GARNET CROW “SPARKLE 〜筋書き通りのスカイブルー〜” Interview

April 2002music freak magazineAdded on July 9, 2026

One year and three months after their first album *first soundscope 〜水のない晴れた海へ〜*, released in January 2001 and ranked sixth on the album chart, GARNET CROW will finally release their second album *SPARKLE 〜筋書き通りのスカイブルー〜*! The high-quality sound created by this four-person creative group - Yuri Nakamura (composition & Vo), AZUKI Nana (lyrics & Key), Hirohito Furui (arrangement & Key), and Hitoshi Okamoto (G) - has spread to a wide range of listeners despite their recording-centered activities, and their consistently released singles have always kept high chart positions. A simple yet skillfully worked, relaxed, and comfortable sound; AZUKI Nana's lyrics with their unique worldview; Yuri Nakamura's fresh vocals that offer a wide range of expression - once you hear this GARNET CROW world, it becomes addictive. Recently appearing on television as well, their activities are becoming more active, and they are truly a presence to watch. This time, of course, we talked about the album, but we also tried to approach the personal sides of all four members.

-- First, when did production on the second album begin?

Yuri Nakamura:It was not a matter of when it started. As we made songs, we decided whether to put this one on the album or make that one a single. First of all, making songs comes first, and when they accumulate, we gather them into one work.

AZUKI Nana: But the album was always in our heads, so while making single songs, we would still think, this one should go on the album. The album and singles were always progressing at the same time.

-- In last month's interview, you said the single "夢みたあとで" was made by stripping away sounds. I felt this work too has more simplicity overall than the first album, and that it follows the same flow as the single...

Yuri Nakamura:"夢みたあとで" was a song pushed to the very limit by removing excess things, rather than expressing through building it up. Compared with the first album, the way we express has changed.

Hirohito Furui: Around the time of the first album, we were putting a certain amount of energy into trying to challenge ourselves.

AZUKI Nana: It was like, we have to do this and we have to do that.

-- From around where did your awareness change?

Yuri Nakamura:"Last love song." It was the first single after the first album, and from there the sound direction became simpler. With the first album, we were doing everything we could to build by adding, but this time we had started to grasp the pace of production, so instead of expressing something by stuffing things in, we tried to make works that deliberately did nothing, or showed things naturally and simply, without straining. But when we actually did it, this was harder.

Hirohito Furui: It sounds simple, but the rhythm is doing something elaborate. It is medium tempo, but I wanted to bring out a sense of speed...

Hitoshi Okamoto:For the acoustic guitar, I overdubbed multiple layers of arpeggios. I used a twelve-string so it would sound clear.

-- I think you are very particular about the arrangement, such as the strings in "call my name."

Yuri Nakamura:Furui's feelings exploded (laughs). It is a song packed with melodies I like, and when I heard the string arrangement, I thought it had become a large-scale song.

Hitoshi Okamoto:Furui had an image, so we did detailed things, like how the loops from the intro were layered.

Hirohito Furui: Personally, it is a song I wanted to make a single. When I heard Nakamura's demo, it felt grand, and images for the bridge and so on came to me, so I made them quickly before I forgot.

-- GARNET CROW's songwriting begins from Ms. Nakamura's demos?

AZUKI Nana: First, there is her demo, and then I attach lyrics to it. At that time, a picture appears inside me. I write that scene. The quality of her voice gives me inspiration and images. With "Holy ground," when I received the demo, I could almost see the completed form. It is a song with maternal warmth.

Yuri Nakamura:Yes, I made it with an enveloping, maternal image. AZUKI attaches lyrics that bring my voice quality and melody lines to life. Without my saying anything, she properly understands the points, and even if I just sing normally, she draws out the maximum. I think she expands my world.

Hirohito Furui: With arrangement, there are parts where I do it while enjoying myself. This time, I was allowed to do it without being too tense.

Hitoshi Okamoto:For guitar, with Furui, it is like, "If it comes this way, then this is it, right?"

Yuri Nakamura:By having everyone involved in the song in their own way, they bring out its good points. If I do everything myself, I can only see it subjectively, or choose the easier direction. We can see each other objectively. So as a song is completed, there are times when I realize we had been thinking the same thing, and times when I notice, ah, this kind of thing existed too.

-- At first there was an image of "neo-acoustic," but in reality there are songs with many tastes, including rock-like songs, danceable songs, and ballads. Has the members' awareness changed from the time of debut?

Yuri Nakamura:Rather than changing, it changed naturally as we did it. Instead of deciding, next we will do this, as we worked on the songs, the range naturally widened.

Hitoshi Okamoto:People called us neo-acoustic, but we were not that conscious of it ourselves. Recently, even inside me, the weight of electric guitar has grown. But compared with the first album, I am playing fewer parts. Furui's backing tracks are very varied, and he comes in with curveballs, so when something that was not in my style arrived, I had to think what to do (laughs). That area was a great learning experience.

-- By the way, which song came as the biggest curveball?

