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

Last Night At The Jetty from the new Panda Bear album “Tomboy” (Paw Tracks)

There’s no denying the immense impact of Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, be it as a solo artist or with his main gig as one quarter of Animal Collective. His third solo album, 2007’s “Person Pitch”, virtually laid the groundwork for so much of the chillwave/micro-cassette releases/4th world/retro-synth music that’s spread across the landscape of both underground and mainstream music. Needless to say there’s been heavy anticipation for “Tomboy”, his first solo release since. Immediately noticeable is that these 11 songs are more streamlined and I dare say “poppy” this time out. But within each track Lennox gives a totally rich and personal aural journey to get lost in. He’s a master of combining seemingly disparate influences – Steve Reich, Lee Perry, Spacemen 3, and even top forty R&B all come to mind – and weaving them into a beautiful tapestry of all his own. It’s unlikely that Tomboy will act as a year-zero statement in the way that Person Pitch is now regarded. But that’s no problem – this is a beautiful album draped in throbbing, drifting melodies that seem to afterburn in your mind long after the album has finished.

The Playlist

LOUISE BURNS Mellow Drama (Light Organ)

Local girl Louise Burns issue her first full length of moonshining country pop, all sprightly rhythms, jingle jangle guitars, and Burns’ lovelorn chronicles of the travails of modern love. Vinyl and CD.

CRYSTAL STILTS In Love With Oblivion (Slumberland)

In Love With Reverb is more like it! These New Yorkers revel in murky, reverb-soaked dark pop a la their spiritual forebearers the Velvets. On their second full length album they sound invigorated, with less of an Ian Curtis-death drive and more of a whimsical Johnathan Richman-like appreciation for the pure salvation of 3 minute rock n roll!

SONNY AND THE SUNSETS Hit After Hit (Fat Possum)

2010’s Tomorrow Is Alright took hold of Zulu’s collective psyche and made us instant fans of Sonny and co’s indelible, timeless rock n roll vibe. Hit After Hit continues the love affair, living up to its title with a dozen shining nuggets of irreverent, catchy pop. We dig it.

RADIOHEAD King Of Limbs (Self Released)

Radiohead’s 8th long player finally gets a physical release for those of us who aren’t quite ready for the Neuromancer-like future that the music industry is heading. This is the shortest ‘Head album to date, and for some it’s the band’s most perplexing because it contains no obvious conceptual angle. To us at Zulu it sounds like the instantly memorable musical alchemy that only those 5 limeys can concoct; twitchy electro rock bathed in gorgeous melodies.

MOON DUO Mazes (Sacred Bones)

Transplanting for SF to Colorado has done nothing to diminish the hypnotic effect of Moon Duo’s positively trancey psychedelia. Like a chilled out West Coast version of Suicide, Moon Duo lock know how to lock into a groove and turn a 3 minute song into an infinite cascade of textures and sound-shapes.

BILL CALLAHAN Apocalypse (Drag City)

A perennial fave at Zulu, Bill Callahan (nee Smog) delivers another modern classic. Honestly, the man continues to amaze us with his wordplay and simple but transfixing melodic arrangements. Apocalypse finds Callahan continuing his journey down a solitary path, pursuing some distant prize that only he can observe.

THE FEELIES Here Before (Bar/None)

Zulu’s beloved New Jersey jangle-poppers return with their fifth album on a career that stretches back to the seedy CBGB’s scene of the late, late 70s. There’s no need for any kind of career overhaul or drastic new direction – The Feelies are masters of their own distinct form of minimalism-as-maximalism guitar pop.

THE B-LINES s/t (Nominal)

One of the shining gems in Vancouver’s heavily be-jewelled crown, the B-Lines are give us a 9 track 12” of their own rambunctious style of punk rock, like some lost 1983 intersection of slamdance-hardcore and earnest pop punk goofiness. Awesome!

The Gig

Wed Apr 20 RAEKWON – FORTUNE

It’s true, rap shows can be dicey. Sometimes the artist in question can bring the goods and turn a sterile nightclub environment in a full on party (as Big Boi did last fall at the Vogue). But the scales can tip the other way too, with drunk performers giving the least amount of time and energy necessary to even qualify as a performance. 2009’s …Cuban Link II was a comeback for Rae. It seems like the time is right for Rae to reach a new renaissance and I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to experience Fortune transform into sweaty mass of party-bodies.

The Glance

Tue Apr 19
CHASE AND STATUS – GOSSIP

Wed Apr 20
JOHN VANDERSLICE – MEDIA
JACK BEATS – VENUE

Thu APR 21
HAUSCHKA – MEDIA CLUB
CLASSIFIED – VENUE
THE CAVE SINGERS – BILTMORE
TAME IMPALA w/ YUCK – COMMODORE

Fri APR 22
STARFUCKER – BILTMORE
CHILDISH GAMBINO – COMMODORE
FIVE ALARM FUNK – 560 SEYMOUR
BOMBA ESTERO – WALDORF
SEASONS FEST: CALVIN HARRIS & LAIDBACK LUKE – VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE

Sat APR 23
DENGUE FEVER – BILTMORE
THE SALTEENS – RED ROOM
TOKYO POLICE CLUB – COMMODORE

Sun APR 24
PAUL DI’ANNO – RICKSHAW – CANCELLED
PHOSPHORESCENT – MEDIA
NERO – CELEBRITIES

Mon APR 25
ROYAL BANGS – MEDIA CLUB
KURT VILE – WALDORF

Tue APR 26
MIKE WATT – MEDIA CLUB
THE BOXER REBELLION – BILTMORE

Wed APR 27
LOST IN THE TREES – MEDIA CLUB

Fri APR 29
MENOMENA – BILTMORE
PIPETTES – VENUE

Sat APR 30
TUNE YARDS – BILTMORE
JAMAICA – FORTUNE
DANCING BEAR FESTIVAL – SQUAMISH