VOL.159 6th album“LOCKS”成员interview(first half)

●○○From music freak magazine Vol.159

GARNET CROW

New Album
『LOCKS』
2008.3.12 On Sale!!

About a year after their previous album, 『THE TWILIGHT VALLEY』, GARNET CROW will release their new album 『LOCKS』 on March 12. Their sixth album, and their first release of 2008, contains many numbers that inspire a calm and gentle feeling unlike the previous album. Their commitment to maintaining consistency across the work extends to rearranging several singles as album versions, and the finished album is filled with their desire for listeners to enjoy their music in the best possible form at all times. We spoke with the members about this album, which they say they created with a renewed outlook.
（INTERVIEWED BY EMI MORI）

●The album title made me curious about what kind of work it might be just from reading it. How did you decide on it? You had never used a one-word album title before, had you?

Yuri Nakamura (hereafter Nakamura): The titles have been getting shorter with each album (laughs). We decided on this one as the album was taking shape. Last year was our seventh anniversary since debut, and we had many opportunities to meet everyone outside of production, including performing at Ninna-ji at the end. Having so many opportunities to interact with everyone made us want our hearts and our music to remain connected forever, so we named it “locked,” with that feeling in mind. It is also a play on “roku,” meaning six, since this is our sixth album (laughs).

●Did you feel a stronger connection with your fans through last year’s events and live shows?

Hirohito Furui (hereafter Furui): I did feel that people were welcoming us warmly and that they were becoming more open with us through the live shows and events. I don’t know whether that was because I had spoken in front of everyone myself at fan-club events, because of a change in my own awareness, or because the audience’s feelings toward us had grown stronger, so I can’t say which was the direct reason. But when I went to a live venue, I felt that we were being welcomed more warmly than before.

Hitoshi Okamoto (hereafter Okamoto): Now that you mention it, that may be true. It might be a slightly exaggerated way of putting it, but it feels somewhat like a family… As a live show progresses through a few songs, there are moments when I think, “This feels just like usual,” and I feel very grateful for that.

AZUKI Nana (hereafter AZUKI): When we are performing in front of the audience, seeing that they are listening so intently makes me truly feel, “They really are listening to us.” I was also happy to realize how broad the age range of people listening to our music is. I had thought the age range for J-pop listeners was more limited. But at last year’s event, from children around the lower elementary-school grades to older people, I could tell that everyone was carefully savoring GARNET CROW’s music. It was a valuable experience.

●With every release, I feel that the distance between GARNET CROW and your listeners is growing smaller. Do you feel that too, Nakamura?

Nakamura: Every time we perform live, I feel that we are “connected through song.” Last year, I felt that sense of unity especially strongly at the Ninna-ji show. That live show felt like something we created together with everyone, rather than something we made by ourselves.

●Did you create this album with the desire to make a work where that connection could be felt even more strongly?

Nakamura: That experience was so much fun for me, and it made me want to move everyone more and have them listen carefully. I made this album with the feeling that I wanted our hearts and our music to remain connected forever.

●Were any of the songs recorded on the album written some time ago?

Nakamura: Yes. The album includes songs selected from those we wrote between the release of 『THE TWILIGHT VALLEY』 and now. The theme of this album was something “evergreen,” “pure,” and “full of vitality,” so we did select songs with that in mind. Since the album was scheduled for release in spring, that sense of season linked with our desire to focus on production this year. We deliberately chose songs that could feel like taking a new first step, or that would make you feel positive while listening. The previous album created a very dark and deep world, but we wanted people to hear a different side of our style, so we put together this lineup.

●By the way, what kind of image do each of you have of spring?

Nakamura: Spring is warm and comfortable as a season, but I think it is actually a cruel season because there are farewells. There are meetings and partings, after all. It feels like a strange season in which very happy and bittersweet feelings coexist. Personally, there is also the pollen (laughs), so it is a difficult time for me, but even when taking a new first step, it may be a season when you feel nervous about many things.

Okamoto: I like spring. Actually, my hay fever went away. I did not do anything in particular; my constitution changed and I became fine. Another thing I associate with spring is “class changes.” I am the positive type who enjoys the nervous excitement of wondering whether I will be able to spend the coming year happily.

Furui: Spring used to be an exciting season, but as I got older I started to prefer the good things about autumn (laughs). Then recently, I happened to hear a song I often listened to when I was in middle school, and it reminded me of the time when I was preparing for high-school entrance exams. In middle school, you live in a relatively narrow world because the school district is fixed, but when you move on to high school, students come from all sorts of places and your world suddenly expands. In that sense, I realized how exciting that time had been… I remembered the smell of flowers on a warm, sunny day and thought I really ought to feel excited again. So my theme for this year is “excitement” (laughs). I want to feel excited about everything… Music is the same: I hope I can work while thinking things like, “This is fun,” or, “I might be making a good song.” That sense of excitement comes from spring, so I want to make sure I do not forget it.

●The “excitement” Furui just mentioned seems to be present in GARNET CROW’s new album, which contains many songs that feel as if something is about to begin. How did you proceed with the song selection?

Nakamura: When “Saigo no Ritou” and “Mou Ichido Waratte” were completed last year, I had a vague idea that we might build the next album around those songs. Then, when the new year began and we decided to make music as GARNET CROW with a fresh feeling, I felt that state of mind linked very strongly with the style of “Saigo no Ritou.” That is one reason we made it the first track. Actually, the song was written in 2006, but I feel that it has finally become the song I imagined.

●What impression did you have when you heard this song, AZUKI?

●Was there any part of the arrangement that you were particularly particular about?

Furui: I remember thinking when I first heard it that it was a very catchy song. With this song, the arrangement came together smoothly and enjoyably. But, actually, the song number used when managing the catalog was wrong, so at first it was treated as a song we had already used. I said that could not be right and asked them to check carefully…