Nap LaJoy
KALEIDO
Kaleido (2019), Nap LaJoy’s second effort, follows the departure of longtime drummer David Newman. In the absence of a definitive rhythm section, songwriter Devin O’Keeffe and producer Michael Simonelli sought to expand their creative prowess in the studio, often developing textures and sounds simultaneously with the songwriting. Thus, Kaleido was conceived not through writing and playing as a quartet, but through the recording process itself. The result is a multi-faceted album with a sound that evolves not just from track to track but often within individual tracks themselves. The music buoys the listener with familiar stylistic signposts although never lands anywhere long enough to definitively identify the album’s overall genre. Yet despite this eclecticism, the strange world of Kaleido holds together by the merits of the band’s surrealist pop sensibilities. It’s a journey about musical fads, missed opportunities, and the elusiveness of dreams amidst the backdrop of ever-evolving fashions.
Host
Host is Nap LaJoy’s debut album, recorded over the course of 3 years in producer/guitarist Michael Simonelli’s studio.
In 2013, founding members Devin O’Keeffe (vocals, guitar) and Dave Newman (drums) approached Simonelli, who had been playing live shows with the band, to take the songs they had composed over a life-long friendship and adapt them for an album. Simonelli brought experience from a variety of projects, as cofounder of the studio/production company Full Stop Art, and subjected the band’s music to a vigorous and intense creative process. The group, with close friend Kevin Hunter on the bass, found new life in the studio.
Songs, some over a decade old, were torn down and rebuilt from scratch. Takes went into the hundreds as the band pushed to find the perfect form, the perfect gesture. The project turned into an obsession. O’Keeffe adapted his approach to songwriting and performance to fit the world they were building; Simonelli pushed himself to his limits in pursuit of a signature sound, soldering together new gear, spending days alone exploring guitar sounds and textures; Newman and Hunter provided emotional stability and calm amidst turmoils of ego and emotion, keeping the band grounded as the record slowly revealed itself.
Now through that process emerges Host, feverishly pursued and meticulously assembled. The music is full of finely sculpted moments, some layered atop breathless first takes which survive from the beginning of the process, some fully the product of years of evolution. Host represents what obsessive drive and focus can yield, what can be done when time and care are taken to chase down a vision, and ultimately, what Nap LaJoy believes an ideal rock record should sound like.