『RAVEN』 interview for ZealLink vol. 006
Interview: Takeichi Naoko
Translation: Ariane
- Counting from 19th of March and release of
single 「RAVEN」, finally you open act
of three monthly releases.
Koichi: Right. I think that in 2014 we will attack in avant-garde style.
MiA: In last three-month release we’ve shown MEJIBRAY’s specialty, so this time we thought: wouldn’t it be better to shake-off MEJIBRAY template with full blast? But I was also told by Tsuzuku “I want to make loud songs in western style”
- Tsuzuku, in your request for “western music”, did you have in mind any particular image?
Tsuzuku: Yep. What was necessary was falsetto. I had a feeling, that lately there are a lot of vociferous bands, so I wanted to hit “with noisy but anti-vociferous songs”. That’s why not telling MiA that I want to sing falsetto, I told him strictly „I want to make loud songs in western style”. I think that I had an idea to kill the poison with poison.
MiA: If you listen to it from the very beginning, I think I was creating those songs keeping in mind that melody should match falsetto, so it’s good I wasn’t told about it at the beginning.
- Maybe because Tsuzuku’s handiwork (writing) was great?
Tsuzuku: Good poetry answer was given. Well, it was written with my unchanging avant-garde, or I’d rather say – until now those songs were probably the most avant-garde ones. Because each newest work overcomes past works with avant-garde.
- Drums are also avant-garde.
Tsuzuku: Drums at the beginning had to be “just slightly kicking”. But if we did do so, meto would hate it for sure (laughs)
Meto: ………
Ruana: He says… “Exactly (laughs). That’s why when first time listened, I wasn’t excited by the image at all. Even the western CDs which I had as the reference were types of bands I haven’t been listening to until now, so I completely couldn’t understand it.
Tsuzuku: But it was also a challenge. By doing this I wondered if any chemistry will appear by mixing it with phrases played by meto. And then there appeared chemistry, just like I thought. It took the best shape of ideal reason.
- You also attacked with composition, which has only A melody and choruses.
Koichi: That’s right. In result, after putting meto’s drums, when chemistry appeared, it became MEJIBRAY-style song. We thought that even if we have chosen different tactics, becoming MEJIBRAY-style would be charming.
Tsuzuku: Because choruses are really beautiful.
- That’s right. By the way, RAVEN means ‘karasu’ (raven in Japanese). It has lyrics having the meaning of singularity.
Tsuzuku: Right. Some people may hate ravens. I mean, it’s a symbol of minority. I wanted it as a theme since long time ago, but I wasn’t familiar to that feeling. Finally now I’ve became more accustomed to those feelings, so this time I tried to create lyrics from them.
(Part 1 of 3)
Koichi: Right. I think that in 2014 we will attack in avant-garde style.
MiA: In last three-month release we’ve shown MEJIBRAY’s specialty, so this time we thought: wouldn’t it be better to shake-off MEJIBRAY template with full blast? But I was also told by Tsuzuku “I want to make loud songs in western style”
- Tsuzuku, in your request for “western music”, did you have in mind any particular image?
Tsuzuku: Yep. What was necessary was falsetto. I had a feeling, that lately there are a lot of vociferous bands, so I wanted to hit “with noisy but anti-vociferous songs”. That’s why not telling MiA that I want to sing falsetto, I told him strictly „I want to make loud songs in western style”. I think that I had an idea to kill the poison with poison.
MiA: If you listen to it from the very beginning, I think I was creating those songs keeping in mind that melody should match falsetto, so it’s good I wasn’t told about it at the beginning.
- Maybe because Tsuzuku’s handiwork (writing) was great?
Tsuzuku: Good poetry answer was given. Well, it was written with my unchanging avant-garde, or I’d rather say – until now those songs were probably the most avant-garde ones. Because each newest work overcomes past works with avant-garde.
- Drums are also avant-garde.
Tsuzuku: Drums at the beginning had to be “just slightly kicking”. But if we did do so, meto would hate it for sure (laughs)
Meto: ………
Ruana: He says… “Exactly (laughs). That’s why when first time listened, I wasn’t excited by the image at all. Even the western CDs which I had as the reference were types of bands I haven’t been listening to until now, so I completely couldn’t understand it.
Tsuzuku: But it was also a challenge. By doing this I wondered if any chemistry will appear by mixing it with phrases played by meto. And then there appeared chemistry, just like I thought. It took the best shape of ideal reason.
- You also attacked with composition, which has only A melody and choruses.
Koichi: That’s right. In result, after putting meto’s drums, when chemistry appeared, it became MEJIBRAY-style song. We thought that even if we have chosen different tactics, becoming MEJIBRAY-style would be charming.
Tsuzuku: Because choruses are really beautiful.
- That’s right. By the way, RAVEN means ‘karasu’ (raven in Japanese). It has lyrics having the meaning of singularity.
Tsuzuku: Right. Some people may hate ravens. I mean, it’s a symbol of minority. I wanted it as a theme since long time ago, but I wasn’t familiar to that feeling. Finally now I’ve became more accustomed to those feelings, so this time I tried to create lyrics from them.
(Part 1 of 3)