Es VOL.36 特别interview(second half)、2012 年活动年表 and album回顾

●○ From music freak Es Vol.36

Nakamura: Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die.” I like its texture, or rather, its atmosphere.
●Did you take on anything for the first time in 2012, either in your musical activities or in your private life?
Nakamura: It wasn’t my first time doing this, but speaking of a first, I had matsutake mushrooms for the first time this year.
●Have there been any dramas, films, books, foods, or anything else that you became particularly absorbed in privately?
Nakamura: I watched the film [The Avengers]. It was spectacular, with all the heroes gathered together. [ScarJo] was beautiful too!
●We hear that you are currently working on your 10th album. Is the recording progressing smoothly?
Nakamura: It is steadily moving along.
●You may not be able to tell us much in detail yet, but what kind of album do you think it will be? Will it have the worldview characteristic of GARNET CROW, or will it strongly convey a new GARNET C□ kind of feeling?!
Nakamura: Hmm—we’re mixing all kinds of things!

GARNET CROW 2012 BIOGRAPHY

January 1
[GARNET CROW Special Countdown Live 2011–2012]
＠Osaka Dojima River Forum

2012 opened in spectacular fashion with “Smiley Nation”!! Several giant balloons were dropped, and Nakamura filmed the entire venue with a video camera from the stage, which further excited the crowd.

●A report was published in the January issue (VOL.25)! They also sent us a handwritten New Year’s card.

February 29
Coupling-song best album *GOODBYE LONELY ～Bside collection～* released
Regular edition: 2 CDs
GZCA-5246–47
￥3,200 (tax in)

★DISC-1
01. Go For It　02. Secret Path　03. For South　04. Hachigatsu no Yoru　05. Circle Days　06. Float World　07. His Voyage　08. lose feeling　09. Mijikai Natsu　10. Crier Girl & Crier Boy ～ice cold sky～　11. Flower　12. nonsense　13. Ai ni Niteru　14. whiteout　15. hi-speed special oneday　16. Yuudachi no Niwa
★DISC-2
01. in little time　02. Love Lone Star　03. Argentina　04. Holy ground ～just like a “dejavu” arr.～　05. Natsu no Owari no Nagai Ame　06. Kanata Made Hikari wo　07. Mawarimichi　08. Yofuke no Ryuuseitachi　09. blue bird　10. Jewel Fish　11. Mikansei na Neiro　12. Ichiban Suteki datta Hi　13. Trans Trap　14. Nora　15. live　16. Tatoeba 12-gatsu no Yoru ni
＜bonus track＞[Regular edition only] JUDY ～English ver.～

●A complete song-by-song commentary was published in the February issue (VOL.26)! They also appeared on the back cover!

[GARNET CROW livescope 2012 ～the tales of memories～]
March 4　　Osaka・Umeda Arts Theater, Main Hall
March 17　Tokyo・TOKYO DOME CITY HALL
March 18　Tokyo・TOKYO DOME CITY HALL

The concert featured a ballad section where the audience could listen closely to Nakamura’s singing backed only by strings, bass, and drums. There were also the members’ costumes and a scene during the encore in which the familiar “Spiral” was repeated more than ten times. Another distinctive feature of this live was the generous amount of MC TIME, including conversation among the members.

●A complete song-by-song commentary was published in the April issue (VOL.28). They also appeared on the back cover!

March 31
[OTODAMA OTODAMA SNOW STUDIO]
＠Kandatsu Kogen Ski Resort

[OTODAMA SEA STUDIO], a live house that had invited numerous musicians to perform on Kanagawa Prefecture’s Zushi Beach as a venue for enjoying summer, opened [OTODAMA OTODAMA SNOW STUDIO] inside the facilities of Kandatsu Kogen Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture at the beginning of this year. Nakamura and Okamoto (G.) appeared and performed five songs acoustically. “Float World,” which had never been performed live before, delighted the fans when it made its appearance.

●They were featured in the LIVE PHOTO section of the May issue (VOL.29)!

July 28
[OTODAMA OTODAMA SEA STUDIO 2012 [CAN YOU “SEA” THE MUSIC?!]] ＠Zushi Beach, Kanagawa Prefecture

Nakamura and Okamoto appeared at the sweltering beach-house live venue [OTODAMA OTODAMA SEA STUDIO 2012], following their appearance the previous summer. The two took the stage as the opening act and performed five songs, including the new song “Nostalgia.” They also got the audience excited with talk about the Olympics, fireworks festivals, the new song’s music video, and the merchandise T-shirts.

September 26
SINGLE “Nostalgia” released
Regular edition
GZCA-4136
￥1,260 (tax in)
01. Nostalgia
02. Kaze no Naka no Orgel
03. Happy swallow
04. Nostalgia -Instrumental-

LIVE DVD *GARNET CROW livescope 2012 ～the tales of memories～*
GZBA-8024–25
￥5,250 (tax in)
01. Misty Mystery　02. Rhythm　03. Genesis I　04. Naked Story　05. Memories　06. Yofuke no Ryuuseitachi　07. Go For It　08. Eiyuu　09. Seijaku no concerto　10. Namida no Yesterday　11. Kimi Tsuresaru Toki no Otozure wo　12. Uminari　13. nonsense　14. Lonely Night　15. wish★　16. Mawarimichi　17. live　18. Fall in Life ～Hallelujah～　19. Smiley Nation
＜ENCORE＞
20. JUDY　21. Koyoi Eden no Katasumi de　22. Spiral

●An interview with Nakamura and Okamoto was published in the September issue (VOL.33).

