by Nic Bragg | From Kitsilano’s Zulu Records, we once again present our weekly Scout feature, the Zulu Report. Within, we provide The Track – the song that is on heavy rotation in the shop this week; The Playlist – which is pretty self-explanatory; The Gig – the ‘must see’ show of the week; and The Glance – which details the best live acts that are on the immediate horizon. From our ears to yours, enjoy…

THE TRACK

MAGNETIC FIELDS Quick

As you may or may not know, The Magnetic Fields take their name from the work of Surrealism founder Andre Breton. There has always been a definitively surreal aesthetic to their work, and you can really feel it in this new video. The Breton reference refers to a book he wrote with cohort Philippe Soupault in which they experimented with automatic writing of poetry by quickly recording the stream of conscious words that come to them as they awoke from slumber. Similarly, Magnetic Fields founder Stephen Merritt has also experimented with working fast and brewing up a giant cauldron of ideas, as he is best known for his epic 69 Love Song songcycle that covered a gigantic range of aesthetics and synthesized them into a really dreamy triple disc serving of quirky pop. Merritt is extremely economical with his ideas, never letting any impulse remain unexplored or unused. Yes, he moves quick!

The Playlist

CASS McCOMBS Bradley Manning

In town early next week at the Biltmore! Cass and his company of talented pals are one of the best kept secrets in the biz. On the surface his songs seem pretty straight ahead, but when you stop and listen you realize that McCombs has a pretty dark vision and an extremely varied sonic palate. Will this be the time you catch Cass fever?

TEEN DAZE Treten

For some bands, getting your video up on Pitchfork is a major deal. For Vancouver’s Teen Daze, it’s actually just another day – as they have always taken things slowly and carefully and thus crafted something that is built on real sonic substance…not just hype. That said, at Zulu we want to officially declare these guys the best band in the city!

BEACH HOUSE Myth

With four albums under their belts, Beach House have successfully set themselves apart from a tidal wave of bands that washed up on our shores a few years ago. Theirs is an instantly recognizable sound that ebbs and flows in a dark and dreamy wash of reverb so massive that it’s hard to think that three musicans created it all! Lots of water metaphors today, eh?

FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE Get Wild

The influence of the Talking Heads on modern music is underrated. Yes, everyone has heard of them, and loves them, but no one really says that they are directly channeling David Byrne. I guess it is cooler to drop Velvets and Modern Lovers references….anyway, here is a great song and a great version.

SQUAREPUSHER Darker Steering

Electronica is making serious waves again! There’s a steady stream of shows coming to Fortune Sound Club and, well, if anyone could ever get Squarepusher a gig in town it would be a night of incredible music as well as performance! These guys rock live and their eschewed beats and samples sound intense at loud volumes! The new album on Warp is godhead.

SHEARWATER You As You Were

Here’s the deal: legendary Memphis recording studio Ardent has started a series of sessions with young bands and they’re sharing them on their website. What a grand idea! Who in their right mind would refuse to visit this legendary room that gave the world so much of the Stax sound as well as all the Big Star albums? Enjoy.

THE GIG

BRASSTRONAUT | RIO THEATRE Saturday June 2nd

This is the first Vancouver show for Brasstronaut in support of their sophomore release Mean Sun. Already there is a tangible buzz surrounding this gig as it feels like all the pieces of a puzzle insuring wide spread success for this incredibly idiosyncratic and enigmatic Vancouver band are slowly coming together, and that we are witnessing a band turning the corner towards international acclaim. The Brasstronaut sound is really hard to pin point down – there is jazz elements, electronics, piano ballad cabaret vibes, as well as a strange brooding energy that is more in line with punk and art-rock abandon. This strange mix is what makes the band so exciting and inviting – also they have carefully controlled their output and exposure releasing only the highest caliber of tracks and always leaving us wanting more! Lead by the rich voice of Edo Van Breemen, Brasstronaut’s Mean Sun finally delivers more for your ears and ours – tickets to this special night at the Rio are moving – so swing by soon!

The Glance

Wed May 30 THERESA ANDERSSON – MEDIA
Wed May 30 12TH PLANET – CELEBRITIES
Wed May 30 DEER TICK – BILTMORE- SOLD OUT
Thu May 31 BOK BOK – WALDORF
Thu May 31 OMAR SOULEYMAN – BILTMORE
Thu May 31 CRYSTALFIGHTERS – FORTUNE
Thu May 31 REPURCUSSION – SURREY ARTS CENTRE

JUNE

Fri Jun 01 DILLON FRANCIS – CELEBRITIES
Fri Jun 01 DANGER – BILTMORE
Fri Jun 01 ART DEPARTMENT – WALDORF
Sat Jun 02 BRASSTRONAUT – RIO
Sat Jun 02 SHACKLETON – WALDORF
Sat Jun 02 DIESELBOY – RED ROOM
Wed Jun 06 JERU THA DAMAJA REPUBLIK
Wed Jun 06 CRIZZLY – CELEBRITIES
Thu Jun 07 TOPLESS GAY LOVE TECHNO PARTY – CLUB
Thu Jun 07 ADALINE – BILTMORE
Thu Jun 07 VINCE VACCARO – VENUE
Thu Jun 07 MELANIE DEKKER – ST.JAMES
Thu Jun 07 BHANGRA LOVE – GINGER 62
Fri Jun 08 LAIDBACK LUKE – CELEBRITIES
Fri Jun 08 GOLD + YOUTH – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri Jun 08 BASEMENT BHANGRA – W2
Fri Jun 08 MISHKA + ANUHEA – MEDIA
Sat Jun 09 DOMINIQUE FRICOT – ST.JAMES
Sat Jun 09 AMBASSADORS OF BHANGRA – W2
Sat Jun 09 DEER TRACKS – MEDIA
Sat Jun 09 RYKKA & STAR CAPTAINS – ELECTRIC OWL
Mon Jun 11 TRIBAL SEEDS – MEDIA
Tue Jun 12 MAPS & ATLASES – MEDIA
Wed Jun 13 CALVERTRON – CELEBRITIES
Wed Jun 13 SHANTEL – RED ROOM
Wed Jun 13 LEMONADE – ELECTRIC OWL
Wed Jun 13 HOW TO DRESS WELL – WALDORF
Wed Jun 13 CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – RICKSHAW
Thu Jun 14 SHABAZZ PALACES – FORTUNE
Thu Jun 14 PATRICK WATSON – VOGUE
Fri Jun 15 THE BAR ELECTRIC – OWL
Fri Jun 15 MIKE Q + ZEBRA KATZ + NJENA REDDD FOXXX – WALDORF
Sat Jun 16 LUCITERRA DANCE: JILL PARKER – RIO
Sat Jun 16 VICCI MARTINEZ – ELECTRIC OWL
Sat Jun 16 HEY OCEAN! – VOGUE
Sat Jun 16 PARLOTONES – BILTMORE
Sat Jun 16 HOOK N SLING – CELEBRITIES