MUCC Interview 2009

Can you introduce yourselves first?

Tatsuro: I'm Tasturou, on vocals.

YUKKE: YUKKE, on bass.

Satochi: Satochi, on drums.

Miya: Miya, on guitar.

You just came back to Japan after completing the European tour in October and also your South American tour. How were they?

YUKKE: They were great! I felt that they really welcomed us and that they were really expecting to see us live. I could clearly see that the audience knew our songs, because everyone sang along with me. So, I'm really happy to see them again.

You have already toured overseas a few times and is there any difference in how the audience react overseas and in Japan?

Satochi: Audiences overseas are more energetic, indeed.

Maybe they are more energetic because they are able to see you only on much longer intervals than in Japan.

Tatsuro: Actually, we tour in Japan as well as overseas only about once a year. So, there isn't too much difference in terms of intervals.

So, you tour overseas as frequently as you tour in Japan.

Tatsuro: Exactly. But it's should be a lot easier for our fans in Tokyo to come see us live.

That's true. Now, let me hear about your latest single. It's been 10 months since you released the last work and in continuation from your last singles "AGEHA" and "Sora to Ito," your new single "freesia" is also produced by KEN of L'Arc-en-Ciel. This time it seems like ballad. Do you have any comments about what is this album like?

Tatsuro: It may look like everything is as usual at first sight, but it actually turned out to be something completely new.

Can you tell me the details?

Tatsuro: The lyrics are different. We put a whole lot more into it than we did previously. The directions are different, and the way we approached the song making a bit differently as well.

Is there any difference in the way you sing as well?

Tatsuro: You mean at concerts?

Yeah.

Tatsuro: The difference is quite noticeable. There are a lot of elements there that were not there before. It's more difficult to sing them in a sense that I'm not used to it. It's not about the melody and perhaps it's not easily noticeably, but the focus is definitely different.

Perhaps you were completely familiar with the way the band worked with previous members, but now that Ken joined, he is brining in something new.

Tatsuro: It might be.

Miya: We have lots of ballad songs, but we have never made this kind of ballad before. "Freesia" finished up about a year ago, and we could have included it with our previous album "Sphere," but we though this song is a little bit unfit for the theme of that album, so we decided to release this song some other time. I think it was a good decision.Actually, we played "Freesia" on the first day of our tour "Mucc Japan Tour 2009 Kyutai (Sphere)" at Nippon Budokan, but only recently we have been felt that now is the perfect time to play this song.

Does it mean you finally feel that "Freesia" becomes your own song?

Tatsuro: Well, after the tour of the album "Sphere," we felt that "Freesia" matches with the general directly of where we are trying to go next, so although this song was produced by Ken a year ago, we feel this is the right timing now to sing it and can play it.

Indeed. I feel that "Freesia" has some kind of new tone compared to previous two songs. Are there any differences in how you play it on the guitar?

Miya: This song is simpler than other songs, and that's why it is really tough, because it requires careful arrangement. So, we made this song carefully together with Ken than we usual do.

The guitar is really emotional towards the end of the song.

Miya: Well, the feeling of the song is soft overall, and so we gave it a kick with vocal effects and the guitar solo part at the very end of the song. We wanted to emphasize the bridge the most, so we played other part a little bit im moderation.

The guitar solo really is emotional.

Miya: It's not necessary for everything to be expressed vocally or explicitly. The guitar and the drums solos at the end of the song really enabled us to bring those feelings out.

Overall effect was quite unexpected indeed, or different from what I'm used to from Mucc and I have to say it was great. How about you two?

Satochi: During the recording, I actually wasn't thinking of the song as a ballad, and it was only recently that I realized that it is one.

I see.

Satochi: I alwys try to play drums according to my natural feelsing, but for this song, I really put a lot of my emotion into this song.

And it turned out to be a dramatic ballad song.

Satochi: That's right, this song is so dramatic that I recognized it as a ballad only recently, during our recent tours overseas.

(Laugh)

Satochi: So, my first impression about the song was that it isn't a ballad.

Why is that?

Satochi: Well, until you get to the chorus part of the song, the tone of the song is not necessarily bright. So, that may be the reason why.

After hearing this, I think the song will sound differently when I listen to it the next time.

Satochi: Yes, there were parts of the song when I was holding myself back.

I see. So what about you, YUKKE?

YUKKE: When we were making the decision about which song to release as a single, the first impression of this song was really good. I thought it's new and it would be interesting to release it as a single. So it took 10 months after we completed this song before we could release it, but the timing could not have been better.

The single "freesia" is not a part of trilogy which produced by Ken, is it?

Tatsuro: This song had already been completed before "Kyutai" was composed. We wanted to release it when the opportunity came, and it was finally released now. Listeners may think it is a part of trilogy, but that project had already been completed with the release of "Kyutai."

I felt that "freesia" is different from other songs. It is different from others in a good way.The song has dominating presence, doesn't it? Anyway, why did you give a title to the song "freesia"?

