release his memoir, In One Ear – Cocteau Twins, Ivor and Me, which will be out in September.

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The Moon and the Melodies
A1. Sea, Swallow Me
A2. Memory Gongs
A3. Why Do You Love Me?
A4. Eyes are Mosaics
B1. She Will Destroy You
B2. The Ghost Has No Home
B3. Bloody and Blunt
B4. Ooze Out and Away, Onehow