VOL.78 7th single“Last love song”

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.78

GARNET CROW

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.78

May this become the beginning of the last love song...

New Maxi Single *Last love song* arrives May 9!

GARNET CROW made its independent debut in December 1999 with *first kaleidscope 〜君の家に着くまでずっと走ってゆく〜*, then made its major-label debut in March 2000 with the simultaneous release of “Mysterious Eyes” and “君の家に着くまでずっと走ってゆく.” The members are Yuri Nakamura, responsible for composition and vocals; AZUKI Nana, lyrics and keyboards; Hirohito Furui, arrangement and keyboards; and Hitoshi Okamoto, guitar.

Before this, AZUKI Nana had already been active as a lyricist, Furui as an arranger, and Okamoto as a session musician, while the melody writer Nakamura had accumulated a large body of songs. The fact that GARNET CROW consists of members with such substantial creative ability is enough to explain why their work has such high quality.

GARNET CROW’s sound carries the feel of Neo Acoustic. In a music scene where digital sounds are flying in every direction, this approach feels fresh. They decorate simple melodies with sound, but do not settle for nostalgia alone: they pursue something new, add digital elements, and carefully build the arrangements and rhythm tracks. It is natural that such work attracts attention.

Their long-awaited first album, *first soundscope 〜水のない晴れた海へ〜*, was released on January 31, 2001, containing all six singles released since their debut. Its first-week chart position of No. 6 seemed to show that listeners had accepted their ability. Alongside highly appealing bright pop songs, the album unfolds with songs built around vivid beats, songs incorporating Black music, and tracks inspired by Acid Jazz, displaying a rich, kaleidoscopic range of sounds.

Through this album, GARNET CROW established “Neo Acoustic that develops further rather than simply repeating itself.” Now, on May 9, they will release *Last love song*, their first single after the album.

As Nakamura herself says, “When I wrote it, I wanted it to be an easy song to remember and easy to take in.” *Last love song* is a pop song that suits early summer and fully shows GARNET CROW’s bright side. The acoustic guitar and harmonies evoke the atmosphere between two people making an eternal vow, the strength contained in a sorrowful feeling, and a world about to unfold.

Furui says, “We emphasized lightness and strength by combining small rhythmic details with the basic rhythm, then expanded the space with several different acoustic-guitar tones.” As those words suggest, the song’s tracks have been produced with considerable care.

The lyrics are not about the “parting” that the title *Last love song* might suggest. Instead, they sing, “May this become the beginning of the last love song...” and tell the story of lovers who have met the best person, feel they will never love anyone more, and want to remain together forever.

Speaking about the theme, AZUKI says, “Within the truth that is fleeting by nature, I wanted to write, almost in passing, about the warmth of people who never seem to learn their lesson.” This literary expression, which focuses on the moment so intensely that it can feel almost bare, is one of GARNET CROW’s great strengths.

I once read in a book that “no matter how happy people are, they remain unconsciously aware of death and endings.” The sentence fits her lyrics perfectly; a certain loneliness is always present in them. “It is true that sometimes I feel a loneliness about being alive and about life itself. When I look back, it comes through even though I did not deliberately write it that way.” Being alive also means eventually ending. Precisely because she feels that fact so vividly, perhaps she can sense love, tenderness, and hope more sharply. AZUKI Nana’s lyrical world possesses that power.

The coupling song “Jewel Fish” is a refreshing work and could be called the result of Furui’s continuing experiments in arrangement. He says, “Starting with an intro full of an exotic feeling, we wanted the image to gradually open up toward the chorus, so that everyone could feel the atmosphere of early summer.”

Speaking about the lyrical theme, AZUKI says, “Everyone can remain as they are. At the same time, there are many things we have no choice but to accept. Among six billion people, sometimes you end up fixating on one particular person. When things do not go well, as one way of accepting it... if we are going to let it flow away with the water, how about ‘bury at sea’? That is the feeling I had when I wrote it.”

Nakamura says, “I want to cherish the things that can be created precisely because we are both women.” The delicacy created between the two women is joined by Furui’s fresh arrangement ideas and Okamoto’s powerful sound, expanding the four members’ possibilities many times over.

AZUKI also says, “I am especially in love with Yurippe’s voice and the way she handles harmonies, so I throw myself into every song happily. I think you can hear that affection throughout the work.” Nakamura’s voice, which inspires such devotion—high, clear, and seemingly unobstructed—is another essential part of the band’s appeal.

“We want to keep making types of music we could not try on the album.” GARNET CROW has announced that it will remain active this year as well. The four members’ personalities come together to create not a genre, but “music” itself, beyond genre. Please remember this group, one of the acts to watch this year.

Release information

GARNET CROW
New Maxi Single *Last love song*
Released May 9
GIZA studio GZCA-1072 ¥1,050 (tax included)

1. Last love song
2. Jewel Fish
3. Last love song〜Instrumental〜