Apparently I have too much free time on my hands...I translated Nakata's March '10 interview with beat freak, about the release of PLAYER. Original can be found here: http://www.beatfreak.jp/interview/7174/
Quote:
Interviewer: Were you working on capsule's new album PLAYER at the same time you were working on LIAR GAME 2, the soundtrack for the new movie LIAR GAME ~The Final Stage?
Nakata: While working on the soundtrack, I wrote "Stay with You" (theme song) and "Love or Lies" (insert song) for capsule, and about halfway through production of LIAR GAME 2 I began writing other songs for the album. Actually, I had in mind that "Love or Lies" would be the theme song, and eventually wrote "Stay with You" at the request of the director. If you listen to the music while watching the movie, I think you'll understand why. Because of that, "Stay with You" is a little different than the rest of the tracks on PLAYER. If it weren't for LIAR GAME, that song wouldn't have been on the album.
Interviewer: So this CD, with its hip-hop and rap-based compositions, defies the traditional idea that capsule = techno/electro-pop?
Nakata: But between those two styles, I don't know which is the 'main' one for this album. (Laughs) Because it feels like they're both main styles. I've never had to pick one over the other. Each song is different from the next, so you could say that any and all of the tracks are essential to the album. LIAR GAME's theme song is on the album, and if people were hoping for songs that sounded similar to that, I think the album will be a little different from what they expected...(Laughs) But for people who didn't know what to expect, I think they've gotten a well-rounded collection of songs.
Interviewer: Has your method of writing music changed at all?
Nakata: The way I create music is, essentially, the same. As always, this album was made through my desire as a composer to create fresh, stimulating music. I have fun while I write and think, "Wouldn't this be cool?" and I think the end product has a distinctive atmosphere associated with capsule.
Interviewer: The fact that even in your dramatic songs strange and funny sounds can be heard really evokes the style of capsule, wouldn't you say?
Nakata: I'm also a DJ, so naturally club-style sound effects make their way into the music, but this album isn't me as a DJ remixing the latest songs. I think that music is easy to enjoy, and when I hear it I think over and over again, "Oh, I put that in there" and don't realize it until that moment. I think that makes for a really interesting, enjoyable album.
Interviewer: Considering the name of the song, would you say "PLAYER" and its aggressive rap encompasses the album as a whole?
Nakata: I wouldn't say that. I love the pure sound of "PLAYER" [the album]. And it's about people playing around and enjoying themselves. You're not on the defensive; the team that's out there doing it are the PLAYERS. The producing I do for capsule is similar. You could say that I'm actually playing around with capsule. Or, more simply, I think it's a title with a cool design. (Laughs) Now, when I look at it, I worry a bit about whether or not its design is gripping enough. And, just by looking at the title, you can't figure out what genre it belongs to, right?
Interviewer: Yes, no one can really tell.
Nakata: Well, if you think, "Ooooh, it's capsule!" when you hear "Stay with You" or "Love or Lies", there are just as many songs where you'll think, "what the heck is this?!" (Laughs) It might seem a little crazy. "I wish You" and some other songs are really great, I think. (Laughs)
Interviewer: What's more, "I wish You" is the first time we've heard Kojishima Toshiko-san's voice clearly, and the lyrics are quite profound.
Nakata: The compatibility of the song and the words has to be taken into account when choosing lyrics, and the rhythm should be good. However, this song wasn't written out of a desire to convey the meaning of the lyrics, it's the lyrics of "I wish You" that match the tempo and the melody of the song.
Interviewer: For you, is music or lyrics just one factor that goes into composing your overall image?
Nakata: I think music means different things to the people who hear it. Something referred to as a "good song" may in fact be a good song, but that's the opinion of the listeners themselves. For example, if someone said, "Aww, I cried when I heard it" it meant the timing was right for the listener. Which is why there is no song that will always be thought of as a "good song" by everyone who listens to it. If you think about it like that, we tend to make music that we would enjoy and want to listen to. And, that was what came out of PLAYER. I don't know how the listeners will react, but by the time I start composing I'm so jazzed up about it that I'm already thinking, "Anyone who thinks this isn't cool is crazy!" (Laughs)
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Side note: my jam right now is 'communication' by COLTEMONIKHA. So good~ 
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