So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
That is the rhyming couplet that concludes Shakespeare's famous Sonnet 18 (you know, the one that begins "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"), those lines being about the sonnet itself, and how it will continue to keep that person alive so long as people read it. Songs can do the same thing. Couple(t)s is the playfully titled new album from Couldn't Be Happiers, that title a combination of the words couplets and couples, the band being led by the married couple of Jodi Hildebran and Jordan Crosby Lee. The album is also organized by couples, with two songs sharing a common theme or style paired together. The album contains all original material. Both Jodi and Jordan provide vocals on this album, and Jordan plays acoustic guitar and electric guitar, while Jodi plays drums and acoustic guitar. They are joined by Doug Davis, who plays a wide range of instruments, including electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, mandolin, organ, piano, melodica, Mellotron, omnichord, drums, and percussion, and also provides some backing vocals. There are other guests on various tracks.
The album opens with a sweet, cheerful love song titled "Come Back Tomorrow," its rhythm being a big part of its positive vibe. Corky McClellan plays drums on this track. There is the joy of New Orleans in the sound, and this track features the horn section of Kenny Butler on trumpet, Rob Yingling on saxophone, Bernie Hall on trombone, and Urshawn Matthews on sousaphone. And the chorus likewise has a bright sound, and feels familiar. There is a good chance you'll be singing along before the end: "Come back tomorrow, baby/Come back tomorrow, baby/Come back tomorrow if you can." This is a song of summer, of freedom, of those youthful moments when the world seems to open before you. There are times when we can relive those feelings, and music like this certainly helps. "Baby, let's go somewhere new." Jodi sings lead on this one. Jordan then sings lead on "When I Die," a song that looks forward to looking back, opening with these lines: "When I die/I hope the tally shows/That I had more friends/Than I had foes." Yes, it's about death, sort of, but it's really more about life, and there is a light feel to it, with lines such as "That I gave more pennies/Than I ever took away" and "I hope I let more folks change lanes/Than I cut off." This song is a good reminder to be decent to folks, at least as often as possible, hoping the world will be a little better for your having been in it. And it too is a love song, with Jordan singing, "I hope that I made you laugh/More than I made you cuss/When I die/And you think back on me/I hope that I made you happy/More than I made you crazy." If we can't make the world a better place, we can at least make that one special person's world better. Right? This track is one of my personal favorites.
A decade or so ago, there was a bill on the ballot here in California that was purported to ban the plastic bag. Of course, it did nothing of the kind. And anyone who was paying attention knew that ahead of time, for the bill was supported by grocery chains and the like. What actually resulted was thicker bags that the grocery stores charge customers for. It was a way to make money, not to save the environment. And now thicker plastic bags end up in the trash, which means more plastic, not less (please read the damn bills before voting, folks). On this album, Couldn't Be Happiers give us "Plastic Bag Odyssey (I'll Never Die)," a song from the perspective of a plastic bag, with Jodi on lead vocals. "I'll never die, I'll never die/I'll be here long after you're gone/Watch the world burn/See what else goes wrong/I'll never die." There is something strangely adorable about this song, even as it describes the trouble the bag seemingly joyfully causes. Jodi also sings lead on "Tear It Down," a song with an especially lively and powerful chorus. This is another one you might sing (or shout) along to. This track features good work by Jack Gorham on accordion, that instrument helping set the song's atmosphere. "There may be no happy beginning/And the ending won't be a happy one/So while we're here, let's cause a scene/Might as well, 'cause no one cares." "Plastic Bag Odyssey" and "Tear It Down" are a pair of protest songs. "Well, let us eat, sleep, work, drink/Eat, sleep, work, drink/Eat, sleep, work, drink/Eat, sleep, work, drink/'Til we die, die, die, die, die."
