2011/02/23＊Takuro
「Recording Follow-Up Report」
Hello everyone. The recordings are finally nearing their end. Today we happily finished mixing three songs. They’re good, each one of ’em! …is what I think. It’s like something’s exploding. That something being, well, the sound of course. That’s how it is.
There’s the worry over whether the CD will sell or not, so a year after we’ve released these songs as an album, we’ll release them all as single cuts (lie)! And all on analog (bigger lie)!
Even so, to respond to all the “I want this on LP” “Release it as analog!” requests we hear, I’d definitely like to. Cause if you drop your iPod in the water it’ll break, but an LP will be fine. Or if it comes down to it, you can use it like a shuriken and throw it at someone.
Saying all that, my player is broken so I can’t listen to LP’s right now. I’ll get it fixed after we’re done with recording.
Tomorrow it’s vocals and guitar dubs.
Talk to you later.
2011/02/16＊Takuro
「Still some way to go with the recordings」
Hello everyone.
9mm is still hard at work.
It’s something we did sometime back but you guys are only hearing about it now… yesterday, our musical composition contribution to Chiaki Kuriyama was announced. That thing we recorded last year’s autumn was this. I think it’s a song that’ll make you start humming it to yourself, so definitely check it out. It seems it’ll be the first song on the album.
Tomorrow I’ll sing a Kazuhiko-penned tune.
Well then, talk to you later.
2011/02/07＊Takuro
「Basic Recordings Done」
Hello everyone. The other day, the four of us were happy to be able to finish all our individual parts of the recordings. Previously, we’d mostly record everything in one take. This time we’ve moved on to something called overdubs, which is when you do guitar parts, vocals, etc., one by one. It’s time to say farewell to the equipment we so enthusiastically prepared back then, so we took a picture to celebrate the occasion. I don’t have much of an interest in vintage gear so I don’t have that much rare stuff, but let’s upload these just for the folks who get so entranced by watching pictures of gear they even forget to eat. For those of you who have no interest whatsoever, it’s completely OK to just leave it at a quick glimpse before going “heee…“. After all, it’s just technical equipment babble when you think about it.
The head of the Corps is comprised of these three.
Haven’t been able to use the wah yet.
Hope to do so at the overdubs.
Just a bunch of distortion pedals on the bench. On the left there is an old Guyatone.
2011/01/29＊Takuro
「Midway Progress Report」
Hello everyone.
The recordings are progressing nicely. Today was a difficult song again, but we were able to record it without issue. The feeling somehow reminds me of when we were recording our 1st album. Can’t really put it into words.
Still need to finish recording several songs, do the vocals, put them together, slap a cool jacket picture on it, and we’ll be done. It’s still going to take a while but if you want to catch a glimpse of how it’s going… the staff took some pictures of us working, so do wait and look forward to those. Also, for all the gear freaks among you, we’ll upload pictures of our pedal boards. We’ll get started on another song at daybreak. I’ll talk to you later.
2011/01/13＊Takuro
「Recording information」
As recording starts next week, I’m busy with preparations: I’ll have to write the lyrics to more than 10 songs. I’m just taking it easy even though I’m running out of time. Working hard while taking it easy. For those 10+ tracks, I have to write the lyrics while also doing the guitar parts, remembering the songs, matching them all together with the band… writing that down now, the situation looks to be pretty grim if I’m not prepared.
The album we’re making now (release date TBA!) will be our 4th. As we’ve made it to this point, there’s something I’ve gradually learned. I’ve realized I need to try and take it easy and relax, especially when I should be in a serious, frantic work mode. If I don’t, both my spirit and body stiffen up completely and I stop relying on the others in the group. I’m in a band — I’m not alone. If I’m busy occupied with my own pain, I won’t be able to notice if the others are suffering. That’s why I have to take it easy. Occasionally, someone will get angry. Understandable. There are times when someone will go too far about something trivial and stupid. Can’t be helped. What’s important is how you take it from there. I suggest the following. As you know, our society’s all about taking exams and tests and bachelor’s degree thesises. For adults, it’s, umm, the year-end tax adjustments. On top of that to make matters even worse, it’s chillingly cold throughout Japan. Let’s all take it easy together, and after we’ve completed the album in our relaxed fashion, please listen to it. I’d guess that by then it’ll surely be warm outside, so much so that I can’t even imagine it now.
