KansaiPia with Sono and Anzi
--First off, could you tell me the origin of the band name?
Sono ‘’As for Matenrou, skyscrapers and such point at modernity, don’t they? Those are for instance the heavy sound, the violent sound and the modern rock that wasn’t there long ago, and ‘’Opera’’ on the opposite has the beautiful music from long ago…representing the classical etc. Wanting to do the two of those, it became Matenrou Opera.’’
--So the sound becomes a mix of rock and symphonic, right.
Anzi ‘’ I think mixing these two opposites is the foundation and the body becomes Matenrou Opera. And so if you say it’s a mixture it might be that way but we’re not what’s called a mixture band and we’re more like loosely saying ‘’we’re fine with being a rock band!’’ (laughs). We don’t like fixed perceptions. If you categorize the music we make, there’s people who say ‘’I don’t like that genre so I won’t listen’’, right? That’s a shame. Because we’ve heard many different genres of music as well, I think people who like regular pop as well will be drawn to our music. And so, isn’t it fine to say we’re a regular ‘’five people rock band’’, when you really listen to us you’ll say ‘’I get it!’’ (laughs).’’
--You’ll surely understand when you listen (laughs). Furthermore, the music certainly has rock elements; but there’s also a metal and a classical catch. I thought, honestly, what the hell kinda music did I hear?
Anzi ‘’Because my roots when I started with playing the guitar were heavy metal and hard rock, I love those and usually I listen to pop as well and recently to K-POP like KARA as well (laughs). Also movie music and jazz and so on, there really don’t exist any genres I don’t listen to.’’
Sono ‘’I also like heavy metal and hard rock but I also listen to pop and jazz usually. Recently I’ve been listening to Oda Kazumasa a lot. It’s the artist I’m listening to most.’’
--I get the heavy metal and hard rock but, KARA and Oda Kazumasa! I’ve only read this but, you can’t grasp an artist’s nature at all, can you. (laughs)
Sono&Anzi (laugh)
--That Matenrou Opera has finally released their first Major Full album ‘’Justice’’ on March 7th. About the album name, it’s ‘’seigi (justice)’’, right?
Sono ‘’I think there’s only as much ‘’justice’’ as there is people. This album, I’m singing about ‘’without getting washed away by others, without being made to echo others, I’m letting the justice I hold myself pierce through’’ but, I want to give the people who are lost a push in back and hold out my hand to them to take them with me toward the future. It has that type of image.’’
--Is there a reason behind this image?
Sono ‘’I think the earthquake disaster was a big one. I wasn’t particularly thinking of the earthquake disaster as I wrote the lyrics but trying to look back I noticed I’m writing lyrics so that the audience recovers and to make them feel their life strength.’’
--Surely, listening to the song while reading the lyrics I thought about ‘’living’’ as well, I thought that must be one of the themes of this work.
Sono ‘’ ‘’Living’’ has been one of the keywords since the start of Matenrou Opera. That theme is present all the time. Long ago that was ‘’being alive is difficult’’ and ‘’the sympathy of defeat’’ and so on, I drew something like a link toward the listener but now I’ve grown from then on and I think those listeners must have changed towards growing that direction gradually.’’
--It’s not just the change in the lyrics, there’s changes in the sound as well, were there challenges?
Sono ‘’Talking about challenges, there was 21 mg (track 7), right. I like letting the music progress and so I’ve done that a lot but this time I’ve tried making music for the first time with only limited chords. When I handed it to the members at the very end, we also tried for the first time to combine the intro and sound tempo with a hugely different hook. As a result, it became double the challenge.’’
Anzi ‘’Bent from the inside, we have a lot of songs where the foundation was a gloomy melody, however this time when ‘’Mermaid’’ (track 6) was being recorded, Ayame had the crazy idea to want to put in a bright key and while inserting this idea, so it wouldn’t become just a pop song, we made it with the five of us. For me individually it’s not a challenge however, since we have a lot of songs I think where in the intro/A melody/B melody/hook/etc. sections the rhythm and tempo and so on change a lot, ‘’AGE’’ (track 8) was made on the contrary with a similar rhythm pattern all the way through.’’
