Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
March 6, 2012
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
GIRLS My Ma
Last year San Francisco’s Girls really set the bar high with their sophomore release Father, Son, Holy Ghost. It vaulted the band and its enigmatic leader Christopher Owens into a new realm of both respect and scrutiny. Owens offered up some of the most candid and outspoken interviews of 2011, elaborating in great detail about his upbringing as a member of Children of God cult, his heroin addiction, and his complicated relationship with his mother – any curious readers can easily find all the gory details online elsewhere. This track was always one of our favourites off of their Pitchfork 9.3 out of 10 approved outing, as it has everything that makes pop music so dramatic and absorbing – intricate instrumentation, sweet licks, clever melodies and a certain amount of attitude. My Ma is the third single from the record and one of the more straight ahead forlorn numbers. This video captures the feel of the song and the vintage lens vibe only adds a sense of isolation, despair, time-passing, and general anguish. It really speaks to the aging Laurel Canyon hippy in a poncho dream… Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
February 29, 2012
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
TENNIS Origins
When we last caught up with Denver’s husband and wife pop combo Tennis, they were waking up in one of the apartments above our store! Actually, a ton of hip bands have been crashing upstairs lately and it is not uncommon to open up the store and have the members of Veronica Falls, Big Troubles, or Devon Williams saunter down and ask for directions for coffee and a greasy breakfast. Record stores should do this more often – act like cultural ambassadors offering a place for gigging musicians to rest as well as directions to all the best things the city can offer. Anyway, it’s nice to see our pals getting so much attention on the eve of releasing their sophomore record ‘Young and Old’. Since sleeping on the floor they have played Lollapalooza, Barcelona’s Primavera Pop, as well as had Grey’s Anatomy license their songs! It’s also nice to know that they haven’t let fame go to their heads. Tennis have agreed to perform an intimate show here at Zulu Records when they’re in town post-Sasquatch in April. Of course, the upstairs beds are all theirs’ again, but something tells me they might opt for a more posh touring lifestyle this time around! Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
February 18, 2012
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
LAMBCHOP Gone Tomorrow
Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner is one cool cucumber. For years now he has delighted us with his signature baritone voice over a unique mix of Curtis Mayfield soul meets bad ass Johnny Cash tunes. For this first sneak peek into ‘Mr. M’ which comes out later in the month, Wagner hooks up with an equally bad ass crew of performers for one hell of a sonic headlock. Documenting the underground wrestling scene in Wagner’s native home town of Nashville, Gone Tomorrow is the perfect soundtrack to accompany the strange ambience that surrounds two extremely large muscular men body slamming each other in the ring. The match takes place in a desolate hotel in east Nashville called the Stadium Inn that permanently transformed the conference room into a ring. Kurt’s accordion player occasionally wrestled there and for this night Lambchop performed on a small stage in the locker room. The result is seven heavenly minutes of orchestrated groove leading to a pretty exotic coda that drones of into free form bliss. Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
February 9, 2012
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
REAL ESTATE Easy
Best Show host Tom Sharpling picks up right where he left off after directing the hilarious New Pornographers’ Moves video. Featuring a similar a-list of indie comedy stars and a manic, plot driven approach to Real Estate’s infectious pop ode, this smart video really speaks volumes about the music biz. Young bands who want the quick route to the top need only watch the first couple minutes as the parody cuts pretty close to the actual mean streets of America’s indie-rock parthenon. Hire a street team, plaster the city, graphic wrap your tour van, pay off radio, and conquer social media – the guys in Real Estate show you just how ‘easy’ it all can be. and if all else fails pack your rifle for a trip in the woods. Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
January 31, 2012
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
SISKIYOU Where Does that Leave Me
There’s very good reason why Vancouver’s enigmatic Siskiyou rarely perform around town – they are simply just too busy! Chief songwriter Colin Huebert is currently prepping for his residency up in the Yukon and the Dawson City Music Festival. Then when he returns, they plan a pretty jet-set lifestyle and are penciled in on some of 2012’s best festivals including All Tomorrow’s Parties (by invitation of Mogwai) as well as a show at Barcelona’s prestigious Primavera Pop. Actually, maybe they are just not really into playing clubs, after all this video shot a couple weeks ago captures them tucked away down a cobble lane near London’s Bishopsgate station. Yes, the natural reverb and ambience of the field recording creates a very cool feel to the performance… Hmmn, perhaps when they get back we can coax Colin and co. into Blood Alley for a few songs in front of Judas Goat! Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
January 21, 2012
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
