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 PIXIES Magdalena

Black Francis and the Pixies offer you a brooding new song from a steady stream of EPs they are self-releasing in advance of touring season. Joey Santiago’s signature Les Paul into Marshall Stack’s distorted crunch propels this sweet and sour ode to Magdalena – a classic mysterious Pixies-esque protagonist who really tears into a falafel (you know that infamous Marais joint with the line ups) before engaging in a dark egg and spoon tango through the catacombs of the city’s metro lines. Like it or not, The Pixies are back to wreak havoc with your stereo speakers!

The Playlist

MAC DEMARCO Treat Her Better

Mac has the best smile in the music business. His gap tooth grin is something we are going to be seeing a lot of in 2014 as he supports his third album, ‘Salad Days’. Captured here entertaining a bobbing head crowd at Sundance, DeMarco drops one of his new infectious cavalier good time jams. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that he has a Vancouver date on the tour!

EATING OUT That’s My Man

Daniel P. is usually found behind the drum kit in the local noise rock band Nu Sensae. You can also find him performing on the stages of high class theaters such as The Stanley. Consider these two points as the extreme examples of his talents with the distance between the two being the wide niche in which he thrives. A unique local talent, Daniel here fronts his more garagey rock band Eating Out, as they celebrate high school ennui and the joys of minor revolutions.

THE COURTNEYS Lost Boys

Staying close to home, here we have a nice new video from Vancouver’s breakout band of 2013 – The Courtneys. Channeling the classic Keifer Sutherland vampires in the amusement park vibe (Lost Boys) and shot by Andrew Volk, this video reminds us how much fun Playland can be after dark. This new track is the first sneak peak of the band’s debut on Burger Records, which obviously sounds great!

DISCLOSURE Grab Her

Employing a simple premise and making the most out of it — that’s pretty much what this nifty new video from Disclosure does. Actually, you could probably say that about everything on this British duo’s debut electronic album, Settle. There’s an economic efficiency to their music; no extra bells and whistles, no vocoder etc — just straight up catchy grooves.

DAMON ALBARN Everyday Robots

Damon from Blur is a very busy guy. Beyond his own music, he has made a name for himself as a big time studio producer. Thus, it should be no surprise that the sound of this new solo track is nice and beefy. Using more electronic sources, Albarn’s latest track ‘Everyday Robots’ is a fat beat-filled glitchy track which he nicely pairs with a clever CGI portrait of his skull. Bravo.

THE GIG

Sat Feb 15 | YUNA – MEDIA CLUB

‘Live your life, don’t hide from what you are’… So begins this chilled out track from Malaysian singer-songwriter Yunalis Mat Zara’ai a.k.a. Yuna. Having just recently inked a contract with the infamous New York based jazz/pop label Verve Records, Yuna is definitely following her own advice and going for it. Her mid-February stop at the Media Club is early into her two month stint of shows throughout North America and Europe. Cozy and intimate, this gig should be the perfect place for Vancouver-ites to catch a glimpse of Yuna’s vocal prowess and unique pan-global pop aesthetic. Originally this performance was scheduled for late in 2013, but when Conan and the rest of the late night talk shows came calling, Yuna’s path was rerouted and her debut Vancouver appearance was postponed. Ticket sales for this new rescheduled date have been strong and we do anticipate the show selling out – act fast as who knows when Yuna will be back!

Take a deeper look at Vancouver’s gigscape for the rest of January after the jump…

The GLANCE

Wed Feb 05 PURE BATHING CULTURE and LA LUZ – ELECTRIC OWL
Thu Feb 06 WHITE LIES – VENUE
Thu Feb 06 STRING FLING II – RIO
Fri Feb 07 D.O.A.: LIVE ALBUM RELEASE – RICKSHAW
Fri Feb 07 TIME w/ FRANCIS HARRIS (5hr DJ SET) – STUDIO EAST
Sat Feb 08 WOODEN HORSEMAN – BILTMORE
Sat Feb 08 BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY BASH – CLUB VIBES
Sat Feb 08 WAX ROMEO – ELECTRIC OWL
Sun Feb 09 JOHN TALBOT – FORTUNE
Mon Feb 10 LUCIUS w/ YOU WON’T – MEDIA CLUB
Tue Feb 11 QUILT – MEDIA CLUB – EARLY SHOW
Wed Feb 12 SCUBA – ELECTRIC OWL
Fri Feb 14 SHEARWATER – MEDIA CLUB
Fri Feb 14 FEHR PLAY – CELEBRITIES
Fri Feb 14 JAMES ZABIELA – SHINE
Sat Feb 15 YUNA – MEDIA CLUB – WE’RE SOLD OUT // EARLY SHOW
Sat Feb 15 ABIGAIL WILLIAMS – ASTORIA
Sun Feb 16 MARISSA NADLER – ELECTRIC OWL
Mon Feb 17 ANE BRUN w/ LINNEA OLSSON – ELECTRIC OWL
Tue Feb 18 R. STEVIE MOORE – ELECTRIC OWL
Thu Feb 20 RAH RAH – BILTMORE
Thu Feb 20 NOISE CONTROLLERS – CAPRICE
Fri Feb 21 DATSIK – CELEBRITIES
Sat Feb 22 SUN KIL MOON – BILTMORE
Sat Feb 22 BISON – RICKSHAW
Sun Feb 23 DAVE HAUSE & NORTHCOTE – ELECTRIC OWL
Mon Feb 24 COM TRUISE w/ PHANTOMS – FORTUNE
Wed Feb 26 THE GROUCH + ELIGH – FORTUNE
Wed Feb 26 XIU XIU w/ Tearist + Farewell – MEDIA CLUB
Wed Feb 26 THE FRATELLIS – VENUE
Thu Feb 27 MARTY PARTY + JOKER – FORTUNE
Thu Feb 27 DEORRO – CAPRICE
Thu Feb 27 THE WILD FEATHERS – BILTMORE – SHOW MOVED // OLD TIX WILL BE HONORED
Fri Feb 28 TOGETHER PANGEA w/ MOZES + THE FIRSTBORN – MEDIA CLUB
Fri Feb 28 SAN FERMIN w/ SON LUX – BILTMORE – EARLY SHOW
Fri Feb 28 T. MILLS w/ BLACKBEAR – RIO THEATRE
Fri Feb 28 STONES THROW TOUR – FORTUNE