--‘’AGE’’ is a song with a quick pace getting you into a mood overflowing with emotion.
Anzi ‘’It’s got a very to-the-point catch, becoming a song the audience can get into easily. If they’re not raising their fists at the lives, I’ll want to chop them down (makes the movement with his hand). (laughs)’’
--You’ve made an assumption to that extent (laughs). Similar to the mini-album “Abyss”, this work as well has a vocal-less instrumental track ‘’Just Be Myself’’ (track 9) recorded on it, what were you particularly busy with for this one?
Anzi ‘’I didn’t want band to become a backing band and I was confident to have people listen to it even without vocals. Furthermore, in the present music scene I don’t think there’s what you’d call a ‘’band hero’’. And I hear stories of ‘because the band scene is declining, instruments don’t sell anymore either’. The fact that kids don’t want to start playing instruments is our responsibility as artists and so to echo our respective beings as instrument players I think I want us to become a band that makes kids think ‘I want to play an instrument’.’’
--Holding these emotions, you put in a track without vocals where the allure of the instruments are easily transmitted, right. Incidentally, who are the heroes of the two of you?
Anzi ‘’LUNA SEA are my number one respected artists. Because it’s a band where every 5 members has a respective individuality to them.’’
Sono ‘’For me it’s X JAPAN. X was the first band I listened to, It’s a starting point I can never reach. The first band I formed was an X copy band and the result of the practice of that time was that I’m able to use the high-tone voice I can do now (laughs).’’
-The thought that ‘’because you’ve received such influence from such great bands, the next band heroes must be Matenrou Opera!’’ must be there strongly, right?
Anzi ‘’If there’s a new band hero appearing then because of that artists must become really applauded persons as well (laughter). If everyone does the impossible thing, and from that the band scene is born, I will be happy. Moreover it looks like a taking a gamble, and it’s not just the leading people who are the remaining bands as always. Riding on trends and doing the same thing you may sell for a while but there’s no handing down in the Japanese music scene I think. Because I want to become a leading person too, I want to pierce through that I think we’re a cool band.’’
Sono ‘’In music, honestly, I want to be a die-hard.’’
--Those Matenrou Opera lives, what kind of place are they?
Sono ‘’We’re a rockband, however that doesn’t mean it’s ok to just be loud. Naturally, there’s parts as well where…during the rock parts people vent out and are noisy but, it’s because I think we’re a band who let’s people more seriously listen to the melody and our world view as well. I think people who like to be rough and act wildly as well as people who want to sink into our world view and embrace the music of Matenrou Opera are fine.’’
Anzi ‘’I think instrument players who watch our lives and we can make to think ‘’I want to start playing an instrument’’ are a win. It’s fine if you can feel our music as you like because we’re not too forceful with the mood and it’s fine if you can watch us closely to those who want to do that. Because we’ll make you faint in agony (laughs).’’
--There’s a lot of male fans as well, right.
Anzi ‘’There are. Because we make them watch us from up close (laughs).’’
--(laughs). Well then, lastly, please share you enthusiasms for the spring tour to accompany the new album ‘’Justice’’.
Sono ‘’ ‘’Justice’’ overflows with humanity, I think it’s an album that will make you feel the strength of life. It might give the listeners a push in the back and make you feel better. Afterwards, I want to do a live where it’s like turning toward the future and walking on becomes easy, giving energy and spirit.’’
Anzi ‘’Because what I want to transmit through this album is ‘’doing the things you want to do with your life is fun’’ I think you’ll feel good with the album and seeing the live and so on, and look back on the things you really want to do. When you’ve found that thing, I want you to do it with all your might. Because we’re just a band, I’d like you to listen to us without prejudice, and without paying mind to genre. And if you like it after that purchase a ticket through Ticket Pia (laughs) and I’d be glad if you carried your legs off toward a live for sure.’’
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BEFORE YOU READ: I've attempted to transcribe the video and translate my results. Please keep in mind that I am by now means fluent and there are a lot of gaps in the text where I couldn't catch what was being said. Have fun reading!!
