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

THE SHILOHS English Roads

You ever hitchhiked somewhere? After a while you develop a knack for knowing which ride to take. They don’t make an app for that sort of thing, do they? I’ve hitched across this country a bunch, and the best piece of advice I ever got was on a rainy October night, 150 km outside of Montreal: “Never take your shoes off in the car. Doesn’t matter how cold your feet are. Don’t get too comfortable”. With that in mind, Vancouver’s squeaky clean rockers, The Shilohs, give us this unnerving new video. Gorgeously captured by the talented auteur Daniel Rincon (ex-Student Teacher, now Flying), English Roads goes well beyond its breezy post-baroque pop sheen to reveal how not all detours are sublime.

THE PLAYLIST

YEAH YEAH YEAHS Despair

NYC’s YYY’s have always managed to make epic grandiose statements feel intimate and endearing. Here, they fly us up to the observation deck of the Empire State Building as Karen O. leads the band though a dynamic new song that starts out as nothing more than an ethereal whisper.

PHOENIX Trying To Be Cool

It will be hard to make a video in 2013 better than this one from the fantastic French band Phoenix.. Maybe if Federico was still around and in the game he could rise to the challenge. There is an 8½ like quality to things happening here. Anyone agree? Each segment of absurdity rises to a new level. Great song.

SUNSHINE Two Hundred Grand

If you actually could resurrect Fellini for music videos, he probably would be down with working with the ensemble cast of this next video. Anyway, we love Sunshine. That’s why we asked them to bring the bliss rock to 4th Avenue’s Khatsahlano fest. Don’t miss them.

DUCKTAILS Under Cover

Here is our friend Matt M. from Real Estate going under cover as Ducktails. He first became our friend when he slept on Melanie’s couch upstairs. Or maybe the couch was already Johnny’s by then. Either way, he must have had some wild dreams because in the morning he gave the Shilohs a recording contract of sorts. Soft rock sometimes hits you the hardest… How much does a Sprinter cost anyway?

OKKERVIL RIVER The Silver Gymnasium

The mythology forming around Okkervil River and specifically Will Sheff is constantly taking new twists and turns. He has his favourite Brooklyn bars. He becomes obsessed with an idea and locks himself up with nothing but pen and paper to hunt it. He has chased the fading glory of the roots rock and roll dream deep into the wilderness like some character from another, less commercial, time. Believe it all. Buy in now. Will and his amazing band are about to release an even more amazing record… this is just a teaser!

KUKY TALA Talatur

Having spent a great deal of time as a kid in Santiago, I was naturally intrigued to hear about the heady Chilean psyche-folk scene down there. A regular customer started tipping us off to some really amazing music that isn’t making noise with tons of people in North America yet. Check out this dense hazy track made from a pretty unique mix match of instruments. I’ve got to get back to Chile.

THE GIG

VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL Friday July 19th – Sunday July 21st Jericho Beach

Once again artistic director Linda Tanaka has challenged definitions of ‘folk music’ and lined up a stellar group of over 60 performing acts for this three day music love-fest in one of Vancouver’s most spectacular settings to take in a concert. Featuring a wealth of talent from local, national and international music circles, what sets the Folk Fest apart is not just the main stage headliners doing their thing, but more interestingly the collaborative workshops that run through the day bringing diverse musicians together to explore, jam out each others’ songbooks, but also interact with the enthralled audience. Yes, much like Portland’s Pickathon festival, attending artists are invited to stay for the entire festival, hangout on the beach, and create a sense of community that extends beyond their music. Of course Zulu will be there too as we host our pop-up shop designed to feature all the music of the artists and more. We too are excited to hang with the likes of Steve Earle, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Kathleen Edwards, Hayden, Cold Specks and more! Bigger glance after the jump…

The GLANCE

Fri July 05 LEE FOSS – SHINE
Fri July 05 GOT RHYMES? – MEDIA
Sat July 06 DJ HEATHER – ELECTRIC OWL
Mon July 08 SLUM VILLAGE – FORTUNE
Tue July 09 BOB LOG III – BILTMORE
Wed July 10 ALBERT LEE – VENUE
Wed July 10 ANTISERVIA w/ SUB ANTIX – CELEBRITIES
Thu July 11 SUN ARAW – ELECTRIC OWL
Thu July 11 THE OBLIVIANS w/ SEX CHURCH – RICKSHAW
Thu July 11 DAVE HILLYARD (The Slackers) & THE ROCKSTEADY 7 – FANCLUB
July 11 – 15 BELIEVE: MUSIC & CULTURAL FESTIVAL – WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK
Fri July 12 CEDRIC GERVAIS – CELEBRITIES
Fri July 12 TANYA STEPHENS – RICKSHAW
Fri July 12 APATHY & CELPH TITLED – FORTUNE SOUND CLUB
Sat July 13 KHATSAHLANO STREET FESTIVAL – 4TH AVE – FREE / 30+ BANDS
Sat July 13 NEIL HAMBURGER & TIM HEIDECKER – BILTMORE
Sat July 13 NEUTERHEAD: ACE OF SPAYS LAUNCH PARTY! – RICKSHAW
Sun July 14 MOS DEF – VOGUE
Tue July 16 WEEDEATER , BISON BC – ELECTRIC OWL
Tue July 16 ROGUE WAVE w/ HEY MARSEILLES – BILTMORE
Wed July 17 CO:LAB – VENUE
Thu July 18 AEROPLANE – FORTUNE
Fri July 19 DEAD GHOSTS, BIG EYES – ELECTRIC OWL
Sat July 20 BLACK FLAG (Greg Ginn / Ron Reyes) – CHINESE CULTURAL CENTRE – ALL AGES!!
Sat July 20 PETER MURPHY: The Mr. Moonlight Tour Celebrating 35 Years of Bauhaus – RICKSHAW
July 19 – 21 VANCOUVER FOLK FESTIVAL – JERICHO
Mon July 22 COURTNEY LOVE – COMMODORE – WE’RE SOLD OUT
Tue July 23 ALABAMA SHAKES w/ Hurray For The Riff Raff – ORPHEUM – WE’RE SOLD OUT
Wed July 24 HEARTLESS BASTARDS w/ WRITER – BILTMORE
Wed July 24 STAR SLINGERS – CELEBRITIES
Thu July 25 MONOPHONICS – ELECTRIC OWL
Thu July 25 BLUE KING BROWN – VENUE
Thu July 25 DAUGHN GIBSON – BILTMORE
Thu July 25 STRFKR – FORTUNE
Fri July 26 EL-P / KILLER MIKE w/ DESPOT | KOOL A.D. – BILTMORE
Fri July 26 ALEX GOOT. – RIO
Fri July 26 MOON BOOTS – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri July 26 R.A. THE RUGGED MAN – FORTUNE SOUND CLUB
Sun July 28 DUKE DUMONT – FORTUNE
Mon July 29 AFRICAN SHOWBOYZ – FORTUNE