Tatsuro: When I decided the title, I was thinking which part is the core of the song and I thought that the bridge is it. I wrote the lyrics about the flower for it. I imagined the scenery with the flower and thought freesia fits perfectly.

I read the lyrics of the album "Kyutai." At first, I thought that we have to interpret the lyrics on our own ways, and my impression was that it was about isolation and withdrawal. But overall, it strikes me that the lyrics tell us to live a forward-looking life, so I feel that the song has some positive message.

Miya: As a 30-year old songwriter, I cannot write only about sorrows, because eventually we must live on our own. I used to write the lyrics only about the things that are totally disastrous, but now I'm not in the mood to write that kind of lyrics. I have grown out of that. As I've gotten older, I've figure out some solutions to the problem and I take in that in to the lyrics.

So, you really did go through a lot of personal growth.

Miya: Yes, I really think so.

How do you take in the lyrics written by Miya and sing them?

Tatsuro: It is impossible to understand everything, but there is occasionally a word or a phrase that sinks in, and I expand that feeling when I sing. After that, I tweak it here and there, and the entire song is constructed.

Is there ever a moment when it is impossible to agree with something?

Miya: I try to keep an image of what the song is about, and when how it turns out is drastically different, I would point it out. It's actually the same with Tatsuro's lyrics. Basically, I try to think about the song and it doesn't matter who wrote it.

I see. So, how did you guys play this song?

Satochi: It's really Mucc style, so I thought it's going to be great. It was easy to play. We worked together remembering the old times.

So, it's like something that's been building up inside just came out.

Satochi: Yes, it's like that. This kind of song is easy to do, including the tempo.

How about you, YUKKE?

YUKKE: It was really easy working. If this was a few yeas ago, maybe it' would have been a bit different, but song really came out really naturally.

Did you write the song "Rakuen" recently?

Miya: I wrote "Rakuten" just to work on what I'm currently interested in right now. It has nothing to do with tours or the purpose of playing it live.

This song is upbeat and it must be nice to listen to it when you take a walk. There are rhymes to the lyrics and it kind of feels like an English song.

Tatsuro: I did it freely.

How did you write the lyrics for this song?

Tatsuro: The song was going to be on the B-side, and that sort of gave me the freedom to play around a little, without taking it too seriously. There is not much sorrow in this song. Instead, it is a good party song.

The lyrics make you think for a moment. It plays with your mind, making you wonder what it means.

Tatsuro: Yes, but it's perfectly concealed so I doubt that anyone would understand.

So you mean there is a clear message to the song?

Tatsuro: No messages, but there is a clear theme. The entire song is made of metaphors.

That should have been difficult.

Tatsuro: I used metaphors to explain situations and emotions.

Did you use a drum machine?

Miya: Yes, all drums are played by drum machines.

How do you play them live?

Miya: We actually play the drums.

Does the live version sound different?

Miya: I'm not sure. I think it will lack the sound of a drum machine so we try not to sound too different. We also want the audience to enjoy the sound of live drums.

Have you ever played this song at lives?

Miya: No, we never performed this song at a live.

Can we expect to see a live performance of this song one day?

Miya: Yes, eventually.

Now, out of the 3 songs, tell us which part the listeners should pay attention to.

Tatsuro: The lyrics of "Rakuen" can be interpreted in many ways so it might be fun listening to the lyrics wondering what it implies..

Miya: In "Freesia", I hope they pay attention to my outlaw guitar solo, especially how it's screaming. Also, the foot stomps in "Rakuen" should be very interesting to listen to.

Foot stomps？

Miya: Yes, foot stomps are there.

Did you do that on your own?

Miya: No, everyone did it.

Oh! We should check it out then.

YUKKE: When we recorded "Rakuen" it wasn't like playing it together all at once. The instruments are layered on top of the rhythm we created on the drum machines. Because they are live instruments, a meticulous care was needed to ensure that they blend in, especially because we also used an upright bass. By using the upright bass, I was really confronted with the bass line and the process of recording it felt like going one note after another carefully. So, I hope that's something they listen to.

Do you have any future plan on what types of songs you'd like to work on?

Miya: Hmmm. It's hard to say at the moment. You know, have just complete the tours, and we are moving on, and when we make a new album I think we should try to go over whatever that comes up. Whatever comes out, we should always keep on moving ahead.

Sounds exciting. So, can I have a massage fro your fans?

Tatsuro: We are based in Tokyo, but we have seen many fans came from all over the world to see our show in Japan, so hopefully we can visit to more countries more often. Whether we see in Japan or overseas, I hope it happens more frequently.Mucc is a kind of band that tries out new stuff all the time, so I hope you continue to enjoy our music.

Satochi: We would really like to respond to the expectation for us to play more overseas. When you come see us live, you will see that we always play the music as best as we can, no matter it's in Japan or overseas.

YUKKE: We should be able to go overseas more often, so see you then!

Thank you very much.

MUCC: Thank you very much.