The perfect antidote for the melancholy of June gloom is a soundtrack companion, like Other Lives. They are tender melody without being achingly maudlin.  These melodic wanderings create open plains images of their home state of Oklahoma.  This is the second review of a band (Colourmusic) I’ve done from Oklahoma, and I learned that both bands are from Stillwater. Although there are drastic differences between the bands, they both work in established genres, and have experimental elements and an honesty that demands you take notice. Other Lives, fronted by Jesse Tabish, played songs from their new self-titled album. Tabish’s sparse lyrics are poignant and roll over piano and cello bridges:  “Your country just lands on a map, they are drawn-up but they don’t last,” from the gorgeous “Paper Cities.”   They also did a Leonard Cohen cover, “The Partisan,” which blended seamlessly with their own work. Other Lives share some orchestration elements with label mates, Radiohead, and sometimes indulge themselves a bit much with grandiose Floyd-y interludes, such as on the song “End of the Year.” But there is a haunting beauty to the music and their last song, “Epic” was everything they do so well: some keys tickled, the cello hums, a strummed acoustic, a late night story and a silenced club, transfixed.

—Erik Ehlert