Big Little Lions - Little Frayed a Little Torn

The folk-pop duo Big Little Lions make their music from afar. Helen Austin lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she records her portions of the tunes in a little red studio. Paul Otten's studio resides in the Ohio valley. You could hardly tell this distance from listening to A Little Frayed, A Little Torn, the duo's latest full-length outing. The conviviality and charm that are palpable in these 12 tunes sound like the product of two people working closely and side-by-side. But, then again, the natural pairing of Austin and Otten is an indication that distance is just a number, one that can't hold back real musical camaraderie.