As vocalist Yuri Nakamura also says in the body of the interview, with last year's album *THE TWILIGHT VALLEY* and the live tour held with that album, GARNET CROW had the feeling of having gone one full circle since their debut. Many fans must have been imagining all kinds of developments for them this year, and after listening to "風とRAINBOW" and "この手を伸ばせば," it seems their creative desire and love for music have grown even stronger. We asked the members themselves to talk about these new works.
-- This is our first interview since the release timing of "今宵エデンの片隅で" and "まぼろし." What impressions or thoughts do you have about the album *THE TWILIGHT VALLEY*, which was released after those singles?
Yuri Nakamura:I think it was an album where the worldview and strong individuality of each song stood out. Just as the title suggests, I think listeners were able to feel the deep, even deeper, world that we possess.
-- The album *THE TWILIGHT VALLEY* felt like an album with an excellent sense of openness, or rather, it gave me a sense of no hesitation and of confidence. How do you feel about it yourself?
Yuri Nakamura:From the songs we had written over the roughly two years between the best album and this release, we chose the ones that resonated most with us, so I think we were able to make a highly complete work.
-- Was it a work that gave you a strong response within yourselves as well?
Yuri Nakamura:Yes. By being able to release this album, I felt a desire to aim for an even further step, and also a kind of mental break point, as if we had gone one full circle.
-- There was also news that "まぼろし," a track included on that album, reached number one on the USEN inquiry ranking. Personally, I feel this song is both a core song of the album and a masterpiece where the world GARNET CROW wants to express has beautifully become music. For a song with that much power to receive this kind of result must have been an extremely happy event, wasn't it?
Yuri Nakamura:"まぼろし" was a work we ourselves really liked, so I think that was conveyed to everyone, or that it got through, and that is why we received this result. So I was very, very happy.
-- What kind of tour was "GARNET CROW livescope 2006 ～THE TWILIGHT VALLEY," the live tour held with that powerful album *THE TWILIGHT VALLEY*?
Yuri Nakamura:There were only two performances, but inside myself I had the slogan, "A live performance that remains in memory rather than records..." Up to now, it had felt like "having people listen to the songs" or "doing everything we could just to perform," but as people say they "go to see" a live performance, this time I especially tried to make it a live performance that shows something. I think the lighting, costumes, and staging were different from before and more carefully built. We included a string quartet for the first time, I wore a glittering outfit... Of course there was the singing and sound, but we also made a live performance people could enjoy watching.
-- For this tour, I actually heard many impressions such as "I was moved," "I cried hard," and "I couldn't stop crying," and I saw many such comments on blogs online. What do you think touched the audience's hearts that much?
Yuri Nakamura:We always try to make sound without compromise, but in live performances, in addition to the powerful sound unique to a live setting, we value the expression of the delicate parts within the recorded sound and our own worldview when making the live sound. I sing while hoping that those kinds of points we care about will reach everyone, so if they did reach them, that would be wonderful.
-- How does it make you feel to receive many impressions like that?
Yuri Nakamura:It makes me extremely happy. It makes me feel that I am glad we did the live performances.
-- What kind of presence are fans to GARNET CROW?
Yuri Nakamura:They are the most important presence. As long as the fans keep listening to our music and keep expecting things from us, I want to continue making music.
-- Among the live tour that was also burned into those fans' hearts, the new songs "風とRAINBOW" and "この手を伸ばせば," which drew attention, will now be released as a double A-side single. What impressions or thoughts do you have about each?
Yuri Nakamura:"風とRAINBOW" became an uplifting rock number suited to being this year's first single, with a comfortably taut atmosphere. Among ourselves, we call it "Garnet Rock." It is a song I would definitely like people to listen to when they want to lift their mood. "この手を伸ばせば" is a straight ballad. I think the melody, lyrics, and sound all have an unmixed "pure positivity." I think there are things that touch the heart precisely because they are simple, things you can feel with the heart. I tried putting those feelings into it.
-- First, regarding "風とRAINBOW," please tell us if there were things you kept in mind while creating the track.
Yuri Nakamura:It is also being used as the theme song for a TV anime, and the TV version was arranged by strongly pushing forward the "Latin" element we had been incorporating since last year. But when the live performances were decided, and I thought, "I definitely want to perform this song live too!" I had the idea of trying an arrangement that featured the force of live, raw sound. When we tried it, it became very cool, and we performed it live. Still, the first Latin version was also hard to throw away, so this time we included it together on the "風とRAINBOW / この手を伸ばせば" version of the single. Please compare and listen to both.
-- Also, the lyrics of "風とRAINBOW," like the track, are truly original in content. What kind of situation did you imagine when creating them?
AZUKI Nana: I connected the seven colors with GARNET's seventh anniversary and made it RAINBOW. Just kidding... (laughs).
-- (laughs). Next, "この手を伸ばせば." This song is an authentic ballad number, and at the same time I felt that the track somehow evokes a Japanese emotional atmosphere. What kind of image was it actually born from?
Yuri Nakamura:I made it because I wanted to sing a straight ballad for the first time in a while. There was also a part of me that wanted a song positioned as something that could take the place of "夢みたあとで." Especially in the current season, I think there are many encounters and farewells, and I feel it may be a perfect song for those times.
-- And in what state of mind were these lyrics of farewell, which anyone can relate to, written?
AZUKI Nana: The moment I heard the demo, the phrase at the start of the chorus, "この手を伸ばせば," was decided, and it felt like I expanded from there.
-- When you actually sing them, what feelings well up in each song?
Yuri Nakamura:When I sing "この手を伸ばせば," I think of a staff member who had looked after us since our debut and left the company at the end of last year. Of course it is lonely and sad, but for that person it was not so much a farewell as a new departure, and I had a feeling of wanting to cheer them on. This song also sings "let's walk forward," so I sing it with the feeling of a cheering song for that staff member and also for myself. The song encouraged me, as if saying, "You do your best too."
-- Personally, I felt that the third track, "廻り道," would be perfectly good as a lead track too. What impressions or thoughts do you have about this song?
Yuri Nakamura:People say that to me often (laughs). Maybe we should have made it a triple A-side!? I think it is the song among the three where the gloss of the vocal comes out the most, so I personally like it too. When I made the demo, it was a slow ballad all the way to the end, but by bringing in a double-time rhythm, it developed more dramatically, and I am very satisfied with how it turned out.
-- It also seems like a song that will make many fans say, "I want to see Yuri Nakamura singing this with full force live." What kind of feeling does it give you when you actually sing it?
Yuri Nakamura:I will not know until I actually sing it live. I hope we can do it next time!
-- After releasing this work, which gives the impression that every song is a powerful one, what developments are you planning or thinking about?
Yuri Nakamura:Many songs with a good feeling are still being made now, so we will work hard so that as many people as possible can hear them!
-- What kind of year does this year look likely to be for GARNET CROW?
Yuri Nakamura:This year is our seventh year since debut, and we have various projects in mind, so please look forward to them!
-- Finally, please give a message to our readers.
Yuri Nakamura:Last year we released our fifth album, *THE TWILIGHT VALLEY*, and I felt, have we gone one full circle since our debut? Emotionally, I feel very fulfilled. I also have plenty of desire to make even better works. I hope that through music, we can continue to cry and laugh together. Please keep supporting us.
Interviewer:Tetsuo Hiraga