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

KING TUFF Sun Medallion

What are the kids listening to these days? We get asked this a lot. The answer is “Freak-psychedelia”. Following in the footsteps of Kurt Vile, Sub Pop’s indie darling King Tuff takes us into a soupy pop wonderland with this, his latest trippy video. There’s the token graveyard scene, pipe smoking and very interesting use of lo-fi kaleidoscopic visuals, all of which animate the jingle-jangle west-coast slacker pop vibe of Sun Medallion. Whoa!

THE PLAYLIST

HAIM The Wire

Who does Haim remind you of? Fleetwood Mac circa Tusk? Maybe. But there is something else going on, too. Three sisters from California channeling classic 70’s radio music. Their debut Days Are Gone would sound great in a department store.

BOB DYLAN Pretty Saro

Here is a new/old song from the master. Recorded in 1970 as part of his Self-Portrait sessions, this is Dylan at his most reflective forlorn best. Hardcore fans (like us!) can look forward to a series of unreleased gems like Pretty Saro as Dylan prepares the next instalment of his bootleg reissues. PS. Love the stock footage, too!

KING KRULE Easy Easy

Stripped down guitar and voice is always a winning combination. The buzz on King Krule in the UK is building in advance of 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, which arrives everywhere later in August. If you check the Scout archives you will note that we first tipped you off to his unique vocal prowess a couple years back!

STEVE EARLE Invisible

One of the best things about the 3 day stretch I spent at Folk Fest in July was getting to see Steve Earle interact with his adoring fans. Talk about a pro! On the outside, his gruff demeanour seems intimidating, but in actual fact he’s just one super nice guy who spends a great deal of time chatting the long line of uber-fans up. As the song goes…He’s invisible.

LONDON GRAMMAR Strong

Some say that this London-based group is just sucking up the vapour trail from fellow chillwavers The XX. Are there a series of actors out there that specialize in making music videos? This one seems pretty much dialled in to what you would expect out of anything that is blowing up in London! You be the judge.

TIM HECKER The Piano Drop

For whatever reason this track never grows old. Anyway, the good news is that Tim Hecker should have a new album out in the fall as well as a Vancouver date in support. Face it folks, he is the master of granular distortion bliss rock.

BILL CALLAHAN America

And while we are on the topic of records to look forward to in the Fall, Callahan will bring his dark sonic discourse back to life with Dream River on September 17th! Mark your calendars.

THE GIG

!!! & RA RA RIOT – FORTUNE SOUND CLUB Tuesday September 3rd

Brooklyn’s !!! (Chik Chik Chik) have consistently brought us the party rock. Combining disco, funk and electronics, the band’s own brand of 80’s art rock is highly infectious and once pumped through the milky sound system of Fortune, should start moving your rump. Having sold out The Commodore in the past, this big band will be extra special in the intimate confines of this super cozy club. Openers and fellow New Yorkers, Ra Ra Riot, will definitely set the tone early. They are a bit more upbeat and poppy than the headliners, and will probably warm up your feet for what’s to come! Take a much bigger glance at local shows for the rest of August after the jump…

The Glance

Thu Aug 15 THE BALCONIES – VENUE
Thu Aug 15 MADCHILD & SLAINE – FORTUNE
Thu Aug 15 MADCHILD VIP MEET N GREET – FORTUNE
Thu Aug 15 KAYTRANADA – SHINE
Fri Aug 16 MY FAVORITE ROBOT – UNDER G STUDIO
Fri Aug 16 TROPICAL THUNDER IV – IMPERIAL
Fri Aug 16 LEE FOSS – SHINE
Fri Aug 16 SCOTT PERRIE EP RELEASE PARTY – BACKSTAGE LOUNGE
Fri Aug 16 THE REVENGE – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri Aug 16 THE HOOD INTERNET – RICKSHAW
Aug 16 – 19 ONE LOVE FESTIVAL – PARADISE VALLEY SQUAMISH BC
Sat Aug 17 SMITH WESTERNS – ELECTRIC OWL – CANCELLED / REFUNDS @ P.O.P.
Sun Aug 18 A DAY TO REMEMBER w/ PIERCE THE VEIL – VOGUE – NEW VENUE / OLD TIX HONORED
Mon Aug 19 MAJICAL CLOUDZ w/ Moon King – ELECTRIC OWL
Wed Aug 21 KINGDOM & EGYPTRIXX – FORTUNE
Wed Aug 21 THE OCEAN w/ The Nautilus and Seven Nines and Tens – BILTMORE
Thu Aug 22 EVEREST w/ Old Man Canyon – ELECTRIC OWL
Thu Aug 22 SOULS OF MISCHIEF – VENUE
Thu Aug 22 THE WHITE PANDA – FORTUNE
Fri Aug 23 DRAG THE RIVER – BILTMORE
Fri Aug 23 SCOUT NIBLETT – COBALT
Aug 23-24 OTALITH MUSIC FESTIVAL – UCLUELET B.C
Sat Aug 24 IAMSU! w/ Kool John and Jay Ant – FORTUNE – EARLY SHOW
Sun Aug 25 NAUGHTY BY NATURE – BAR NONE – CANCELLED / REFUNDS @ P.O.P.
Sun Aug 25 SUMMER LOVING – ANZA
Tue Aug 27 O’BROTHER – BILTMORE
Wed Aug 28 THE PROTOMEN – BILTMORE
Fri Aug 30 GARY NUMAN w/ COLD CAVE – FORTUNE – WE’RE SOLD OUT
Fri Aug 30 DEERHUNTER – RICKSHAW – WE’RE SOLD OUT
Sat Aug 31 THE BREEDERS – COMMODORE – WE’RE SOLD OUT
Sat Aug 31 FLUME w/ Touch Sensitive – VOGUE
Sat Aug 31 SUN FEST – POLISH COMMUNITY CENTRE
Sat Aug 31 GOLD FIELDS – FORTUNE