"Nostalgia" Opens a New Door
After their tour "GARNET CROW livescope 2012 ~the tales of memories~" held this March, GARNET CROW are releasing "Nostalgia," their first single of 2012. This track fully brings in a four-on-the-floor digital sound, and the result boldly goes against the public image they have had until now. The members also say they approached production with refreshed minds and a sense of "restart."
We spoke with Yuri Nakamura (Vo, Songwriting) and Hitoshi Okamoto (G) about the DVD released the same day, as well as the fan club events to be held on September 30 and October 6.
Interview & text / Yukiko Kawakura
The Song Least Like GARNET CROW
——"Nostalgia" is your first work since the album *Memories*, released at the end of last year. How did you come to make this one?
Nakamura:After the March tour, we entered a period for making songs, and the discussion became that we would decide the next single from several songs that came out of that. There were songs in various colors, but to put it simply, we chose the "least GARNET CROW-like" song.
——Was that a deliberate curveball?
Nakamura:Yes. This time there are synths from the intro, and the chorus also mixes in a four-on-the-floor, club-music-like atmosphere. More than anything, we wanted to put out something that would make fans go, "Whoa." It was our first single in a while, and until the live shows in March, we had still been carrying *Memories* with us to some extent, so it was like resetting once. Within ourselves, there is also a sense of restarting.
——Certainly, just hearing the intro, it might be hard to imagine it is a GARNET CROW song...
Nakamura:That is exactly the aim. Rather than people thinking, "This is the usual GARNET CROW-like song," I would be happy if they were surprised and thought, "Why did they bring this kind of song!?"
Okamoto:Incidentally, it was not something we all discussed and decided. It was more the result of naturally moving in a direction that felt fresh to us. I feel the four of us shared that thought of restarting.
——Going back a little, if you wanted to surprise fans, why did you choose a digital number?
Nakamura:Because rather than a song that puts our own likeness fully forward, we wanted to aim for newness, challenge, and adventure. We wanted listeners to hear something that had not been part of GARNET CROW's public image up to now. Actually, digital songs themselves were on *Memories* too, and we have done them a little at live shows, and they really get the crowd going. They are fun to sing, and there is this feeling that the venue's excitement rises all at once to its peak. Having seen that scene several times, I thought people might accept this song as a single.
——I see.
Nakamura:But actually, until the very end I was torn over whether to make the second track, the ballad "The Music Box in the Wind," the A-side. In the end, my desire to show another side of the band rather than a ballad was stronger, so "Nostalgia" became the A-side.
GARNET CROW's Version of Digital Sound
——During the actual production, what kind of image did you have as you made it?
Nakamura:The original demo was more of an eight-beat rock pop song, or something with a slightly nostalgic oldies feel. But when Furui (Hirohito / Key) pulled it sharply toward digital, it became like, "Oh, this is kind of cool!" It changed a lot from the initial image, but I thought this kind of sound would feel cooler and tighter.
——But some sense of nostalgia does remain.
Nakamura:The melody line and chords themselves did not change from the beginning, so maybe that is where the GARNET CROW-likeness remained. Even if the sound changes, I think people can still taste the melancholy melody and that slightly wistful feeling.
——The melodious guitar solo feels very GARNET CROW.
Nakamura:Yes. But that area is also part of our "likeness." A singing guitar solo, a guitar solo that can make you cry, is one of our traits, so I am glad we were able to express that without losing it. We kept the traditional strengths we wanted to keep alive, and converted the parts we could into digital... I think that area may be GARNET CROW's version of digital sound.
——With this many different elements in it, did you struggle with the balance?
Nakamura:No. It felt very fresh to us too, so we concentrated and made it all at once. We did not get bored making it, and because the sound itself felt fresh, I could sing without falling into inertia. I sang from beginning to end with a fresh feeling, so I hope that comes across well to everyone.
——The vocal has impact right from the start of the chorus.
Nakamura:This time I thought things like openness, gloss, and tension were the most important. That includes the beginning of the chorus right after the song starts, but I sang the entire chorus very carefully and powerfully.
——What kind of image did you have when making the guitar phrases?
Okamoto:The interlude is a guitar solo that emphasizes melody, as usual, but aside from that the guitar sits pretty far back.
——Did you find it difficult to fuse the guitar with the digital sound?
Okamoto:It depends on the song, but what I mainly adjust is the brightness of the sound. I have come to understand that pretty well, and this time too, there was nothing especially difficult and it came naturally, so that was good.
» Every Song Is Ultimately Left to the Listener
Every Song Is Ultimately Left to the Listener
——What was your impression when the lyrics came in from AZUKI Nana?
Nakamura:There were places where the words rhymed, and I thought that was interesting. The "Love forever" in the chorus was a phrase I had been using since the demo, so personally I found it interesting that she used it as it was. Overall, it feels like she fit the words faithfully to the melody, with the melody coming first. She chose words that seem to melt into the sound.
——Did you talk with AZUKI Nana about the lyrics?
Nakamura:No. If I read them too deeply or ask about them too much, I end up singing with preconceptions, so we never discuss them.
——So that is how it works.
Nakamura:Yes. Also, I want to value the first impression I get when I first see the lyrics. I want to package the freshness, excitement, and heartbeat into the song, so I do not break the lyrics down too much. I try to put the honest feeling I first had, like "This is cool" or "This is beautiful," into the singing. I would be happy if listeners, too, could listen to the song, freely sympathize with the lyrics, and have all kinds of thoughts and feelings.
Nakamura:So the final conclusion of the lyrics is left to the listener. I think a song is completed only when it reaches everyone, so I want to avoid a song that feels like it is forcing something on people. That is why I try to sing as neutrally and flatly as possible.
