Lowlife
Diminuendo

In 1987, the post-punk dark movement was taking its final steps, The Cure had abandoned dark sounds for at least 5 years, Bauhaus had disbanded long ago, Clan Of Xymox, fresh from the masterpiece "Medusa," were about to dive into a Sinth-Pop style electronic sound, and Sisters Of Mercy, after the disbanding of the original lineup, recorded the sinister "Floodland." Lowlife came from Scotland, formed in 1984 by Will Heggie, who had played bass in the Cocteau Twins until 1983. After releasing an EP and an album (Permanent Sleep, 1986), the band released its masterpiece with "Diminuendo."

For its slow, martial pace, its deep musical and lyrical anguish, and especially for Haggie's deep baritone voice, it is considered one of the best albums of the 80s dark wave. Critics of those years described the band as heirs to Joy Division, especially for the cavernous and tormented voice that played a central role in Lowlife's style. "Diminuendo" is like a bottomless well of sadness and resignation, moving between catacombal and static sounds in claustrophobic, yet melancholic, atmospheres. "A Sullen Sky", "Ragged Rise To Tumbledown", "Tongue Tied And Twisted", "Big Uncle Uglyness", and the extraordinary "Off Pale Yellow" trace the coordinates of the album's sound, dark but also ethereal in its own truly emotional and dejected way. During those years, Heggie suffered from alcoholism, and his lyrics fully reflected that personal crisis period, so much that one of his statements from that time was "I only compose music when I'm drunk, my life is shit for 90 percent." The rest of the band also delivered a solid performance with well-played parts that never went over the top, no kind of virtuosity but a cohesive sound that follows the tormented voice that sets the rules, dragging the listener in an arduous and enchanting way into this decadent and sad fresco.

The reissued CD edition contains as a bonus 6 singles and B-sides that are truly outstanding, maintaining the same high levels of stylistic coherence and desolate beauty as the album (chilling "Hollow Gut"). After this album, the band lightened their sound, and in subsequent records, they incorporated many dream-pop influences. Nevertheless, Lowlife's compositional peak remains the 85'-87' triennium, where with 2 albums, an EP, and many singles, they marked their golden era. One of the most underrated groups of their time, Lowlife were unfortunately forgotten by many, remaining a cult formation. "Regarded as the most precious thing we've lost the reason to swing."