Lowlife
Permanent Sleep

LA RECENSIONE

Soft yet simultaneously haunting. I don't know what other adjectives to use to describe this magnificent album, the debut of the Scottish band Lowlife.

The band was formed in 1985 from the ashes of The Dead Neigbhours, a voodobilly group, and was soon noticed by the masters Cocteau Twins. It is the Cocteau Twins, with their dreamy Pop, that influence the music offered by the band of the late Craig Lorentson (R.i.p. 06/04/2010), yet the marks left by the masters Joy Division and Echo & The Bunnymen cannot be forgotten.

An album that has been described in various ways: New Wave, Dream Pop, and Shoegaze. What I know is that in the notes of "Permanent Sleep" darkness and light intertwine perfectly, calm and anxiety. An album belonging to the late New Wave season but capable of expressing excellent ideas and incredibly deep pathos.

Twenty-seven years have passed, and yet "Permanent Sleep" still sounds current.

It begins with the gloomy "Coward Way", a sort of thinly veiled suicidal ode, based on an obsessive and misty refrain. Indescribable beyond a certain point. It continues with the beautiful "As It Happens", characterized by a pulsating bass and guitar riffs tinged with glacial sadness. Also beautiful is "Mother Tongue" and tear-inducing is the poignant "Wild Swan". There is also an instrumental track: "The Betting & Gaming Act 1964".

The 2004 reissue also includes the EP "Rain" featuring seven songs. "Permanent Sleep" remains a cornerstone of that decadent Post-Punk closely related to Dream Pop. A sound that expresses despair and anxieties never, however, in a shouted or boorish manner.

A warm and comforting album in its icy and haunting progress. An album to savor and cherish.