Lowlife followed up the strong if slightly monolithic Permanent Sleep with a more varied release,
Diminuendo. Continuing to explore a darkly dramatic but never overwrought vein of post-punk atmospherics, the quartet, unchanged in lineup from its earliest releases, built beautifully on the past to further justify its increasing reputation in the U.K. "A Sullen Sky," the striking opening song, showed that even with a subtle change in the arrangements -- a touch more clarity on Craig Lauritson's echoed vocals, the hint of swooping drone keyboards in the background, a little more space overall -- the end results had that much more impact. With that as a calling card, the quartet tackled the rest of the nine songs with gusto, with experiments including acoustic guitar ("Big Uncle Ugliness") and an almost
Smiths-like peppier jangle (at least initially) on "Wonders Will Never Cease." The essential blend of the band remains strong, though, and on songs like "Off Pale Yellow," with its beautiful cascading verses, and the concluding demi-ballad "Given to Dreaming" the evidence is perfectly clear. Each of the individual members further stretches his own talents along the way -- Grant McDowell's drumming shows more variety throughout, for instance, while Lauritson adds quick, higher-pitched flourishes here and there that lighten the storm clouds in a striking fashion. The secret winner of the album might be "Licking One's Wounds," with each of the bandmembers trying for a little something different yet still sounding exactly like themselves as a whole. [LTM's reissue adds two tracks from the Vain Delights EP and the entirety of the four-song Swirl, It Swings, both of which contain some of the group's finest individual songs, including the anthemic "Hollow Gut," the full 12" mix of "Eternity Road," and "Swing." The "Steel Mix" of "Permanent Sleep," meanwhile, manages to be even more echo-laden than the original, at once glowering and attractive.] ~ Ned Raggett