Interview with Metronome

On December 22nd, 2006, before the final live of their "ONE MAN TOUR-2006-[Cycle Re-Cycle]" tour at the Club Citta in Kawasaki, the unique visual band Metronome took some time to speak with JaME.

How did the band form and how did you meet each other？ In your profile, the 1st period Metronome was formed in 1998, and since then, it has changed into the 2nd period Metronome, the 3rd period Metronome, and so on. Now you are the 7th period Metronome.

Fukusuke: Originally VOICECODER SHARAKU and I, guitarist Fukusuke, played in a band together in Yokohama. We were classmates in high school and have been playing together in the same band since then.

Was the name of that band Metronome?

Fukusuke: No. It was a different band from Metronome, but SHARAKU and I have played and changed bands together.

At that time, did you play the same kind of music that you play now, electric rock mixed with real instruments?

Fukusuke: When BOΦWY and other such rock groups were popular, bands were in a real boom period so we were inspired by them. Gradually, our members changed one by one and in 1998 we became Metronome, so the current members are different than the original members. I even left once and then came back! (laughs) So at that stage it was only SHARAKU and I. When we would do a live, we thought that we seemed more like a 'unit' rather than a 'band'. (laugh) So we looked for new members and found our bassist Riu.

Riu: At first, I was in a different band but we played at the same live events. Then the band I was a member of broke up.

Fukusuke: I thought 'It's nice timing!' and asked him to join. (laughs)

How about Yuichiro, did you join the band at the same as Riu?

Yuichiro: I came after that, about 7-8 months later.

When you changed to the 7th period Metronome, your notations had changed from vocal, guitar, bass, to VOICECODER, TALBO-1, TALBO-2. Why did you change?

Fukusuke: In short, the names of our instruments are TALBO. The name TALBO isn't a brand name but the name of the instruments' shape. For example, guitars that are of a round shape are called Les Paul, telecaster, and stratocaster, etc. There is also a shape called TALBO.

Riu: We don't say we use a guitar and a bass, but just say we use TALBOs. (laughs)

Fukusuke: We call ourselves TALBO-1 and TALBO-2, because we want to show off our guitars, not to make you listen to them. (laughs)

Riu: When I came into this band later, the direction of the band was already determined, so they gave me a TALBO bass and said 'Use this!'. (laugh) Fukusuke became a member at first so he was -1, and since I became a member later I was -2. (laughs)

How about SHARAKU, do you call yourself VOICECODER because you want to express different sounds, not a real voice?

SHARAKU: Yes. I don't want to be in a popular band in which a vocalist sings popular songs that everyone can sing. I want to make various voices.

Do you mean your voice is like a kind of instrument?

SHARAKU: Yes. .... I aim to be like that, but recently our songs are almost main stream! (laughs)

In the beginning, you claimed to have traveled back through time to 1998 from the year 2005. When year 2005 arrived, did any time paradoxes occur?

Riu: (laughs) This question was asked by many Japanese magazines in their interviews from around 2 years ago, and we didn't answer them at all! (bursts out laughing)

Why 2005?

Fukusuke: At that time, we had a concept of the near future. Honestly speaking though, we were not sure our band would still exist in 2005, so we thought 2005 was a good time to be from. (laughs) But our band still exists! So as 2005 approached, we hushed up this story. (bursts out laughing)

Riu: We didn't think that we' be asked so straight forward like this. (bursts out laughing)

Fukusuke: Well, I'll answer you properly. Actually, there is another Metronome from 2005 somewhere in this world, who're also ourselves and know everything about us. But as long as they don't come to see us, there is no paradox. I think they know about us and are hiding.

Riu: That's a great answer! (bursts out laughing)

If Metronome was formed a second time in 1998, when was Metronome first formed?

Riu: I'm proud of the present Metronome of 2006, which is great of course. But I dare to say, if I could time travel to a little bit earlier than 1998, for example 1996, Metronome could be better I think. (laugh)

Usually when you change your uniforms, a new release soon follows. Are you still following that tradition?

Fukusuke: Yes, you're right! We do that.

Do you design your uniforms imaging your next release?

Fukusuke: Usually, they are designed matching the band's image, not our new work. But this time, our uniforms were designed to match our CD, I think.

Riu: We'll release a CD on January 11th 2007, but which will also be sold before today's live.

Fukusuke: At today's live, we'll show our new uniform for the first time which also have elements of our former uniforms.

