Es VOL.4 新single“Over Drive”Yuri Nakamura、Hitoshi Okamotointerview

●○○From music freak Es Vol.4

GARNET CROW

GARNET CROW celebrated its tenth anniversary on March 29. After the hugely successful GARNET CROW Happy 10th Anniversary livescope 2010 〜THE BEST TOUR〜 came to a close, the group continued racing through its anniversary year and released "Over Drive," the first single of its tenth anniversary, on April 14. Written as the theme song for the theatrical film *Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky*, which began its nationwide Toho release on April 17, this polished mid-tempo number is filled with a sense of floating freedom, openness, warmth, and wistfulness. We spoke with YURI NAKAMURA and HITOSHI OKAMOTO about this song, which also carries the scent of early summer.
(INTERVIEWED BY EMI MORI)

New Single "Over Drive" 2010.4.14 Release !!

●"Over Drive" was first performed during the best tour. When did you begin working on it?

YURI NAKAMURA (hereafter Nakamura): We first received the offer to write the theme song for the *Detective Conan* movie, and began working on it around last November. The film's production team gave us several keywords, including blue skies, a fresh breeze, the sense of floating freedom created by the airship in the film, and the grand scale unique to a movie. We developed the song around those ideas. We repeatedly wrote a song, added lyrics, recorded it, and had the film staff listen to it. It was finally the fifth song we made that was selected. That became "Over Drive."

So this is also something we created together with the Conan staff, and we felt as though we had become part of the theatrical film's production team (laughs). The production team's image of the song was very clear, so in that sense it became a type of number we had never made before. Every section develops with the film's world in mind, which made it a very rewarding song for me. In the end, we made five songs around the same theme. The difficulty of getting it finished was also good training for us.

●Does this song evoke early summer?

Nakamura: Yes. The film's release date is exactly that time of year, so we were conscious of it. Even if you listen to it simply as a new GARNET CROW song, apart from its role as a film theme, I think it makes you want to go outside. I hope people will listen to it under a blue sky while basking in the sunlight.

●Is there a particular part of the song you especially like?

Nakamura: I like the opening section, where the tempo is relaxed. I also really like the way it intertwines with the strings before the tempo picks up. Along with the sense of floating freedom, I wanted to bring out a wistful feeling that suggested the romance between Ran and Shinichi, so we shaped it this way. The production staff seemed to like that too. The version heard in the film begins with an acapella passage, so I hope people will listen to that in the theater as well.

HITOSHI OKAMOTO (hereafter Okamoto): I like the subtle transition from the ballad section at the beginning into the song's proper tempo. It is extremely difficult, but once I became accustomed to listening to it, I gradually felt, "This really was the right tempo."

Nakamura: When we perform the song live, you can see the audience become a little confused when the tempo picks up. They have been listening to it as a ballad, then the tempo suddenly changes and they hurriedly start clapping along... (laughs). The chorus has an easy-to-follow offbeat rhythm, so everyone waves their hands during live performances. It feels liberating, and singing it is exhilarating.

●Was there a particular part you paid special attention to when singing?

Nakamura: As I mentioned, the theatrical version begins with an acapella passage, so I was very careful about the tempo as well. If a breath is too loud or too long, it stands out, and I wondered whether that might get in the way of the song. I paid close attention to the timing between taking a breath and saying the word "kaze" (wind).

●Was there a part where you paid particular attention to your guitar playing, Okamoto?

Okamoto: The key point was the acoustic-guitar arpeggio at the beginning, where I tried to create a sparkling feeling. After that, I focused on making the lead sound good. I used a moderate vibrato and was careful not to make it too heavy. It was not a matter of saying, "The guitar is going to play the melody!" but rather, "This melody is being played by the guitar."

●AZUKI wrote the lyrics from the keywords you were given. Are there any words you particularly like?

Nakamura: The production staff asked us to include the word "Kiss" in the lyrics, so I was a little surprised that it appeared right at the beginning. Just as with the melody, I think the lyrics convey the world of Conan no matter which part you take out and listen to. The lyrics are packed with scenes from the film, so I am eager to see it myself.

Okamoto: I want to watch the movie carefully, then listen to the song closely at the end.

●What made you decide to include "la-la-la Sorekara 1・2・3" as the coupling track?

Nakamura: "Over Drive" was a song that made you want to go outside, so I wanted to hear one more song with that momentum and chose this one. It is also a song I would rather listen to outside than indoors, and I thought it was perfect as an energizing power song. The song itself had existed since around last November, and we completed it after the final finishing work in February this year. It is the kind of song we always make in our usual way, so I think it is a very GARNET CROW-like number in which the individuality of all four members comes through clearly.

●Your guitar is also one of the highlights, isn't it?

Okamoto: Yes. There are many sections where I play lead. We recorded it all in one burst, so I think it is filled with momentum.

Nakamura: We recorded the vocals with that same momentum. Since we recorded it between live shows, I was able to approach it with a high level of energy.

●There is a high-key chorus in the song. Was that also the result of the momentum?

Nakamura: Yes. It is an octave higher, but I added it on impulse (laughs). We had not originally planned to include this much chorus, but I got carried away during the recording and ended up adding a lot. There is some kind of chorus in the chorus section as well, so I hope people will listen for that.

●What part of the lyrics do you like?

Nakamura: The line "I lost to the rain, I lost to the wind, and still I walked." The way it says "I lost" and then continues with something like "but I keep trying" feels very GARNET CROW-like, or like the world of AZUKI Nana. I was shocked that the word written as *kaiba* (seahorse brain) is read "kioku" (memory).

Okamoto: When I first saw the title, its impact surprised me. It is the kind of word only AZUKI could have come up with.

●These songs were made under different circumstances and have now been collected on one single. How do you feel about that?

Okamoto: After the best tour, it felt as though the festival had ended, so I am very happy that we can release something new again at this point.

Nakamura: It feels as though our storehouse of songs has grown without our realizing it. I am glad we were able to show a new approach to GARNET CROW's sound. Opening our tenth anniversary with such a bright song feels like a good omen. The music video features four very refreshing-looking members, so please watch for it (laughs).

New Single "Over Drive" 4.14 Release !!
GIZA studio

※"Over Drive"
Theme song for the theatrical film *Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky*, opening nationwide through Toho.

【TRACK LIST】
1. Over Drive　2. la-la-la Sorekara 1・2・3
3. Over Drive -Instrumental-

【First-press limited edition: CD + DVD】
GZCA-7155　￥1,260 (tax included)
★ Detective Conan reverse-jacket design
★ DVD includes the Director's Cut of the "As the Dew" music video

【Regular edition: CD】
GZCA-7156　￥1,050 (tax included)
★ Bonus: Detective Conan card included
(with QR code for a GARNET CROW original FLASH phone wallpaper)

※The reverse jacket and card use different artwork!

■ OFFICIAL WEBSITE　www.garnetcrow.com

●YURI NAKAMURA used to dislike sashimi. During this tour, she visited Hokkaido, ate some delicious sushi, and apparently overcame her aversion to raw food.