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

On heavy rotation in the store this week…

Belle And Sebastian’s film Write About Love (Matador)

Stuart Murdoch’s Belle and Sebastian are one of the most enduring and consistent bands to emerge from the mid-90’s primordial soup that launched so many of today’s superstars. Over the course of seven albums the band has traced the path of love and heartache, so who better to Write About Love on their newest outing? Murdoch is a master tunesmith up there with the masters of the last fifty years of pop music. I’m talking about Arthur Lee, Cohen, Dylan, Robyn Hitchcock, Morrissey. Write About Love finds Murdoch and company in reliably catchy, wistful, heart wrenching form. Dig in!

The Playlist

Take a look or a listen to the albums currently on rotation in the store…

MARNIE STERN s/t (Kill Rock Stars)

Marnie Stern is a NYC native who shreds on guitar at least as lethally as a young Van Halen, but whose lyrical preoccupations go beyond nailing chicks; an assured, confident album that rewards repeated listens. Here’s Marnie showing off her Yngwai Malmsteen-worthy tap skills:

SWANS My Father Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky (Young God)

Micheal Gira ditches his acoustic guitar, revives the Swans moniker and turns the amps up to 11! Gira is now a father, which if anything seems to have added a little piss ‘n vinegar, putting him in full on attack mode.

FLYIN LOTUS Patterns + Grid World (Warp)

FlyLo’s made quite an impression on listeners with his formidable Cosmogramma from earlier this year, and so this 7 seven track ep is a welcome addition to this young man’s already impressive cannon. Expect: space jazz .

SUN ARAW Off Duty (Woodsist)

Eagle Rock CA’s mighty Italian psychonaut Cameron Stallones delivers another mighty slab of dub-psych weirdness. The perfect soundtrack for an uncomfortable trip at a house party somewhere in the hills…

BLONDE REDHEAD Penny Sparkle (4AD)

Survivors of the topsy turvy ways of popular music industry, Blonde Redhead confidently adjust their sound, dialing back the guitars in favour of synthesizers and triggered drums. What remains is the ineffable greatness of their compositions.

SUPERCHUNK Majesty Shredding (Merge)

Sounding at least one quarter younger than their actual age, Superchunk prove that they can still thrash and shred with the best of them, and with enough hooks per song to make a lesser band’s career. Aging gracefully!

BLACK MOUNTAIN Wilderness Heart (Jagjaguwar)

Vancouver’s beloved Black Mountain find the perfect balance betwixt LA sunset strip folk and black mass riffery on their third and most succinct outing. Bravo! Enjoy this, The Hair Song.

CORIN TUCKER 1,000 Years (Kill Rock Stars)

Ex-Sleater Kinney ripper Corin Tucker returns from retirement on her rockin’ solo debut.

GLASSER Ring (True Panther Sounds)

Darling of the blogs, Glasser is a standout in our current age laptop solo artists who bypass traditional means of recording, releasing, and marketing music. Economics aside, the debut from this one woman project is singular, visionary, and worthy of your attention.

THE DEAD C Patience (BaDaBing!)
NZ’s noise rockers of impeccable pedigree bestow a new offering of what is really entirely their own genre – lethargic drums, buzz guitars, mumbling vocal indictments of various political figures, real and imagined. It’s a strangely intoxicating sound.

The Gig

The show this week that you don’t want to miss…

The Vaselines w/ The Dum Dum Girls at the Biltmore on Saturday October 23

The Vaselines – legends of impeccable sexed-up Scottish twee pop pedigree – decide to become a live act after twenty odd years of inactivity and reclusiveness. Better yet, they’re bringing the reunion straight to the terminal city. Adding to the greatness, The Dum Dum Girls will be playing their black leather bad girl garage pop as opening act. It’s going to be incredible to see the Vaselines reclaim their rightful place at the head of the twee garage pop table, so bring down your favourite honey to this show. The video is for Son Of A Gun, just one of their timeless, naughty tunes, and one of Cobain’s faves.

The Glance

Looking ahead at some of the shows on the immediate horizon and not-too-distant future…

Wed OCT 13
SUPERCHUNK – ZULU RECORDS – 3pm Acoustic Set (FREE)
SUPERCHUNK w/ Telekinesis – BILTMORE – New Venue
ONE ESKIMO – VENUE
VAGABOND OPERA – WISE HALL

Thu OCT 14
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE w/ The Sea and Cake – COMMODORE- WE ARE SOLD OUT
KURUPT (DOGG POUND) – BAR NONE

Fri OCT 15
COLIN LINDEN – ST.JAMES
LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – BILTMORE
DEEKLINE – SHINE
LIZ PHAIR – VENUE
SWITCH (MAJOR LAZER) – POP OpERA
STEVE AOKI & CALVIN HARRIS – PNE FORUM

Sat OCT 16
TEENAGE FANCLUB – BILTMORE
JELLO BIAFRA – RICKSHAW

Sun OCT 17
FRED EAGLESMITH – ST.JAMES
MURDER CITY DEVILS – COMMODORE

Tue OCT 19
JP, CHRISSIE + THE FAIRGROUND BOYS – COMMODORE

Wed OCT 20
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE – ST.JAMES
STEVE LAWLER – POP OPERA

Thu OCT 21
ACORN – BITLMORE
THE GASLAMP KILLER AND DAEDELUS – FORTUNE
FUN – MEDIA CLUB
CHEB I SABBAH – RED ROOM\

Thu OCT 21 – Sat OCT 23
VANCOUVER NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL – SCOTIABANK DANCE CENTRE

Fri OCT 22
FOALS – VENUE- WE ARE SOLD OUT
DEER TICK + PHOSPHORESCENT – BILTMORE
GOGOL BORDELLO – COMMODORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT

Sat OCT 23
GOGOL BORDELLO – COMMODORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
THE VASELINES w/ Dum Dum Girls – BILTMORE

Sun OCT 24
JOE PUG – MEDIA CLUB
DJ SHADOW – COMMODORE
Mon OCT 25
SHE & HIM – ORPHEUM
GOGOL BORDELLO -COMMODORE * WE’RE SOLD OUT *

Tue OCT 26
DEERHUNTER w/ REAL ESTATEMOVED TO RICKSHAW -ALL AGES

Wed OCT 27
WINTER GLOVES – BILTMORE CANCELLED
+ CASINO VS. JAPAN – COMMODORE

Thu OCT 28
SUFJAN STEVENS – ORPHEUM – WE ARE SOLD OUT
DJ PREMIER – BAR NONE
DR. MADD VIBE – VENUE

Fri OCT 29
AVI BUFFALO – BILTMORE
PANTY RAID – 560 SEYMOUR
BOY 8-BIT – POP OPERA
GRAPES OF WRATH – VENUE
LIBRARY VOICES – PIT PUB
BEST COAST w/ Sunny & the Sunsets – THE COBALT – WE ARE SOLD OUT

Sat OCT 30
DR.DOG w/ HERE WE GO MAGIC – VOGUE
WOMEN w/ NU SENSAE – BILTMORE
TWO HOURS TRAFFIC – PIT PUB

Sun OCT 31
LADYTRON DJ SET – FORTUNE