Es VOL.33 新single“Nostalgia” and concert DVD Yuri Nakamura、Hitoshi Okamotointerview(first half)

●○ From music freak Es Vol.33

● Before we talk about the new single, I would like to ask about the LIVE DVD. The concert took place in March, so some time has passed. Looking back, what kind of concert was it?
Yuri Nakamura (hereafter Nakamura): I think it was an extremely rich concert. We had strings joining us this time, which gave the sound greater depth. I also took on the new challenge of singing one song solo with the strings behind me, everyone danced during the up-tempo songs, and I was able to sing in a dress during the first half. There was so much to see and hear that I think it was a very entertaining concert. It was a concert that was fun to listen to and fun to watch.
Hitoshi Okamoto (hereafter Okamoto): After the strings section, there was a segment where I was entrusted with a solo, and Nakamura had to change clothes during it. Since changing from the dress she wore in the first half would take quite a while, I was told, “Make sure you talk properly and sing properly!” So I knew I had to handle that part well first. There were also quite a few rules concerning the performance itself, but I was glad we managed those parts without any major mistakes. We performed in Tokyo and Osaka this time, and at both venues the audience was not very far away. Even the people on the second and third floors felt close. It was neither a live house nor a hall, but a venue with just the right sense of distance, and I think that was also very good.

● What would you say are the highlights of this LIVE DVD as a work?
Nakamura: I think viewers will enjoy the angles that cannot be seen from the audience. From the audience, you can only see the stage from the front, but this DVD includes views from the stage side, shots of the keyboardist’s hands while playing, and footage assembled from many different angles. Even people who saw the concert at the venue may discover something new, such as, “Oh, so that’s how they were playing it,” and enjoy a more realistic feeling all over again.

● If you had to name one scene that viewers should make a point of watching, which would it be?
Nakamura: For me, it would be “Kimi Tsuresaru Toki no Otozure o,” which I performed with the string quartet. The other three members were not on stage for that song, so there was the tension of being the only member there. The way you take the rhythm and pauses, and the sense of groove, are different from singing with the band, so it was difficult in that respect and was a challenge in its own way. During rehearsals, even when I thought I was singing correctly, the engineer would advise me, saying, “It sounds like you are rushing a little here,” or, “It sounds a little late, so you should sing it this way.” We repeated the rehearsals many times before finally shaping it into the finished performance, so I think the DVD captures my very relieved expression after I finished singing (laughs). I was extremely nervous.

● You looked very composed, so I did not notice your nerves when I watched it at the venue.
Nakamura: No, no, I think you can see that I am trembling a little and that my expression is slightly stiff with nerves (laughs). Since the strings were live, their sound rose gradually and gently. Placing a vocal over that was harder than I expected. I usually sing over sounds whose attacks are precisely defined, so it was difficult to know where to count “one” within a sound that went “waaah” as it rose. I had to rehearse it many times, which is why it left such a strong impression on me from this concert.

● Which scene would you like people to watch most closely, Mr. Okamoto?
Okamoto: Hmm—the members changing costumes, I suppose!
Nakamura: The costume change is the biggest highlight? Not the singing? Not a song?! (laughs)
Okamoto: Yes, yes, I thought the costumes were especially good this time. Nakamura went from that truly spectacular dress to a second outfit that made you think, “She probably really wanted to wear something like that.” And in the second half I was wearing a bow tie with pants of an awkward length (laughs). I think it was a little unexpected and amusing.

● Are the costumes for every concert decided based on Ms. Nakamura’s ideas?
Nakamura: I discuss them with the stylist, coordinate the overall colors, and have the outfits made. The first dress I wore this time was green, which is a color I would never normally choose for myself. But the designer told me, “I’m sure this will look great on you.” I think people usually imagine me wearing fairly strong colors such as black or red, but the stylist said, “By wearing green this time, I want to show a more feminine side.” So the costumes may have been a challenge in their own way. For the second half, I chose a mini dress to create a more active feeling.
Okamoto: Since the concert itself contained so much, it was nice to have the costume change provide a moment to catch our breath. Including the costume changes, I think the overall balance of the concert’s structure was very good.

● Since your first concert, you have performed on many stages. You combine elements that have become GARNET CROW standards with new elements. Are there any new challenges you would like to take on in future concerts, or another side of GARNET CROW you would like to show?
Nakamura: I recently performed a piano-and-vocal piece at the On-tama concert, and it seems that many people were happy to hear something relatively unusual from me. If I have the opportunity, I would like to do it somewhere again. I would also like to use an acoustic piano instead of an electric piano. It can be difficult with a band arrangement, but acoustic instruments have so much power and such a special quality. If we could eventually add instruments such as a horn section or percussion and create a more festive stage, I think we could develop another kind of live show.

