Cocteau Twins are one of those rare bands that doesn’t have a single bad album in their discography, such is the inimitable nature of their dream pop. That said, 1990’s Heaven or Las Vegas towers above the rest of the trio’s discography given how perfectly it blends and balances the “dream” and “pop” sides of their influential sound. Elizabeth Fraser has rarely sounded so free as she does on songs like “Cherry-Coloured Funk,” “Pitch the Baby,” and the title track. Robin Guthrie’s guitar melodies seem a little more burnished, and shine and shimmer a little more brightly, while bassist Simon Raymonde’s production and arrangements are perfect in their intricacies.

All of this beauty emerged from a time of great turmoil for the trio, though. As befitting the contrasting locales mentioned in its title, Heaven or Las Vegas contains both great joy (Raymonde was newly married while Fraser and Guthrie were expecting their first child) and great darkness (Guthrie was increasingly addicted to cocaine, which strained his relationship with Fraser, and Raymonde’s father died during the album’s recording). As such, it possesses a sense of heartache and longing that gives its empyrean sonics a real emotional heft.

If any doubt remains concerning the album’s success, consider this: 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell deems Heaven or Las Vegas a “perfect” album, and has even gone so far as to call it his favorite 4AD release of all time. Which, considering the label’s output over the years, is a bold statement. But it’s hard to disagree with his assessment. Even after all this time, Heaven or Las Vegas remains one of finest examples of 4AD’s classic sound, and of the dream pop genre as a whole.