Riu: In the beginning, the main colors were silver and black, but in the last couple of years the colors have been yellow and black. Then the colors went back to silver and black, and today we'll go back to black and yellow.

Fukusuke: The colors of our uniform are black and yellow, but the shapes are a kind of our old style, so they look a little like what they did in the beginning.

So you have 2 patterns going back and forth? Black and silver and black and yellow?

Fukusuke: Yes. We should try to make them in other colors some time, but we have a certain image so it's difficult.

Riu: This time our uniforms are mainly black with yellow lines, but once we tried to put on uniforms of mainly yellow with black lines, which were bright yellow and very showy. (laughs)

Fukusuke: Well, we looked like quite 'merry people'. (bursts out laughing)

Riu: We only wore them once for our live.

What do you base your songs around?

SHARAKU: These days, we don't have something special, but originally we made a point to always use computer input sounds.

Fukusuke: In our band, everyone but Yuichiro composes songs. Each member makes their songs by feeling Metronome, but the outcome varies.

For example, what kind of music do each of you create?

Fukusuke: Simply speaking, SHARAKU makes songs like old popular songs, Riu makes rock music, I make... how do I say it....?

Fukusuke, your songs are made with mainly electronic sounds?

Riu: I think so. SHARAKU and I make melodies and guitar chords, but Fukusuke makes computer input sounds first.

Fukusuke: I usually make computer inputs first, so the songs are mostly obscure in the beginning.

Do you make them according their feeling?

Fukusuke: Yes. Then I add melodies and instruments into them later, so sometimes I make too many computer inputs so I can't find room to add my guitar. (bursts out laughing) Like 'I don't need to add my guitar anymore!' (laughs)

When do you come up with your songs?

Fukusuke: I think that the most important things in songs are melodies, which come into my mind mostly when I take a bath.

It's the time when your feelings are opened and you are relaxed.

Fukusuke: Well, I don't know why, but many musicians say the same sort of thing (laughs), but I think so too.

Riu: I used to be the opposite of Fukusuke. I used to make songs by confirming details first as though I want to make songs like this tempo, so the beat should be like this, and guitar chords should be like this. Since I have been working in the music scene for a long time, I got tired of making songs like that, and so recently I'm trying to create songs from inspiration from images, scenes, pictures etc. I don't say clearly in public 'I made this song after...', but each song has their own motifs.

Is that from movies, etc?

Riu: Yes. Whenever I get inspiration from something, I try to shape it. But the time when I tend to think up very good melodies is the moment when I'm about to fall asleep, so then I rush to input them into my cellular phone.

SHARAKU, how do you make your songs?

SHARAKU: I start by writing the guitar riffs.

Do you write the lyrics last?

SHARAKU: Yes. I make temporary lyrics when I play guitar and then I modify them.

Where do you get the inspiration for your music from?

SHARAKU: The deadline! (bursts out laughing) In Metronome, it's something like that. (laughs)

What is your vision about the visual kei-related scenes?

SHARAKU: I don't really know but I think we aren't completely in the visual scene. We're a little bit different from them, but other people see us as a visual band. But when we play with traditional visual bands, we still feel out of place with them.

Metronome's visual is quite unique, and the music and staging are so original and interesting. Was all this planned?

SHARAKU: At the beginning, no. We did our make-up the style of new wave music, but there weren't as many new wave bands then as there are now. All the bands which had make-up were regarded as visual kei, so we played with them. I don't dislike visual kei people.

Fukusuke: When we started Metronome, we decided that our costumes were all to be the same style. And since around that time, we have been using make-up. We like presenting ourselves in this way.

Riu: We're doing various activities and seeing other scenes too, but when I look at the visual kei scene once again, I really feel that the audience of the visual kei scene is very enthusiastic.

There are many earnest fans in visual kei.

Riu: Yes. For example, when we come into live houses, there're fans already waiting for us outside, which make me think 'They're great!'. I'll tell you, many of Yuichiro's friends are in the visual kei scene.

Yuichiro: Visual kei is very unique as you said. About their appearances and music styles, they have the strongest characters and are very original. I want to arouse the visual kei scene to give it even more enthusiasm!

Riu: I used to be in a punk and mixture scene, so I can understand what he said. When you see visual kei for the first time, you might be surprised because it looks a little strange, but everyone enjoys their lives very much.

In the visual kei scene, there are various music styles such as hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock, pop, etc.

Fukusuke: I agree with you. The scene of visual kei seems the widest because it has everything.

