VOL.121 4th album“I'm waiting 4 you”
music freak magazine Flash Back GARNET CROW 10th MemoriesP.060–061
From music freak magazine Vol.121
GARNET CROW interview
New album *I’m waiting 4 you* arrives December 8!
Released on December 8, *I’m waiting 4 you* is GARNET CROW’s fourth album in their fourth year of activity. Voice, lyrics, and music are closely joined in a work with a strong artistic character and the group’s distinctive intensity. Following the previous issue, we again spoke with vocalist and composer Yuri Nakamura and lyricist and keyboardist AZUKI Nana about the work and the tour beginning at the start of the new year.
● First, why did you name the album *I’m waiting 4 you*?
Yuri Nakamura: The “4” represents the fourth album and the four members of GARNET CROW, and it also sounds like “for” in “for you.” The title literally means “I am waiting for you.” At concerts we have seen people who keep waiting for GARNET CROW, and we have realized that we need those people and that they are important to us. The title contains that meaning too.
● Your previous albums had subtitles, but this one does not.
Nakamura: There is no deep meaning. It was only when someone asked that I thought, “Oh, that is true.” A title connected to “4” could only be used now, so we chose this one. It naturally felt fine to leave out a subtitle.
AZUKI Nana: The previous subtitles were also chosen by feel and were not given any especially deep meaning... (laughs) Perhaps it is better not to explain things and let each person expand the possibilities in their imagination.
● Your phrases always make people want to read another layer into them. Did you want to change the production feel for a fourth album?
Nakamura: We did not think about it particularly. This album gathers the songs we had been writing from the end of this year’s tour until now. Rather than aiming at album production, we concentrated on completing one song at a time, and once the songs were ready, the album formed naturally.
● What is the theme of this album?
Nakamura: Our method is to arrange the best songs from a given period and then release them. So we never set a particularly clear theme or concept for an album. Before assigning meaning, we want people to listen with the songs at the center. This time too there are many types of song. Rather than a single overall concept, we want each song to be heard carefully. Of course, we also thought about how to keep people listening from beginning to end without becoming bored.
● Exactly. Once you start listening, you continue to the end.
Nakamura: I do that myself this time too (laughs). Even when I have to decide the track order, I cannot skip a song after hearing only the intro; I listen to the whole thing.
● You cannot help looking at the lyrics either, so it is not really an album to use as background music.
AZUKI: It makes me happy to hear someone say that, but we do feel the same way ourselves (laughs).
● When did production properly begin?
Nakamura: It began after the tour ended, so we worked on it for more than six months. The long period gave us time to polish it carefully. August, September, and October passed so quickly that I hardly remember them. Looking back, it was probably because we devoted ourselves completely to production, which is a good thing.
● There are thirteen songs. Was selecting them difficult?
Nakamura: The track order was genuinely difficult. Only “夕月夜” felt from the moment I wrote it as if it might be the first song; we considered the others for a long time. Also, once I started listening I could not stop (laughs), so it took quite a while.
AZUKI: We did not want to switch chaotically between bright songs, dark songs, ballads, fast songs, and then another ballad in a way that tired the listener. We grouped songs suited to quiet listening together and songs with good rhythm together, paying attention to the groupings and rises and falls.
● People who have seen you live may enter this album more easily.
Nakamura: Yes.
● The first half contains quite a few minor-key songs. Was that deliberate?
Nakamura: We like minor keys and are good at that kind of song. We also wrote many this time, so we placed these very GARNET CROW-like songs in the first half and hope people will listen their way into them slowly.
● The album seems built from words and tones that make you feel the four seasons.
AZUKI: It probably turned out that way naturally. During production we focused on each song and added things suited to each melody. In the end, seasonal words, the force of the sounds, and warmth appeared in that form.
● The relationship between music and lyrics feels closer than before, and each has become more present, deepening the world of the songs.
Nakamura: We did not pay particular attention to anything this time either, but it always happens that way.
