Seen In Vancouver #270: An Ancient Vinyl Collection In Rainy Ruins On Keefer Street

I wonder if one person’s discarded collection of Chinese folk classics is another man’s discovered trove of Led Zeppelin originals…

Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week

Our friends over at Kitsilano’s Zulu Records once again present their 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, a view ahead to music on the horizon. From their ears to yours, enjoy…

The Track

currently on heavy rotation in the store…

Down By The Water by The Decemberists from their new album The King Is Dead (EMI).

Ditching the prog-goth of their last outing, the epic Hazards of Love, The Decemberists lighten up a bit on The King Is Dead and the result is like a breath of fresh air. The album was recorded in a barn, and there’s a definite back country, Americana vibe permeating the album. Featuring Peter Buck (R.E.M) and Gilliam Welch on some tracks, The King Is Dead is full of tasteful twang and mellow acoustic strums and represents a nice change of pace for this most literate of indie rock bands. Read more

Smoke Break #803: The Disco Fleet Foxes Mash-Up That We’ve All Been Waiting For…

On The Ownership Of Sound And The Evil Of Copyright Lawyers

Copyright Criminals is a new documentary film that deals with archaic copyright laws versus the sampling free form of hip hop.

“Look at how any bit of culture is made. It’s about taking bits and pieces of your influences and forging them into something newer and stronger [...] That’s how society moves forward. It doesn’t just invent new things. It evolves from taking old things and changing them.”

It’s not all that different from cooking, except for the lawyers…

Smoke Break #742: On Punk Not Being Dead In The Forbidden City

When the Olympics came to China the world spotlight turned to a country synonymous with human rights abuse and by any measure a totalitarian police state. But under the surface is a growing movement of punks and misfits, the irony of which is not lost on Jefford as he roams this rebellious sub-culture a scratch under the surface of bustling Beijing.

This trailer is blocked in China.

Smoke Break #736: Oh, The Kids Today & Their Rock ‘N Roll Music

Via The Daily What

DJ Pablo Martin shows off his futuristic multitouch MIDI controller “Emulator” while running Traktor Pro on the Töken concept screen.

I had a recorder and a violin when I was a kid. Today it’s all about Minority Report in Ibiza. Makes me grumpy.

Smoke Break #698: The Ladysmith Black Mambazo of Cape Town

Die Antwoord | Zef Side

Yeah, we’re still a little hooked. If you’ve never seen Die Antwoord before, have a wonderful time trying to get the South African hip hop threesome out of your head once you’ve suffered their trite hooks. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t help but think they’re the coolest thing to come from the Cape since Mandela was escorted off Robben Island. The lyrics are straight up absurd, chapter and verse, and the candy floss beats are flippin’ ridiculous. Yet here I am, watching it for the 100th time, positively glued. Enjoy Zef Side, and then scope Enter The Ninja, the audible vehicle that shot the band to space… Read more

Soundtrack #788: Deliverance Versus The Levant In California

I’d usually put something like this is the “Now on Heavy Rotation” sidebar slot, but this video for Beauty Beats by electro-acoustic band Beats Antique (Oakland, CA) needs some size to do it justice.

Soundtrack #563: Golden Cage “The Whitest Boy Alive” On BBC 2

Loving this Berlin-based band fronted by Erlend Øye, who may actually be the whitest boy alive (a cross between Morrissey and Napoleon Dynamite). “This city’s no longer mine. There’s sadness written on every corner”. Tra-la-la. What a fabulous bummer.

Three Legendary Guitar Wizards Rock Out In “It Might Get Loud”

Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page grooving to Link Wray’s “Rumble” in the documentary music film It Might Get Loud, also starring Jack White from the White Stripes and U2′s Edge. Three generations of lead guitar wizardry.

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