*Nao is not present due to poor health.
—Hasn’t it been 2 years since you guys released an album?
Sh: After changing recording companies, we selfishly thought, “let’s use this timing as our chance” and delayed our album release by half a year.
—This year you released 3 singles one after the other…
Sh: Yes. Normally we would have created and released songs for an album immediately after touring, but we ventured to break that flow. [laughs]
H: There wasn’t anything impossible about our original plan, but we wanted to be in a more music-oriented environment and changed companies, so the album had to be delayed.
S: Our previous album [“9”] was created on an extremely tight schedule. For this album we wanted to properly do the recordings. Until now we’ve been doing things thinking, “we only have one shot” and “there’s no going back once it’s decided,” but this time we actually had the time to review everything.
—What were your goals for the album when you first started working on it?
Sh: Our first thoughts were to make an album that could capture the atmosphere of our lives. We wanted to create something that honestly represented our current state. Alice Nine is already welcoming our 10th year milestone; we want to start anew by making music that reaffirms us as a band that can become someone’s guiding light, giving people encouragement and support*.
H: I had the impression of wanting to do a tour after releasing such an album.
Sh: From the flow of our single and album releases, it seemed that we would stop there, but that’s wrong. We want to properly perform our album at lives and let our songs grow by playing “catchball” with our audience, [bouncing ideas back and forth to develop our music]. That’s the true thrill of our band.
—Don’t you often say, “our songs are raised [like children]” at lives?
Sh: When I was young and read words like that in magazine interviews, I didn’t really get what they meant, but now that I’m in a band, I finally understand.
—You gradually rearrange parts each time.
H: We rarely play songs exactly the same as they were originally made.
Sh: If we aren’t excited ourselves, it won't be a good live.
S: Because we wanted feel tension and excitement in a good way, our arrangements changed during each tour. Although there may be people who want to listen to songs exactly as they were recorded, that’s not our style at lives. If we can have fun playing, we strongly believe that our audience will have fun too- we did it with that positive attitude.
—How was the recording process this time?
T: We starting recording after undergoing a solid pre-production process. If you spend more time on creating music than playing, it’ll be much more fun.
H: I think this time was the most stress-free, creative frame of mind that we’ve had. We were able to learn from [“9”], use our director’s constructive criticisms, and address our sounds more seriously. We were able to deliver our music without any false pretenses.
S: This time we took great care on the drum and bass arrangement. Looking back, the guitar and rhythm teams were in two completely different worlds, doing whatever we pleased. When I told Nao, “It wasn’t done properly before, how useless!” we pondered a lot about our sound moving forward. More than just adding in a lot of tricks and moves, we thought about how to use the least amount of sound to create the most impact. Recently, instead of expressing ourselves as individuals, we became one band that represents Alice Nine. In addition to making songs immediately after tours, we were also able to understand new things. After clearly visualizing this “Alice Nine,” our musical performance become simpler, but it also has a cool finish! Personally, that’s what I’m pleased with the most.
Sh: This time I recorded most of the songs at home. After preparing everything carefully from the plugging to the equipment, I created an environment that could do recordings properly. Since vocalists are becoming more solitary these days, I’ve grown to like recording songs with the mentality of battling myself. We’ve already done this together for 10 years, so I could breathe life into the vocals even without other members present. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had while recording.
—Although there are intense songs, overall it’s not a rock album with prominent guitar distortions or flashy sounds. I think it’s constructed very precisely so that it’s easy to listen to, but it also has a very refined rock feeling.
H: Listening to it briefly, it’s not very flashy is it? The guitar riffs and phrases don’t stand out as much, so it gives a different impression. But I think it still retains that so called momentum-driven rock ‘n’ roll spirit, so our fundamentals have not really changed.
—What’s the meaning of the title [Supernova]?
Sh: [“9”] was a title that used our band name and similarly had a sense of renewed determination, but this time with our 10th year milestone, we wanted to showcase new things we discovered and how we’ve been evolving as strongly as ever. “Supernova” refers to the large explosion that started the universe and is close to our band’s state right now. Personally, I think it’s similar in feeling to our first album [Zekkeishoku]. Instead of making calculating decisions such as “I want it to feel like this,” the album returned to our initial impulses as a band. I created the title as reminiscing of a new beginning even after 10 years.
—Alice Nine has many positive lyrics, but [+-] was refreshingly poisonous.
Sh: If you mixed poison with a pop-ish song, wouldn’t that be interesting? Maybe it’s because I like things that don’t know if its bitter or sweet, like café lattes. [laugh]
—I think it’s that kind of song- the music also changes aggressively.
Sh: [+-] was actually composed by Saga. Even though you hear all kinds of things come out of his mouth, he’s very serious towards music. I too want to sing purely, without frills. That’s why in songs like [+-] and [Seven], in order to showcase a youthful spirit, I don’t use much vibrato or excessive nuances.
—After the album release you guys will start your [Alice Nine 2014 Supernova Symphonia].
Sh: Yes. It will continue from 4/16/14 to 7/5/14, a long tour.
S: Since this is what we’ve been wanting for our album, I’m really glad.
T: We’ll be going all over Asia in the second half.
Sh: Well since it’s our 10th year, it’s good that we’re doing this.
—It’s been 10 years since your formation. Looking back on these 10 years, how do you feel?
Sh: We were a band that teamed together saying, “Let’s do it because it’s interesting,” not deciding at all what kind of music to make. But through trial and error we grew from infants to adults, and I think that represents life itself. Our fans witnessed and contributed to our growth, and I hope that from now on you guys will continue on our journey together.
T: There’s a feeling that it began at last. Do I want to be in a band ending after 10 years or a band that’s starting after 10 years? Definitely the latter. There’s still many things I want to do, so I’ll be patient and do things at my own pace.
H: I’m really happy that I can actually like music more than I did a decade ago. In the past I only felt discontent, but right now in this world even those challenges are fun, and I’m glad to have continued this band with all my strength.
S: It’s been 10 years of only doing things that we want to do. 10 years seems like a long time, but I don’t think my body or mind has grown up at all. [laugh] It would be great if we can continue like this for 20 or 30 years. ________________________
*The literal translation was “to give you a push on your back” but I used “encouragement and support.”
Credits: hellotime-being
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