Riu: Once when Dragon Ash became very popular, there was a visual kei band playing rap music. (laughs) I'll say Johnnys and visual kei take everything in. (bursts out laughing)

Well, when I listen to visual kei music carefully, there are rap parts sometimes. (laugh)

Fukusuke: In short, Johnnys is also a kind of visual kei. (bursts out laughing)

Riu: When back beat became popular, they released a lot of back beat music. (laugh) It's really every genre, so in that meaning, their music scene is wide.

SHARAKU, you used to appear on a TV show for children [Tensai Terebi kun MAX]. Do you do that still?

SHARAKU: No, I don't. I appeared only at that time.

Do you have any plans to do it again?

SHARAKU: I'm not sure but I will if I'm asked.

Did you enjoy working on TV?

SHARAKU: Well, I think so. It was an easy part, with fixed lines.

Fukusuke, you also appeared in [Tensai Terebi kun]. Did you enjoy working in TV?

Fukusuke: Yes, it's fun. When I shot that, because the director was my acquaintance, I was so excited that I did some improvisation (laugh) even though the script was mostly fixed.

Fukusuke, do you enjoy playing the guitar more or creating electric sounds like in your 'Adapter' project?

Fukusuke: 'Adapter' is my solo project. Sometimes I want to take a break from playing guitar so I'd rather create electronic sounds.

In your Adapter project, is the music completely different from Metronome?

Fukusuke: No, it seems like almost the same, but the difference is that I play it alone or in Metronome. I'm happy with my songs to be sung in Metronome, because I don't like singing by myself very much, even though I sing in 'Adapter' sometimes. In my 'Adapter' project, I just doing as I like.

Fukusuke, you are a guitarist, but you don't like playing guitar very much?

Fukusuke: I like my appearance playing guitar. (laughs) and I like my standing position with guitar in the band. (laughs)

At every show, it seems you write something different on your cheek. How do you choose?

Fukusuke: Basically, they are two characters of Kanji. Every time I draw the letters from my feeling at the time. This time in our one man tour, we played 12 lives including today, so I decided to draw star signs. From the beginning I drew star signs one by one, and I started to draw the star sign next to Sagittarius which is my star sign because I was born in December, so the 12th live today should be Sagittarius.

Is it hard to draw on your cheek by yourself?

Fukusuke: I'm used to do it. (mimics drawing on his cheek) Looking at mirror, I draw the letters in reverse on my cheek like this.

Wow! Can you really do that!?

Fukusuke: Yes. It's strange but I can.

Riu: He drew very well since the first time he's done it.

Are you good at calligraphy?

Fukusuke: No, not at all. It's strange that if I draw letters normally, they look worse. (laughs) But if I draw on myself looking at mirror, I can draw beautifully. (laughs) I don't know why but it seems like 'I was born to write in reverse!'. (burst out laughing)

Riu, how long have you been playing bass?

Riu: About 12 years. When I started playing in a band, I couldn't play instruments, so I was a vocalist. After a half year later, the bassist left so I started playing bass and singing, then eventually I only played bass.

So you sing songs too?

Riu: I like singing. So I sing songs playing bass in another band beside Metronome. When I write songs at home, I play guitar and other instruments too, but I've played bass the longest.

Do you write any songs on the guitar?

Riu: Yes. Or by bass or I directly input them into the PC.

Fukusuke: Riu can't play guitar in front of people.

Riu: I'm not suited to the guitar. (laughs) Once we changed our parts during a live, I played guitar because a bass looks like a guitar and I thought I could look good playing guitar well, but I looked very bad. (bursts out laughing)

Fukusuke: Whenever I look at Riu playing guitar, I can't stop laughing. (laughs) 'He plays bass so cool, so why does he play guitar so badly?!' (laughs)

Riu: When I play a guitar with my fingers I don't do so badly, but when I play a guitar with a pick, it's strange. It's really bad. (laughs)

Yuichiro, everybody else in the band has at least one side project, but you don't seem to have one? Why is that?

Yuichiro: I don't have my own project, but I support lives and recordings of various bands which I don't announce in public.

You have to memorize many songs, which seems very hard. Do you learn new techniques from that?

Yuichiro: Yes. I learn a lot because I play with various bands.

Riu: To put it simply, Yuichiro is a man who can do almost anything. I'm surprised he memorizes so many songs.

Yuichiro: The number of songs I play is sometimes a few, sometimes very many, and it's different from month to month.

You play various songs, so you can play the drums from rock to pop.

Yuichiro: I study every day.

