This album feels like a short story collection. There are shifts in style, but that allows for the flexibility of approaching a handful of themes in very different ways. It also has a super intimate and personal feel, like the songs are letters, not mailed but hand-delivered because they’re that important. Filled with little sketches like this: “That one night we fought/About the little stuff/We went to Dunkin’ Donuts/And you got the blueberry glazed one/And I laughed ‘cause you knew it was the worst one of the dozen.” Ellen Kempner’s voice has a kind of breathy urgency—like these songs are whispered only to you, she’s addressing you with all her attention. Feels like the kind of album you can live off of for months at a time.[BUY A Place I'll Always Go]