VOL.177 new album“STAY 〜夜明けのSoul〜”成员interview(second half)

●○○From music freak magazine Vol.177

In those days, I sometimes thought we were freer. As you accumulate years of musical activity, you may think, “I can’t go back to my past self,” because you don’t want people to think you are rehashing yourself. Without realizing it, you create restrictions within yourself and end up unable to break out of your shell. I think this arrangement happened naturally because I felt something I had almost forgotten within this song. There were about two songs on this album that had the scent of our early period. If you divide these ten years into early, middle, and late periods, the scent of Yuri Nakamura’s songs differs in each period—the way the melodies develop, the flow of the chord progressions, and so on…

Nakamura: You can really hear that? I try to adjust how I write so there isn’t too much of “this kind of song again…,” though.

Okamoto: That does happen, doesn’t it?

Furui: I think that is individuality. You are free to take any melody you want from a given chord—for example, Hitoshi Okamoto might go one way while Yuri Nakamura takes it somewhere else… That isn’t a pattern; it’s a scent. Even with an artist who has been active for a long time, when you feel a strong scent of their early days in a current song, it can be wonderful, right? There were songs among the tracks on this album that gave that kind of nostalgic feeling too.

●How did you feel hearing that, Nakamura?

Nakamura: I thought, “So I’ve been found out” (laughs). I do have chord progressions I like, so sometimes I deliberately write with a different progression so that they don’t continue.

●So even within that, Mr. Furui always senses Nakamura’s particular scent.

Furui: Yes. I think some of the songs deliberately bring out that nostalgia. From the listener’s perspective, that can be pleasing in its own way, and perhaps it leads to a feeling of comfort.

Nakamura: So even when you try to hide your preferences, they seep out (laughs).

●“ON THE WAY” is a bright song.

Nakamura: I wrote this one with a sense of speed and drive as the priorities, then expanded that image. It also carries a poignant feeling, and the choral work is elaborate, so I think it’s fun to listen closely.

●You talked about “Stay” earlier. What did you think when you read AZUKI’s lyrics?

Nakamura: First, I thought it was amazing that the lyrics had come back set to such a complex melody. When I actually tried singing them, they were very difficult, and I was anxious at first, but that anxiety ignited my determination to sing them through (laughs).

●So this is also a song polished through a synergistic effect.

Furui: I think it is always like that, not only with this song.

Nakamura: We are companions and rivals (laughs). That is why it makes me happy when someone says, “It’s a good song,” and to make them say that, I have to work hard to write a good song and sing it through…

Furui: There is that kind of give-and-take. A good vocal comes in, various chorus patterns have been considered, and then we try to finish it with a good mix.

Nakamura: We came up with a very elaborate arrangement, and the lyrics are rewarding to sing, so it felt like, “I have to give this everything…” The surprise and freshness stimulate us, and that’s why we can’t stop. We’ve been making music for almost ten years, but there is still more enjoyment than anything else.

Furui: Listening to you, perhaps GARNET CROW is fun because songs take shape through that kind of synergistic effect.

Okamoto: I think it’s interesting because everyone involved in our music shares a common understanding of “GARNET CROW.”

Furui: Sharing a purpose is extremely important. When a group tries to accomplish one thing, whether its vector grows or shrinks depends on the awareness of the people involved… We may be more conscious of that than ever on this album. If you listen to it, you will understand GARNET CROW’s current energy.

Nakamura: It’s the feeling of “serious” written as “majime”—actually, “MAJI” (laughs).

●“Hibi no Hotori” is a pleasant song with soft, airy tones.

Nakamura: The image that came to mind was the film [Kiki’s Delivery Service]. I wanted to make a cute song, like the sound of an accordion suggesting a French landscape or a dandelion blooming by the roadside. I like this song very much. GARNET CROW tends to be associated with a dark, deep sound, and we don’t have many “cute” songs, so I really like the girl-like atmosphere of “Hibi no Hotori.”

●Did you intend to include the accordion from the beginning?

Furui: In my mind, I expanded the idea all the way to using this song when we went to Europe with the members to shoot a music video. Then an image of an accordion being heard there came to me, and I decided to proceed with it… (laughs)

Nakamura: We were also working extremely intently during that period, so perhaps I took a trip inside my own head (laughs).

Okamoto: I even checked, without thinking, whether my passport had expired (laughs).

●“Fall in Life ~Hallelujah~” is another light, lively number.

Nakamura: At the demo stage it was more like a ballad, but I suddenly wondered how it would sound as an up-tempo song. I asked Furui to try it, and the up-tempo version was better, so it became this version. The lyrics also contain the phrase “buttobonjatte” (“go completely wild”), which is not a word GARNET CROW normally uses, so I think it became a very interesting song. I felt as if I had broken free while singing it, and it was fun.

●I think the guitar sound is also a highlight of this song. What did you have in mind when playing it, Okamoto?

