Life Without Buildings - 'Any Other City' (2001)

Versions:
CD
LP (with bonus 7")

Tracklisting:
1. PS Exclusive
2. Let’s Get Out
3. Juno
4. The Leanover
5. Young Offenders
6. Philip
7. Envoys
8. 14 Days
9. New Town
10. Sorrow

Best tracks:
New Town
The Leanover
PS Exclusive

Currently listening to: LP

The RSD vinyl re-pressing of this arrived in the mail today. So, now is as good a time as any to re-visit it. This is another one I adore, though it's been a while since I listened to it all the way through.

It's funny timing that I'm blogging this one so soon after the first Dresden Dolls LP, as this was another one that my friend Ryan got me into. And he bought me a ticket to see them play, too.

I think I'd heard one of their singles on Triple J, probably 'New Town', and loved it. I don't mind admitting that I liked it so much because it initially reminded me so much of Patti Smith. When I got the album (which, I think Ryan burnt for me originally), I couldn't shake the comparison (which is a huge compliment coming from me. No-one comes close to my Patti). Sure, there's similarities between Sue Tompkins' vocal delivery and Patti's. And the band are a tight unit, perfectly complementing the vocals onslaught unfolding above it, not unlike Smith's band on Horses. But, rather than being a lazy and obvious comparison, I connected the two in my head more for Sue Tompkins' energy and effortless ability to spew forth words. Despite the similarities, it hardly comes across as mere imitation. She's somehow channelling the same magic. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if she's written the lyrics or they're coming out, stream-of-conscious, after the engineer hit 'record'. I'm assuming the former, but it's impressive that they sound like they're just coming out of her, without much conscious thought. The vocals don't let up for the whole album, yet it never sounds tired, forced or mundanely repetitive. Many have tried, and failed, to perfectly merge music and poetry like this. Every now and then, a record comes out that just nails it. This is one of them.

It also helps that the songs are also great. 'The Leanover' and 'Sorrow' are gorgeous. 'PS Exclusive' always makes me want to dance. And, 'New Town'! It probably remains one of my all-time favourite songs. However, my favourite version is the one from their Triple J Live At The Wireless (which doesn't seen to be anywhere on the internet. I really should upload it), which descends into a Velvet Underground-y wall of noise by the end of the song.

I'd be trying to hunt down a vinyl copy of this album for many years. Like many hard to find treasures, it turned up on eBay from time to time - and always for far more than I was willing to pay for it. Then, out of nowhere, a limited re-pressing was announced for Record Store Day this year (along with Adalita's first album and the first Dresden Dolls album, both for the first time on vinyl and both equally out of the blue. Christmas certainly came early this year). Even then, this one was hard to track down. I eventually found a copy from the great Red Eye Records in Sydney. The re-pressing features a bonus 7" - a re-pressing of the original 'The Leanover'/'New Town' single from 2000. It's a nice addition. Both are earlier recordings, which I'd never heard before. They're a bit rougher than the album versions, but easily as good.

I was extremely lucky to see them live. The show was electric. Sue Tompkins on stage, much like her vocals, didn't let up for the entire show. She didn't look anything like I expected. She was this tiny Scottish woman, and spent the whole show bouncing off the Enigma Bar stage. She just didn't stop. It was brilliant.

For some reason, I still have a copy of the tour poster among the dark recesses of my hard drive:

And for prosperity's sake, since I still keep every ticket for every show I go to (and have a big box full), here's the ticket for the show:

$22. Money well spent. I also forgot about Bergerac. I liked them enough to buy their CD. I think the guy that runs the Jade Monkey now was in them.

Life Without Buildings broke up about a year after the album came out. It's a shame. I think they may have done some interesting work had they continued. But, maybe that's part of what makes this album special, that they only lasted for a fleeting moment. I thought they'd slipped into obscurity, but the fact that the vinyl was re-released this year makes me hope that this great album still has an audience. As it well should.