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

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY – “Trembling Hands” from Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence)

I’ve seen Explosions in concert twice and both times I saw people break down in tears – seems like this band sends people to a special place. I always thought it’d be funny if, after their sets, people would yell “ONE MORE SET! ONE MORE SET!” and they’d come out for another three hours of loud-quiet-loud guitar shreddery. I don’t know that anyone would leave; the Friday Night Lights soundtrackers have a stupid-dedicated legion of fans (present company included). Anyway this album is pretty awesome. No changes to the formula here, if you’ve heard it once and liked it you’ll hear it a thousand times and like it. Moody soft parts followed by soaring epic parts. As they say in the States. “I’m lovin’ it.”

The Playlist

BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (Capitol)

There once was a crew from New York

Got pegged as a trio of dorks

Punks called it a shtick

We think it’s straight SICK

Their new record: Zulu adores

PREFUSE 73 The Only She Chapters (Warp)

He did it first! Forefather to the current glitch-step phenomenon, the likes of Star Slinger, Evenings and Blackbird Blackbird owe their sound to the man, Scott Herren. I lost track of homie after the collabo EP he did with The Books – I’m stupid: this shit is hot.

BEADY EYE Different Gear, Still Speeding (Dangerbird)

Lots of people cranky about this phoenix-from-the-ashes. Not me, I like it! Britpop/garage bands are a lot of fun and I could see a lot of these tunes on a mix CD entitled “Grocery Store/Errands Mix” that you use when you wanna throw your wayfarers on and pretend you’re on a high-risk high-reward mission.

BUILT TO SPILL Ripple 7” (Warner Bros)

Uhhh, dudes? Why is this still in the store? We got this in for Record Store Day and it’s still here! One of my favourite bands covering one of my favourite Dead tunes, with a beautiful illustration by Jesse LeDoux engraved on the flip… if one of you knuckleheads doesn’t pick this up this weekend it might end up in my holds…

MY FRIEND WALLIS When The Blue Turned Yellow EP (Self-Release)

Finally on the Zulu shelves! Victoria implant Crystal Dorval’s debut disc from last year is here just in time to rule your summer, hard. Blissed out tropical punk jams.

PURO INSTINCT Headbangers in Ecstasy (Mexican Summer)

Weird. OK, first of all this is two teenage sisters. Second of all, the songwriting is pretty remarkable. Thirdly, they used to be called Pearl Harbour and I have to say I like the name Pearl Harbour better than I like the name Puro Instinct.  Fourthly, the last track is called “Luv Goon” and it’s one of my favourite songs of the year.

THE UNICORNS Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone (Re-issue, Alien8)

BACK IN PRINT ON VINYL. Legendary 2000s Canadian indie rock. This sucker blew the doors open for the Montreal explosion. Hard to believe in just a couple years we’ll reach the decade mark for its release.

SUN WIZARD Positively 4^th Ave (Light Organ)

Flyin’ off the shelves at Zulu! Gets better with each repeated listen. Great choruses, great vocal harmonies, great bros. Record’s gonna get huge, get on board now. Also, what a rad video!

The Gig

Sunday MAY 22 WYRD FEST III

CANNOT MISS. The guys from Weird Canada aka best blog on Earth – Canadian or otherwise – organize the best traveling festival every year. How many bands this year? 20? Jeez. Ok, that’s a buck a band. The tickets are printed on Magic: The Gathering cards. What’s up with that, man? Funny/dumb/great stuff. Bands I’m most looking forward to: Makeout Videotape, Dirty Beaches, Gobble Gobble and Tonstartssbandht. PLUS four of the most bangin’ BC bands: B-Lines, Babysitter, Needles//Pins, and Grown Ups. Holy crud, nerds.

