Review Revisited: Daniel Rossen's You Belong There 9/10

"The tracks already mentioned comprise enough fluff on the dismal experience of nothingness, coupled with the existential despair that is You Belong There. It is lyrically beautiful but musically unexceptional. There is a beautiful depiction of nostalgia in “Keeper and Kin.” “Hey, young face. You’ve changed.” And concluding the album nearly the same way it opened, “Repeat the Pattern” is a dull declaration of what was already stated. The last half isn’t as strong as the first, primarily for musical reasons. Trying everything to prove nothing, the music is so heavy with word painting and embellishments that it loses its sense of actually being music. The lyrics are poetically triumphant despite the lackluster sounds that try to accompany them. Overall, You Belong There is mostly trite, occasionally perfect. There’s nothing else to say concerning Daniel Rossen’s sermon of nothingness."

That is where I ended on my first review of You Belong There. The claim made sense, but it wasn't one that truly described a musical reality in You Belong There. The primary problem of my argument was its subjectivity. It "sounded" musically unexceptional: what does it even mean to "sound" musically unexceptional anyway? Truth be told, I likely couldn't establish a cogent argument for why the album was a "dull declaration." Another truth be told, the arrangements are meticulous. Executed with the utmost sensitivity to colorful timbral combinations, Rossen creates a sonic palette that adds nuance to enhance the primary musical and lyrical phrases. The haunting wind harmonies in "Shadow in the Frame" are an excellent example of such. Flat, bleak tones evoke a powerful sense of abandonment in "Celia." Roaring, exotic piano flurries accurately depict Rossen's memorable observance of a hurricane in all of its grandeur. So, this time, I say something new: Daniel Rossen is the most dedicated craftsman of song I am currently familiar with.