From music freak magazine Vol.121
AZUKI: How should I put it? I try to listen closely to what the melody is saying. The finished result feels very tightly connected. I think a lot of that also comes from the technique of the singing. If someone else sang it, the lyrics would be completely different.
● “夕月夜” and “忘れ咲き” both surprise me with how a single word can express something so perfectly. They also contain Japanese, literary expressions worth reading closely, increasingly making me feel that these are lyrics only GARNET CROW could write. Where did a line such as “I cannot see it, though I can see it—ah...” from “夕月夜” come from?
AZUKI: When I listened once, the words clicked into place and came out. With “夕月夜,” an entire passage appeared at once the first time I heard it.
● “冷たい影” contains the expression “a person as fleeting as foam” (*utakata-bito*), and the lyrics are even more detailed. Nakamura is also remarkable for singing these words so naturally. How was the vocal recording this time?
Nakamura: Many songs use the first take this time; at most I sang them three times. I did not repeat them until they became overly familiar. In fact, that meant the singing kept its freshness. My voice too retained the tension of when I first heard the songs, so it feels alive. Even in the chorus, the first, second, and third takes differ subtly: a note turns one way, or a little breath enters. Some of those parts were deliberately left as they were, so listeners may be able to hear them repeatedly without getting tired.
● “雨上がりのBlue,” which you performed live in advance, is finally included too.
Nakamura: We sang it live soon after it was written. It was a first attempt for us and let us see the live reaction in advance. Everyone was so enthusiastic that it did not feel like their first time hearing it, and that gave us confidence.
● Might you continue premiering new songs live in the future?
Nakamura: Who knows? (laughs)
● We are looking forward to it. Another song is a new version of “Sky” from the 1999 independent album.
Nakamura: This is our fourth album, and we have released many singles. There must be fans who have listened continuously since the first album, so we wanted to offer those people a special expression of gratitude. We thought it would be nice to include a song saying “Thank you for supporting us all this time,” and “Sky” was the one that came to mind.
Many fans still say they like it, we like it ourselves, and it receives a good reaction live. So we thought everyone would be happy if we changed the arrangement and recorded it again. People who own the independent version can compare them, while those who first encounter “Sky” through this album may become curious about the independent version. That is another good way to listen, so we included it. I think it is a track everyone can enjoy.
● The arrangement has advanced, but GARNET CROW’s worldview has not changed.
Nakamura: Exactly. We were surprised ourselves that an older song could be placed among the current songs without feeling out of place. Although it is an old song, it still has a complete GARNET CROW identity and does not feel dated. Even after adjusting the tones to feel current, the GARNET CROW expressed by the fundamental elements—melody and lyrics—remains consistent. That gave us more confidence.
● It must be because the music and lyrics have always worked so well together. It is also surprising that the lyrical worldview has not changed much.
AZUKI: It is true. When writing lyrics, I am already working hard just to keep up. Yuri continually produces new melodies, and her singing has changed quite a lot, so it is difficult. But perhaps the key is that I have never grown tired of it. Normally, hearing the same voice every day should make you tired of it, but every time I hear GARNET CROW’s songs I still sincerely think, “Ah, this is really good,” and I write with that feeling.
Even when production is difficult, I hear the song and am drawn to it, wanting to continue. From the beginning until now, that feeling has not changed at all; whenever I hear it, I can enter that state...
● Please tell us what to listen for on the album, or about songs you particularly like.
Nakamura: I cannot choose. When we made every song, we felt it was the best, so there are many first-place songs and no second place or below.
AZUKI: Yes. It sounds strange to say, but everyone worked extremely seriously (laughs).
● How do you feel now that the album is complete?
Nakamura: This time I feel we achieved everything completely. There is no feeling that anything is missing or unfinished, so I feel wonderfully refreshed. I can already turn toward what comes next, including concerts and the next work, so I am very satisfied. We are ready for this album; all that remains is for everyone to hear it.
● The tour supporting the album begins early next year. What kind of shows will they be?
