New Dominion

NEW DOMINION
JNA Animation
JNA-1505-2
$17.98 SRP
50:08
24 Tracks
3 Vocals
Release Date: Oct. 1996

-- by Charles McCarter

Track Listing

1. JUST Beyond the Time
(vocal: Udagawa Ayako) 3:57

2. Tank Police is Coming! 1:03

3. Nasty Boys 2:42

4. Slaughter 1:09

5. Lost Running City 1:01

6. She's My Inspiration 1:31

7. Floating Wave 2:51

8. Anna & Uni 2:55

9. Fire the Vulcan Cannon 2:04

10. Momentary Rest 0:50

11. Harbor Town Tough Guy 2:19

12. I've Got to Earn, I've Got to Stand
(vocal: Hisakawa Aya and Kumagi Nina) 4:08

13. How to Write an Apology 1:02

14. Wrecking Company 1:07

15. Shining Future 3:59

16. Roll Out! Tank Police 1:57

17. Cold Devil's Plot 0:52

18. Operation Destruction 1:27

19. New Port City 24:00 2:32

20. Sincere Note 1:15

21. Genocide Song 1:24

22. Wind of Memories 2:25

23. Bonaparte's Theme 1:09

24. JUST FALLIN LOVE ~ In Many of Earnest Nights ~
(vocal: Udagawa Ayako) 3:31

Just to settle a bet, I put this CD and my Japanese original into the CD player at the same time. The time on the disks read exactly the same--50:08. So far, so good. I then had the player play tracks from the two CDS in random order to see if I could discern any difference in quality. I have to say that after nearly two hours of DOMINION music, I became thoroughly confused as to which was the import and which the domestic pressing. The quality is just that good.

The opening song is different from the original OVA series; gone is the pop sound of "Cherry Moon ni Odorasete." This opening is tougher, grittier, and perhaps even a little darker. And although the vocalist, Udagawa Ayako, is not as strong a singer as I would like, she does a good job with this song. Sometimes, though, her voice seems to be nearly lost amongst the heavy bass background.

Puma Sisters fans will delight in "I've Got to Earn, I've Got to Stand," which marks Anna and Uni's return to singing. The song starts out with a mysterious, slow opening but quickly transforms into a hard-driving rock song. Hisakawa Aya and Kumagi Nina have fun with this song; they do more than just hit the notes--they inject the personalities of the Puma Sisters into this song.

"Just Fallin' Love," the ending theme, is better at showcasing Udagawa Ayako's voice. Although it is a slow ballad, it avoids sounding too much like a saccharine pop song, thanks mostly to the presence of electric guitar and electric bass.

The BGM alternates between really mellifluous jazz pieces and synthesized pop music. "Nasty Boys," is a very soft jazz piece, performed by a muted trumpet, marimba, and some percussion instrumental. Another one of my favorite tracks is "Floating Wave," which moves along gently but with a definite bounce. (I'm a sucker for a jazz ensemble.) If jazz is your thing, many of the tracks on this album will delight you and most certainly remind you of CITY HUNTER instrumentals.

On the darker, more techno side of the BGM is "Fire the Vulcan Cannon," a track which is done entirely on synthesizer and conveys the anticipated frenetic and frantic pace. One of the most interesting tracks on the CD is "Roll Out, Tank Police," another pop synthesizer tune that conveys the urgency with which the tank police scramble to action. While perhaps not the most original piece on the CD, it is one of the more evocative.

The BGM is overall very good, with a mixing of both jazz and sometimes almost techno-sounding synthesizer pop tunes. The jazz numbers do slightly outnumber the synth ones, however.

Finally, on to the CD booklet. In a side-by-side comparison with the original, four full pages have been cut (meaning eight sides). Of course, four of these sides are a spread on the idol singer Udagawa Ayako, which most American fans can easily do without. The other four sides cut include some brief character and tank descriptions and illustrations. However, on the pages that were retained, the layout is exactly the same--with the English lyrics and credits overlaid where the Japanese ones would be. The pictures are all crisp and in full color. And fans who were unhappy with the generic look of JNA's previous releases should be pleased with the CD's face, which contains the same line art as the original Japanese pressing.

In short, this is one of the best domestic releases to date. If you like DOMINION or jazz, or are just trying to build up a solid anime CD collection, you need this CD.