After the airiness of VICTORIALAND, BLUE BELL KNOLL, the Cocteau Twins' fifth album, returns them to the swirling ethereality of earlier collections. Anchoring the interplay of Elizabeth Fraser's vocals and Robin Guthrie's effects-treated guitars with drum machine patterns and stronger bass lines makes for somewhat more traditional songs, and also frees them--"Suckling the Mender" even has room for two glittering guitar solos.
