VOL.81 8th single“call my name”

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.81

GARNET CROW

New Maxi Single *call my name* arrives August 8!

A pure work of art woven by musical craftsmen

After releasing their first full-length album in January, GARNET CROW continued to put out work at a steady pace. Now they bring us new music. Exactly three months after the previous single, *Last love song*, released in May, comes the new Maxi Single *call my name*.

The song begins with Hitoshi Okamoto’s pastoral acoustic guitar and a relaxed rhythmic intro, as if letting us feel the composure and stability GARNET CROW possess now.

When Yuri Nakamura’s voice enters the gently moving rhythm, vivid colors appear on what was a white canvas in an instant, and a rich atmosphere unfolds. Hirohito Furui’s arrangement brings out those colors with his usual restraint and excellence. The orchestration is especially good here. He understands the weary yet powerful, glamorous yet fleeting quality of Nakamura’s middle register and supports the emotion of her singing with a finely detailed arrangement. Today, it is impossible to discuss GARNET CROW’s originality without mentioning this quality.

The melodic line shaped by Nakamura’s tone, as if high and middle registers were facing each other, is so delicate it seems ready to break. It has an unusually concentrated charm in this mid-tempo work. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be “composure.” Yet beneath it, a blood that can comfort the heart flows quietly.

The lyricist responsible for carrying the world of GARNET CROW fully in words is AZUKI Nana. In this song, she delicately depicts the everyday happiness that two people tend to overlook, and a fragment of that precious, extravagant time. A pure feeling shows through everywhere in the lyrics, and many female listeners in particular should identify with them. What is the happiness modern people need most, and what matters most? This song contains the answer.

The coupling song “トランス・トラップ,” on the other hand, depicts a dangerous love through tense, powerful sounds. It seems to form a pair with *call my name*, presenting another dramatic world. Here too we find a different GARNET CROW—strong and mysterious. The third track on the single is also a remix of *call my name*, with an equally fresh treatment.

Apart from creating and releasing work, GARNET CROW still shares very little information with the public. But listening to this release, one cannot help thinking that they are ultimately musical craftsmen: music makers who regard continuing to create high-quality work as their responsibility. That attitude is rare in today’s J-pop world. Conversely, perhaps ordinary listeners need works with the original power of music and excellent melodies more than ever now.

Even from the perspective of observing where the music scene is heading, it will be interesting to see how much support *call my name* receives.

Release information

GARNET CROW
New Maxi Single *call my name*
Released August 8
GIZA studio GZCA-2005 ¥1,260 (tax included)

1. call my name
2. トランス・トラップ
3. call my name -N.D. meets Sax Mix-
4. call my name -Instrumental-