Es VOL.2 best album“THE BEST History of GARNET CROW at the crest...”Yuri Nakamura、Hitoshi Okamotointerview(first half)

●○○From music freak Es Vol.2

On February 10, 2010, just before their tenth anniversary, GARNET CROW released a complete best album containing every one of their singles. All the tracks use remastered sources prepared by Ted Jensen, making it an ideal history best for tracing GARNET CROW's ten-year musical journey. During the second half of last year, the group pursued an active schedule of music-making that included an album release, a live-house tour, and its first countdown live. Looking back on those experiences, we spoke with YURI NAKAMURA and HITOSHI OKAMOTO about the new best album.
(INTERVIEWED BY EMI MORI)

Best Album
『THE BEST History of GARNET CROW at the crest...』 Now On Sale !!

●I saw your show at Akasaka BLITZ last year (the interview took place before the countdown live), and I was surprised by how much it contained. How was it to finish the tour?

YURI NAKAMURA (hereafter Nakamura): The tour was a lot of fun. Because we had so many shows this time, I had more room to watch everyone's reactions, and I think I was able to enjoy performing myself. I was nervous on the first day and there were moments when I was still feeling my way through things, but after that the show gradually took shape. Even on the final day I found myself thinking, "Was this song always this amazing?" I feel that everyone, including the members, was able to present the culmination of what we had kept doing throughout that month-long tour.

●Were there any songs you newly realized were especially good?

Nakamura: "Hyaku-nen no Kodoku" and "Stay." There were many moments when singing "Stay" in particular gave me chills. I could feel how intensely everyone was concentrating on the performance, and singing it felt wonderful. I was moved all over again by how good a song it is. Since it was the final show, I think it became a stage where each player could give everything to the song and show their personal connection to it.

●How did you feel after completing this live-house tour, Okamoto?

HITOSHI OKAMOTO (hereafter Okamoto): As professionals, we cannot use the size of a venue as an excuse. We have to create a stage full of unity in a hall, and we have to do the same in a live house. At a smaller venue, though, the sound bounces back more quickly, so I could really feel it reaching the audience directly. I realized that this was affected by the atmosphere in the room, sometimes working in our favor and sometimes against us. It is unavoidable that physical differences like that create different effects, and we are still expected to perform well in any venue once those factors are accounted for. After the tour, I again felt that we need to increase our live experience in order to raise that level.

●Was it a tour you could enjoy while remaining particular about the sound?

Okamoto: Yes. It was a lot of fun. We had more shows than on previous tours, so I thought the excitement would keep going for a long time, but once the tour actually started it was over in no time. It made me wish we could have played more shows.

Nakamura: Every time a tour ends, I feel like we say, "I wish we could have done more" (laughs).

●You also played at some venues for the first time.

Okamoto: Hokkaido was cold, but when we arrived at the venue, fans were waiting outside with a banner saying something like, "Congratulations on your first Hokkaido show!!" That made me think, "We absolutely have to give them a great time."

●Since you were playing live houses, you must have been close to the audience. Did you ever feel overwhelmed by their energy?

Nakamura: Especially toward the end of the show, I felt as if I might be drawn into them. I even thought, "What would happen if I dove in from here...?" (laughs). That's why I ended up coming down from the stage at the final Tokyo show.

●How was it?

Nakamura: It felt great (laughs). I had Furuya go first, and when I saw that it looked possible, I followed him... (laughs). I climbed down into the space between the barrier in front of the audience and the stage, but I even felt as though I might be able to get beyond the barrier (laughs). I was reminded once again how powerful the crowd surging toward us could be. The audience's responses to the call-and-response also came back so quickly, which felt great.

●So you were able to enjoy the special pleasures of a live house to the fullest.

Nakamura: Yes. At the Tokyo show, I sang the acapella passage in "Go For It" off-mic. A staff member suggested that, because it was a live house, I should try letting my voice reach the audience without a microphone, so I gave it a try. At first I was worried: "Will it really be okay without a microphone?" But the audience was delighted when I did it, so I was glad. I think it was an idea that emerged because the live show had grown through performing several dates in succession. It was the first time I had sung with just my natural voice. Singing while nothing else was sounding was extremely nerve-racking. I could not stop thinking about that passage from the moment I began (laughs), wondering, "After that guitar riff..." Then, when I actually sang it, I got carried away and barely remember it.

Okamoto: I was concentrating on making sure the guitar that set up the passage did not ring out too much and interfere with her acapella (laughs).

Nakamura: I like "Go For It," and it is a pleasurable song to sing, but it became the song that made me most nervous at the Tokyo show. It was a valuable experience, which is why it left such a strong impression.

●You raced through the end of 2009 with the live-house tour and countdown live, and now the first release of 2010 is the best album *THE BEST History of GARNET CROW at the crest...*. Could you first tell us about Disc 1? It includes songs from your indie days and singles through 2004. How did it feel to listen back to them?

Nakamura: I really felt their freshness. The energy of those first days after our debut stands out. In a good sense, I think we were desperately confronting the production process, and I could feel that resulting single-mindedness in the songs.

Okamoto: Technically, there are still places where we were inexperienced, and sometimes I listen and think, "That playing is a little embarrassing." But there are also things that make me think, "Wasn't this idea pretty remarkable for that time?" It made me wonder whether those instincts have actually changed very much.

●Which song made you think that?

Okamoto: The guitar solo in "Kimi no Ie ni Tsuku made Zutto Hashitte Yuku," for example. We were completely unused to studio work back then, and considering how nervous I was while playing it, I think I did pretty well.

●I felt that the resonance of your voice was different then and now, Nakamura.

Nakamura: You notice that especially when you listen straight through to songs from ten years ago and songs from today. Seeing my entire process of growth laid out in one place is very embarrassing (laughs). In the beginning, even when I had plenty of momentum, my vocal sense and the details of the choral work were technically less developed. At the same time, there are chorus lines in those songs that I could not come up with now.