ALICE NINE. WHITE PRAYER
B-PASS 2007.07
Original text: 大橋美貴子 (Mikiko Ohashi)
Photo: 木村篤史 (Atsushi Kimura)
English Translation: Janique
■ It’s been 3 years since ALICE NINE.’s formation, but compared to that time, what is everyone’s attitude like?
Nao: Even now I think we’re not in perfect form, we’re fumbling along. But if I compare things to when we were playing little livehouses, the people listening to us are increasing, so that being the case, I think the idea that we all individually have to do our best is coming to life.
Tora: At the start, the one with the strongest sense that we were fumbling along was me. But the longer we played, I could see the way the band ought to be, and I could see whether I had to do something myself. If we’re able to keep going, I guess we’ll change from here on out too.
■ In terms of guitar, there are two of you on it, so your positions are to be considered.
Tora: In the beginning I couldn’t do that at all either. I had no experience with twin guitars either and it was tough. But because both of us together had set our sights on a different guitarist image, it was great.
HIROTO: For twin guitar bands, I think there’s also fighting about who will play solos. But we have the stance that the person who can play the solo’ll play it.
Tora: Guess you could say it was a good way to go for the band’s personality. In a bad sense, we don’t fight. In a good sense, we do fight, but we’re able to compromise.
Nao: They even compromise on their seats on the train (laughs)
Everyone: Ahahahahahahaha! (laughing)
Saga: At first, it was like there were three guitarists. Even in terms of my feelings, ’cause it was like I was more conscious of myself as being a guitarist than a bassist.
■ And now? How has that awareness changed?
Saga: I was able to progress in the situation of my having no awareness of being a bassist, but of the bassists around me, there were many people who took up the “middle ground”, not standing out, compensating for what everyone lacked, themselves. I came in contact with those types of people and got influenced by them, and while making mistakes one by one, I picked up that style on the job. In a way, rules and stuff don’t have anything to do with it, I guess I’m a bassist that’s uncharacteristic of bassists. But I think I can do things only as myself. But more than my own tendencies, as you’d expect, for the band’s sound, if my own tendencies were uncool, I couldn’t help changing them. In terms of the rhythm team too, with the increase of people listening to us, I think my awareness of having to support the band got stronger.
Nao: As the rhythm team, I’m sorry to say it, but if I don’t drum properly, even the bass sounds awkward. So I feel I have to do my best.
Saga: I think you’re able to sense the whole band as a rhythm team. Ultimately, if all five people aren’t completely in rhythm, the song won’t be good either. Within that, occasionally, it’s only the bass and drums that’s supporting the rhythm.
■ Shou-kun, how is it on vocals?
Shou: In the beginning, it was hardcore stuff that I liked, but I got used to playing in this band, and I guess I had the sense that I had to sing gently. So I changed various things in the way I sang, but lately I finally was like, I guess it’s okay to sing earnestly from my own roots. In that way, I think I became able to do it without entertaining all the confusing thoughts in my head. Earlier Nao-san spoke about inconveniencing the bass, but if the vocals aren’t good, isn’t the whole band seen as bad? I have a sense of responsibility in that regard too. There are a lot of things I’m bad at, but like, internally, I just can’t forgive myself for sucking. On the other hand, as the five of us, all our personalities clearly stick out, and I was able to meet these great band members by chance, so competing within the group is fun, and the environment is really great — I naturally think that I could become a better version of myself.
■ What’s the song that was the turning point for the musicianship you’d created for yourselves up ’til now?
Shou: What was innovative was “JEWELS”. I always create the melodies, but Saga-kun on bass thought of the melody, thought of a way to create it as a band, and fixated on making it thoroughly pop. I guess in that sense, it was our turning point. So, I think that’s exactly why this time with “WHITE PRAYER” we were able to make a single that confronted the band.
■ What was it you confronted to that extent?
Shou: Normally we all get along so there’s no no opportunity for us to be blunt with each other. We make having an ego as a band taboo, so there is no attitude of like, “just listen to this”. To put it in a bad way, it’s sort of like we’ve ended up seeking direction from the facial expressions of our customers, but like, there’s something wrong with that too. So, we talked it over together, and we were like, can’t we also just simply put out things we want to put out? And then, spitballing ideas together, we sort of made it by jamming, and our feeling of being a band came out more than ever. So in that sense, it feels new.
HIROTO: We want there to be a reason to have to listen to ALICE NINE. within the distinctive attractiveness of bands, which is also why it’s a song we were able to make. It’s a single CD we created pushing ourselves until the sound of just the five of us became cool.
■ With this single, you confronted yourselves as a band, and from now on, what direction is ALICE NINE. going in?
Shou: I think we’re five people that drive ourselves forward, so I want to grow together with the people who are watching us. So I want you to watch over us. Ultimately, I want to be a presence that pulls you toward us. Also, I think there are people who want us to be able to create sounds that even a band can’t, but I want to say what’s magnificent about bands. I want to value us as a band.
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In 2009, they revisited this interview for their B-PASS 2009 Special Edition; you can read their behind-the-scenes commentary [ here ].
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