Nap Eyes fourth full-length album Snapshot Of A Beginner was released in March 2020 on Jagjaguwar/Royal Mountain/Paradise Of Bachelors. While the last album 2018’s I’m Bad Now, drew on existential and themes of a cosmic nature, Snapshot Of A Beginner continues this thread of themes. Introspection is ever present in the music of Nap Eyes. The music and lyrics of Nap Eyes have a way of identifying with the listener in a personal way, as if the songs are about them. Musically, Nap Eyes have drawn comparisons to bands such as The Velvet Underground, Television, The Clean, Leonard Cohen, this one comes into its own also adding elements of bands such as early Walkmen, Yo La Tengo, and the music of David Berman. Production wise, Snapshot of a Beginner was produced by James Elkington and Jonathan Low at The National’s Long Pond Studio. For most of the band’s recorded output they have recorded live off the floor with minimal to no overdubs. This album differs in that aspect adding additional layers to the production of the Nap Eyes sound.
“So Tired” begins in awash of atmospheric synths and acoustic guitars. As the instrumentation builds, surf inflected guitar leads, laid back bass and eager drumbeats, develop among the lyrical themes put forth by vocalist Nigel Chapman. With lyrics such as “And you don’t have an answer for everything/Alright/It’s quite a difficult game/It’s got too many rules” and “I’m so tired/Of trying to recreate”, Chapman lyrics drift in themes of self doubt, confidence and procrastination. When combined with the music featuring the haunting country slides of Brad Loughead, the floating basslines of Josh Salter and intertwining drums of Seamus Dalton, Nap Eyes are propelled forward in a new direction. The very make up of this initial track, captures the listeners attention in a way that only Nap Eyes can.
“Primordial Soup” takes on philosophical contexts as it draws themes from science, religion and questions existence and purpose. In the verses the sparse instrumentation of acoustic guitar, shimmering guitar leads/synthesizers, syrupy basslines and marching drumbeats envelop the listener. As the chorus hits, the pace picks up as words such as “I stood on the edge of the sea/And wondered why all this is around me” ask if meaning, existence and purpose were wondered about even in the earliest stages of primordial life. “Even Though I Can’t Read Your Mind” arrives as track three on Snapshot Of A Beginner. The song draws on indie rock, folk and alt rock sounds as the lyrics question levels of expectations that people expect of each other. “Mark Zuckerberg” the next track on this album, was the first single released for Snapshot Of A Beginner. This jangly rock track features lyrics written by Caleb Glasser (of Halifax’s Fake Buildings). With lyrics such as “Is Mark Zuckerberg a ghost?/Maybe, maybe/Where are his hands?/And why don't you ever see them public?”, the song asks the question of whether Zuckerberg is real or not, while also throwing in details of him collecting sand and people doing hits from a bong made of granny smith apples. The song operates as a character driven song that is funny, but also poignant. There is more out there than in the digital realm. The ending lines of “Transcendence is all around us” carries with it a true introspective weight that is relates to our current times.
“Mystery Calling” features layers of guitar effects, contemplative drums, keyboards, anchoring basslines and vocals that travel in a mellow cloud throughout this song’s five minute and three seconds length. Arriving from the same space as songs such as “Boats Appear” from 2018’s I’m Bad Now, “Mystery Calling” questions the unknown, with cosmic themes and lyrics indicating a desire to move forward, but not knowing exactly how. “Fool Thinking Ways” is a mid-tempo track that arrives at a lyrical epiphany of how change can come in and disappear in an instant amongst a layered musical atmosphere. “If I Were In Prison” scorches with volume sounding somewhere between shoegaze, Guided By Voices and Dinosaur Jr. as it questions what it would like to have freedom found then lost. This song attacks with guitar parts from Brad Loughead as they twist and bend throughout the steady drum and bass rhythm section. “Real Thoughts” features guitar arpeggios ala The Rolling Stones “Paint It Black”, driving bass and drums and lyrics that search for the truth. At the halfway point, the lyrics “But won't you please share your/Real thoughts with me I don't want to be hidden in a shroud/And I don't want to be hidden from those around me”, combine with the Television-esque guitar parts, backing instrumentation and Chapman's vocal delivery for a maximum effect. The song ends in intense feedback and fiery band chemistry.
“Dark Link” was inspired by the video game The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. This mellow song dates back to Chapman’s pre-Nap Eyes band days. With lyrics such as “The night wind was picking up/This life never ends/There's no chance of giving up, only/Getting up again”, this song isn’t so much about a video game, but the story it can tell to those that have experienced it. The song delivers messages of hope and enthusiasm, even when there seems to be no hope at all. “When I Struck Out On My Own” is sparse with its musical atmosphere and contemplative lyrics about the fragility of time, while “Though I Wish I Could” ends the album. Combining an up-tempo rock aesthetic with a laid back groove, the song delves into lyrical themes of regret and self-criticism. With Snapshot Of A Beginner, Nap Eyes produce a strongly layered album that is focused, yet critical of itself. Snapshot Of A Beginner never loses the spontaneous, stream of consciousness chemistry of Nap Eyes past as it travels and evolves introspectively and externally.
Listen to an interview that Revolution Rock did with Nigel Chapman of Nap Eyes here:
Show 830 Playlist (Nap Eyes Interview):
1. King Khan - I'm Rich Bitch
2. Daniel Romano's Outfit - Jokerman
3. Nap Eyes - Mark Zuckerberg
Nigel Chapman (of Nap Eyes) Interview Part One
4. Nap Eyes - Roll It
5. Nap Eyes - Dull Me Line
Nigel Chapman (of Nap Eyes) Interview Part Two
6. Nap Eyes - Though I Wish I Could
7. Ed Kuepper - A Trick Or Two
8. Johnny West - Buying Time At The End of the World
9. Alex Chilton - Lost My Job
10. The Illusions - City of People
11. Peach Kelli Pop - Princess Castle
12. Colleen Green - Wild One
13. King Tuff - Magic Mirror
14. Necking - Detective Olivia Benson
15. Downtown Boys - I'm Enough (I Want More)
16. Screaming Females - Soft Domination
17. The Pretty Things - The Journey
18. The Pretty Things - Midnight To Six Man
19. The Pretty Things - L.S.D.
20. Devo - Uncontrollable Urge
21. The Strokes - Selfless
22. Woolworm - Dogman
23. Iggy Pop - Corruption
24. The Avocados - I Never Knew
25. Tough Age - Waiting Here
26. The Distributors - T.V. Me
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 23.
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