A Little More Life is a concept album from A Straw Assembly. The duo is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and their LP is based on Hanya Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life. In creating their album, A Straw Assembly tells us they “attempt to convey the diversity of mental states experienced in the novel,” and suggest that the listener play the ten tracks in order. While it’s a concept album (and holds together in that context), each track stands on its own, as well.
I must confess that I haven’t read A Little Life, and therefore cannot comment on the musical portrayal of the characters vs. their literary counterparts. In any event, the vocals are fairly buried in the mix, so I couldn’t necessarily understand the storyline. Hey, it worked for Exile. However, as a listener you do not need the novel as a guidebook for the LP. The music takes you on an emotional journey all by itself, and the sound of the lyrics complements the band’s work to deliver the feeling. For instance, in “Siege” the vocals soar and ask--I think--“What have I done?” as the lush orchestration pushes and pulls underneath. The emotion is clear and tangible. Lush orchestration is a key feature throughout A Little More Life. The tracks are full of life and sound, with different tones and instruments weaving their way in and out. Horn lines abound. “A Saint is Divided” features sitar and banjo playing chromatic parts around a snaky distorted-guitar riff. There are dramatic guitar solos (those on “Siege” and “Rollcall” stand out), strings (everywhere) and swirling organs (“Rollcall”). The mandolin and trumpet on the “Hiroki’s Bench” are stellar. A Straw Assembly explores a few musical different styles as well. The first four tracks are harder-edged rock, before downshifting to “Lispenard St,” an acoustic country number. “Me Oh My,” probably my favorite track, is a horn-driven party track with thickly layered guitars, thudding drums and keyboards (including some fun honky-tonk piano). The rich vocal harmonies sound great here (though I have no clue on the lyrics, and again it just doesn’t matter). The dramatic “Kintsukuroi Crumble” is a fine cap to the LP. A Little More Life is a terrific release. It’s a testament to the musicianship of the band that they are able to convey a full range of emotion across a few different musical styles. Whether you’re a fan of concept albums or not, A Straw Assembly gives you something to enjoy here.
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