As the drummer of Metronome, what do you pay the most attention to?

Yuichiro: Our band is mainly computer input sounds, so I always keep my attention on being familiar with input sounds.

What do you like best in Metronome?

Yuichiro: This band is so original that nothing is like other bands. There are no other sounds that can express computer sounds. Like 'Dokkaa~~n!', which real instruments are mixed all together to make Dokkaa~~~n!'.

Fukusuke & Riu: (laughs) Wow! He said 'Dokkaa~~n!' many times!

And all of the members are so unique.

Fukusuke: I'm proud that Metronome is made up of members who can do their own activities.

In the profile of Metronome, there are many interesting words like 'piko and loud sounds with mixing computer effects and real instruments mixed well with a pop feeling'.

Fukusuke: (laughs) Yes. (He looks at the new photographs on their profile) Oh! These are our new costumes of black and yellow!

About your lyrics, it's written that 'they are negative but, at the same time, in some ways positive which makes the unique world of Metronome'. SHARAKU, are your lyrics made up of your own thoughts and feelings?

SHARAKU: Yes, but if I express myself too honestly, everyone around me gets anxious and worries about me, so I rap them up like a wafer to make them a little sweeter to taste. (laughs) I don't think there's anything positive in my lyrics, they might have misunderstood us. (laughs)

Riu: Yeah, he's a genius! It's amazing how he comes up with such words.

Reading these lyrics, many people can sympathize with them, because you express the weakness of a human honestly and sing naturally, even if it is negative.

SHARAKU: Well, I'm quite aware of that.

Fukusuke: SHARAKU sings songs with his voice, which doesn't sound very negative. That seems to be his advantage, I think.

I read in your profile that SHARAKU likes being alone, and Fukusuke likes being noisy, which seems very opposite. Is it ever difficult to be together during tours?

Fukusuke: Yes, sometimes. But I think SHARAKU is usually the one who suffers, because I'm always noisy. (laugh)

Riu: While on tour, we don't get a chance to be alone, except when we sleep in the hotel.

Fukusuke: SHARAKU goes back to hotel early while I always go out with the staff. (laughs)

Riu and Yuichiro, do you go with Fukusuke?

Riu: Yes, but I can't be out until early morning every time like he does (laughs), because I have to think about working the next day.

Fukusuke, you're a big drinker?

Fukusuke: Yes.

Riu: Perhaps he doesn't like to be alone, so he wants to be surrounded by loud people until he falls asleep.

Fukusuke: I feel uneasy unless I can fall onto a bed and sleep right after going back to the hotel. (laughs)

Riu: So our poor staff has to go out with him. (bursts out laughing)

What is each member's favorite song by Metronome?

SHARAKU: I like Space Romantic.

Fukusuke: I like our new songs, so I choose HELLO.

Riu: My favorite song is PSYCHO-ENEMY which I made.

Yuichiro: My favorite song is Fukigen na Android.

What other instruments do each of you play?

Fukusuke: I play guitar and use a personal computer. I can't play keyboard, but I can do a personal computer performance for you! (laughs)

SHARAKU: I don't play any instruments in Metronome, but I play guitar and synthesizer in another band.

Riu: I play bass and guitar.

Yuichiro: I play drums but I play bass and guitar a little bit just for fun. (laughs)

The images on your stage are great. Do you create them too?

Fukusuke: Those are made by VJ, who makes pictures we like. We tell him about the atmosphere and he makes the images that we want to express.

What goes through your head while you're performing?

SHARAKU: The next lyric. (laughs) I'm thinking like 'What's next?'. (laughs)

Fukusuke: I don't think so much but, maybe I think 'Is next B melody?'. (laughs) Or I calmly think like 'Shall I go to right or left? What should I do next?'. (laughs)

Riu: Basically I concentrate on music and don't think about anything, unless I'm worried about the songs; then I think about compositions and next codes. I think I play better when I'm not really thinking. I also think 'If I do this in the live, it would be interesting and surprise the audience.'

Fukusuke: When we think about compositions, we often make mistakes (laughs), because when we start thinking 'Is B melody next? Uh? Or main melody?', we rather tend to go in wrong directions. (laughs) So we play better when thinking about nothing.

Yuichiro: In my case, we have correct rhythm made by computer sounds in our lives, so I always think about whether my drum rhythm matches them. If I think about nothing, I'm afraid I might be out of sync.

Riu: He is always worrying about something! (laughs)

Yuichiro: Well, it's a live performance, so I want to enjoy playing together.

