Review | Night Beds – Country Sleep

[W]inston Yellen has been working on his project, Night Beds, for quite some time. After a few EPs, dropping out of college, breaking up with a girlfriend and losing his job, Yellen took to his ‘night bed’ in the back of his car, got himself lost driving around the country, and picked himself back up again. His ten-track debut is a gorgeous collection of songs, sparse and soaring, that hit right on the feeling of getting lost and finding your way back again.

There’s no better introduction to Yellen than the opening track, Faithful Heights, which is a short lullaby of just Yellen’s voice. “I know you get lost sometimes,” he repeats, over and over again. Right before the tracked fades, Yellen voices his reassurance with a departing, “Whenever you ever get lost, hold my hand.”

Faithful Heights transitions right into the upbeat Ramona, a motivating track willing Ramona, an ex girlfriend or maybe just an old friend, to take back her life. “Make it your mantra, fuck what they taught ya,” he tells her. Whether it’s on the multi-layered tracks or the sparse ones, Yellen’s voice is beautiful and easily soars on every track, as if you’re hearing it among the marble arches of an old church or traveling through a long hallway.

Yellen, who wrote most of these tracks as he wandered aimlessly around the U.S., is originally from Colorado Springs, but now calls Nashville home. The sound of Night Beds reflects this, as it captures both the down to earth vibes of Tennessee, as well as the grand sounds of the West.

While most people have not abandoned their life to drive around the U.S., sleeping out of their car, throughout Country Sleep, Yellen is able to pull the emotion out of those long lonely drives. He captures the feeling of being lost and makes that the common thread that we can all relate to. It’s one thing to get lost, but a whole other problem to realize that what needs to be fixed is in itself another long journey. It seems that Country Sleep helped Yellen figure this all out, even if he had to drive around in circles to do so.

One of the highlights of Country Sleep is Cherry Blossoms, a slow building track that starts quietly with Yellen’s voice, before some violins and guitars pick up behind him. In the last minute of this gorgeous track, his voice rises, singing “take me home,” over and over. If only we could all figure out what Yellen has, that sometimes you have to be the one to take yourself home.

If you haven’t already checked out Night Beds, don’t wait another minute. This is one gorgeous and stunning album worth many listens. Winston and his band will be in Boston on

March 6^th, opening for Indians at the Great Scott. For more on Night Beds, check ‘em out online at www.nightbeds.org