VOL.64 主流出道首作“Mysterious Eyes” and “君の家に着くまでずっと走ってゆく”

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.64

GARNET CROW

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.64

Kyoto is still the “capital” of Japan’s rock scene, past and present!?

The hot neo-acoustic band that took first place on the Kyoto FM program chart “BURNIN MIXCHART”\
GARNET CROW\
Major-label debut set for March 29!

“Mysterious Eyes”\
“君の家に着くまでずっと走ってゆく”\
Two singles released simultaneously

AZUKI Nana (Lyrics / Keyboard) / Yuri Nakamura (Vocals / Composition)\
Hitoshi Okamoto (Guitar) / Hirohito Furui (Arrangement / Keyboard)

Looking back, Kyoto had already become a source of information when the rock scene began taking root in Japan in the early 1970s. Hippies gathered at Fugetsudo, and music festivals were held almost every night at Kyoto University’s Seibu Kodo. From this environment came Mura Hachibun, who would later have a profound influence on RC Succession, as well as the West Road Blues Band, pioneers of Japanese blues. There is no doubt that these artists proposed a distinctive form in the history of Japanese rock and left their mark. From the perspective of subculture, Kyoto really was Japan’s “capital.”

Then, starting around two years ago, artists once again began sweeping through live-house venues across Japan, deeply influenced by this distinctive local climate. Some magazines even began classifying and introducing them as the “Kyoto school.” When these artists performed in Tokyo, the audience was sometimes more than half made up of people from the music industry scouting for new talent. Clearly, their sound had reached the ears of those who kept a close watch on the latest developments.

The description of CHAINS was fresh: “as if Sentimental City Romance were the backing band and Kondo Fusanosuke were singing.” Kiseru was called a contemporary version of Happy End, while Mama Studio was praised as Japan’s XTC. In an independent music scene where bands associated with Shimokitazawa were often considered the mainstream, these artists were bringing a new wind in their own way. Yes, the air of the cutting edge was preparing to blow once again from Kyoto.

In Kyoto’s independent music scene, GARNET CROW is the band that has recently begun attracting attention. Their first independently released album, issued last December, had already become a major talking point after taking first place on “BURNIN MIXCHART,” a chart on Kyoto FM station α-STATION. Their sound is deeply influenced by the so-called neo-acoustic music of the 1980s, including Everything But The Girl. That touch of nostalgia makes it seem all the fresher, and the music has a distinctly soothing quality.

Here, we would like to quote Hirohito Furui, the member who holds the key to GARNET CROW’s sound:

“I like music with a slightly nostalgic feeling, such as music by Carole King that stands the test of time. When arranging, I also place great importance on the sounds that instruments naturally possess; that has always been true of the various arrangements I have done. I have not listened to neo-acoustic music particularly deeply, but I really like the early Everything But The Girl. I was quite conscious of adding that flavor to this album.

“It is the same with Aztec Camera. If you ask why I like neo-acoustic music, I think it is because it has that slightly nostalgic quality. At the time, people talked about post-punk and things like that, but those labels never really resonated with me (laughs). In the end, what matters is whether a song is a good song to me. That is how I have always listened to music, and the same is true of the melodies Nakamura brings me. That attitude has not changed. We can keep working together because we feel that the songs are good.

“So perhaps you could call it an eternal standard (laughs). I would be very happy if people thought, ‘They are a band that makes good songs.’”

As he says, their music contains many of the classic charms of pop music, and “an eternal standard” is the perfect keyword. Yuri Nakamura, who composes every song; Hirohito Furui, who as an arranger has brought countless works by ZARD, Miho Komatsu, rumania montevideo, and others into the mainstream; Hitoshi Okamoto, whose performance at the ZARD shipboard concert remains fresh in our memories; and AZUKI Nana, who has provided lyrics for WANDS and WAG. Only four professionals like these could create pop music of this kind together.

In other words... perhaps it could be described as a clear, crystalline quality, bringing to mind early-summer sunlight sparkling on the surface of the water. That delicate feeling, seeming as if it would shatter if embraced too tightly, is concentrated in the two singles released simultaneously on March 29, “Mysterious Eyes” and “君の家に着くまでずっと走ってゆく.” They let us enjoy the music without requiring any explanation.

The twentieth century will finally come to an end this year. These two works make it keenly apparent that, looking toward the new century about to begin, GARNET CROW will undoubtedly become artists who establish new classics. They are truly worth looking forward to.

☆☆“Mysterious Eyes”\
GACA-1028 / ¥1,260 (tax included)

“君の家に着くまで\
ずっと走ってゆく”★★\
GACA-1029 / ¥1,260 (tax included)