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER – Replica
We recently designed a playlist for our good pals up the street at Gravity Pope and made sure to put on a few blissful tracks from our recent fave, Oneohthix Point Never. Nothing quite captures the existentialism of an early morning shopping trip for a sweet pair of Grenson lace up brogue work boots like the strangely eerie electronic meditations of Brooklyn based experimental producer Daniel Lopatin a.k.a. Oneohthix. Occupying the space in between the dreamy synth ambience of 80’s cinematic scores and the stark piano compositions of Philip Glass, Lopatin’s Replica is an absorbing listen (especially on headphones). His use of crackling fuzztones adds a sense of texture to the slowly paced tracks, which seductively entice one into a deeper listening experience and a rich sonic universe. Last weekend we had this on in the shop while Videomatica screened Blade Runner and the music really meshed with surreal Ridley Scott’s surreal realm of replicants and bounty hunters. So, lace up your boots, trudge through the early morning rain and enjoy Replica’s moment frozen in time. Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
January 16, 2012
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
GUIDED BY VOICES The Unsinkable Fats Domino
The equally unsinkable Bob Pollard has returned to indie music circles with a new release, authored by the ‘classic’ line-up that made GBV a standout on Matador Records during the 1990’s. In the old days, when Pollard’s rogues were as renowned for their boozing skills as they were for their Kinks-esque sharp hooks, it was completely normal for one or two of the members of the group to be on their ass during a song. Thus, when they debuted their new material from Let’s Go Eat The Factory this week on David Letterman, it was only natural that bassist Greg Demos took an unfortunate slip 35 seconds into the bombastic pop ode. Falling on your butt on live national TV sucks, especially since everyone in the entertainment biz knows that the legendary Ed Sullivan Theater has notoriously well waxed floors. Apparently this is due to a masterful buffer and an extra special reserve of Miniwax dating back to 1965. Supreme polish, perfect shine, and sheen to (almost) die for… all qualities that we have come to demand indie rock’s own special reserve Guided By Voices! Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
January 1, 2012
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
JAMES BLAKE Limit to Your Love
by Nic Bragg | Ok, everyone at the shop agrees that 2011 was an amazing year for music. It felt like a year that went right for music with so many feel good stories about bands that finally got their due, not to mention amazing artists that came out of nowhere and really captured the spotlight. Well, 2011 is over. All the ‘best of lists’ are done… and now the exciting stuff starts fresh again! Time to ask the hard questions. For example, in 2012, will James Blake put dubstep on the mainstream map? Will Vancouver finally produce a Polaris Award winning artist in Dan Mangan? Will Bon Iver continue creating fitness videos? Will people care about Lana Del Rey or declare media overload on her much hyped debut? Who will break-up in January and plot a reunion tour in December? Will the Shilohs actually put out their anticipated JCDC produced masterpiece? Can The XX make a record that will stand up to their amazing self-titled one? Will the Fleet Foxes cut their beards and subsequently make barbers all along the West Coast experience a bump in this slumping economy? What will the saxophone do for an encore? Will you buy tickets to see the Strokes perform their Is This It? release in a small club? I would. Will Neil Young ticket prices continue going up? Is there any chance Vincent Gallo will come in the store again in 2012? And finally, will the post-download, post-stream it, post-youtube is my radio, post-mp3 backlash continue – forcing more and more amazing vinyl to occupy a record store near you soon! We hope so. xoxo. Read more
Zulu Report: Everything That You Should Listen To This Week
December 23, 2011
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
THE BLACK KEYS – “Loney Boy” – El Camino (Nonesuch)
This record has been flying off the shelves since it arrived at the store and indeed there is still a waiting list of people who want to get their grubby little paws all over it. A more polished affair from one of garage rock’s finest duos. You can hear the Danger Mouse influence in those beats, too. Read more
HONOUR BOUND: Help Venerable Kitsilano Institution “Zulu Records” Celebrate Its 30th
December 14, 2011
Everybody’s favourite music store is turning 30 this Friday! That we’ll be there on West 4th with bells on goes without saying. You should come too!
Zulu Records is celebrating a very special birthday on Friday December 16th. It is our 30th Anniversary! Yes, on that day back in 1981, Zulu Records opened its doors in our old location at 1869 West 4th and began making the local community of music lovers super happy! So, looking ahead, we are obviously planning some fun on that day as well as into our next year of rocking. Swing by for some birthday cake, spin a tune, and we will entertain you with all our crazy plans for 2012. Extra Special In-stores, Vinyl Appreciation Nights, even bigger ideas for the 2012 Khatsalano music festival and more…
The shop opens this Friday at 10:30am and won’t shut down until 8:00pm. See you there!
Honour Bound details many of the cool things that we feel particularly “honour bound” to check out because they either represent Vancouver exceptionally well or are inherently awesome.