Acrobatics Were Asked for During the Video Clip Shoot
——The worldview of the "Nostalgia" video clip is also a curveball.
Nakamura:First, from our side, we made a request that we wanted to show a metallic and slightly cool side. After that, they came up with the story while also using the contrast between real and fake as an axis.
——The feathers on the costumes and such were quite gorgeous, which surprised me.
Nakamura:Thank you. But on set, everything was a green background for CG. So I had no idea what kind of footage it would actually become (laughs). The staff would tell me, "Wings will grow here!" and I did my best to act it out, something like that (laughs).
——Were there any other memorable episodes?
Nakamura:For the running scene, there was a treadmill underneath, but I was the only one in high stiletto heels, so it was hard. And it was a machine for shooting, with no handrails, so I could not run well and gave up midway (laughs). In the end, I was the only one down below acting as if I were running.
Okamoto:That was pretty fast, too. Apparently they actually wanted to make it faster, but it was narrow, so if you made one wrong move you could fall and break a bone. So we kept the speed as it was and did our best with as much exaggerated action as possible (laughs).
Nakamura:Also, this time they asked us to do things that were physically quite difficult. Okamocchi had to jump, spin, and land... was that it?
——What, something that acrobatic!?
Okamoto:Yes. I had to jump down from the platform they prepared while spinning. And with the guitar in my hands!?
Nakamura:Ahahahaha! (laughs)
Okamoto:I mean, I am not a gymnast (laughs). I did do it, but I jumped too far and the tendon in my pivot leg felt strange for about three days (laughs).
» We Were Able to Make One Solid Work with These Three Songs
We Were Able to Make One Solid Work with These Three Songs
——The second track, "The Music Box in the Wind," is the song you mentioned earlier that was an A-side candidate until the end.
Nakamura:Yes. This is truly a ballad that feels like us, or rather, I think people can listen to it without any worry. It became a song that contains sadness, grandeur, fleetingness, and a little melancholy.
——What kind of inspiration came to you from the lyrics?
Nakamura:There is a part that goes "swaying in a goldfish bowl," and what I pictured there was a showy goldfish... a ranchu. Not a festival goldfish, but more like goldfish with leading-role presence, all swimming around together. I sang while imagining that scene.
Okamoto:For me, the phrase "the music box in the wind" in the chorus really jumped out. Furui was the main one who pushed for this to be the A-side, and I think maybe he liked the way those lyrics and the melody locked in perfectly. It has impact too.
——Indeed, the chorus was impressive, easy to remember and smoothly melting into the ear after one listen. The third track, "Happy swallow," included only on the regular edition, is a number that differs greatly from the first two. It is bright, with a finish that makes your body lean forward.
Nakamura:The first track is cool and the second is a ballad, so I thought it would be good if the last one were a catchy song that lets you relax a little. I think it will get people going at live shows too, and I played around a bit with the chorus work so that the happiness and fun the song has would come across.
——This single has three songs with three clearly different colors.
Nakamura:Yes. If I compared them to colors, "Nostalgia" is metallic and inorganic, "The Music Box in the Wind" is a natural earth color, and "Happy swallow" is an energetic pastel. The styles are also divided into four-on-the-floor, ballad, and pop, so I think we can show various faces of GARNET CROW.
Okamoto:I think it became a work we are confident in, where we were able to make one solid piece with three songs. It is like this every time, but even with three songs whose colors are different, when we can finish them with proper cohesion like this, it feels good.
The Live Strings Were So Wonderful I Wanted to Stop Playing and Listen
——Please also tell us about the DVD released at the same time, "GARNET CROW livescope 2012 ~the tales of memories~." Looking back, what kind of tour was it?
Nakamura:In one phrase, it was "packed with content." This time, in the band sound plus live strings section, we could express a sound with depth, and there were also songs we could perform precisely because we had brought strings in. The range expanded, and it was a very satisfying tour.
——Was it your first time bringing strings into a live show?
Nakamura:We have done it several times before, but lately we had been playing as a band the whole time, so it had been a while. Live strings really do have different thickness and warmth, and I like the way the sound rises, gradually coming up with that airy feeling.
Okamoto:The strings felt really good to me too. They were so wonderful that I wanted to stop playing myself and just listen.
——It was also striking how into it the orchestra conductor was.
Nakamura:He had impact! It felt like the teacher with his back to us, the conductor, took everything (laughs).
Okamoto:It cannot be helped. He is a famous great teacher.
——Have you performed together several times before?
Nakamura:Two or three times, we asked him for recordings when strings were included. We place tremendous trust in him and leave it to him, but once it becomes the actual live performance...
Okamoto:A dancer element gets added! (laughs)
Nakamura:Exactly. He becomes like a conductor and dancer in one (laughs). Afterward, audience members often say, "That conductor was amazing!"
——Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for the fan club-only events that will be held after this work is released.
Nakamura:It has been a long time since we did fan club events, so first of all, the strongest feeling is that I am looking forward to them. In terms of content, we may be able to do staging that is more fan club-specific than a normal live show, and we had asked in advance for votes on popular songs, so I am thinking we might present the results in a best-ten format. If we do that, the setlist may become something you would not see at a normal live show, so that is exciting too.
Okamoto:It is still in the planning stage, but rather than just doing a live show, I want to have sections we can enjoy together with everyone. Things like a present time where we draw winners using ticket stubs. I want to make it an event where everyone can feel us closer to them.
GARNET CROW "Nostalgia"
GARNET CROW LIVE DVD "GARNET CROW livescope 2012 ~the tales of memories~"