Further Notes on 13th Floor
Combine notes from their recent interviews from UV, OtH, Newsmaker...
Imai named the album "13th Floor with Moonshine". He said he just wanted the name calling a dramatic imagery, there's no specific meaning. Initially Imai wanted to call it "Diabolo" (that's how "core" Diabolo is for the album).
From reading their interviews, the first and foremost question they get bombarded with (other than 'How on earth can you guys not disband yet?") was "Why Gothic?" According to Imai in UV: when Buck-Tick took a break last year and the members ventured onto solo works, Imai saw Achan on his solo tour and was dissatisfied with what he saw. The materials Achan worked with were written by different musicians and Imai found them unfit (AGREE!). So ideas started forming as he watched on. He must had felt tortured to see the vocalist he worked with all these years get 'butcher' by somebody else ^^; He even admited that YES, in a way this new BT album is the "Sakurai's solo album produced by Imai Hisashi." He said the single song "Romance" is a respond to Achan's solo's 1st single "Sacrifice" (written by the guy from vintage UK Goth band "The Mission", which suck IMO~), it's like Imai showing everyone "only I CAN write songs best fit Achan~" ha~~^^ So yes that's the reason, it's all for Achan~~ Imai even said regarding "Romance", "hmm..Achan should like it?"
So yeah...Imai directed/produced circus freak show+musical starring Sakurai Atsushi (as the devil).
Though Achan is the last person in the band to know about such direction (and sounded likke "maybe it's just me who wasn't told ", "maybe it's just me who didn't know..."), when he was informed at the pub by Imai, "Let's do Gothic!", Achan was shocked, because he thought the new album would be a direction based on everyone's solo and Gothic is the last thing he'd thought of. Later when the songs were composed, since it'd be a conceptual theme album where everything must fit, Imai requested Achan that unlike before Achan can't go blue sky with the lyrics (and Imai said, maybe listener won't feel any difference, but he found it better to let the vocalist writing his own lyrics). Of course it's no problem~ when Achan heard the music, stories started forming in his head, because "I'm always into this kind" :D Achan did say, yes they did Goth at Aku no Hana but really it is a bit about catching on the recent 'gothic' trend (my insert: in Japan, the Gothic Lolita boom).
And OH BOY how Achan enjoyed it~ because of the GOTHIC theme Imai said that this time SUDDENLY Achan was (never before) very very active and assertive. OBVIOUSLY. Achan totally surprised Imai when he showed up at mastering session (which he never did before). Achan even stayed through all the way. Imai was like, "he even arrived earilier than me at recording studio!." :D
Imai admit "there is a part of Goth in me", but "no one believes that." :D He said, "if (you) dont' like Gothic you probably won't be comfortable with it (the new album)" And when he was asked again "Why Gothic now?" Imai said, "if we do Goth after solo it seems easier to unite the band,' and further, "so now there's a everyone's back home feeling, aren't I kind?" XDDDD
Regarding song order:
At first they planned "Muma- The Nightmare" as the final song.
But Imai thought it sounded like a "big reunion grand finale " and hated that, so he switched it with Diabolo. So now it's like "Just when you think (it) died but it's actually still alive~"
Goblin is the 1st song written.
They debate between "Romance" and "Diabolo" as the single. Romance was written as single (catchy, typical single's 2 part structure). But since Diabolo is the heart of the album, so they chose Romance instead. Moreover, Imai was quite satisfied with "Romance" but when the BMG people heard it, they were like, "hmm...plain..." Imai said "well, let's use Diabolo then~" to freak out BMG people.
And once again when asked "WHY GOTHIC?~"
Imai: "isn't it good this kind of shock? BUCK-TICK didn't 'have to be' this and that, we did Cyber, Sci-Fi, if we were to use movie as analogy, it was ''The Fifth Element" then. This time..."The Grudge (Ju-on)"!?"
Achan: HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Imai: no...not 'The Grudge" ^_-
Imai named the album "13th Floor with Moonshine". He said he just wanted the name calling a dramatic imagery, there's no specific meaning. Initially Imai wanted to call it "Diabolo" (that's how "core" Diabolo is for the album).
From reading their interviews, the first and foremost question they get bombarded with (other than 'How on earth can you guys not disband yet?") was "Why Gothic?" According to Imai in UV: when Buck-Tick took a break last year and the members ventured onto solo works, Imai saw Achan on his solo tour and was dissatisfied with what he saw. The materials Achan worked with were written by different musicians and Imai found them unfit (AGREE!). So ideas started forming as he watched on. He must had felt tortured to see the vocalist he worked with all these years get 'butcher' by somebody else ^^; He even admited that YES, in a way this new BT album is the "Sakurai's solo album produced by Imai Hisashi." He said the single song "Romance" is a respond to Achan's solo's 1st single "Sacrifice" (written by the guy from vintage UK Goth band "The Mission", which suck IMO~), it's like Imai showing everyone "only I CAN write songs best fit Achan~" ha~~^^ So yes that's the reason, it's all for Achan~~ Imai even said regarding "Romance", "hmm..Achan should like it?"
So yeah...Imai directed/produced circus freak show+musical starring Sakurai Atsushi (as the devil).
Though Achan is the last person in the band to know about such direction (and sounded likke "maybe it's just me who wasn't told ", "maybe it's just me who didn't know..."), when he was informed at the pub by Imai, "Let's do Gothic!", Achan was shocked, because he thought the new album would be a direction based on everyone's solo and Gothic is the last thing he'd thought of. Later when the songs were composed, since it'd be a conceptual theme album where everything must fit, Imai requested Achan that unlike before Achan can't go blue sky with the lyrics (and Imai said, maybe listener won't feel any difference, but he found it better to let the vocalist writing his own lyrics). Of course it's no problem~ when Achan heard the music, stories started forming in his head, because "I'm always into this kind" :D Achan did say, yes they did Goth at Aku no Hana but really it is a bit about catching on the recent 'gothic' trend (my insert: in Japan, the Gothic Lolita boom).
And OH BOY how Achan enjoyed it~ because of the GOTHIC theme Imai said that this time SUDDENLY Achan was (never before) very very active and assertive. OBVIOUSLY. Achan totally surprised Imai when he showed up at mastering session (which he never did before). Achan even stayed through all the way. Imai was like, "he even arrived earilier than me at recording studio!." :D
Imai admit "there is a part of Goth in me", but "no one believes that." :D He said, "if (you) dont' like Gothic you probably won't be comfortable with it (the new album)" And when he was asked again "Why Gothic now?" Imai said, "if we do Goth after solo it seems easier to unite the band,' and further, "so now there's a everyone's back home feeling, aren't I kind?" XDDDD
Regarding song order:
At first they planned "Muma- The Nightmare" as the final song.
But Imai thought it sounded like a "big reunion grand finale " and hated that, so he switched it with Diabolo. So now it's like "Just when you think (it) died but it's actually still alive~"
Goblin is the 1st song written.
They debate between "Romance" and "Diabolo" as the single. Romance was written as single (catchy, typical single's 2 part structure). But since Diabolo is the heart of the album, so they chose Romance instead. Moreover, Imai was quite satisfied with "Romance" but when the BMG people heard it, they were like, "hmm...plain..." Imai said "well, let's use Diabolo then~" to freak out BMG people.
And once again when asked "WHY GOTHIC?~"
Imai: "isn't it good this kind of shock? BUCK-TICK didn't 'have to be' this and that, we did Cyber, Sci-Fi, if we were to use movie as analogy, it was ''The Fifth Element" then. This time..."The Grudge (Ju-on)"!?"
Achan: HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Imai: no...not 'The Grudge" ^_-