This is a translation of the talk that appears near the beginning of the digest that was posted on the MORRICH website prior to the release of AWAKE. This translation was posted on the Pieces forum, and this HTML version is a revised and spellchecked version of the same thing. As with anything I translate by ear (as opposed to by reading it) it’s entirely possible that I misheard something and thus translated it wrongly. I do my best though.

Begin

ken : Hi, this is L’Arc~en~Ciel. The single released last June, “Jiyuu e no Shoutai,” along with “Killing me”, “New World” and “Jojoushi” are finally being compiled with new work on our album AWAKE, which will be released on the 22nd.

Q: Do you have any comments now that the album is complete?

tetsu : It’s hard thinking of it as our tenth album… I think that’s just crazy.

hyde : We’re finally done… it was kind of a long recording, but I don’t think that dragged us down.

yukihiro : We’ve become friends (laughs). It was a good process, so we had a great party when it was finally over.

ken : When I played my guitar, I did it without thinking about anything else. I’m glad.
hyde : Why did you look so sad?
ken : Before now?
hyde : When you played.
ken : Before… I’d think about how the doors were annoying. I couldn’t go in (miming holding a guitar) and the doors were a pain. It bothered me, so I looked pitiful while I was playing.
hyde : If you’d brought it up, I would’ve told you not to worry.
ken : Yeah but I was just thinking.
(laughter)

tetsu : And so, please encourage us by buying AWAKE. This has been L’Arc~en~Ciel.

Transcribed and translated by Natalie Arnold