Since their first single in 2000, the Japanese rock duo Love Psychedelico has proved their classic rock sound can top the charts in Japan and spread across Asia. With the release of the compilation album "This is Love Psychedelico" in U.S. stores next Tuesday from HackTone Records (the album's already available on iTunes), the pair will finally be introduced to listeners in America, which they claim as the land of their musical roots. We sat down with the group at the HackTone offices (pictured below) on Tuesday, the day before their American release party at Royal Claytons Tavern in Los Angeles. Though Kumi speaks excellent English, we talked to the band in Japanese -- but that didn't stop her from occasionally showing off her excellent American accent.

Update 5/19/2008: The CD version of "This is Love Psychedelico" is now available for purchase!

PJT: You've come to the United States this time to promote your album "This is Love Psychedelico." How does it feel to finally make your debut in the United States?

Kumi: It makes me very happy.

PJT: But you've played in the United States before this.

Kumi: That's right. We've only toured once, but we did five or six shows at that point. And this is the first time we've done a concert since then.

PJT: When was that?

Kumi: 2001, I think. At South by South...

Naoki: South by Southwest.

Kumi: Southwest? Right, South by Southwest. And after that we traveled around America and did concerts.

Naoki: At that time, we went to LA, New York, Chicago, where? Seattle.

Kumi: Mm-hmm.

Naoki: And San Francisco.

PJT: Were the reactions of your American fans different from those of your Japanese fans?

Kumi: Let me see. Well, American audiences dance for us, I guess. [Laughs.] Yes. They react right away.

Naoki: The response is really fast.

Kumi: Japanese people are a little shy, so they're calmer.

PJT: You're probably used to it by now, but was that surprising at first?

Kumi: Yes, but we were glad, very glad.

PJT: When you hear Delico's music, you think of the rock of the '60s and the pop rock of the '90s. How did you decide on that sound?

Kumi: We didn't really decide on it.

Naoki: It just naturally... Well, the first song we made, Lady Madonna, when we first made that song, we had no concept. So it was really natural. We have only two members, so we decided, let's just start with what we can do, and that became our natural sound.

PJT: You took your own influences, and...

Naoki: Stuck to them.

PJT: So you guys started out in 1997, but your first single didn't come out until 2000. Were you aiming to go pro that whole time, or was it something you gradually realized would be possible?

Kumi: No, it just naturally... well, we already had the songs, and of course on top of making them we wanted a lot of people to hear them, but just because of that we didn't think about going pro. So we put them on a CD and had people listen to it, but it's not that we sent it to a bunch of record companies, it's just that among our acquaintances there were sometimes people who were connected to record companies, so our friends had them listen to our songs, and eventually we'd made our debut.

Naoki: So our first album, which came out in 2001, the songs that were on that we'd made pretty much the same way on a tape when we were in college [together]. And so they just went on the CD and were sold like that.

PJT: Wow, that's incredible. So your sound hasn't changed very much since you were in college.

Kumi: That's right.

Naoki: We haven't grown at all. [Laughs]

PJT: That's not what I meant! [Laughs] In Tokyo, are there any places or times that you feel nostalgic about from those days?

Kumi: It's gone now, but in Harajuku, the Ruido, right?

Naoki: Ruido.

Kumi: There was a really famous live house [concert venue] in Harajuku called Ruido. And we played a show there before our debut.

Naoki: That was memorable.

Kumi: Yeah.

Naoki: Now I actually live right across from where that live house used to be.

PJT: What made that place particularly memorable?

Kumi: Hmm, what was special about it?

Naoki: Well, our debut had already been decided, so there were a lot of people from the record company and elsewhere who came to see us at that concert, so it was like a test show. We didn't have much experience with that, and we only got one shot.

Kumi: That was a great concert, everyone listened. So it was a good memory.

PJT: I read on your Web site that you also did a "secret live" at Shinjuku Loft back then too.

Kumi: Yes! That was really fun too.

PJT: I can imagine. Do you have a message that you want to express through your music?

Kumi: Ai desu ne. [In English:] "Love."

PJT: I've heard you also play for peace in the world.

Naoki: But all of that comes out of love.

PJT: Speaking of which, in 1997 in Shibuya and then last year in Kyoto you did something called Delico Cafe for environmental causes.

Naoki: How did you know that!

Kumi: Well, the owner of the Well Bean Cafe in Kyoto told us he was a big Delico fan, and he definitely wanted to do a collaboration.

Naoki: The coffee is organic, and it's supposed to be good for you, with raw ingredients.

Kumi: We liked his concept a lot, so we thought it would be nice to do something together once in a while.

Naoki: Once every one or two years, we'd like to get together with someone from a different subculture, whether it's a fashion brand, a coffee shop, a cake shop. Next time maybe we'll do it in LA.

PJT: That's right, you're going to be living in LA for three months this summer to write your new album. What kind of work are you anticipating doing?

Kumi: I'm looking forward to finding out.

PJT: What feeling do you get from LA?

Kumi: You mean our impression?

PJT: Yes.

Kumi: Hmm, when I was a child I spent some time in San Francisco, so I already know that the climate, the air, really suits me. Perfectly.

PJT: That's the best part about California. Kumi, you change very easily between Japanese and English. A lot of bands do that, but unlike them I felt that your lyrics still have a deeper meaning even in English. What's your process for writing lyrics in two languages?

