“On his sophomore effort, Parenti proves himself to be a remarkably versatile songwriter, from Elliott Smith-style folk pop (“Come Apart,” “Aren’t You Tired”) to Sufjan Stevens-inspired oddball delicacy (“Lucky Star,” “Make it Easy”) to a sense of dread akin to Radiohead’s OK COMPUTER (“Hope That You Will Come,” “Cave in Burn Down”), all the while highlighting the singular, intimate lyric imagery which he proved to be his stock-in-trade on his debut, MAYBE THAT’S WHY WE LOST.

DON’T BE GONE LONG, ELLEN is a gorgeous, sometimes strange, always deeply affecting song cycle about love in the face of mental illness.”