#guess who's had gekkou on loop (me)

[teddiecircus]

how i look w she/her in my bio

[hylukotranslations]

FOOL'S MATE - May 2005 Album: Juusankai wa gekkou (13th floor with moonshine)

Yutaka Higuchi (Bass) x Yagami Toll (Drums) Interview by Tomoko Imai

It seems that the theme of your new album is "the goth", but what does this mean to Buck-Tick ?

Toll : It's something quite natural for us. This isn't something completely unknown or that we never did, so we don't have any feeling of discord, but it was the first time that we did it in-depth that intentionally. Before, I think we did it rather by chance or accident.

So it wasn't like returning to your first frame of mind ?

Toll : This always occurs to us, but on the contrary it can be hard when like this time we had to work on that much.

U-ta : It wasn't like returning to our "origin". It was rather, it's now that we can do it, I think that what all the members think. We wanted to show that there isn't that much differences from the albums we've released lately, but we also have this side.

Since when did you have the impression that you would work on this theme ?

U-ta : At first, Imai did 2 songs and we talked about working in this direction for this album. It was around October I think. Then, after the live at Yokohama Arena, he did around 4 songs, and we thought : ah, then it will be that kind of impression. We knew what Imai wanted to say about the "goth tendance" when he did the first 2 songs.

Then at the moment where you were about to release the single, you were already decided on the direction you would take.

U-ta : We hesitated a bit on the choice of the song, but we chose it quite easily, didn't we ?

Toll : Yes, among the 8 we had.

U-ta : We chose it among the songs of the first half of the recording session. Maybe one can feel easily its atmosphere or this kind of thing. For the coupling song, usually we put songs which hadn't that much connexion, but for this time we chose one which is used as the entrance to the album, which helps to understand. Listening to this single, one can, to say imagine the album would be weird, maybe enter it easily.

As a whole, the sounds of this album give an impression of denseness.

U-ta : Denseness or, maybe band sound. This time we didn't use that much rythm loops and others, so I think the fact that the 5 members played is highlighted. That's why Anii (note : Toll) thinks it may be hard. The space between the sounds is not completely filled, is it. And it's this space which is kind of frightening (laughs).

That's where it sounds goth, but for what reason did you chose intentionally the goth ? Maybe because it was the right moment, but on the contrary it may aim too much the center of your self-expression. Didn't you feel any resistance or anxiety towards it ?

U-ta : As far as I'm concerned, I thought it was cool. For example, about the artist photos, usually I don't want to use make up. But this time, it was to the point to say : "do you want more !" (laughs). This was, maybe not cool but, kind of : "why not !".

Toll : I think the result was precise. Like if we were close to Imai's plans.

From where do you think these plans come to Imai 's mind ? Did you feel it ?

Toll : No. I couldn't imagine he was thinking about it while he was into Lucy (note : Imai's side project) (laughs) I rather thought that the new album would be like a continuation of Lucy and would be rock'n roll (laughs).

Was it because you did solo careers that Buck-Tick's image became like this ?

Toll : I wonder.

U-ta : Somewhere I felt it that way, that it's because each one did different stuff that we reached this point.

The fact you gave importance to the band sound, has it something to do with the fact you went through your solo careers ?

U-ta : I don't think it goes as far as that. For the single, it was like : first bullet gathering together ! It's been a long time since we didn't gather for doing something. So, when it was about to do a single, we have thought for a certain time before making a decision. But we didn't record a new song in a studio all of a sudden. Since we did lives at Yokohama Arena and Budoukan, that we have played together, so we could do the recording quite easily. If we have gathered at the studio all of a sudden, maybe there would have been a kind of tension or something.

I digress a bit, but how was the live at Yokohama Arena ? As far as I'm concerned, I realized again that you have an unshakeable band sound.

Toll : We who were playing, were very very (laughs) pleased. Since we have seen other stuff of the other members, it was all the more reason for playing together, how joyful (laughs). I can't say it with words, but it was agreeable. Maybe we made more or less blunders, but we didn't care at all, we wanted to emit sounds above all. But I'm speaking as if we were an amateur band (laughs).

During the recording, there were lives and tours. Did it provoke humour changes ?

U-ta : It's been a long time since we hadn't do breaks once into the recording, but we could easily change our state of mind.

Maybe it was a good timing to strengthen the band sound.

U-ta : Things happened in a favorable order.

Is living with Buck-Tick still comfortable or did it change ?

Toll : Basically it doesn't change.

U-ta : I think it didn't change, but to have worked separately like this time had some importance for me. Since I worked with other persons, I have that impression. What was normal wasn't anymore normal, or it was the opposite, or when I thought to be understood without saying anything it didn't work elsewhere. I won't say as far as a perfect harmony, but I realized during the rehearsals and others that we don't even need to talk to understand each other.

Toll : I would say, we can stay there normally. There isn't any weird tension. And we don't say "good morning !" like when we work with someone for the first time (laughs). From this point of view, things go smoothly.

So you realized again that you are like a family ?

U-ta : I personally realized it strongly. I thought I knew it but I realized I didn't know it. But I don't say that (laughs).

Toll : And yet it can seem doubtful (laughs). Since before we don't do stuff like making a circle before the lives (laughs), or once finished we don't line up in front of the stage. We don't attach so much importance to the rock bands' "stylism". We received that kind of fanletters, saying : "you never stop and that's so cool" (laughs).

