VOL.173 封面interview 29th single“Doing all right”(first half)

●○○From music freak magazine Vol.173

COVER INTERVIEW 2009_MAY

GARNET CROW

New Single “Doing all right”
2009.5.20 On Sale !!

GARNET CROW’s first single of 2009, “Doing all right,” will be released on May 20. Their first single in some time, it is an appealing number with an upbeat sound that evokes early summer and lyrics that leave listeners feeling positive. The theme of “a song everyone can sing together at a live” is clearly reflected in it, along with several new attempts. The following song, “Nora,” was first aired on television and was released in response to the many reactions it received. Its sound blends gentleness and poignancy, while its lyrics are written from a cat’s point of view. We spoke with Yuri Nakamura and Hitoshi Okamoto about this release, which contains two very different songs.

●It has been some time since your last single, and I understand that “Doing all right” was written with live performances in mind. What prompted you to take that approach?

Yuri Nakamura (hereafter Nakamura): Since the beginning of this year, I had been recording fairly relaxed songs and ballads one after another. As a change of mood for myself, I wanted to write something with a bright feel. When I thought about what kind of song to write, I figured that if we had the chance to perform it live, it would be nice to have a clear, catchy song that everyone could sing along to, so that is where I started.

●GARNET CROW also had more chances to be highlighted as a live act, with last summer’s live shows and the release of a live DVD at the end of the year. Did that have an effect?

Nakamura: Certainly, last summer’s live was a major influence. We try something new every time we perform, and last year we had a section where everyone could sing and dance together. It was a lot of fun, and it was well received too. At the beginning of this year, I was also watching the editing work for the live DVD (“Are You Ready To Lock On!? ～livescope at the JCB Hall～”). That may have made me naturally feel that it would be nice to have a song that could get everyone enjoying themselves and worked up at a live. I wanted something bright and positive. I also made “Doing all right” while watching the live footage during editing, so the production process was a lot of fun.

●It was refreshing to feel each rhythm hit the listener with such weight.

Nakamura: I did not want it to be something shallow like “a bright song equals a light song,” so I think the melody ended up being easy to understand and catchy. For that reason, I paid close attention to the guitar sound, the drum loop, and the thickness of the overall sound. Since the melody is clear, I made the sounds supporting it underneath solid and substantial, aiming for a song you could sing within a reassuring sound.

●What impression did you have when you first heard the song, Okamoto?

Hitoshi Okamoto (hereafter Okamoto): I thought it had a live feel. I could almost see us performing it live……

●AZUKI’s lyrics also contain many powerful words.

Nakamura: These lyrics also went through several rewrites before reaching this form. Once the words “Doing all right” became the title and appeared at the beginning of the chorus, I think the lyrics ultimately became very simple and easy to understand. At first there were several lyric patterns, and we tried changing the arrangement for each one…… The idea of putting a melody for “Doing all right” at the beginning also came after the lyrics were finished, so it feels as though we kept searching for something good and refined it into the best version.

●Did the core of the song remain unchanged from when you began writing it?

Nakamura: Yes. I wanted both the melody and lyrics to be catchy, and I think we were able to express the idea of making the sound not too light. I consciously made the sound fit the season when nature is becoming lively, from spring into summer, or early summer itself. During production I was also attending the live DVD editing sessions, so there were moments when we could mute the audio, play this song over the live footage, and it still fit perfectly. We will probably have live performances in the future, so I am looking forward to performing it. The song is complete as a single, but it has also become a work that makes me wonder what it will be like when everyone sings it together at a live.

●There is a long guitar solo by Okamoto in this song.

Okamoto: Yes. It is the longest one I have done so far.

Nakamura: It is about 16 bars, so that is unusual.

Okamoto: There are also many key changes, so it is a guitar solo that will go down in history (wry laugh). The bluesy nuance is extremely difficult, so it will be hard to play live.

●I imagine it was also a challenge for you, Okamoto.

Okamoto: Yes. When you have been doing this for a long time, you inevitably make many choices and play within the range of what you can do, so this was a great stimulus for me.

Nakamura: I think it is also a rewarding song for people who play guitar to listen to. It is a guitar solo that guitar kids will find worth taking on.