All Of Us is not only an exquisite portrait of isolation, loss, resistance and reconciliation, accompanied by piano, orchestra and electronics in bold and rich shades, but the quarantine theme also frames the album.
In this strange, unsettling and unexpected world, he drew on French writer Albert Camus' classic 1947 absurdist novel The Plague, in which the prescient tale of a plague ravaging the Algerian city of Oran is an existential allegory of vulnerability of humanity and its inability to control its own destiny.
If All Of Us qualifies as a concept album, it's strictly non-narrative and non-verbal; more "inspired by" than "based on", although the album and track titles are from Camus' book.
"All Of Us comes from the passage 'The plague became our concern - and one of the most notable consequences was the sudden separation of people who were not prepared for it,'" explains Howard. "By looking at Camus' book through a prism of humanity, one can find the best in horrible situations, and All Of Us reflects a certain spirit of community and hope that emerges from it all."
