Idolator

Scottish band Life Without Buildings broke up in 2002, before they could really benefit from being an early-adopter in indie rock's renewed 21st-century postpunk arms race. But while the band expertly combined classic twee-era Brit indie jangle with cooler cardigan coordinates like Josef K and Orange Juice, Life Without Buildings fans were often really Sue Tompkins fans. Like the ebullient hoots and hollers of the ladies of Kleenex and Sugarcubes-era Bjork, Tompkins sang inscrutable—like Beckett-level inscrutable—love songs in a gust of childlike yelps. The band only released one proper album, 2002's Any Other City, but the soon-to-be-released Live from the Annandale Hotel, a live show from Sydney, Australia, bristles with bouncy joy. Seriously, you won't hear another record this year where the singer sounds so damn excited to be alive. More »

Sue Tompkins, the lead vocalist of the short-lived Scottish band Life Without Buildings, delivered her elliptically personal lyrics in a manner that was somewhere between Ari Up and an inquisitive five-year-old. Tompkins hasn't been in a proper band in a while, instead focusing on her work a sound-poet. One of her recent works involved performing spoken-word pieces that splice popular music into stories from her life; listening to her reinterpret Prince's "Pop Life," you can't help but wonder if her million-dollar check was, in fact, put in someone else's box by the mailman. More »