VOL.142 “まぼろし”Yuri Nakamurainterview

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.142

● I hear that “Maboroshi” was actually a song intended for an album. Did you have anything in mind when you wrote it?
Yuri Nakamura (hereafter Nakamura): The song already existed as a song during the production process up to that point. It happened to catch the attention of the staff, and they suggested releasing it as a single, so I was surprised myself.
● As with “Rai・Rai・Ya,” which you released earlier, songs you wrote keep finding a perfect fit with themes in other places.
Nakamura: That made me happiest of all. I think we were given the opportunity because people valued our worldview and the music we create, and that gives me a lot of confidence. It is very gratifying when a song is singled out in this way, when someone listens to it and thinks it is really good. Those are the moments when I feel that all our work has truly been worthwhile.
● Was this song written quite some time ago?
Nakamura: I think I wrote it around March of this year. I originally wrote it as a ballad, but I felt it would be better with a little groove, so I asked Hiroto Furui, “It is a ballad, but I want it to have a little more rhythm and groove,” and he arranged it for me.
● The guitar tone sounds different as well. Did that change gradually?
Nakamura: We kept developing the song while adding various things, such as backing vocals. Once it had this arrangement, the world of the song came into view all at once, so it was finished quickly.
● What exactly was that world like?
Nakamura: I had an image of something very deep. I felt something warm and softly enveloping me, so I wanted to go deeper and deeper, so to speak. The previous single, “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de,” is bright, with its energy moving from inside to outside, while “Maboroshi” is a song that moves further and further inward. I think we aimed for something deep, like diving into the deep sea or returning to the ocean. Rather than having a specific image, I vaguely imagined the listener being warmed as they were comfortably wrapped in waves of sound, then softly sinking into the sea while surrounded by that sound. I hope people can feel that.
● Were you conscious of that when you sang?
Nakamura: I let myself go with the sound when I sang. The arrangement is quite sparse in the A melody, sometimes consisting only of an acoustic-guitar arpeggio, so I sang in a way that carefully shaped the breath and phrasing while allowing the world to expand.
● There are parts of the lyrics that make you think. What did you think when you first read the completed lyrics?
Nakamura: I pictured the color red and colors with a certain depth. For example, the red of a sunset or the brighter red of love… Even the phrase “the sky stained red” can describe something colored by war or bombing, while love is also represented by the red of LOVE. Red can be a sad red or a beautiful red, and I was reminded that the red people create contains both sides. Although “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” was written later, I am sure that the wish for people to feel love was already present around the time of “Maboroshi,” and I think those feelings I had been carrying with me emerged again in “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de.” When I realized that we create both warm red and terribly tragic red, people began to seem frightening to me. If you look only forward, you may see a sunset and a beautiful place to return to, but if you look behind you, there is another red—the place has been burned by war and there is nowhere to return to. They are two sides of the same thing, and I was left wondering which one was the illusion. It made me think very deeply.
● After this single, it is finally time for the album, isn’t it?
Nakamura: Yes. It is coming together smoothly. It feels like we are finally saying, “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

★ The long-awaited new album
『THE TWILIGHT VALLEY』 arrives October 4!!

The album contains 14 varied tracks, including five singles and the previously unreleased song “Haru Matsu Hana no Yō ni,” which was performed and became a talking point at the 2005 Premium Live.

【Track list】1. Anywhere　2. Maboroshi ～Album arr.～　3. Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de　4. Rusty Rail　5. Yume・Hanabi　6. Kakurenbo　7. Himawari no Iro　8. Hare-dokei　9. Marginal Man　10. Rai・Rai・Ya　11. Yellow Moon　12. Mō Chotto Sagashite Mimashō　13. Haru Matsu Hana no Yō ni　14. WEEKEND
Lyrics: AZUKI Nana　Music: Yuri Nakamura　Arrangement: Hiroto Furui

First Press Limited Edition【CD+DVD】＊Includes a Premium Live DVD
Digipak　GZCA-5091　¥3,500 (tax in)

Standard Edition【CD】
Digipak　GZCA-5092　¥3,059 (tax in)

★ “GIRLS POP CAFE” opens for a limited time,
from September 18 (Mon.) to September 24 (Sun.)!!
→ For details about “GIRLS POP CAFE,” see p.51 and TOPICS in this issue.

■ On September 18 (Mon.), there will be a premium advance listening event for the new album 『THE TWILIGHT VALLEY』. GARNET CROW’s original “Twilight Curry” and four drinks inspired by each member will also be available!!

There will be plenty of special events, including a special display of the 100 limited “Maboroshi Edition” copies of the September 13 single “Maboroshi” signed by the members, video messages, and video-clip broadcasts!!

■ September 18 (Mon.): GARNET CROW New Album 『THE TWILIGHT VALLEY』 Premium Advance Listening Event!!

For details, please visit the official site.
→ www.garnetcrow.com

【J-POP CAFE Shibuya】
Sales period: September 18 (Mon.)–September 24 (Sun.)
Hours: 17:00–24:00 (Please contact the café regarding hours, as it may be reserved for private events.)
Address: Shibuya Beam 7F, 31-2 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
TEL: 03-5456-5767　　http://www.j-popcafe.com

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-

※ Theme song for TV Asahi’s Thursday Mystery series “Shin・Kaso Ken no Onna”

★ A limited edition of 100 copies of the new single “Maboroshi,” signed by the members, is available as the “Maboroshi Edition”!

An ultra-rare edition of the September 13 new single “Maboroshi” has appeared, with handwritten signatures from all four members on the CD surface!
The limited 100-copy “Maboroshi Edition” is a truly “maboroshi” CD: no one knows which CD shops received copies!

★ Joint entry promotion for “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” and “Maboroshi”!!

Attach the entry ticket enclosed with the August 16 release “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” to the entry postcard included with “Maboroshi,” released September 13, fill in the number of the item you want and the required information, affix a 50-yen stamp, and enter.
The draw will award special items selected by the GARNET CROW members and inspired by “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” and “Maboroshi”!
■ Entry deadline: Friday, October 13, 2006 (postmark valid)
■ Winners will be notified by shipment of their prizes.

【Items】
1. Feel like you are in Eden’s flower garden! Flower set (inspired by “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de”; selected by Yuri Nakamura) × 10 winners
2. Feel like MAR & Eden! Chess set (inspired by “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de”; selected by Azuki Nana) × 20 winners
3. Become a “Maboroshi” master once you can play it! Mini gut-string guitar (inspired by “Maboroshi”; selected by Hitoshi Okamoto) × 5 winners
4. I want to sit down and listen to “Maboroshi”! Relaxation cushion (inspired by “Maboroshi”; selected by Hiroto Furui) × 5 winners
※ Each item includes a comment card from the relevant member.

★ Three consecutive monthly single releases,
the second single “Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de” is now on sale!!

“Kon'ya Eden no Katatsumi de”
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