Kumi: When I write lyrics, well we write them together, but usually I choose words from the sound. I don't often write in Japanese and then translate. Well I really only use simple English words...

PJT: Are you thinking of putting more English on the album you're going to make in LA?

Kumi: We don't really set out to use a lot of English or Japanese, we just do it naturally depending on the song, so it's not that we came over here specially planning to use more English, but it might turn out that way. I don't know. So we have that to look forward to as well.

PJT: After Americans listen and fall in love with Delico, what Japanese music should they hear next?

Kumi: Hmm. I wonder. He wants our recommendations.

Naoki: LOVE PSYCHEDELICO's second album. [Laughter.]

PJT: But while we're waiting for that...

Kumi: Who would be good...

Producer Kentaro Kaneko: If you don't answer it'll leave a bad impression! [Laughter.]

PJT: OK, why don't you talk about the bands that influenced you instead.

Kumi: Well there are a lot of those, but of course music from the '60s and '70s influenced us most. The Stones, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin.

PJT: When Japanese bands come to the U.S., often people think they hear something peculiarly Japanese in their music. As you said, though, Delico's Western influences are clear, so how do you feel about being received as a "Japanese band"? Do you think there's something that makes a band "Japanese"?

Naoki: That's a pretty deep question! [Laughs]

Kumi: Well Japanese music, that is, J-pop, doesn't really have any roots, right? They make J-pop, then they make more J-pop. There isn't really a deeper flow to the music, so I think there are parts that just don't have depth. But rather than be influenced by J-pop, we've been influenced by American roots music, so I hope we'll be more easily accepted by a foreign audience. There's a lot of imagination in these musical roots, so...

Naoki: I mean, the musicians in this country can respect each other...

Kumi: Because they have the same roots.

Naoki: But even if they have different roots, how to put this. Even if someone has different roots from you, you can see that person is expressing their feelings about the classics, the giants from a long time ago, through their music. Because of that, even if they do things differently from you, you can come together and respect each other and say, "You're a remarkable musician." Especially in rock and roll, as Kumi was saying, roots are very important. Expressing gratitude to your roots, and respect.

PJT: I think when Americans hear your music...

Kumi: They'll understand?

PJT: Yes. I was just reading someone's comment that your sound, Delico's sound, isn't simplistic, but it still really makes you feel good, and I definitely agree with that.

Kumi: Oh, thank you.

PJT: So the love is getting through.

Kumi: Good!

Naoki: We believe what's important in music isn't really originality, to set out to do something from the very beginning, or extend a style, those things aren't really important. Rather to transmit the energy of something you believe in, that's music.

PJT: When "This is Love Psychedelico" succeeds here, what's your next U.S. release? The album you'll be recording here?

Kumi: That's not decided yet, but beforehand I'd like to bring out our latest album in Japan, called Golden Grapefruits, in the U.S.

Naoki: That's our latest album, so I hope we can start bringing Americans our music in real time. But it's up to HackTone [Records]. What's particularly intriguing about “This is Love Psychedelico,” I think, is that we started making music in the '90s, and we were really influenced by American pop from back then, about 15 or 20 years ago. Then about five years later we debuted in 2000, so the influence of the American scene from the '90s was very strong on us. And after that, especially on this album, which includes songs from our very first album, many songs on this album are already 10 years old, like Lady Madonna and Your Song. Now 10 years have passed, or I suppose 8 years have passed, and now these feelings are coming back to America, and the music gets out there, and now everyone is saying, "Oh, your music is new." That's kind of really strange, because the music we originally made takes a lot of influence from music that was born in America.

PJT: So it's like an international exchange.

Naoki: Our response delayed by 15 years. It makes me realize, art is a really wonderful thing.

PJT: Are there any places you just have to go while you're in LA?

Naoki: Fred Segal.

Kumi: For me, the beach.

PJT: What are your current obsessions?

Kumi: What do I like right now... oh, there is a fashion brand I like called Le Grand Bleu. It's in French, but the designer is Japanese. I think it's on sale in LA too. They abbreviate it LGB. I love their clothes.

PJT: We take people to Tokyo on tours, so is there any spot in Japan you'd recommend?

Kumi: Naoki and I live around Harajuku and Omotesando so that neighborhood is our favorite.

Naoki: Aoyama.

PJT: You both went to school in that area at Aoyama Gakuin.

Kumi: Right, our college is close, our record company's close, and I love Meiji Shrine too, so definitely go there.

PJT: Do you have a favorite live house, a place where you just love to play?

Kumi: The Liquid Room.

Naoki: In Ebisu. One of friends lives near there. It's a great place.

Kumi: I think we're going to play there again in June.

Naoki: Right after we get back. The new one was just built about two years ago.

Kumi: Well, it used to be in Shinjuku, but then they closed and moved to Ebisu.

Naoki: Right, it has a lot of history.

Kumi: Quite a few foreign musicians play there too, so it's pretty famous.

PJT: Do you have a message for people abroad who listen to and like your music?

Kumi: I hope people can get some enjoyment and happiness out of our music, so... thank you for listening I guess!

PJT: Will you be playing in LA when you're here in the summer?

Kumi: If we can, I'd like to.

PJT: Thank you very much for joining us. Good luck at the concert tomorrow!

Kumi: Oh, thank you!

Naoki: Thanks.