VOL.120 17th single“忘れ咲き”
music freak magazine Flash Back GARNET CROW 10th MemoriesP.056–057
From music freak magazine Vol.120
GARNET CROW interview
New single *忘れ咲き* arrives November 17!
GARNET CROW’s first new single in five months is *忘れ咲き*. This mid-tempo song is unmistakably their style: nostalgic, yet with a quiet ache at its center. The record also includes “Flower,” which depicts a serious world, and “祭りのじかん,” a song that could be said to enter entirely new territory. We spoke with the two female members, Yuri Nakamura and AZUKI Nana, about the new single and the album they were developing at the same time.
From music freak magazine Vol.120
● You also performed “忘れ咲き” at THURSDAY LIVE on August 5.
Yuri Nakamura: Yes. It was already finished then. The demo was made about a year ago, and after slightly adjusting the melody and structure, it became what it is now.
● It is a very GARNET CROW-like mid-tempo ballad. Did you choose this season for release because it is a ballad?
Nakamura: We have been recording the songs we wrote, and this was one of them. But since it is a ballad, we wanted people to listen calmly. After comparing it with the other songs, we decided that early autumn suited a ballad.
● How did the recording go?
Nakamura: We revised the song several times, but the recording itself went smoothly.
● Your method of recording while accumulating many songs has not changed.
Nakamura: You could say this is the method that allows the most breathing room in production. We record many different types so that we have choices, and we hope to keep doing that. Some songs do not particularly move us after recording, and there are many things you only discover by making them. So the ideal and the goal is to choose from among them and bring out the works that move us most.
● Especially since this year, you have performed new songs live in advance, which feels as if you are selecting releases at your leisure.
Nakamura: Live and recorded versions can also feel different. This time we played it in an actual live house and saw everyone’s reaction. The audience listened so seriously that it made me happy (laughs).
● For fans, this is also a long-awaited song. How did the title “忘れ咲き” come about?
AZUKI Nana: When I listened to the music with an empty mind, this was the first word that appeared, so I used it as it was.
● From “君という光,” “僕らだけの未来,” and “君を飾る花を咲かそう” to “忘れ咲き,” I wondered whether you had chosen a unified direction.
AZUKI: No, we did not pay attention to that at all. We only noticed after putting them together and thought, “Oh, what will we say if someone asks us about it?” (laughs) If we had noticed beforehand, we might not have used the title, so it really was not intentional.
● The lyrical world also touches on delicate places, as in the wonderful line “not something changeable like love or romance.” “君を飾る花を咲かそう” had an interesting story between the two of you; was there anything special this time?
Nakamura: Our feelings were not as completely connected as they were on the previous song, but once the lyrics appeared, the world of the song really expanded. Compared with when I made the demo, the completed lyrics and arrangement brought out an especially nostalgic scene and a feeling of tenderness... Those things suddenly opened up the whole world.
AZUKI: When I listen to the melody, phrases appear that make me feel, “Yes, that is exactly it.”
● Nakamura’s androgynous voice suits it very well too.
Nakamura: It is not a very high register. It has a particular atmosphere, or rather it sits in a comfortable, wavering place. Many parts of this song are sung there, so perhaps it brings out a peaceful, tender feeling—or the feeling that you too could become a little more gentle.
● Is the recording also peaceful when you sing a song like this?
Nakamura: I am not conscious of that while singing, but when I listen afterward it becomes that way. This time I did not sing it over and over; I wanted to preserve the first impression, the image I had when I first heard it. So while singing I also paid attention to keeping the original feeling and freshness.
● Perhaps it sounds this way because GARNET CROW is in a fulfilling phase. Keeping your own pace has also formed a rhythm in your lives.
Nakamura: Yes. Once recording develops a certain rhythm, it becomes easier to work and easier to take risks. I can more readily think, “Let’s try this kind of song next time,” or “Let’s give this one that kind of feeling,” and make things with confidence. Once we enter a rhythm, any song is psychologically easy even when the schedule is full, and I soon begin wanting to create again.
● Do you already have ideas for new work?
