April 6, 2005 Page 10 Manga CD a! Life to Magical Cresent Moon Haruko lida By DANA SCHWEHR STAFF WRITER There must be a thousand versions of the magical girl story. It is a genre that is often seen as overdone and silly, so it is-often overlooked in favour of stories with more substance. Once in a while, however, a writer comes up with an original idea or two, and is able to breath fresh life into a story-form that =is.in danger of becoming too stale to continue with. This is the casé with Iida’s Cresent Moon series. It tells the tale of Mahiru Shiraishi, a young high-school student who is thought of as a “good-luck charm” by her classmates. Despite this, Mahiru seems to be an extremely unlucky girl, whose only ‘distinguishing characteristic is a strange dream of a princess and a demion boy that haunts CD Crescent Moon Gives New r an Girls her nights. This dream eentually leads her to a strange group of people, known as the Moonlight Bandits. These are not -your regular-type thieves, however. They are actually members of the Lunar Race, a race of creatures out of myth whose lives are ruled by the moon. They need Mahiru’s help if they are to recover their treasured Teardrops of the Moon that were stolen from them gen- erations ago. Cresent Moon is beautifully drawn, but sometimes difficult to follow. The often crowded pages do little to enhance the flow of the story,, and it is often necessary to re-read a page to undentand the sequence of eents depicted. However, the story is such a charming blend of modern story- telling and mythology that it is quite easy to overlook any troubles with the Jayout.. This little, item is definitely worth checking out in those long sum- mer days that are coming up. A Physical City of Angry Girls nu, CADEAUX ) axecatale Physical City Cadeaux Br TANYA ALVAREZ STAFF WRITER Cadeaux’s album Physical City is interesting to say the least. A post- punk and dance kind of sound makes it amusing and up-beat. Combined with the lyrics and singers Katie Lapi and Dani Vachon, it sounds like angry girl music reminiscent of the Raincoats and Veruca Salt. None of the songs really stand apart from the others, though it was collab- orated by a number of experienced musicians and the songs sound great, it sounds like the same song over and over again. This album is the type to listen to during .an intense work-out because it is remains up-beat and it is angry enough to drive someone to their limit. As for the songs, they are more likely to go over well in con- cert.Cadeaux has opened for Q and Not U, El Guapo, The Organ and Panthers and headlined over a dozen shows in Vancouver. They plan to tour from BC to Quebec this April. If punk mixed with dance and rock is your type of music, then try to catch them. Audiochrome Must Find a Unique Sound In Pieces Audiochrome TANYA ALVAREZ STAFF WRIFER In Pieces is Audiochrome’s second album and it is going to live up to the hype of the first one. With the help of - producer Joey Serlin (songwriter and. lead guitarist of the Watchmen) and many others, the band pulls together an album that is more sophisticated than Fears in sound and. lyrics. The sound is very much like U2, Train, or Counting Crows, and though the music seems kind of repetitive from song to song there are subtle differ- ences. Miss Me is the third song on the album with a good beat and a subtle banjo, which should sound very country, but doesn’t. The lyrics are easy to pick up and simple to relate to. Julia is a melancholy type of song in’ sound and lyrics. Marlo Campbell’s voice is ghostly in this balled about remorse and _ loss. February Morning is a good-song to end the album. It-is poetic, focusing on the lyrics more than the music. The sound is just a background, but it empowers the images.Audiochrome - is out to prove that people can have a professional career and a musical one simultaneously. They now have uni- versity degrees and are showing other college bands that there is nothing to worry about after graduation. The album is good, but’there is not much on it that sets it- apart from other bands of the same genre. I think they could do very well if they find some- thing that will make them unique. Johnston’s Curious Heart is Delicately Beautiful Curious Heart Michael Johnston Br BRYA Casey STAFF WRITER If folkish music is your thing, I sug- gest that you pick up your own copy of Michael Johnston’s CD, Curious Heart. This Winnipeg multi-key- boardist has been described as “deli- cately beautiful” by the Toronto Sun. With heartbreaking songs like “The Big Apple” and “Apology” to uplift- ing, reminiscent songs like “The Country North of Peterborough”, this album is one to put in your play- er and leave in there. You can find a song to suit your every mood. Johnston grew up as an only child in Peterborough, Ontario. He studied music and English at the University of Guelph and then traveled and came back to Winnipeg with “a suit- case of new songs.” More information can be found at www.inichaeljohnston.ca. If you’te into supporting Canadian Artists and enjoy a good well-rounded CD, I sug- gest this one is next on your to-buy list. Mindless Faith Rises in the Underground Momentum Mindless Faith By Cotin VANDERENDE STAFF WRITER Mindless Faith has emerged as one of the true rising forces in the under- ground, Their perfect balance of intricate electronic arrangements, grinding explosive beats, and indus- trial-EBM sound impassions fans from around the world. Momentum exhibits the hard trance, electro- industrial music that ravers like to hear. Mindless Faith has also pro- duced an album entitled ‘Manifest. Destiny that was released before Mindless Faith, with much the same great sound. Mindless faith is a two-man group formed by Jason and Chris Savanick. Together these two write’ and pro- duce their own albums. Jason is the lead vocalist and does some synthesis work. Chris does the guitar sounds and a lot of the synthesis. Momentum does a great job of integrating synthesis and vocals into gre at sounding tracks. Recommended tracks are One, Four, Nine, and Eleven. The first track on this album is, I feel, their best; it starts hard and heavy and doesn’t quit until the end. It also brings a great vocal sound to the listener. This CD is very enjoyable and I highly recommend checking it out. Edwards has a Touch of Country, Rock and Pop Back to Me Kathleen Edwards Br TYLER CLARKE SPORTS AND CLUBS EDITOR If you were to mix Sarah Harmer with Tom Petty and _ the Heartbreakers and Hank Williams JR., you’d have Back To Me, Kathleen Edwards’ sophomore album. It makes sense, after all Benmont Tench, the keyboardist for The Heartbreakers, worked with Edwards to make this album more of a rocking country album than her last, more pop-influenced album. Not only that, but Tom Petty is one of Edward’s two major influences. It really goes from two extremes. There are the slow, droning acoustic Sarah Harmertike songs, such as “Pink Emerson Radio,” “Old Time’s Sake,” “Summedong” and “Away.” “Summerlong” seems like a tribute to Neil Young’s “Wintedong” an assumption that can be made through the fact that Young is Edwards’ second major influence, which shows in both of her band’s guitar work. On the other hand, there are the catchier, harder, country-rocking “In State,” “Back To Me,” “What are You Waiting For?” and “Copied Keys,” which are the highlights of the album. The title of. the album, Back To Me, represents the album well, as is best displayed in “Copied Keys,” a great song on the album. Edwards draws from personal experiences, such as her moving from town to town and country to country with her military father. “This is not my town and It will never be/ This is your apartment filled with my things,” she sings in “Copied Keys.” ; This is the single best album of the year, without a single bad track, or track that simply does not belong. This is, of course, assuming that you are a fan of country, rock, or pop music, and her vocal style doesn’t annoy you, as it does some people.