Other Lives – For 12

It’s not just the swish production values that impresses on ‘For 12’ it’s the strength of the tune. I’d imagine if Fleet Foxes had written it there would be a thousand homilies written on the internet within an hour of its release. Other Lives have been around in some form or another since 2004 and their second album ‘Tamer Animals’ is due to be released next month. This is such a lavish production (Beck’s drummer was producer) but the raw materials are pretty excellent to start with. Jesse Tabish vocals are instinctive, they swoop, they soar and are never less than imperious alongside the cinematic instrumentation. Contender for song of the year no doubt.

Other Lives – For 12

…and for some bizarre reason the song reminds me of Mike Batt’s ‘Orinoco Kid’ which I adored as a young boy (it was the b-side to ‘Superwomble’). The snap and crackle you can hear is genuinely vinyl generated (the hoof, genuine coconut) but there is no mistaking what a lovely treat it still is. KD

Mike Batt – The Orinoco Kid

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Other Lives
Year: 2011