Shu
Kagrra's new album "Shu" releases on April 1st! We had an interview with the members about secret anecdotes of their work which includes 10 songs, that has the meaning of connecting a set of prayer beads into 1 strong song by song.
―This album is about a year and 3 months after "Core" but around when did you start working on it?
Isshi: The songs were done around the enf of May last year until June, I think. Up until then we had some stock, and progressed at a fast pace. The main theme of the lyrics of "Core" was "anger" but this time the theme it has a bit of a bigger theme with a feeling of our worldview.
―I was surprised by "Subarashiki kana? Jinsei". Would this be the first time you've included a saxophone in the arranging?
Shin: That's right. We've worked with a lot of instruments up until now, but it's the first time we used saxophone.
―"Uzu" and "Paraizo" have a grace that certainly feels like the Japanese beauty typical of Kagrra, but the title "Subarashiki kana? Jinsei" is like, how did that come about?! I was really surprised.
Isshi: For sure for sure. (laughs) This time our intuition was to choose 10 songs worthy of being on the album. We were thinking about it one by one like, would there be 4, 5, or 6 songs? But, of course we have "Paraizo" as the first song, and because that brings the Kagrra,-ness to the front, I feel that we can then show various other scenery.
―"Sakurazukiyo" seems like it'll be the lead song, how did you flesh it out?
Isshi: It's not that it has the sense of not being fleshed out, but it'll be the focal point of the album. "Sakurazukiyo" is the oldest song amongst these, since it's a song we had around 3 years prior.
Akiya: Conversely the newest song is "Kikoku Shuushuu". Because we felt like we could do it while we were recording this. I think this time we have an awesome balance between sounds from 3 years prior and our current sound. This is the culmination of all of the years we've been active since our first album, but from the 1st album to the 2nd album we'd only grown and changed for about one year, in the evolution of our work. I think I want this new us to feel even more real than the current us, but this time along with that kind of idea I think our 3 or 4 years of growth is highly pronounced. That's what I've been thinking for a little while.
Izumi: Certainly. It was like that in the time of "Core" too, and when we make each album, but I think it's because it's an album that we can freely display the various new faces of Kagrra that are shown here. So because we're showing various aspects of Kagrra, we're spreading out even wider, right? I think this album will also make you feel the new true self of 2009 Kagrra.
―I see. But didn't you include a lot of older songs when you were recording "Core" as well? That hasn't changed?
Akiya: That's right. But, this time it's a little different. Like with the lead song "Sakurazukiyo", it was something we've wanted to do for a while, but it was always that the timing wasn't right. It was a song we've always passed up. But it was an important one so this was the best timing to release it. It's not just one song on the album, but it seems to be the most important song that pulls the album along.
―Surely "Sakurazukiyo" is the one that pulls this album along, or should I say, it's the most impressive. There are tracks with intensity, but this has a wonderfully soft atmosphere that spreads throughout the whole album.
Nao: Yeah. Somehow it's faced with more roughness than usual isn't it? I think it's the sense of the album that we worked on, right? Because we've had lots of rhythmic tracks so far but I think songs like "Subarashiki kana? Jinsei" are more rough.
―Was your overseas tour a big influence on that one?
Nao: It is. Or should I say that we didn't get hung up on the little details? We've absolutely done a lot of familiar things so far, but as long as we feel good about the sound itself we'll enjoy it right? After all, for me, I've absolutely never done a slide like vu~un, but this time I did a lot of it naturally. (laughs) When I accidentally did a nice-sounding slide in the studio during pre-programming, Akki said "That just now! That was great!" (laughs)
Izumi: That was the slide part of the intro of "Towa ni..." right?
Akiya: Naoran intuitively did an awesome slide sound. And no matter how many times he redid the slide, we subconsciously accepted that the first vu~un was the best.
Nao: I think we recorded it 5 or 6 times, but the first vu~un was the best of all. (laughs)
Izumi: It fit in exquisitely when we were recording. I think it'd be difficult for that to make a reappearance at a live, but it seems like it was a "wow!" Incidentally, I called him our MVP too then. (laughs)
―MVP? I'd understand if it's MKY.
Isshi: But what's MKY? (laughs)
―"Maji kita yabai!"(*1)
Nao: But that's wrong! (flatly)
Akiya: Ahahaha. MVP is used for basketball and soccer when deciding things like the best shot...
Isshi: Ah, so in short, it's Number 1. (laughs)
Izumi: Yeah. (laughs) That was definitely the MVP moment of this album.
―"Ren" Is also a song where you can feel the tempo and the beauty of it intertwined with the koto is exquisite.
Shin: I think it's more of a realistic addition for a live, and a style that is absolutely Kagrra,.
―For sure. What's the meaning of the album title?
Isshi: They're round jewels, like the jewels on a string of prayer beads. Each of the 10 jewels (10 tracks) shine one by one, and Kagrra, brings them all together into a single string. The reading is "Shu" but the kanji for 'spell' can also be read as "Shu", so it also has the meaning that this album puts a spell on everyone who listens to it.(*2) I think it'll certainly pull everyone straight in to Kagrra's world.
Isshi: The songs were done around the enf of May last year until June, I think. Up until then we had some stock, and progressed at a fast pace. The main theme of the lyrics of "Core" was "anger" but this time the theme it has a bit of a bigger theme with a feeling of our worldview.
