VOL.141 “今宵エデンの片隅で”Yuri Nakamurainterview

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.141

● “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” is a pop song, unlike the previous “Yume・Hanabi,” isn’t it?
Yuri Nakamura (hereafter Nakamura): We made this song because, while we were discussing things, we wanted a bright song in a major key like “Futari no Rocket.” We had been recording fairly dark songs one after another, and just when I was thinking that I wanted to write something bright myself, I was asked about it. So I thought I would try writing a bright, pop number at this point and wrote it specifically for the project. The song was finished around June, so it really felt fresh out of the oven (laughs).
● How was the process of making it?
Nakamura: It was a very uplifting song, the kind that makes you feel positive, so it was fun to make. “Yume・Hanabi” is also up-tempo, but it has a different feel. I think we made something easy to listen to. At the time I was listening to a lot of Western music from the 1970s, and when I decided to make a song with a major-key feel, the image of that music came together very naturally with the song. Expanding it from there felt fresh to me. It is not as if I had never written this kind of song before, but making one occasionally gives me a stimulus… I also thought, “So this is the side people are looking for from GARNET CROW right now.” The way of making it was different from usual, which made it fun.
● So did the work move forward smoothly as well?
Nakamura: It went fairly quickly. I had a clear idea of where the sound should land, so in that sense it was easy to work on. We wanted the chorus to be catchy and something anyone could sing along with… Since we made it in a short time, I think that energy has been condensed into the song. I was really enjoying myself while making it, so I feel that momentum comes through in the song too.
● What did you think when you saw AZUKI’s lyrics?
Nakamura: I like the word “Eden,” so I was happy to see it included in the lyrics.
● What kind of place is “Eden” to you?
Nakamura: I think it can mean a place of imagination, but I sang it hoping that the place where I am living now could be Eden. I do not want it to be something far removed from reality; I want the space and world where I am to be Eden—a “dreamlike, comfortable world.”
● Is there a part of the lyrics you particularly like?
Nakamura: The line “If it has no form, then you only need to keep feeling it.” Love is vague even when we understand it as a word, and in reality it has no physical form, right? But even if it has no form and cannot be seen, each person can feel love, so when I read those lyrics I thought, “That is exactly right.” We are supported by our fans and staff, and we feel love there, so I hope everyone who listens to the song will feel love too. There are so many sad stories in the news these days, and I feel that people have become numb to their feelings, or that many have forgotten what it means to feel loved. Loving others is important, but being loved is also very important, and I hope people can feel that through the song.
● Music is also like love in the sense that it cannot be seen, isn’t it?
Nakamura: Not everything has a physical form. I want to become someone who can place value on things without form and sense them, and I also hope everyone listening can receive that feeling.
● The coupling song “Ushinawareta Sekai” is a different type of song from “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de.”
Nakamura: We chose this song from our stock after it was decided that “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” would be the first track on the single, thinking about how the songs would fit together. For this single, “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” is so bright and energetic that you can listen to it even while working up a sweat, while I imagined listening to the second song to cool down in an air-conditioned room with a glass of cold barley tea… (laughs). We thought people might enjoy the contrast if a song with a major-key feel were followed by something in a minor key with a slightly groovy feel. The demo tape had an eight-beat rhythm, but the arrangement added a side-to-side groove, so I remember being surprised and saying, “Oh!” when I heard the finished version. It became more stylish and sophisticated than my demo, and I think it has an urban scent to it.
● You can also sense glimpses of the darker side of the city, can’t you?
Nakamura: Before the title was decided, AZUKI and I called this song “Masayuki Suzuki” (laughs). It felt urban… AZUKI apparently listened to the arranged version and then wrote the lyrics, so I think it became an adult song with an adult-contemporary atmosphere. The arrangement of the intro gave me a particularly mature impression, and it feels like we digested that in the GARNET style. I personally like the way the chorus breaks free.
● Is there a part of these lyrics you particularly like?
Nakamura: I have always liked writing in a “です・ます” style, so I was happy that the lyrics this time used that style, and it felt good to sing the song overall.
● Was “nonsense” chosen with the single as a whole in mind?
Nakamura: Yes. Since it was the third song, we made it something people could enjoy listening to without thinking about anything. After cooling down with “Ushinawareta Monogatari,” it accelerates again and connects back to the first song, so we chose it from among the up-tempo songs with that role in mind. The biggest point of this song is that Okamoto-chi (G: Hitoshi Okamoto) sings backing vocals on it (laughs). At first I made it with only my own backing vocals, but I wanted a male chorus, so I asked him to sing. We had him add backing vocals in various places, but in the end we narrowed down the sections we used, so some parts were cut. I think his chorus adds spice to the song. Anyone who is a fan of Okamoto-chi’s voice should definitely check it out. Since it is a coupling track, I thought it could include a little playful element… It became a song packed with things to hear and enjoy. I would be happy if people thought, “So GARNET CROW does this kind of thing too.”
● The lyrics have a lot of words. How was it to sing them?
Nakamura: I sang the words in the A and B melodies by following the groove, so it was not as difficult as I expected. Having English in the chorus is unusual for one of our songs. Also, rather than making the chorus a single lead vocal, we built it by layering several choruses, which was really fun. I remember the recording being over in no time.
● Even amid the natural lyrics, there are words that make you think, aren’t there?
Nakamura: I heard that the lyrics were written around the famous line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “to be or not to be”—“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to live or die; that is the question”—so it is a song with deep meaning.
● Although it uses abstract metaphors, there are also parts that connect with everyday life.
Nakamura: It feels as though we sing it lightly over a brisk rhythm. If you put deep lyrics over a heavy sound, it can feel as if you are being preached at (laughs). I think that contrast is interesting. Of all the songs on this release, it looks the lightest, but it actually hides a heavy theme.
● The next single is scheduled for release in September, and you are also working on an album, so I am really looking forward to hearing what kind of songs come next.
Nakamura: Please look forward to them.

New Single “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” 8.16 Release
GIZA studio　GZCA-4078　¥1,260 (tax in)

1. Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de
2. Ushinawareta Monogatari
3. nonsense
4. Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de (Instrumental)

※ “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” — ending theme for the TV Tokyo anime “MÄR Heaven”
※ Back cover featuring anime artwork

★ Three consecutive monthly single releases,
the third single “Maboroshi” arrives September 13!!
GARNET CROW’s first drama tie-in song, “Maboroshi,” will be released on September 13!! It is a profound song that symbolizes the grand, expansive musical character of GARNET CROW. It is currently airing as the theme song for TV Asahi’s Thursday Mystery series “Shin・Kaso Ken no Onna.”

New Single “Maboroshi” 9.13 Release
GIZA studio　GZCA-7076　¥1,050 (tax in)
1. Maboroshi
2. Holy ground ～just like a “dejavu arr.”～
3. Maboroshi (Instrumental)

★ A joint promotion for “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” and “Maboroshi”!
If you attach the entry ticket enclosed with the August 16 single “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” to the postcard enclosed with the September 13 single “Maboroshi” and mail it in, you can win a limited-edition prize by drawing lots!
Details of the prizes are posted on the official site. They will also be included inside the package of the September 13 single “Maboroshi,” so please check there.

★ Three consecutive monthly single releases,
the first single “Yume・Hanabi” is now on sale!!
【Standard Edition】 “Yume・Hanabi”
GZCA-4073　¥1,260 (tax in)

■ OFFICIAL WEBSITE
garnetcrow.com