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How did the initially reluctant vocal tracks come about, and what does it mean for the album to be concluded with a song by Haruomi Hosono?
Although initially reluctant to include vocal tracks, the album features two songs: a cover of “You Came a Long Way from St. Louis” with Yuta on vocals, and an original track “Anata Nara Dou Suru?” with Otomori on vocals.
Fukuhara: First, I wanted to include songs that we had performed live with the band. We usually play as five members, and it’s a strange setup with three guitars, but after creating “Fukidashi” and figuring out how to manage my overdubbed string instruments for the live performance, the division of guitar parts between Kihiro and Gen (from Ålborg) worked best on “Anata Nara Dou Suru?”. I definitely wanted to include both of their sounds in the album, but since I had to sing as well, I didn’t want to do it alone, so I ended up with two vocal tracks [laughs].
Hosono: It feels like being companions on the journey [laughs].
Fukuhara: We could have had Yuta sing “Anata Nara Dou Suru?”, but since the lyrics are about myself, I felt it would be too dark for him to sing. It seemed too sad.
I think the introspective lyrics in this style fit the vibe well.
Fukuhara: I think the lyrics align with the album’s theme. Originally, I didn’t think about the album when I wrote it, but when I saw the album booklet, I felt relieved, thinking, “I was already thinking about these things back then.” It made me realize that not much has really changed in what I feel. I was talking about how “the things you discard end up transforming and becoming part of you,” so it felt right. I only thought of the title at the end, and at first, it was a ridiculous title, “Emo.” Yuta came up with it.
Hosono: I came up with it?
Fukuhara: Don’t you remember? I wouldn’t have come up with that. I don’t say “emo.”
Hosono: You’re right about that.
The album, which went through a lot of trial and error, ends with the song “I Set Sail” where you sing “I am setting sail,” and I couldn’t help but feel an emotional response too [laughs].
Fukuhara: I’m glad. That makes me happy.
And even more so, the fact that your voice, Mr. Hosono, is featured in the final cover song “Love’s Old Sweet Song” adds to the emotion.
Fukuhara: It’s been a long journey, and the album became the culmination of what the two of us had been building over time. But when Hosono-san’s voice came in at the end, it felt like “the big name makes a final appearance,” so Mr. Kakubari also asked, “Is this okay?” But since I’ve been pretty much guided in the palm of his hand [laughs], I thought it felt right to end like this.
“Love’s Old Sweet Song” is just a song I really like. When we were working on the first album, I had this thought of including it as a jingle at the end, and I’d been thinking that for about 3-4 years. When I mentioned this to Hosono-san, he said, “I’ve always wanted to do that too,” so I thought it would be nice for him to sing it at the very end.
Yuta, how do you feel about this conclusion?
Hosono: When we recorded my grandfather’s voice, that was the point when all the recordings were finished, so I thought, “In the end, it all comes back to grandfather” [laughs].
As for being “guided in the palm of his hand,” I’m not sure how he feels about it, but for us, it’s become a natural part of what we do, and we actually enjoy it. We don’t know how long we’ll be able to keep performing together, but as fellow musicians, we look forward to continuing our collaboration moving forward. That’s how I feel.
Chappo “a one & a two”
Released on April 23, 2025
Release price: 3,300 yen (tax included)
DDCK-1081
- “a one”
- Mesi
- Gohatto
- Chitotong
- Fukidashi
- Konbo!!!!!!!!!!
- “&”
- Sono ato
- ATOH
- You Came a Long Way from St. Louis
- “a two”
- Anata nara dousuru?
- Sutando
- Love’s Old Sweet Song
Distribution link:
https://kakubarhythm.lnk.to/CHAPPO_a1a2