Jordan sings lead on "Devil's Tramping Ground," a pleasant-sounding pop-folk number that looks back to a time when he danced "'til the break of day." There is something unexpectedly playful about this song. "I'm going round, round, round in my tramping ground/Thinking of those I dragged down, down, down/Kicking beer cans and rubber wrappers out of my way." Probably the line that will stand out for many people is this: "My job is so exhausting." It's a line a lot of folks will immediately relate to, though their work is likely different from that of the character in this song. Corky McClellan plays drums on this track. That song is coupled with "Pretty Polly," which features Jodi on lead vocals. This one has a more somber sound and atmosphere, and includes some nice stuff by Rick Nathey on pedal steel. After a minute or so, it kicks in, and it too contains lines about doing down. "You took me down this road/Down a deep dark hole/That deep dark hole/Ain't black as your soul." This one also contains a reference to Macbeth: "Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, something wicked this way comes," referring to a line one of the witches delivers just before Macbeth enters the scene. And the song ends with a variation of that line: "Something wicked down there lies." Both songs are character songs, songs that tell a story.
The second half of the album progresses in a similar way to the first half, beginning with a couple of love songs of sorts, both of which feature Jordan on lead vocals. The first of the two, "King Of Austin," has some early lines that stand out: "The rent was high/So were you/And the dishes in the kitchen sink/But you rose higher than the market." This track also contains some strong harmonies. "Only one of us could do the driving/All hail the king of Austin." This is also some good work on acoustic guitar. "Don't talk as much/We've both grown soft/And we've lost some hair/But if I ever need/Help to hide a body/I know who would be there." Ah yes, important information to have. The second of the two love songs, "Wherever You Go," contains the word "love" in its opening line: "I fell in love on a weekend getaway." The song's main line is one that I remember from The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eighth Dimension, but which predates that film by quite a lot: "Wherever you go, there you are." In the film it was "No matter where you go, there you are." Anyway, this is a totally catchy and sweet song. It features some really good vocal work, and ends up being another of my personal favorites. "Or lying with your head upon my chest/Or standing in aisle three, obsessing on your grocery list/I'll love you wherever you go."
Jodi sings lead on "Weatherman," a song that features some great stuff from Rick Nathey on pedal steel. "I've been working twice as hard/For nearly twice as long/But I've gotten half as far/Told I don't belong." The song is about inequality between the sexes in career advancement, focusing on one particular woman. And there is some humor in its chorus: "I'm just waiting on the weather/I'm just waiting on a sign/I'm just waiting on the weather/Man to die." Dustin Foley plays drums on this one. "They say life's not fair/Neither is the weather." That's followed by "I Got You," a fun song about doing what makes you happy, what makes you feel good, what feels right to you, in spite of bigoted attacks from right-wing imbeciles. I love that it opens with lines about crossdressing: "You just found out that it feels pretty nice/Wearing the clothes of your wife/Some say you're confused." This is a song that offers support and friendship. "Life is hard enough out there/Without the need to go and get wound up/Over all the little things/And now you've found as part of growing up/It's all small stuff." Oh yes! That's it exactly. Jodi delivers some nice work on harmonica on this track, and then sings lead on the next verse, a pro-choice verse. I also appreciate that there is a plea for people to put down their guns.
"Brown Mountain Lights" is a song that first seems to fit in that great tradition of folk songs about people who struggle to make a better life, including lines about working in a mine, but there is also a mysterious element to this one, or an explanation for a mystery. On this one too, the two take turns singing lead on different verses. "You can bet/That soon you and I/Will dance through the night/Light up the mountain side." This is such a pretty song. It includes nice work on mandolin, and a beautiful vocal section near the end. That's followed by "Lydia's Bridge," another ghost story that immediately gets us thinking of work, with the percussion like hammering on metal, creating an interesting atmosphere. It's a slow number, with Jordan singing lead, and is another of the album's highlights. Pete Pawsey plays banjo and lap steel, and adds ambient noises. "We're all doing the best we can/Trying to make it through in a life that we don't understand/Terrified of watching it all slip right through our hands."
CD Track List
- Come Back Tomorrow
- When I Die
- Plastic Bag Odyssey (I'll Never Die)
- Tear It Down
- Devil's Tramping Ground
- Pretty Polly
- King Of Austin
- Wherever You Go
- Weatherman
- I Got You
- Brown Mountain Lights
- Lydia's Bridge
Couple(t)s was released on June 13, 2025.
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