Nic Bragg over at Kitsilano’s Zulu Records once again present his 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, which details the best gigs on the immediate horizon. From their ears to yours, enjoy…

THE TRACK

THE FLAMING LIPS The Supermoon Made Me Want to Pee

Last weekend’s RSD event was a totally life affirming moment. Each year it gets bigger and bigger as we greet more and more new faces who are disenfranchised with solely interacting with music on their hard drive… when was the last time the size of your hard drive helped you make a friend? Anyway, one band that has never wavered from the vinyl charge is long-time Zulu faves The Flaming Lips! They rule. It is me or do they actually keep getting weirder and weirder? This track from their ultra-limited edition RSD release is really really amazing, and the visuals are simply stunning. What’s next? I can see Wayne and the guys being asked to design a theme park ride. Now that would be scary!

The Playlist

SCISSOR SISTERS Only The Horses

When we open the boxes on the new Scissor Sisters release we fully expect a flock of hummingbirds to fly out and buzz around the store’s mezzanine. They’re trained to seek out sweet disco nectar and suck it dry. Reintroduce yourself to the sugary pop that is unmistakably the Scissor Sisters!

YANN TIERSEN The Gutter

Split screen videos are instantly fascinating. From a strictly semiotic perspective we already have a deepened reading experience of the images. How does an elastic band relate to a jello mold having nails driven into it? Regardless, you don’t need a PhD to know that Yann has a extremely brilliant mind when it comes to designing his songs.

DEATH GRIPS I’ve Seen Footage

Bam! Put it in the bag, baby. Here we go with a new jam from the band everyone is talking about! Having just scored high on the Pitchfork scale we can already expect their debut Vancouver show at Fortune to be mad packed, so check this out now and decide early if you are going to get hooked!

CROCODILES Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)

If you have a weak spot for hazy guitar rock that comes straight outta the post-Velvet Underground universe you should do yourself the favour of discovering Crocodiles. Based in Brooklyn and signed to French Kiss, this five piece is an awesome live band exuding a gritty cool. We’ve reached out to them for a Northern Zulu Session soon…refresh for an update!

THE REFUSED Live

Every week we sell a couple copies of The Refused landmark release The Shape Of Punk to Come…. It is the kind of record that all music fans can appreciate as it combines punk, jazz, experimental, and other genres into an interesting sonic mix that grabs every ear. On the good news front, they have reformed and just blew away audiences at Coachella. Let’s start a Facebook page encouraging them to hit the Commodore!

BON IVER Towers

Is this a cultural moment? Is 2012 the year that indie broke? Bon Iver is a Grammy ‘Best New Artist’ winner and now during their week off between high profile shows at Coachella they stop by Ellen and entertain the mid-day talk show crowd. What comes next? There has never been a better time to be a young indie musician in North America!

THE GIG

WILLIS EARL BEAL – BILTMORE CABARET Saturday May 5th

“It’s about style and what you do with it”. There will definitely be a curious contingent of onlookers at the Biltmore for the Vancouver debut of one of the more interesting personas in today’s music circles, Willis Earl Beal. The myth is growing around Beal’s history as an ex-homeless street musician who tuned his soulful baritone to accompany pre-recorded music on a beat up reel-to-reel. In the biz, the press have pegged Willis as the heir to Tom Wait’s larger than life persona, and as a performer who imbues his songs with as much persona and charisma as possible… making his stage shows more in line with performance art than just straight up renditions of his songs. Say what you will, but Willis Earl Beal has an incredible presence and a voice that most people would die for. What he does with it is indeed going to be interesting!

The GLANCE

Wed May 02 ILL GATES – CELEBRITIES
Tue May 01 THE JEZABELS – VENUE
Thu May 03 SAID THE WHALE – VOGUE
Thu May 03 DEMDIKE STARE – PLANETARIUM
Thu May 03 ROGER SANCHEZ – CAPRICE
Fri May 04 TY SEGALL – WALDORF
Fri May 04 HEADWATER – BILTMORE
Fri May 04 BRO SAFARI – CELEBRITIES
Sat May 05 BASSIS2 – IRON ROAD STUDIOS
Sat May 05 NEGUR BUNGET – RICKSHAW
Sat May 05 WILLIS EARL BEAL – BILTMORE
Sat May 05 GAUNTLET HAIR – WALDORF
Sun May 06 LOTUS PLAZA – MEDIA
Sun May 06 DELTA SPIRIT – ELECTRIC OWL
Mon May 07 AUGUSTANA – VENUE
Tue May 08 THE DRUMS – VENUE
Tue May 08 KATIE HERZIG – BILTMORE
Wed May 09 YANN TIERSEN – COMMODORE
Wed May 09 NADASTROM & SABO
Thu May 10 AMEN DUNES + Ilyas Ahmed – WALDORF
Thu May 10 SLEEPY SUN – BILTMORE
Thu May 10 ZOMBOY – FORTUNE
Fri May 11 SURFIRE SOUND TOUR – WALDORF
Fri May 11 NICKY ROMERO – CELEBRITIES
Fri May 11 SUB ANTIX – FIVESIXTY
Fri May 11 GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS – COMMODORE
Fri May 11 BEACH FOSSILS – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri May 11 THE EVERYTHING 80’S PARTY EXTRAVAGANZA feat. SYNTHSATION – JOSEPH RICHARD
Fri May 11 CURREN$Y – FORTUNE
Fri May 11 KATE SIMKO – W2 MEDIA CAFE
Fri May 11 FIVE ALARM FUNK – RICKSHAW
Sat May 12 DISTAL + HXDB – WALDORF
Sat May 12 BOXER REBELLION – BILTMORE
Sat May 12 NICKODEMUS – RED ROOM
.Sat May 12 THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS GINGER62-
Sat May 12 THE DUDES – VOGUE THEATRE