Life Without Buildings' first single for the Rough Trade-affiliated Tugboat label establishes their familiar but rather unique style right off the bat -- and quite successfully. No kinks needed to be flattened. As with a good percentage of what would follow on the band's debut LP, the A-side... [+] Expand

Life Without Buildings' first single for the Rough Trade-affiliated Tugboat label establishes their familiar but rather unique style right off the bat -- and quite successfully. No kinks needed to be flattened. As with a good percentage of what would follow on the band's debut LP, the A-side probably developed from the band establishing a simple pattern for Sue Tompkins to bust some freestyle. Free association might look bad on paper, but her wide-eyed spunkiness brings attitude and hooks in full supply. The drive of the lengthier "New Town" sounds like an indie pop version of Can's "Mother Sky." Tompkins' main tag line is "looking in your eyes," but with her British accent, it almost comically sounds like she's talking about looking at a lower region of the human body. "De-de-de-de-de-de-you do what you have to do." Unfortunately, the vinyl-only single went out of print just prior to the release of Any Other City, but both songs were reworked for it. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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