Nakamura: Yes. I think, “Let’s try this kind of song next,” or, “This one turned out like this, so next time let’s make it that way.”
● From that perspective, the coupling song “Flower” is more serious than the title track, while “祭りのじかん,” with its Japanese feeling, is an unusual title.
Nakamura: The lyrics of “祭りのじかん” surprised me!
AZUKI: Really!
Nakamura: I thought, “So this is where it goes” (laughs). I did not have a particularly concrete image for this song, so it felt fresh.
AZUKI: I remember that the lyrics were difficult to begin with.
Nakamura: “祭りのじかん” was initially just one of many demos. I was curious to see what it would become, and it turned into a type of song I did not have in me. It was a wonderful surprise. It felt as though GARNET CROW had gained another possibility.
AZUKI: The arrangement was surprising too.
Nakamura: Everything developed in an unexpected direction and brought out feelings that neither of us had originally possessed. We made new discoveries, so this recording was especially enjoyable.
AZUKI: It really was amazing that it ultimately came together. At first I thought it would be scattered (laughs).
● The appeal of GARNET CROW is that a single contains both a classic example of your style and an unexpected variation, balanced beautifully.
Nakamura: This time in particular we wrote many different songs, and the process went smoothly. What remained were songs that moved us. From the beginning, we had the feeling that we could make something good.
● At the same time as this single, guitarist Okamoto is releasing a solo mini-album.
AZUKI: He works so hard! I wonder when he finds the time to make it (laughs).
Nakamura: You can feel that he is making his own work alongside GARNET CROW, and it seems difficult (laughs). But I do not say anything in particular; I just cheer him on silently.
● We hear that GARNET CROW’s new album is also progressing smoothly alongside the single.
Nakamura: Next we will probably adjust the number of songs, look at the overall balance, and decide what to keep and what to remove, polishing it little by little.
● What kind of album will it be?
Nakamura: Well, how should I put it? We still have to consider the track order and number of songs, but I feel it will be filled with songs that catch you from the first notes, and before you know it you have listened to the whole song.
● What about AZUKI’s lyrics?
AZUKI: I think it will be obvious that these are GARNET CROW songs... But once Yuri sings them, anything becomes GARNET CROW (laughs).
Nakamura: That is true, but how should I put it... This time there are many songs that strike especially at the places people love in our music. There are also quite a few minor-key songs. Please, everyone, have a good cry.
AZUKI: I feel it will be an album that makes you want to read the lyrics while listening, and listen while reading the lyrics.
● The year is nearly over. What kind of year has it been for each of you?
Nakamura: The second half went especially quickly.
AZUKI: August, September, and October went especially quickly.
Nakamura: It passed in an instant. Before I could think, I was saying, “What? It is already October?”
AZUKI: I wondered what I had done (laughs). During that time, though, Yuri kept singing steadily. I wondered when she had written so many songs.
Nakamura: I was always singing.
● You can keep writing songs even without a deadline.
Nakamura: I wonder why. Sometimes I write in bursts, sometimes things appear naturally, and sometimes I write because I decide what kind of thing I want to make. It is mysterious.
● And AZUKI?
AZUKI: All kinds of situations. I am actually better with a deadline... Without one, I probably would not do it (laughs).
● How will GARNET CROW continue its activities?
Nakamura: After finishing the album, I want to hold concerts. If we can maintain our current rhythm, that would be ideal.
● Finally, a few words for listeners.
Nakamura: First, I hope everyone will listen carefully to *忘れ咲き*. Everything begins with hearing the work, so I would be happy if more people listened and felt many different things through it.
AZUKI: Same here. Please listen slowly.
(Interview and text: Sai Saida)
Release information
GARNET CROW new single *忘れ咲き*, released November 17.
GIZA studio / GZCA-4028 / ¥1,260 (tax included)
1. 忘れ咲き
2. Flower
3. 祭りのじかん
*“忘れ咲き” is the ending theme for the anime *Detective Conan*, broadcast nationwide on the Yomiuri Television and Nippon Television networks every Monday at 19:30.*
The release comes in a slipcase and includes a 20-page special booklet.