● You also appeared at an On-tama concert this summer. What about a live-house tour with “Mini-Crow” in the future?
Okamoto: Since it would be acoustic, I think it would be fairly demanding when you consider the number of songs. Seven would probably be the limit.
Nakamura: Something like a café concert could work. We could do a small concert with conversation, letting people listen to comfortable music while enjoying good tea and cake at a stylish café. I would also like to perform in an art space such as a museum lobby or the courtyard of an avant-garde museum. A project that created a new art space by combining music with other forms of art could be interesting too.

● I see. Let us move on to the new single “Nostalgia.” It is a very striking song.
Nakamura: At the demo stage, it was a pop song with an eight-beat rhythm, something bittersweet and full of melancholy. I was surprised at first when Furui turned it into a four-on-the-floor digital arrangement with a slightly club-oriented sound. But the relaxed feeling from the demo disappeared, and it became a very cool and aggressive song that pushes forward strongly, so I thought, “This is good.” When it came time to choose the single, there were also ballads and many other kinds of songs, but I wanted to release a song that did not immediately sound like GARNET CROW, so I chose this one.

● You had already experimented with digital sounds on the previous single “Misty Mystery” and on several songs from last December’s album *Memories*. Was there a desire to pursue this kind of musical direction for a while?
Nakamura: There certainly was. Also, when we perform four-on-the-floor digital songs live, people tend to get into them, the sense of unity in the venue rises sharply, and we have a lot of fun performing them ourselves. So I did create this song with that in mind, but instead of putting it on an album or making it a coupling song, I thought it would be more interesting to release it specifically as a single.

● The structure begins with the chorus, the A melody in the second verse is shorter, and by the end it feels as if the chorus has been repeated. The chorus has a very strong presence.
Nakamura: That’s right. The chorus melody came first for this song, and then I created the A and B sections. With some songs, I start with the A section and think of the chorus last, but ultimately I think songs are built from the melodies that are strongest. In that sense, the chorus of this song has the biggest impact, and I think it is the heart of the song.

● The chorus has an impactful melody, but the vocals are also very powerful.
Nakamura: I was extremely focused this time and feel that I sang it through in about the first or second take. I was able to finish while it still felt fresh to me, and I think we captured a vocal performance with a great deal of momentum just as it was.

● Mr. Okamoto, what do you think is attractive about this song?
Okamoto: Her voice. The notes in the chorus are long, especially the “ki—” in “zawameki,” and the places where she stretches them out with such force. Those parts made me think again how good her voice is. I also think AZUKI probably wrote the lyrics with the sound in mind. If you prioritize the meaning of the lyrics and force words into a song, the melody can stop working. But when the lyrics follow the melody while emphasizing its nuances, they are extremely pleasant to listen to. I always think AZUKI has an incredible sense for that.

● The press material says to pay attention to the lyrics, whose nostalgic imagery creates a distinctive atmosphere. How did you interpret the lyrics when you sang them, Ms. Nakamura?
Nakamura: I sang them while valuing the freshness I felt when I first read them, without trying to analyze them too deeply. If I overanalyze them, my own habits come out, which can make the result formulaic or boring. I wanted to value the first impression in both the arrangement and the lyrics and package that impression as it was.

● Were there any phrases you especially enjoyed singing or liked?
Nakamura: The rhyming parts felt good to sing. For example, the “Cry” in “zawameki Cry” and the “kurai” in “kanashii kurai.” I generally like lyrics that rhyme, so those parts were fun to sing. Also, AZUKI used the phrase “Love forever” from the demo just as I had sung it, connecting it smoothly to the words before and after. I thought that was interesting. It occasionally happens that there is simply no other word that fits the melody there better.

● What kind of image did you have when playing the guitar for the recording?
Okamoto: The synthesizer sound is strong this time, so I focused on choosing tones that would suit it. There is a guitar solo, of course, but overall the guitar does not assert itself too much. It is a little withdrawn, or perhaps has the feeling of enjoying the song objectively.

● Did you request anything specific for the mix?
Nakamura: Yes. I wanted it to come strongly toward the listener and have a sense of speed, so I asked for several revisions. I wanted a thrilling, exciting mix