Japanese:
Sono: Pia関西版webご覧の皆さん 今晩は摩天楼オペラです
Anzi: 今晩は
Sono: ボーカルの苑です
Anzi: ギターのanziです
Sono: ３月７日にリリースの俺たちニュー・シン。。。ニュー・アルバムJusticeですが
今回人の正しさは人に決められるもんじゃない
自分の正義を信じろっていうことを歌った
摩天楼オペラいうのロックアルバムになってます
去年リリースしたシングルheliosと落とし穴の底はこんな世界も入っている十三曲(?)のかなりたっぷりな内容になってます
その曲聞いたら何か生きる力とかそう言うの何か ??現実?? アルバム何で
ぜひ関西の方も聞いてみて下さい
関西と印象とかとなんかある anziくん
Anzi: 関西の印象ね まー俺あのうまー 結構ずっと(こうげん？）しているのは
まー まずお笑いがすきで
関西弁っていうのはすごい普段から好きな何か日々気に入りでさ
で。。なんだろう 方言????
関西弁を喋る女の子か ？？
Sono: どんな言われたいの
Anzi: めっちゃ好きやねん
(笑)
Anzi: なんかさ 関西弁ってちょっと強いじゃん
Sono: 強い
Anzi: 刺々しいじゃん
Sono: 刺々しいね
Anzi: そういうなんだちょっと強がって刺々しい女の子 何くそこいつって子 羽交い締めに試合っていたい
Sono: 押さえつけたい
Anzi: 押さえつけたい
Sono: 俺 逆にね あのう あきまへんとか優しく言われる
Anzi: ちょっとまで哭慟
Sono: 優しい感じに 「苑さんあきまへん」とか言われると
Anzi: あきまへんことするんだ
Sono: ちょっと抱きしめだから
Anz: ああ そうなんだ
―――――――――――
Anzi: 待ってます
Sono: 皆のあきまへんよ待ってます
摩天楼オペラのボーカル苑と
Anzi: Anziでした
English:
Sono: Good evening everyone watching at Pia Kansai-edition web, we’re Matenrou Opera.
Anzi: Good evening.
Sono: I’m Sono, the vocalist.
Anzi: I’m the guitarist, Anzi.
Sono: We’re releasing a new sing- new album, Justice, on March 7th;
This time I sang about how what is right is not something for people to decide
and we have to believe in our own justice.
It’s gonna be a rock album in Matenrou Opera style.
It’s gonna be quite filled with thirteen songs including the singles helios and Otoshiana no Soko ha Konna Sekai we released last year.
???????
Definitely give it a listen please, those from Kansai.
Anzi-kun, do you have some kind of an impression of Kansai?
Anzi: An impression of Kansai, well, I, um, mmh, ???
Well, first of I like comedy*
?????
?????
(Something about girls who speak Kansai dialect)
Sono: What do you want them to say to you?
Anzi: I really like you (In Kansai dialect)
(laughter)
Anzi: What about it, Kansai dialect is kinda strong right.
Sono: It is strong.
Anzi: And snappy, right.
Sono: It is too.
Anzi: It’s like that. I kinda wanna get in Hagaijime** fisticuffs with a strongm snappy girl, a girl who says things like ‘’this fucker’’.
Sono: You want to pin her down?
Anzi: Yeh, pin her down.
Sono: I, on the other hand, ehm, have been kindly told ‘’stop it.***’’
Anzi: That’s a little sad.
Sono: She told me in a soft and kind way ‘’Sonosan, stop it’’.
Anzi: And did you stop it?
Sono: It was because I was trying to hug her.
Anzi: Ah, is that so.
-------------(talking about tour dates)-------------
Anzi: We’re waiting for you
Sono: I’ll wait for all your ‘’akimahen’s’’.
This was Matenrou Opera’s Sono on vocals and...
Anzi: ...Anzi.
*Translator’s note: Kansai dialect is used a lot in comedy.
** Translator’s note: to see what Hagaijime is, behold the picture below.
Hagajime. Source: https://bokete.jp/boke/35100981
***Translator’s note: Akimahen, commonly translated as ‘’no good’’ or ‘’stop it’’. Sono was basically told to ‘’fuck off’’.