From the stage, can you see each face in the audience?

SHARAKU: I can't see because I have poor eyesight. And I'm trying not to see them.

Do you mean you concentrate on your songs?

SHARAKU: I'm too shy to look people in the eye, so I try not to see them. (laughs)

Riu: I can see the audience expressions quite well, so I can't stop thinking whether they seem to be enjoying our live or not.

Fukusuke: Uh, I don't see at all! (laughs)

Is there anything fans do during lives that you dislike?

All: Uhhhhh~~~~n. (they think for a long moment)

How about people yawning?

Fukusuke: Well, if I saw it right in front of me, I'm sure I wouldn't like it. (laughs)

How do you like the audience moving or dancing together in your lives?

SHARAKU: That's no problem for me.

Fukusuke: Well, anything is OK except getting injured, because we want the audience to enjoy our lives.

Do you decide what you say in your MC before the lives?

Fukusuke: No, not at all. So I always get into a panic. (laughs) When I speak, my feelings gather momentum so sometimes I forget what I just said. (laughs)

But your fans respond to you very well.

Fukusuke: Yes, they are very kind and help me. (laughs)

What gifts from fans do you like to receive the most?

Fukusuke: I'm glad to receive alcohol and cigarettes.

Do you like getting letters?

Fukusuke: Yes. (laughs) When we go in and out of live houses, we often receive letters. If I receive the most letters, I'm proud and show them off while saying 'Look at these!'. (laughs)

Riu: I'm happy if the letters say 'I enjoyed your live.'

SHARAKU: I'm glad to receive cigarettes, and I like letters too.

I would like to ask about the new album [Cycle Re-Cycle] which will be released on January 11th. What kind of style will it be?

Fukusuke: Before, there were many maniac songs in our albums but this time, there are many melodic songs that're easy to listen to.

The first limited edition has a promotion video of [Zetsubou-san]. How was the shooting?

Fukusuke: It was hard work, but we enjoyed it.

Are the plans for next year (2007) already determined?

Fukusuke: Yes. We'll have many lives in February.

You'll have three lives on New Year's Eve. Will doing all of them really be possible?

Fukusuke: Yes. On New Year's Eve, almost all live houses have their countdown lives, which are very long with some starting from December 31st in the afternoon and going until the next morning. Each live event is quite long and we have a certain time between our lives, so it's OK for us.

You'll move to the next venue wearing your costumes and make-up?

Fukusuke: (laughs) No, if we wear our costumes and move, we might catch colds, so we change our clothes, but we sometimes don't remove our make-up. (laughs) Once, we played 5 lives in one night, from the afternoon to the next morning. (laughs)

Wow! I guess you might move in the same way as your fans?

Fukusuke: (laughs) I guess so, because we all move by trains. (laughs)

You would be better to make tours for your lives. (laughs)

Fukusuke: (laughs) I agree with you.

Do you have any interest in coming to overseas to perform？

All: Yes! Of course!

What do you imagine it would be like?

Fukusuke: Well, it must be something that I have never felt before (laughs). Because even here in Japan when we find one or two foreigners at our lives, we feel 'Oh!?'. So if all of the audience are foreigners, it must be far more than just 'Oh!?'. (laughs)

Riu: I'm very moved when people say to me 'I'm trying to read your diary. I'm translating it from Japanese.'

Fukusuke: I have received fan letters written in English too.

Riu: I really want to play lives overseas. How could we do that? (laughs)

SHARAKU, do you have any interest in going to overseas to perform？

SHARAKU: Yes. If I have a chance, I want to play overseas.

How do you feel about singing in front of an audience completely different from usual?

SHARAKU: I don't think I'll change, because I'm not aware of the audience during our lives.

Lastly, please give a message for your fans overseas.

SHARAKU: If you have a chance, I want you to come to see our real lives. Also, please invite us!

Fukusuke: I can't imagine how many of our fans we might have overseas, but I really want to go overseas. I've never been there and I don't even have my passport. I don't know how many years it will take to go, but please welcome us warmly when we do see you!

Riu: I don't know how we can do lives overseas and it seems, to me, to be unrealistic. But I'm longing to go overseas, and if I have a chance, I really want to do lives overseas, and keep in touch with our foreign fans. Even in our Japanese lives, few foreigners come to see us, but I can't understand nor speak to them, so I want to study to be able to talk with them. First of all, we want to do lives overseas!

Yuichiro: We don't have many chances to see foreign people, but we'll keep working hard, so please keep supporting us!