Aus Decline
Retrospettiva

THE REVIEW

The Aus Decline, born in Pavia in 1981, are part of that wave of new rock that swept Italy in the early '80s, a child of the Anglo-Saxon post-punk from bands like Joy Division and The Cure. The main exponents of the genre in our country were Diaframma and Litfiba before their rock turn. But, just when the two Florentine bands were debuting on vinyl, the Aus Decline disbanded (1984), leaving no trace behind.

Twenty years later, they decided to make a comeback by releasing "Retrospettiva 1981-84", a CD anthology containing all the tracks produced in their short career. What drove them to this unexpected return? Perhaps nostalgia? Perhaps the awareness of having been key players in a significant phase of Italian rock? It doesn’t matter much. What matters is having in hand this precious historical document, where the atmosphere of that particular moment in our culture is vividly felt through the dark sounds of post-punk.

"Fluxion" opens the show with a brisk pace and a synthetic bass, reminiscent of Joy Division's "Closer", while the guitar hits crystal clear harmonic tones. "Fear Of Sin" starts with a gloomy drumbeat as the plucked bass dominates the interludes between vocals. "Five Years Life", with its guitar riff and the keyboards laying a carpet for hell, dramatically anticipates some atmospheres of Sisters Of Mercy. The singing is monotone and not prone to sudden shifts in tension. "Goin' On Jot" is a post-punk in perfect Bauhaus style, but without forgoing the crystal-clear guitar sound. Electronic counterpoints enrich a powerful and relentless rhythm. "Earth Isn't Room Enough", one of the CD's most significant episodes, begins with a drum machine pattern overlaid by the acoustic drums, in an effective mesh that demonstrates the instrumentalist's expertise. The guitar riff and evocative voice create an emotional whirlwind of rare intensity that harks back to The Cure's "Faith". "Body Hit" is the most dynamic track, with its "Ultravoxian" atmospheres and a detached vocal style reminiscent of the early work of "Modern English". The last studio track "To Lead The Van" is also a child of the Bauhaus sound, yet imbued with the Central European moods of German rock. The collection is completed by some tracks from acclaimed concerts of the period, demonstrating how they managed to recreate their intense atmospheres even outside a recording studio, thanks to remarkable technical skills.

In my opinion, the Aus Decline were penalized by two factors: their choice to sing in English precisely at the historic moment when the "Italian rock sung in Italian" of bands like Litfiba was exploding in Italy, a uniqueness that would have allowed them to be more noticeable to users and industry professionals, and secondly, the lack of solid managerial backing, like, for example, the IRA, the mythical Florentine record label responsible for the best vinyl releases of the era.

To conclude, I'll say that this CD album was printed in a limited edition and is, therefore, hard to find. I fortunately found it, at a good price, on the internet.

Tracklist:
1- Fluxion
2- Fear Of Sin
3- Five Years Life
4- Goin' On Jot
5- Earth Isn't Room Enough
6- Body Hit
7- To Lead The Van
8- She Gave Me Algedy (live)
9- Auburn (live)
10- Hanfull Of Beauty (live)
11- Fear Of Sin Live (live)
12- City House (live)
7- She Gave Me Algedy (studio version)

Discography:
1982 "Radio X" demotape
1983 First Relation (LP) - Aus Decline participates with the track "Five Years Life"
2003 Retrospettiva 1981-1984 (CD)