Arts @ www.theotherpress.ca More than your basic ‘Instinct’ ‘Rises’ shines! DESHI (DESHI BASARA (BASARA) By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor OOo Before I begin, I would like to say how horrendous the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado was. I was very deeply shaken and am still uncomfortable with discussing the event. I can only hope the families of those who suffered and still are suffering will overcome. Our most sincere thoughts are with them. ell here we are— spanning nearly a decade, the greatest Batman saga on film has finally reached its conclusion. It was the insanely loud, action-packed, dialogue-driven trilogy we needed and deserved, but how does The Dark Knight Rises stand on its own? First off, there was no chance in hell Rises was going to outdo The Dark Knight—the latter is a modern day epic, and the former is its “reckoning.” The second thing to keep in mind is that Kises is less of a “Batman” film, and more of a Bruce Wayne film. Bane (a ridiculously ripped Tom Hardy) is there to stress the already fragile mind of Wayne (Christian Bale) by breaking him in more ways than one, as our hero watches the city he cares ever so much for rip itself apart before its supposedly imminent demise. Seeing as this is botha conclusion to Nolan’s Wayne and Batman, the nearly three-hour flick covers a lot of ground. Eight years after the contents of The Dark Knight, Rises starts off with Batman retired and Wayne a recluse. Soon Allow the Toadies to ‘Play.Rock.Music’ for you By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer after, Bane fucks shit up. Gordon (Gary Oldman) works with Officer Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) around the clock to keep Gotham alive just long enough for the Batman to return (or does he?!). On top of that, Wayne crosses paths with two very brilliant and very sexy women—Miranda Tate (Marion Cottilard) and Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway at her freaking best)—both of whom could (and do) take his life in very different directions (or do they?!). Rises is extremely loyal to its predecessor in that the actions of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) have an enormous effect on the film overall. That said, there’s an uncomfortable void throughout in regards to the Joker (Heath Ledger)—Batman’s arch nemesis— not even receiving a passing mention. But, I digress, void or not, the film is solid through and through despite that fact. It may not be Nolan’s absolute best, but with few flaws overall, Rises sure hits close to the mark. SHOMEDAYS...YOUJUSHT CANTGETRIDOFA THERMONUCLEARBOMB!! ye By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer he stereotypical Swede is [ws blonde—in this respect, the Stockholm- based members of Niki and the Dove don’t disappoint. A band is supposed to make music that you want to listen to. The group comes through in this regard too. Though the group has released several singles already, Instinct is the band’s debut album, and what a debut it is! Slotting into a sort of electro-pop genre, the duo of Malin Dahlstrom and Gustaf Karl6éf deliver track after track of quality listening. I’m not a huge fan of this type of music, but I loved it regardless. The album starts off with Lewis, goes with a fast-paced song Pa | @)( ©) © ) ©) \ y= 1 > VSS “a> > ooking for an easy listen to close off the summer? Need a mellow tune? Well you might want to watch yourself, because the cover is of Play.Rock.Music features four nude baby dolls, not exactly hinting towards easy listening. The band? The Toadies. The four-piece Texas-based group have just released their fifth album, Play.Rock.Music. And rock they do. Despite being around for over 20 years, and with more bumps in the road than a Canucks squad in the playoffs, the foursome have shown that they can still more than hold it together. Right from the first track, “Rattler’s Revival,” lead singer/guitarist, Todd that’s sure to make you want to “shake it like a rattler.” The album continues with some teasingly catchy moments, such as in “Magic Bullet,” which mixes into the generally heavily distorted guitar sound the group has going. One of the tracks I found myself listening to several times is “Sunshine,” which just manages to build and build and build until it finally explodes in a wall of glorious noise. The record finishes on a different note for the group with “The Appeal,” a much slower, softer song that doesn’t quite seem to fit in with its surroundings, but is a welcome addition nonetheless, and definitely is a tune—like the rest of the album—that you should give a listen. “Tomorrow,” where Dahlstrém’s excellent vocals are supported by Karl6f’s spacey-sounding keyboard; the song gives the album a great track right out of the blocks. Spoiler alert: the rest of the songs are just as solid. It’s difficult to pick and choose songs that really stand out, since I was honestly blown away by this album, so I'll go with the popular favourites. “DJ, Ease My Mind,” was one of the aforementioned single releases a few years ago and, to no one’s surprise, can be found on Instinct. It’s brilliant. The final track, “Under the Bridges,” also manages to finish the release strongly. Perhaps there’s something in the water I’m drinking right now, but I can’t turn Instinct off repeat. Even if it’s not your thing, go have a listen. Right meow.