[GARNET CROW Special Fanclub Event 2012 ～Thanks 12, Everyone Gather 'Round!!～]
October 6　　Tokyo・Nakano Sun Plaza Hall
November 11　Osaka・Dojima River Forum

GARNET CROW ALBUM REVIEW

With hopes for the new album scheduled for release next spring, we will introduce the original albums released so far while looking back at comments from interviews with Yuri Nakamura at the time.

1st Album
*first soundscope ～Mizu no Nai Hareta Umi e～*
2001.1.31 RELEASE
Featuring all twelve songs, including the singles through the sixth single. A work that consciously draws on neo-acoustic music, one of their roots, and can truly be called the origin of GARNET CROW.
Nakamura: About the album title. The title of the indie album includes the word “kaleidscope,” and I coined this word with that in mind, while also giving it the meaning of a kaleidoscope of sound. When you look into it, you can see and hear all kinds of music overflowing inside. I put the wish to make it an album like that into the title.

2nd Album
*SPARKLE ～Suji-gaki-doori no Sky Blue～*
2002.4.24 RELEASE
In addition to ten songs including four singles, it contains two bonus tracks. While demonstrating their musical-maniac side through details such as rhythms that are intricate despite sounding simple, this ambitious work presents a broader range of musical styles, from rock and danceable songs to ballads.
Nakamura: It is an album with a sense of transparency, and I think “Sky Blue” (M-7) best expresses that quality. Many of the songs have images that are sensual or somehow distant, so I wanted a title that conveyed that feeling.

3rd Album
*Crystallize ～Kimi to Iu Hikari～*
2003.11.12 RELEASE
Containing twelve songs, including four singles and a remix of “Yume Mita Ato de.” Even as their third album, it is a varied work full of songs that reveal their playful and adventurous spirit.
Nakamura: There are songs we want people to listen to carefully, songs that make you feel a little happier, and songs we enjoyed making ourselves. I think those are the things that make an album unique. Even we feel that it came together with a good balance.

4th Album
*I'm waiting 4□*
2004.12.8 RELE□
Three singles□
Containing a total of thirteen songs□
GARNET CRO□
characteristic□
“Vocals + lyrics + sound” become one□
making it a more artistic album□
Nakamura: The “4” in the album title□
the four in album, and GARNET CROW□
meaning that we are four members, as well as “for”□
The meaning of the title is□
and “I have you.” This is because□
through experiencing live performances,□
we realized that there are people waiting for GAR□
CROW, and that we have people like that□
which is important and precious to us, so we named it□

5th Album
*THE TWILIGHT VALLEY*
2006.10.4 RELEASE
The first original album in about two years. It contains fourteen songs, including five singles. A recommended album for anyone who wants to immerse themselves fully in GARNET CROW’s dark and deep worldview.
Nakamura: I think “Anywhere,” the first song, strongly expresses the worldview, depth, and subtle nuances of ourselves that cannot be shown on the surface of a single. The A melody is quiet, it becomes fuller in the B melody, and then expands in the chorus. I feel that our elements are concentrated in this one song. It is almost as if this song pulled the others along and made the album possible—.

6th Album
*LOCKS*
2008.3.12 RELEASE
Unusually for a group that generally makes albums without setting a theme, this work contains eleven songs selected around the themes of “evergreen, pure, and overflowing with vitality.” Four of them are singles, but because they wanted to value the album’s unity, two were rearranged as album versions for inclusion.
Nakamura: Since it was released in spring, the feeling of that season linked up with our desire to devote ourselves to production in 2008. We consciously selected songs that would make listeners feel positive, as if they were taking a new step forward.

7th Album
*STAY ～Yoake no Soul～*
2009.9.30 RELEASE
Released ahead of a nationwide tour and their first countdown live, this album contains twelve songs, including four singles. Its quality conveys the band’s considerable fulfillment, and the lineup is also striking for the songs that evoke the atmosphere of their early period.
Nakamura: “Stay” (M-7) was a song that made me feel something internal—our passion and feelings toward the music we make now, in other words, Soul. I felt it could become a song that let people experience the GARNET CROW spirit, so we decided to develop the album around it.

8th Album
*parallel universe*
2010.12.8 RELEASE
Alongside songs containing the wistfulness and melancholy that had always been their greatest appeal, the album includes many songs that fully bring forward a lively, vivid worldview. Overall, it is a work filled with a bright and enjoyable atmosphere. It contains ten songs, including two singles.
Nakamura: Half of it follows the direction of singles such as “Over Drive,” while the other half consists of songs that are characteristically ours, such as the dramatic “Sora ni Hanabi,” the weighty rock ballad “The Crack-up,” and the slightly mid-tempo, bittersweet “strangers.” So, in terms of trying something new, I suppose it is about half and half.

9th Album
*Memories*
2011.12.7 RELE□
Two singles□
Containing a total of eleven songs□
With metal rock□
and adding□
vocals□
and other elements, their□
different side can be enjoyed. Each song has a strong presence, and it became a playful□
album.
Nakamura: We are in our eleventh year, and as we move on to the next stage□
we cannot remain conservative forever□
Music is one, no matter what form it takes□
If we can digest it in the GARNET CROW way,□
people may accept it, I thought, and□
I have become able to think flexibly in that way,□
which made even the process enjoyable.