Okamoto: I played it feeling as if I had returned to my days as a band-obsessed kid. When I actually played it, I confirmed that I could still do a punkish performance, which was nice (laughs).

●“Rainy Soul” is a number overflowing with fragility.

Nakamura: This is Okamoto’s top pick.

Okamoto: It’s a masterpiece. If you listen to it and think it’s no good, I’ll refund the price of the album (laughs).

Nakamura: On this album, I think this song lets you savor GARNET CROW’s dark side most thoroughly. Fans of that side will probably find it irresistible.

●Was it decided from the beginning that “Koi no Aima ni” would close the album?

Nakamura: When I wrote it, I wasn’t thinking of it as an ending. Once the other songs were finished and we were deciding the running order, I thought its dramatic outro, which leaves an afterglow, would be more moving at the end, so I put it there. It has an end-credits-like position. We also took plenty of time over the final section, so I hope people will listen to it as an album that ends with a moving guitar solo resonating in the heart and an afterglow lingering behind it.

Okamoto: When I recorded the guitar, it had not yet been decided that it would close the album, but I played it carefully as if I were breathing life into it.

●Now that the album is complete, does it feel as if you have finally finished it?

Nakamura: Yes. The album is filled with songs that express a world singles cannot fully contain, so I think it became a record where people can feel our Soul in the GARNET CROW way. I want people to hear it soon.

●What are you and Furui feeling at the moment, Okamoto?

Okamoto: I still don’t really feel that we have finished making it.

Furui: Once all the songs are ready, the period leading up to the album’s release may be the most exciting time.

●After releasing this album, you will finally be going on a nationwide tour.

Nakamura: There are venues we will be visiting for the first time, so I’m looking forward to seeing how people respond there. I want people to enjoy the impact of GARNET CROW’s musical world performed with live instruments.

Okamoto: We’ll be playing live houses, so we’ll be closer to the audience, and I’m looking forward to seeing what that will be like.

Furui: I think we have always wanted to perform at many different venues. Of course we are happy that part of that has become reality, but because more people will see us there, we also feel that we have to live up to the audience’s expectations. Through this tour, I want to connect with as many people as possible.

●GARNET CROW is about to enter its tenth year of activity. Looking back, did it go by quickly?

Nakamura: In the blink of an eye. This year in particular has gone quickly.

Okamoto: Time began to pass especially quickly after we released our second album following our major-label debut (laughs). This year has been truly fast too.

Furui: Looking back, it feels like a long time, but in terms of sensation it went quickly. That’s why I think it would be a waste not to spend this time carefully. There are many things we can do only now.

●[music freak magazine Flash Back GARNET CROW 10th Memories] has been confirmed for release. Do you have a message for readers looking forward to it?

Nakamura: We have been running the series for a long time, so it is quite embarrassing to have people read it again from the beginning (laughs), but please take this opportunity to read it.

Furui: It’s embarrassing for us, but please read it and laugh at us (laughs).

New Album
『STAY ~Yoake no Soul~』2009.9.30 Release
GIZA studio
※“ON THE WAY”
Ending theme for the Fuji Television Network’s 27-station network broadcast [2009 Hokkaido Marathon], produced by UHB

【12 tracks】
01. Hello Sadness
02. Hyakunen no Kodoku
03. Hana wa Saite Tada Yurete ~album ver.~
04. Elysium
05. Doing all right
06. ON THE WAY
07. Stay
08. Hibi no Hotori
09. Yume no Hitotsu
10. Fall in Life ~Hallelujah~
11. Rainy Soul
12. Koi no Aima ni

★Entry-based prize drawing available!!★
(All editions include an entry ticket / common to all specifications)

【First Press Limited Edition A: CD + DVD】
GZCA-5196
￥3,500 (tax in)
DVD: Music videos for the included singles and album tracks

【First Press Limited Edition B: CD + CD】
GZCA-5197
￥3,300 (tax in)
CD: Alternate versions of the album tracks

【Regular Edition: CD】
GZCA-5198
￥3,059 (tax in)

★Nationwide tour confirmed!!★
●October 2 (Fri.) Zepp Nagoya
●October 12 (Mon., holiday) Yokohama BLITZ
●October 18 (Sun.) Zepp Fukuoka
●October 22 (Thu.) Namba Hatch
●October 23 (Fri.) Namba Hatch
●October 30 (Fri.) Zepp Sapporo
●November 7 (Sat.) Zepp Sendai
●November 24 (Tue.) Akasaka BLITZ
●November 25 (Wed.) Akasaka BLITZ

★Their first countdown live confirmed!!★
December 31 (Thu.) NHK Osaka Hall

■OFFICIAL WEBSITE www.garnetcrow.com/

●Hirohito Furui cannot wait for the nationwide tour beginning in October. He is apparently thinking every day about how to make the live shows exciting.
●GARNET CROW is extremely busy preparing for the fan club event and the nationwide tour starting in October. Even so, Hitoshi Okamoto made sure to go to the polls and vote.