Couch Session: One For The Team

Couch Session #10 — One For The Team

One For The Team, two for the show,
A quick pit-stop before they had to go.
Squeezed between sound check and a gig later that night,
everything was flawless, despite timing so tight.
With the Minneapolis clan, our Midwestern-bred kin,
we bonded over where we've lived, where we've been.
A tight-knit group, but with half keeping quiet outside,
the recordings took a different turn with the group's temporary divide.
With Donald's acoustic guitar, two mouths, nothing more,
the lyrics shine through, truly stripped to their core.
But off the stage, on a couch, with less noise to surround,
it's front and center, and the words turn profound.
Put back the drums, the bass and the keys,
And those same harmonies are there, tucked right in between.
Their recordings are a joy — we loved Ghosts from the start,
but in their body of work, these vocals are truly its heart.
So delve into both versions, to see just what we mean,
and fill the rest of your day with One For The Team:

MP3s:

One For The Team - "Hard For You (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

One For The Team - "Sorted Out (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

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Couch Session: North Highlands.

Couch Session #9 — North Highlands

Gorgeous songs, welcomed guests and snickerdoodles for five —
There's few simpler ways to feel so completely revived.
Maybe it's the sugar, or maybe it’s just the songs,
Which, understandably, I've been humming along to all week long.
You remind me of a train ride, chugging slowly back home,
To a town that's familiar, a place already known.
You remind me of the morning, waking up who knows when,
Getting ready to start the same sort of day all over again.
But when morning's a blessing, and night is a curse,
And time is just a road you aim to traverse,
Who you spend it with matters, the company you're among —
The same thought behind these gentle words that they've sung.
Whether you're in the actual North Highlands, nestled on the Left Coast,
Or so far from a loved one they feel like a ghost,
This quintet should do the musical trick,
So long as you can decide which of their recordings to pick:

MP3s:

North Highlands - "Sugar Lips (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

North Highlands - "Collar Bones (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

North Highlands - "Fresca (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

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Couch Session: Brahms

Couch Session #8 — BRAHMS

It's a pretty simple setup: a couch in a room,
a video online, a couple songs to consume.
Not when BRAHMS is around, though, as they took a clean slate,
Lit it up and fixed it into something beyond good or great.
They threw the couch open, hung lights red and blue,
spread out all their equipment, tried something so new.
And while the unexpected can be jarring, with its outcome unknown,
Brahms' ease saved us from being totally thrown.
It's the same on both ends, with the band fresh on the scene,
no description goes without that Hawaiian greeting nudged in between.
Though he's a man Renaissanced by former bands, songs and shows,
Cale Parks now stands tall with this trio, clad in all-black clothes.
It's clear that it's not just a project, not just some songs,
like their namesake composer, we hope they're around for quite long.
With a perfect mix of electro-pop beats and melodies unexpected,
it's impossible to hear them perform and remain unaffected.
Hell, we've been singing along before we even knew all the words,
beeping and booping and humming along like we're birds.
We just can't get these songs out of our head,
but hey, maybe it's because we got them into our pull-out sofa bed.
In a veritable sea of new music being thrown from all ends,
full of singers and musicians people haphazardly recommend,
Brahms floats above, trust this to be true —
all it takes is a quick listen to Cale, Eric and Drew:

MP3s:

BRAHMS - "Subtext Is Deadly (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

BRAHMS - "Brought It Out (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

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Couch Session: Aislyn

 

Session #7: Aislyn

A Passion Pit and his songbird mate,
collaborate on something we're glad they found time to create.
Getting the two together is hard enough,
and as a couple, we're sure they'd agree that it's tough.
Long stretches apart sprinkled with days at home,
could be one day in Brooklyn, the next one in Rome.
But there's a noticeable bond, silent and strong,
That's obvious between them, underlying their song.
Ian's on-the-road tunes make you wiggle and move,
with Heads asleep and Secrets small, it's a constant groove.
But when your tired old bones lay horizontal for the night,
and arise the next morning, constricted and tight,
it's Aislyn you want, when you're ready to wake,
to stretch your legs long and rid your body of ache.
With its top note seductive, relaxing and sweet,
It lets you swim in its calmness without ignoring its beat.
While their time on the couch is much more intimate and raw,
Both these songs and their record have left us in awe.
There’s an upbeat lull, one that doesn’t put you down,
Invigorating, refreshing and lovely all around.
No matter which way you cut it, on the ugly couch or not,
Aislyn’s no side project that should be forgot.
So collapse into morning’s deep yellow glow,
And to Ian and Sofia, give your warmest hello.

MP3s:

Aislyn - "New Soul (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

Aislyn - "Wake Up (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

Aislyn - "Nail Biter (Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session)"

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This Thing Looks Like Those Things: Yeasayer Edition.

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