Decadancing

No Italian music critic reviewing Decadancing failed to stress that this is supposed to be Fossati's last album, as the singer announced he would retire from music after his 2011-2012 tour. Long considered a beacon of intellectual lucidity and ideological honesty, Fossati is one of the most revered Italian singer/songwriters of his generation. For many, the end of his career at some level symbolizes the end of a certain idea of Italian culture. For all these reasons, Decadancing comes with a weighty emotional significance for Fossati's fans that may distort their ultimate judgment of the album. The truth is, in the context of Fossati's discography, Decadancing is nothing particularly special, just another good album, a few notches below his peak. Over the past decade, Fossati has been gradually abandoning the ethnic or classical music leanings of his ambitious masterpieces of the '90s in favor of a return to simpler, rock-oriented songs. The natural conclusion to this progression, Decadancing is a collection of straightforward pop/rock songs and ballads, certainly well crafted but of no distinctive character. A composer and multi-instrumentalist, Fossati has often complained of being judged solely by his lyrics, as if his music did not matter. Perhaps the restrained, anonymous face of his most recent production is his way of showing that he has finally given up on that account, as all remarkable features of Decadancing are to be found in his typically intelligent lyrics and plaintive voice. Here, Fossati never disappoints, from the title track about dancing of the ruins of civilization (i.e. his take on the sad current state of affairs in Italy), to the hopeful ending "Tutto Questo Futuro." The album's highlight, however, must be "Laura e L'avvenire," the best and most tender example of Fossati's renowned skill for intertwining the personal and the political. A dignified conclusion to a noble career.