Life Without Buildings
Once again, we have another band that I have come far too late to the party on. Life Without Buildings have now apparently disbanded, but that doesn’t stop me writing about them, as they are really very good. The only problem here is that I can’t find out a great deal of information about them. Apparently they formed in Glasgow in 1999 and broke up in 2002, and that’s about all I can find. So let’s just focus on the songs.
At first, I actually found these songs rather jarring and didn’t really like them, but after a couple of plays I got used to the style and it really clicked with me. On the most part, this is conventional enough indie rock music. The guitars saunter along in the background, the bass serves its purpose and the drumming keeps everyone in the line. Who it doesn’t keep in line though, and where Life Without Buildings are unique, is in the singing of Sue Tompkins. She brings an almost manic energy to the proceedings, particularly on stand-out track ‘The Leaover’. Here, she rambles, at times almost incoherently, for the best part of six minutes, without any break. On other songs, like ‘Sorrow’ (which echoes Mazzy Star a little), you can here how well refined her voice actually is, but the insanity of the earlier song almost masks it entirely. Their songs are all rather long too, with these all clocking in between five and seven minutes. Yet at no time do they become grating though, mostly because Tompkins keeps things interesting by doing something unexpected just when they would be pushing their limits.
MP3 Life Without Buildings – The Leanover (expired)
MP3 Life Without Buildings – New Town (expired)
MP3 Life Without Buildings – Sorrow (expired)
Life Without Buildings: Website || Myspace
late is better than never!
“the leanover” is the sweetest song in the time i got to know it, coupled with the loss of a girl who loved it as much as i, it was memorable on many fronts
google searches fail to bring up any info about new outfits the various musicians have formed or joined, but it would appear the flash-in-the-blue that is Life Without Buildings was, has left a lasting and newly created life.
such a unique and offbeat vocal delivery from Sue Tompkins and all the right elements of that indie-rock/pop initiative from the rest of the band has LWB fondly in many peoples memories and still enjoyed now.