Nakamura: We are still selecting songs, so we are currently worrying about how to design the stage and arrange the contents. There are many songs on this album we want people to hear, and many older songs we want to perform. We are working out how to bring everything together.
● Next year will also mark five years since GARNET CROW’s major-label debut. Did you ever imagine you would continue this long?
Nakamura: I could not have imagined it. We simply did our best with what was in front of us, and then looked up to think, “Ah, has it really been this long?” Rather than wondering whether we could continue, we have done our best each time and accumulated it all up to now. People often say the third or fourth album is a difficult point, don’t they? Yet we came through it so naturally. It feels as if we have crossed another obstacle and can move on to the next step.
● I hope you will keep walking in this world for a long time.
Nakamura: Yes. We also hope everyone will come and enjoy the concerts. It really is “I’m waiting 4 you”—the “you” means you. We are waiting for you.
AZUKI: There are many songs of this kind and that kind, so please come.
(Interview and text: Sai Saida)
Hirohito Furui and Hitoshi Okamoto discuss the new album
● Please tell us what to listen for.
Hirohito Furui: The sound of the entire album is richer and more flavorful. I believe everyone will enjoy it.
Hitoshi Okamoto: Natural and comfortable. I think it is an album that reflects inner composure in its sound.
● Is there a song you particularly like?
Furui: It is difficult to say which I like best, but if I must choose one, perhaps “君 連れ去る時の訪れを.”
Okamoto: “君を飾る花を咲かそう,” “君 連れ去る時の訪れを,” and so on.
● Looking back on this year, was there anything memorable?
Furui: Probably participating in a ZARD concert.
Okamoto: The professional baseball reorganization issue.
● You will tour with this album next year. What kind of shows would you like to make?
Furui: Shows that only GARNET CROW can bring—shows people can listen to, sing along with, and dance to.
Okamoto: I hope both the audience and we ourselves feel something fresh.
● What kind of year would you like the fifth anniversary of your major-label debut to be?
Furui: A year of continuing forward.
Okamoto: It has already been five years. I will work step by step so that one day I can calmly say, “Only five years?”
Official website: garnetcrow.com
Release information
GARNET CROW new album *I’m waiting 4 you*, released December 8.
GIZA studio / GZCA-5052 / ¥3,059 (tax included)
1. 夕月夜
2. 冷たい影
3. 忘れ咲き
4. 君を飾る花を咲かそう
5. U
6. fill away
7. 僕らだけの未来
8. この冬の白さに
9. ブルーの森で
10. 雨上がりのBlue
11. picture of world
12. Sky 〜new arranged track〜
13. 君 連れ去る時の訪れを
Television appearances
- December 10 (Fri): *音楽戦士 MUSIC FIGHTER*, Nippon Television network.
- December 18 (Sat): *Monthly MelodiX!*, TV Tokyo network.
hills bread factory THURSDAY LIVE
December 30 (Thu): “GARNET NIGHT.”
Performers: GARNET CROW.
Doors 18:30, show 19:30.
Advance and day-of tickets: ¥3,000, including one drink.
General inquiries: hills LIVE ticket center, 06-6110-7111, Monday–Friday 11:00–19:00.
Official website: www.giza-thursdaylive.com
2005 tour confirmed!
*livescope 2005 〜I’m waiting 4 you & live〜*
Friday, January 21, 2005, Osaka Koseinenkin Hall Grand Hall
Doors 18:00, show 18:30.
Inquiries: Sound Creator, 06-6357-4400.
Public ticket sales: Saturday, December 11.
Friday, January 28, 2005, Aichi Prefectural Labor Hall
Doors 18:00, show 18:30.
Inquiries: Sunday Folk Promotion, 052-320-9100.
Public ticket sales: Saturday, December 18.
Thursday, February 3, 2005, Nakano Sunplaza
Doors 18:00, show 18:30.
Inquiries: H.I.P., 03-3475-9999.
Public ticket sales: Saturday, December 18.
Reserved seating at all performances, ¥5,250 (tax included).