VOL.72 6th single“flying”

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.72

GARNET CROW

New Maxi Single *flying* arrives November 29!

This March, GARNET CROW made its major-label debut with two singles released simultaneously, “Mysterious Eyes” and “君の家に着くまでずっと走ってゆく.” Two months later, they released “二人のロケット” and continued their active musical career. In September, they began releasing a single every month for three consecutive months. Following “千以上の言葉を並べても...” and “夏の幻,” the new Maxi Single *flying*, arriving November 29, will bring this run of releases to a close. Including this work, GARNET CROW will have released six singles in eight months—a remarkably concentrated pace of songwriting. Everyone knows they are a group of music makers, but it is still astonishing to see so many works appear in such a short time.

“flying” is the theme song for the PlayStation game *Tales of Eternia*. For the group, this is also their first challenge in the field of game theme songs. What kind of pressure comes with writing a theme song that can be said to represent an entire game? How should they preserve the game’s image? When AZUKI Nana talks about the song, she says, “We had a lot of fun making it.” You can sense how fresh the experience was for the members. The game’s image and GARNET CROW’s music merged to create “flying,” a song of unprecedented scale for the group.

The first impression is that, among their work so far, this song communicates an especially strong sense of power. A striking sound in the intro catches the ear first; beneath the heavy sonics, you can feel a firm will rising from within. That feeling grows with Nakamura’s deeper vocal, then bursts free in the high, beautiful voice of the chorus.

One of GARNET CROW’s defining qualities is its layers of sound, and here those layers effectively create the vast space carried by the song. As the title *flying* suggests, it brings to mind a wide-open sky. When asked what he had paid particular attention to, Hitoshi Okamoto answered “a sense of lift,” and the phrase is exactly right.

The lyrics of “千以上の言葉を並べても...” and “夏の幻” mainly captured scenes from everyday life. This time, words that suggest mysterious phenomena or imagined worlds appear, such as “reincarnation” and the “Sanzu River.” But the lyrics do not stop at imagined events; they reach into everyone’s inner life—the spiritual world.

Everyone has anxieties, wants to dispel them, and spends each day repeating this process. The protagonist struggles and searches for a place where he can feel at ease, and many listeners should see something of themselves in him. Through lyrics depicting different circumstances, GARNET CROW’s work leaves behind things in the heart that function like keywords.

AZUKI’s lyrics possess both a fleeting quality that slowly seeps into the heart and a lightness that gently gives you a push. Nakamura places them on melodies and conveys them with her voice, while Okamoto’s guitar supports the music. Furui understands all of this and arranges the songs to bring out the strengths of the melody and singing as fully as possible. Of this work, born from the four members’ excellent collaboration, Furui says, “When you want to make yourself stronger, please listen to it.”

The steady rhythm and sound accompanying lyrics such as “toward the goal,” “fly over it,” and “fly away” should give listeners the courage to take one step forward from where they are now. Nakamura also says, “The song turned out well enough to reward close listening. Please listen to it many times, and definitely sing along.” The high, beautiful chorus vocal is unusually powerful even among her previous songs, reminding us once again of her strength as a lead singer.

GARNET CROW’s coupling songs have always been well received, and the one included here lives up to expectations. “Cried a little” is a mid-tempo song with an unforgettable, slightly sorrowful piano intro. The melody moves calmly overall, while the lyrics vividly present the feelings of someone separated from someone important. In the chorus, the sadness arrives as a cry. The lyrics feel like a confession to another person, drawing the song and listener closer together; this is another point worth hearing.

GARNET CROW has already begun work on an album. As they said in their comments in the previous issue, the members are pouring their thoughts into an album in hopes of creating a new GARNET CROW world and songs that can only be made in an album format. They are recording while absorbing stimuli different from what they have experienced before. What kind of work will they present on the album? It is already something to look forward to.

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.72

New Maxi Singles

*flying*

GZCA-1055 ¥1,050 (tax included)
Released November 29, 2000

1. flying
2. Cried a little
3. flying 〜instrumental〜

*夏の幻*

GZCA-1050 ¥1,050 (tax included)
Released October 25, 2000

1. 夏の幻
2. hi-speed スペシャル oneday
3. 夏の幻 〜instrumental〜

*千以上の言葉を並べても...*

GZCA-1044 ¥1,050 (tax included)
Released September 27, 2000

1. 千以上の言葉を並べても...
2. blue bird
3. 千以上の言葉を並べても...〜instrumental〜