Country Sleep

Night Beds - Country Sleep
Critic Score
Based on 10 reviews
2013 Ratings: #382 / 1115
User Score
Based on 21 ratings
February 5, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Dead Oceans / Label
Folk / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
NME
The emotive finesse of ‘Cherry Blossoms’ might further the calls for a shoulder to blub on, but chugging full-band showstopper ‘Ramona’ shows Yellen’s songwriting to be as rich as his voice.
80
musicOMH

A gorgeously warm, fuzzy album by a man wise – and sad – beyond his tender years, there’s plenty to love he

80
The Line of Best Fit

Country Sleep is a convincing opening from a songwriter worth paying attention to.

80
Spectrum Culture

It would be easy to give material as emotionally upfront as Country Sleep an overwrought and weepy production, but it’s Yellen’s voice that consistently proves to be the main attraction for each song,

77
Pitchfork

The guy is blessed with jump-out-of-the-gym vocal athleticism and throughout Country Sleep, it's unclear whether he's a showoff or if he's still trying to figure out how to corral it

70
AllMusic
It's a familiar sort of desperation, yet it's delivered with the effortless gait of a young man who's more than willing to carry the weight of the world, as long as he gets to sing about it. Thankfully, Yellen employs a set of pipes that are as deft as a swallow's, allowing the arrangements the space they need to set the tone, and then swooping in to seal the deal.
70
DIY

While Night Beds have already drawn incessant comparisons to Bon Iver, take this pairing lightly: ‘Country Sleep’ is a treasure in its own right.

70
American Songwriter
He writes hauntingly beautiful music that subtly creeps up on you: As each of these 10 tracks ends, it’s easy to get lost in their country-fied dreamscapes and not realize that you’ve been tapping your foot or whispering the lyrics the entire time. It would be a fully-formed debut for artists of any age.
60
PopMatters

It has all the important parts a great album needs but it’s not quite there yet. 

60
Consequence of Sound

Night Beds offer a fine experience to listeners who are looking to hear saccharine pop with limited twang

FinalLifeline
77

While it isn't exactly country, but rather a collection of restful folk tracks, Country Sleep is one of the prettiest folk albums I've ever heard. It's not nostalgiac, and it doesn't rely on any kind of gimmick (although I suspect it owes some of it's sound to Bon Iver and Iron & Wine), but instead on simple, sad, sleepy folk tunes. It also splashes in some mild electronica to keep it interesting. It never reaches the peaks that it could, but it is a very beautiful ... read more

76

Lovely, low-key, relaxing indie folk music that doesn't demand too much of you. Lead singer Winston Yellen has an impeccable vocal tone, but deploys it wisely, his restraint nearly as impressive as the moments when he lets loose.

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Track List

1Faithful Heights
1:10
81
2Ramona
4:07
89
3Even If We Try
3:52
82
422
3:42
100
5Borrowed Times
4:53
87
6Cherry Blossoms
3:42
81
7Wanted_You In August
2:38
82
8Lost Springs
3:39
80
9Was I For You?
1:52
88
10TENN
5:04
85
Total Length: 34 minutes

Year End Lists

#38/American Songwriter
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Added on: January 4, 2013