Our friends over at Kitsilano’s Zulu Records once again present their weekly Scout feature, the Zulu Report. Within, staff from the West 4th music store provide The Track, the song that is on heavy rotation that week; The Playlist, which is pretty self-explanatory; The Gig, the must see show of the week; and The Glance, a view ahead to music on the horizon. From their ears to yours, enjoy…

The Track

Taken from the ZULU STAFF TOP 10 OF 2009

Apollo Ghosts | “Angel Acres” | Forgotten Triangle EP

Apollo Ghosts and quickly and easily defined themselves as the best pop band in Vancouver since the blissful early days of the New Pornographers (back when the Pornos were still legitimately a local band).  Adrian Teacher, the main tunesmith, taps into the whimsical, naive pop world of Jonathan Richman, Daniel Johnston and even a little bit of our own (early) Dan Bejar.  With a few simple chords and a clever turn of phrase listeners are pulled into Teacher’s world of hopes, letdowns, confusions and concerns.  “Angel Acres,” from the band’s excellent Forgotten Triangle EP (a current Zulu fave) is a great song.  It’s one of many that Teacher has kindly bestowed unto our fair city.  Tired overhyped hairdo rock? Tired of beardo hippies jamming of Marley tunes? Not into watching some DJ twiddle knobs for drug addled partiers? How about checking out what I like to call “solid pop song chops.”  Scope this delightful clip of Teacher and company doing their unprecocious, totally natural and awesome thing.  You can thank me later. Here more here.

The Playlist

Taken from ZULU staffer DAN COLUSSI’S TOP 10 of 2009

Psychic Ills “Mirror Eye” (Social Registry)
NY foursome channel the dusty flavours of a Morrocan seance. Bells, mirrors, snake charmers, creeping nausea.

Broadcast and the Focus Group “Investigate Witch Cults…” (Warp)
A pastoral folk psych collage piece from some Birmingham ex-pats who know a thing about witches and spells.

Sparklehorse and Fennesz  “In The Fishtank” (Konkurrent)
Two days in the studio is all that was needed for this dream collaboration.  A beautiful conjure of tones and drones! An ambient Euro insta-classic!

Valet “False Face Society” (Mexican Summer)
Three tracks spread across one LP, resulting in something beyond “noise,”psych,” or “drone.”  I just call it good.

Circulatory System “Signal Morning” (Cloud Recordings)
Fractured paisley-pop from Elephant 6 heavyweights that sounds like some kind of 1967 Carnaby Street acid meltdown. Heady.

Flaming Lips “Embryonic” (Warner)
Anxiety-ridden extendo jams that come from nowhere, go nowhere, and which you wish would never end.

Blues Control “Local Flavour” (Siltbreeze)
NY duo break all the rules and combinen city grit with hazy dub and fractured guitar riffery.

Emeralds “What Happened” (No Fun)
Kelaidescopic rainbow tones from Cleveland, not Dusseldorf.  Far and beyond the rest of the chumps in an overpopulated genre.

Sun Araw “Heavy Deeds” (Not Not Fun)
Heavy soul and grit that soundtracks daily trips to the beach.  Vital listening during the black winter months.

Spectrum “War Sucks” (Great Pop Supplement)
Finally a voice of reason and sanity!  During ugly times the true protest is beauty; Spectrum’s got it in spades.

For more ZULU STAFF TOP 10 of 2009 check www.zulurecords.com

The Gig

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE
Friday January 8th at THE BILTMORE CABARET

We’re smack in the middle of the Xmas/New Year’s season, a time for taking stock of you life as well as a time for ridiculous overindulgence (booze). It’s a delicate time, a tender time, a time to look to the past but also plot your next move. This makes it pretty much the ideal time to take in a set from Casiotone For The Painfully Alone (henceforth CFTPA). Owen Ashworth (CFTPA) specializes in the kind of brutal truths that we all know but wish we didn’t. With just some backing tapes, sardonic lyrics and, yes, a casiotone keyboard, Ashworth manages endear himself to anyone who hears his music, transporting you to the time and place of your most brutal disappointments and shed a little wisdom and humour on it all. It’s cold out, the Olympics will soon ravage the city. You owe yourself this. Be there.

The Glance

Fri JAN 08

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE – BILTMORE
THE ENIGMAS – BOURBON WE ARE SOLD OUT

Sat JAN 08

ROBERT WILSON – BILTMORE

Wed JAN 10

ZOLAS – BILTMORE

Thu JAN 14

SWITCH + MAJOR LAZER – POP OPERA
RICH HOPE- VENUE

Fri JAN 15

MAX GRAHAM- CELEBRITIES

Sat JAN 16

WOOD PIGEON- BILTMORE

Tue JAN 19

KITZ 4 KIDS- SHARK CLUB

Thu JAN 21

SKEET SKEET – FORTUNE SOUND
ASOBI SEKSU – MEDIA CLUB

Fri JAN 22

ADAM FRANKLIN – MEDIA CLUB
PHOENIX – ORPHEUM WE ARE SOLD OUT
FROG EYES – BILTMORE

Sat JAN 23

THE BEIGE – ST.JAMES
JOKERS OR THE SCENE – CELEBRITIES
BOWERBIRDS / JULIE DOIRON – BILTMORE
STEVE EARLE & JOEL PLASKETT – ORPHEUM

Sun JAN 24

AFI – COMMODORE WE ARE SOLD OUT

Thu JAN 28

THE HOOD INTERNET – FORTUNE
FEDDE LE GRAND – CELEBRITIES
PREFUSE 73 – BILTMORE

Fri JAN 29

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS – VOGUE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
BART B MORE – CELEBRITIES
RUDE CITY RIOT – SHARK CLUB

Sat JAN 30

NOMO – BILTMORE

Sun JAN 31

THE CRIBS – VENUE

(carousel photo by Hannah Perrson)