Another Form of Relief

Well, the closest thing to new material that you’re going to get from a band that broke up five years ago. Like many people, I was very late to the Life Without Buildings party. In fact, it was pretty much a year ago to the day that I first heard them. They seem to be everywhere of late though, which is quite an achievement given how short their musical career was.

Forming in Glasgow in 1999 and breaking up in 2002 left them with little more than a single album to their name. The fact that album, entitled Any Other City, is so damn good helps to explain their appeal even now. Coming across as something akin to a non-sensical Art Brut, lead singer Sue Tompkins storms through talk-shout lyrics that often come at a rate that she is difficult to keep up with.

The new release is a full live recording from The Annandale Hotel in Australia from 2002, shortly before the band broke up. Surprisingly, it’s titled Live at the Annandale Hotel. I’m not a big fan of live material compared to it’s studio counterparts, but it’s something that serves Life Without Buildings well. Hearing the songs in a live setting gives them even more a wreckless feel than they already had. It’s not the perfect coda to a underappreciated band, but it’s certainly better than nothing.

MP3 Life Without Buildings - Juno (live) (expired)

Live at the Annandale Hotel was released last month in the UK on Gargleblast Records and will be released in the US next month via Absolutely Kosher.

Life Without Buildings: Website || Myspace

Trackback URI | Comments RSS