Well then. We’ll do our best～ (while taking it easy)
2011/01/01＊Takuro
「Happy New Year」
Happy New Year. 9mm just played its annual nonsense live at Akasaka BLITZ a while back. We always strive to put on the best show we can, but we’ve decided before to make this the one day of the year when we just let loose and let alcohol and the festive New Year mood take over. For me, I was a little worried about my throat but as we got started, it was like… how should I put it? Like, withholding that bit of force as I sang, I found that it instead brought out a very good result. Seeing as the whole year’s plans are made on New Year’s Day… I think I’d like to make that my goal of of the year: to find more ways to best make use of my body in the live setting. Now then, the 2010’s have really begun. I wonder what some of the events that make the headlines in 2011 will be. It’d be nice if 9mm’s music and performances were amongst them. There’s endless confusion in the world today, but I do believe it’s slowly getting better — even if that’s not always how things seem. All the friends I made until last year, all the new people I’ll meet this year, and of course every one of our audience, let’s all have fun together this year. Please give us your support in 2011 as well.
2010/12/22＊Takuro
「Shinkiba Crisis evaded」
…is what I should be saying I guess, rather than “it’s ended“. We managed to avoid the Shinkiba Crisis. Now that it’s ended, rather than calling it a collaboration event, a more fitting word would be complicity or conspiracy. What I mean to say is, it was a super hot night.
It was quite hot inside the venue during the event, and around the time we headed home it even started raining, so I think it was a narrow escape for quite a few of the audience. However, the reason for coming to the show in the first place was to check the headings of the crisis so everyone could avoid it, right? (Including the people who couldn’t come.)
With that, set your mind at ease and please spend a nice Christmas and New Year’s, everyone.
This is the said Dylan item we used as BGM.
He occasionally sounds like Louis Armstrong.
2010/12/20＊Takuro
「The night before Shinkiba Crisis」
Shinkiba Crisis is here at last.
We’ll be boiling the stage together with Rin Toshite Shigure and Midori. We’re going to be using Bob Dylan’s Christmas album from last year as BGM when the audience are making their way in and out.
Having various Christmas songs by Dylan playing before and after every band’s intense performance, it’s supposed to keep away the advent of crisis at the venue…… so it’d be good if you didn’t resist. If even for an instant there’s an air of like “uhh… this music is kind of…“, we might end the show. Wahahaha.
There might be quite a few people there tomorrow for whom this’ll be their last show of the year. But, including those of you who still have other shows remaining as well as those who can’t make it over to Shinkiba, let’s create a huge uproar, no? With that, see you tomorrow at Shinkiba COAST.
—–
Abe, who I saw inside the station. A year goes by so quickly.
2010/12/04＊Takuro
「After CHAOS」
The blog about it had somehow a really abrupt ending, but the evening at LIQUID a while back turned out to be a wonderful one as expected. Enjoying some beers while watching the terrific performances of WRENCH and Arakajime Kimerareta Koibitotachi e, we nearly forgot that we’d even performed ourselves. Afterwards we straightened our collars, though. One has to stay serious, see.
Around that time, THE BACK HORN were playing their tour finale over at Shibuya QUATTRO. It’s too bad that we (naturally) couldn’t go and see them.
And then yesterday we gathered up the songs we wrote during our lodging together and rushed right into working on them. The songs we did on the first day were more technical than expected, so it was a tough fight. But I have a good feeling about the songs, so now’s not the time to be losing to their difficulty. I’ll do my best.
A cardboard box found at LIQUID. What’d they use it for, I wonder?
2010/11/30＊Takuro
「The night before EDGE OF CHAOS」
We’ll be appearing at WRENCH’s event tomorrow at Ebisu LIQUIDROOM. With Arakajime Kimerareta Koibitotachi e and 9mm, I think it’s going to be a night really worth seeing. Most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing WRENCH’s show.