―I was surprised by "Subarashiki kana? Jinsei". Would this be the first time you've included a saxophone in the arranging?
Shin: That's right. We've worked with a lot of instruments up until now, but it's the first time we used saxophone.
―"Uzu" and "Paraizo" have a grace that certainly feels like the Japanese beauty typical of Kagrra, but the title "Subarashiki kana? Jinsei" is like, how did that come about?! I was really surprised.
Isshi: For sure for sure. (laughs) This time our intuition was to choose 10 songs worthy of being on the album. We were thinking about it one by one like, would there be 4, 5, or 6 songs? But, of course we have "Paraizo" as the first song, and because that brings the Kagrra,-ness to the front, I feel that we can then show various other scenery.
―"Sakurazukiyo" seems like it'll be the lead song, how did you flesh it out?
Isshi: It's not that it has the sense of not being fleshed out, but it'll be the focal point of the album. "Sakurazukiyo" is the oldest song amongst these, since it's a song we had around 3 years prior.
Akiya: Conversely the newest song is "Kikoku Shuushuu". Because we felt like we could do it while we were recording this. I think this time we have an awesome balance between sounds from 3 years prior and our current sound. This is the culmination of all of the years we've been active since our first album, but from the 1st album to the 2nd album we'd only grown and changed for about one year, in the evolution of our work. I think I want this new us to feel even more real than the current us, but this time along with that kind of idea I think our 3 or 4 years of growth is highly pronounced. That's what I've been thinking for a little while.
Izumi: Certainly. It was like that in the time of "Core" too, and when we make each album, but I think it's because it's an album that we can freely display the various new faces of Kagrra that are shown here. So because we're showing various aspects of Kagrra, we're spreading out even wider, right? I think this album will also make you feel the new true self of 2009 Kagrra.
―I see. But didn't you include a lot of older songs when you were recording "Core" as well? That hasn't changed?
Akiya: That's right. But, this time it's a little different. Like with the lead song "Sakurazukiyo", it was something we've wanted to do for a while, but it was always that the timing wasn't right. It was a song we've always passed up. But it was an important one so this was the best timing to release it. It's not just one song on the album, but it seems to be the most important song that pulls the album along.
―Surely "Sakurazukiyo" is the one that pulls this album along, or should I say, it's the most impressive. There are tracks with intensity, but this has a wonderfully soft atmosphere that spreads throughout the whole album.
Nao: Yeah. Somehow it's faced with more roughness than usual isn't it? I think it's the sense of the album that we worked on, right? Because we've had lots of rhythmic tracks so far but I think songs like "Subarashiki kana? Jinsei" are more rough.
―Was your overseas tour a big influence on that one?
Nao: It is. Or should I say that we didn't get hung up on the little details? We've absolutely done a lot of familiar things so far, but as long as we feel good about the sound itself we'll enjoy it right? After all, for me, I've absolutely never done a slide like vu~un, but this time I did a lot of it naturally. (laughs) When I accidentally did a nice-sounding slide in the studio during pre-programming, Akki said "That just now! That was great!" (laughs)
Izumi: That was the slide part of the intro of "Towa ni..." right?
Akiya: Naoran intuitively did an awesome slide sound. And no matter how many times he redid the slide, we subconsciously accepted that the first vu~un was the best.
Nao: I think we recorded it 5 or 6 times, but the first vu~un was the best of all. (laughs)
Izumi: It fit in exquisitely when we were recording. I think it'd be difficult for that to make a reappearance at a live, but it seems like it was a "wow!" Incidentally, I called him our MVP too then. (laughs)
―MVP? I'd understand if it's MKY.
Isshi: But what's MKY? (laughs)
―"Maji kita yabai!"(*1)
Nao: But that's wrong! (flatly)
Akiya: Ahahaha. MVP is used for basketball and soccer when deciding things like the best shot...
Isshi: Ah, so in short, it's Number 1. (laughs)
Izumi: Yeah. (laughs) That was definitely the MVP moment of this album.
―"Ren" Is also a song where you can feel the tempo and the beauty of it intertwined with the koto is exquisite.
Shin: I think it's more of a realistic addition for a live, and a style that is absolutely Kagrra,.
―For sure. What's the meaning of the album title?
Isshi: They're round jewels, like the jewels on a string of prayer beads. Each of the 10 jewels (10 tracks) shine one by one, and Kagrra, brings them all together into a single string. The reading is "Shu" but the kanji for 'spell' can also be read as "Shu", so it also has the meaning that this album puts a spell on everyone who listens to it.(*2) I think it'll certainly pull everyone straight in to Kagrra's world.
Notes:
*1 - MKY isn't something I've encountered before but I looked it up and it seems to be a way of saying that someone can't read the situation well? Except in that case MKY is short for "maji kuuki yomanai" and not "maji kita yabai", so I think the interviewer got it wrong and Nao was correcting her. lol
*2 - The album title 珠 means bead or jewel. The comparison Isshi is making here with 'spell' is the 呪 kanji which can also be read as "Shu".
*1 - MKY isn't something I've encountered before but I looked it up and it seems to be a way of saying that someone can't read the situation well? Except in that case MKY is short for "maji kuuki yomanai" and not "maji kita yabai", so I think the interviewer got it wrong and Nao was correcting her. lol
*2 - The album title 珠 means bead or jewel. The comparison Isshi is making here with 'spell' is the 呪 kanji which can also be read as "Shu".