The Glance

Tue May 17 THE GREENHORNES – VENUE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Wed MAY 18 BLACK MOON – BAR NONE
Wed MAY 18 SWEATSHOP UNION – FORTUNE
Thu MAY 19 STEVE LAWLER – FORTUNE
Thu May 19 SKAMPIDA – RAILWAY
Fri May 20 KATHRYNE CALDER – BILTMORE
Fri May 20 CLASSIXX – CELEBRITIES
Sat May 21 JIMMY EAT WORLD – COMMODORE
Sat May 21 SAM BRADLEY – VENUE
Sun MAY 22 WYRD FEST III – WALDORF
Sun MAY 22 NAUGHTY BY NATURE – BAR NONE
Sun MAY 22 DAVID GUETTA – VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE
Mon MAY 23 AGENT ORANGE – RICKSHAW
Mon MAY 23 FEDERICK SQUIRE – BILTMORE
Tue MAY 24 BAMBOOZLE ROADSHOW: Chiddy Bang – COMMODORE – CANCELLED
Tue MAY 24 USS W/ MICHOU – MEDIA CLUB
Wed MAY 25 GUITAR WOLF – BILTMORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Wed MAY 25 THE CRACKLING – MEDIA CLUB
Wed MAY 25 SLEIGH BELLS, NEON INDIAN – THE VOGUE – SOLD OUT!
Thu MAY 26 KJ SAWKA – FORTUNE
Thu MAY 26 NOMEANSNO – BILTMORE
Thu MAY 26 THE HEAD AND THE HEART – VENUE
Fri MAY 27 SHARON JONES – MALKIN BOWL
Fri MAY 27 SUMNER BROTHERS: OLD BONES IV – ANZA
Fri MAY 27 CHUCKIE – CELEBRITIES
Fri MAY 27 NO MEANS NO – BILTMORE
Fri MAY 27 LYKKE LI – VOGUE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Sat May 28 YEASAYER w/ SMITH WESTERNS – COMMODORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Sat May 28 DILLON FRANCIS & PAUL DEVRO – WALDORF
Sat May 28 THOMAS GOLD – GINGER62
Sat May 28 !!! – ELECTRIC OWL (928 Main St.) – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Sun May 29 JENNY & JOHNNY – VENUE
Sun May 29 ALOE BLACC – FORTUNE
Mon May 30 BLACKFIELD – RICKSHAW
Tue MAY 31 SEPULTURA – VOGUE
Tue MAY 31 ADELE – ORPHEUM – SOLD OUT – VENUE CHANGE!!! EXCHANGE YOUR TICKETS
Tue MAY 31 FOSTER THE PEOPLE – VENUE – WE ARE SOLD OUT

JUNE

JUN 1-5 MUSIC WASTE – VARIOUS VENUES
Wed JUN 1 TIMBER TIMBRE – VOGUE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Fri Jun 3 GUILTY ABOUT GIRLS – VENUE
Fri Jun 3 SLOAN – COMMODORE
JUN 3-5 SYNC MUSIC FESTIVAL – BEAVERFOOT LODGE
Sat JUN 4 DOA & KNUCKLEHEAD – RICKSHAW
Sat Jun 4 FRIENDLY FIRES – VENUE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Sat Jun 4 GRUFF RHYS – BILTMORE
Sun Jun 5 ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI – VENUE
Mon Jun 6 TC + SIGMA – FORTUNE
Mon Jun 6 ANTHONY DAVID – BILTMORE
Mon Jun 6 SANDER KLEINBERG – GINGER 62
Tue Jun 7 AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT – COMMODORE – NEW VENUE
Thu Jun 9 SKISM- FORTUNE
Fri Jun 10 PAUL OAKENFOLD – FORTUNE
Sun Jun 12 MIAMI HORROR – FORTUNE
Mon Jun 13 BRETT DENNEN – VOGUE
Mon Jun 13 JASON ISBELL – BILTMORE
Mon JUN 13 FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY – RICKSHAW
Tue Jun 14 HANNIBAL BURESS – BILTMORE
Tue Jun 14 FORBIDDEN – RICKSHAW
Wed Jun 15 BLACK LIPS – COMMODORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
Thu JUN 16 THE HOOKERS + BLACK WIZARD – BILTMORE
Thu JUN 16 KID CUDI – DEER LAKE PARK