Has the recording made good progress ?

U-ta : I'd rather say that the achievement of the songs went fast, and it was the same for Acchan's lyrics. So, after recording 2 or 3 songs, we could guess the next song which was about to be recorded. In this meaning, while recording we could easily imagine the whole album. Especially because we knew there would be a great number of pieces. Before, in the album "Six /Nine", there were also a great number of songs and I was often wondering "how will it be ?". I thought maybe this time it would be the same, but it wasn't really the case.

It was the time where you were using 3 studios and were working simultaneously.

U-ta : Today I wonder, what was it ? (laughs) It wasn't like that time. So, for the concept of the album jacket, we could find a designer who had a certain atmosphere.

Who is not Ken Sakaguchi who has been doing your artwork for a long time.

U-ta : No, his name is Akita. When we saw his works on documents, we thought : "it can be only him !"

Toll : He was the right person without any doubt.

When you have images that clear, you can easily imagine your play ?

U-ta : Maybe we can play in an audacious way. But I think that if we are too audacious, maybe it can look ridiculous. Since there is a great number of songs, if we do them all too much, we can get confused. So, we were thinking, how can we show the songs themselves, and in this meaning we could play quite easily.

However, the rhythm team has a great responsibilty on how to create the atmosphere as a band.

Toll : Basically we create the sounds listening to the composer's opinion.

What's the point of making a gothic image with the rhythm ?

U-ta : For me, it would be the fear of the empty space. Today there are people who play mainly that way, and they do that with a hard impression, but for me it's kind of cheap. There are impressions of fear though it's cheap, aren't there. When the rim shots always resound hollow, or when there isn't any heavy guitar, which isn't even played noisily. I think it's this kind of impression.

That's what you meant when you said it's not too much filled.

U-ta : Absolutely. Atchan's voice is saying something in our ear, and the bass resounds here and there. With only that it's scary (laughs). For me it's this kind of impression which is gothic.

What about you Anii.

Toll : Maybe an impression of lack of ardour (laughs). Something simple. And yet an impression that the sounds aren't completely slapdashed (laughs), that the tams are curiously heavy.

In "Gesshoku (Lunar eclipse)", the sounds of the drums are interesting.

Toll : I muted at the maximum, using a drumhead which was like dead, but not to the point to go throught it (laughs). I talked with Imai, and we were saying : "is it enough dead ?" "no, I want it more dead" "like that ?" "no, more", so we were more and more sticking adhesive tape on the head (laughs). And in the end we put a towel on it (laughs).

Are there other songs where you use special techniques ?

Toll : In "Diabolo -Lucifer-" for instance, when the tempo changes the drums are set differently.

The orders for the sounds are meticulous.

Toll : Yes. For the pieces of Imai I talked with Imai, for the ones of Hide I talked with Hide. When the sound of the cymbal hadn't be that imposing, I was asked : "bring the cheapest one" (laughs). For this time I payed careful attention to the kit balance, to the general impression listening to the sounds. Before I didn't think to that point. I was using the same kit as in the lives. This time, I payed attention to even one cymbal.

I thought that in "Diabolo -Lucifer" and "Cabaret" the decadent side of the gothic was well expressed, and I also felt that the rhythm team made effort on them.

U-ta : It was also above all interesting.

This time, as suggested by the theme, the pieces and the lyrics have a gothic impression, but how do you see it objectively ?

U-ta : About the singing, he is like a fish in the water (laughs). As I just said, the songs were achieved fast so we could guess them, so I can feel that the singing fits well. "Kourin", for example, is incredible. He doesn't increase the tension, he just sings kindly, so why is it so scary (laughs).

Nowadays when we say goth we have a hard image, but in your album it's the European imposant, dark or decadent side, or the weary feeling of the eighties, which are strongly brought out.

U-ta : Yes, it's that one (laughs). When Imai-san did the first songs, I also thought it was that aspect. When we were talking with Imai-san, I think he didn't say opposite things. So it's about that kind of fear.

It made me want to listen again to Joy Division and others. Which goth bands influenced Buck-Tick ?

U-ta : Bauhaus was probably the one which influenced us the most. They were also timely at that period.

It's interesting that you express in a straight way what you were influenced by with a kind of excess of youthful ardour, also the fact that you express what you have digested during a long time.

U-ta : I have the impression that we are quite receptive or easily able to show stuff to people.

Your artwork and the PV are both realized with a very coherent concept. Thus, we can imagine that your stage will be conceptual.

U-ta : We don't know yet, but since it forms a whole at that point, it would be interesting to do something general. So that people would enter the atmosphere of the album also at the lives.

I'm impatient to see that. And the tour will be long.

U-ta : There will be places we never went to, others where we went only once. Gunma will be the first town, and it's been a long time that we hadn't play there.

Toll : It's been a long time that we didn't do such a long tour, so maybe I'll be tired (laughs). But I'll do my best.

--fin

translation: hyluko [livejournal] scans: tigerpal [livejournal]

NOTE: these translations are not mine also might not be very accurate. i took them from hyluko’s site using the wayback machine. thought they’re great to share. if the owner is around and wants me to take them down i will!