Hitoshi Okamoto:"wish★."

-- It is a danceable song of a type you had not had before.

Yuri Nakamura:It is a playful song. I wrote it with the feeling of, shall we play around a little?

AZUKI Nana: The chorus is the listening point! This song was redone once. The melody, tempo, and arrangement changed... I rewrote the lyrics too, but I had trouble because the first lyrics I wrote would not leave my head (laughs).

-- Then which song was difficult vocally?

Yuri Nakamura:"Please, forgive me." In GARNET CROW history, it is super-ultra difficulty level C (laughs). I wanted to make it a cool, strong song, but because the key is high, it is simply difficult to sing. There is nowhere you can relax, so it took the most time of any song so far to record the vocal.

AZUKI Nana: When I first heard the demo tape, I thought, what? I called her and said, "I am going to write the lyrics now, but can you sing this?" to check. So in the lyrics, if something might be hard to sing, I put in alternate lyrics in parentheses because they would fit more easily. But she removed all of those and sang the harder version (laughs).

-- "pray" felt like a contrast with "Please, forgive me," like stillness and motion.

Yuri Nakamura:It is a song with a Japanese traditional feeling in the tone of the voice and the melody.

Hirohito Furui: In my mind, it has the image of first-period GARNET CROW. With this song, I struggled to build the rhythm. The 6/8 is taken as a three-beat feel. I emphasized atmosphere and texture. I remembered and treasured the feelings from when we were making the indie works...

-- "Naked Story" is a song that gives you energy when you listen.

Yuri Nakamura:The vocal recording was also in the middle of the night, so my tension was high. I hope the excitement and nervous thrill of this song comes through.

Hitoshi Okamoto:This song has a high weight of electric guitar. Since it is a song with momentum, I was conscious of a sense of speed.

-- Now, the album title is *SPARKLE 〜筋書き通りのスカイブルー〜*. What meaning is contained in it?

AZUKI Nana: "SPARKLE" means "shine" or "glitter," and it connects to the jewel "GARNET." It also contains the idea of the "sparkle" of individuality and talent. The subtitle was decided by feeling.

Yuri Nakamura:I suppose the representative one is "Sky Blue." It is an album with transparency. That song may express that the most. There are many songs with images like glossiness or freshness, so we wanted a title with that kind of feeling.

-- Then, changing the question a little, from Ms. Nakamura's perspective, what kind of person is AZUKI?

Yuri Nakamura:AZUKI is a free-spirited person. She can walk around Tokyo by herself.

AZUKI Nana: Normally you can walk, right? (laughs)

Yuri Nakamura:I am too scared to walk (laughs).

AZUKI Nana: That is why I say, let's go together (laughs). But Yuri really takes care of her throat, like not eating after a certain time at night. In the morning, I sleep until the very last minute, but she is thorough, like, "I will start making sound from this time, so I have to wake up this many hours earlier." I cannot force her too much, so I had no choice but to go alone (laughs).

Yuri Nakamura:Unlike me, she is very active. If she thinks of something, she can act on it right away. I am a homebody and stay still at home. It takes a long time before I go out. I think, next time is fine.

AZUKI Nana: When is "next time"? (laughs). If I think I want to go now, I am the type who goes right away.

-- What kind of person is Mr. Furui?

Yuri Nakamura:The person I trust the most. Even if at my stage the line is below the mark, he is someone I can depend on in a good way, thinking Furui will probably raise it to a passing grade.

-- What about Mr. Okamoto?

Yuri Nakamura:Okamoto floats.

Hirohito Furui: He is hard to grasp (laughs).

AZUKI Nana: Watching his own pace is very reassuring. Even when we are anxious, he does not show anxiety. Then I think, ah, it is okay. It feels like discovering an oasis, and it reassures me mentally.

-- Please tell us about your schedule from here, or about the future, whether personal or band-related.

AZUKI Nana: Personally, I want to go somewhere warm. Yesterday too, I secretly brought an airplane pamphlet and was thinking things like, how much would it cost if I flew to Okinawa on the way back from Tokyo, or since I am going back on Friday, if I returned to Osaka on Monday, maybe nobody would notice (laughs).

Yuri Nakamura:Amazing ability to act, right? I cannot come up with ideas like that.

-- Do you feel like you want to take it slow?

AZUKI Nana: It is not that I want to rest; I want to go somewhere with a different culture, somewhere with different air. It is enough if there is a different space.

-- Mr. Furui?

Hirohito Furui: A little while ago I was working with foreign people, so I have a very strong desire to make works with many people and absorb many more things. By absorbing those things, I want to make them my own confidence, and on top of that create something new.

-- Mr. Okamoto?

Hitoshi Okamoto:Vaguely speaking, I want to add more thickness in terms of sound.

-- Ms. Nakamura?

Yuri Nakamura:Right now we are recording and producing at a good pace, so I want to keep this rotation without lowering that speed and without rushing. I hope we can steadily bring out works that way.