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

MIA’s controversial Born Free video, directed by mad-visionary Romain Gavras, and featured on her new album Maya.

MIA, she’s seems to enjoy being at the centre of attention doesn’t she? She’s a lot of things to a lot of people – singer, fashion icon, media darling, pseudo-revolutionary. To be sure, it’s often hard to decipher what Maya Arulpragasam thinks herself to be, but with this controversial Born Free video she’s got her revolutionary shit-disturber hat firmly on her head (I’m picturing a little Mao cap cast in Afro-colours). What is this video if not an obvious bid for controversy and attention? I’d even say that the track, Born Free, is vastly overshadowed by the video itself, which is a shame since the song is the highlight of her new album. The Suicide-sampling Born Free comes and goes throughout this 9 minute minifilm, in which a band of roving military jarheads round up redheads with the intention of executing them out in the desert. Sound like a doozy? It is. And regardless of your interpretation of this video, the fact that it’s garnered so much attention means Maya’s happy.

The Playlist

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Returnal (Mego)
Daniel Lapotin’s OPN is a synth-juggernaut, already hyped as a top tenner of the year. There are no easy tags for OPN other than Visionary.

JANNELLE MONAE The ArchAndroid (BadBoy)
Monae’s space-funk odyssey is a grab bag of styles, loosely wound around Monae’s Metropolis-like futuristic visions of robotic reality.

WOLF PARADE Expo 86 (Sub Pop)
The mothership lands! New Wolf Parade albums are a special delight around the store. Expo 86 sounds loose and comfortable, like these guys have mellowed out a bit and are content to let the music do that talking.

BONOBO Black Sands (Ninja Tune)
Ninja Tune heavyweight Bonobo leans in on the controversy of Alberta’s oil sands industry. Dark ruminations on the West’s future.

DUM DUM GIRLS I Will Be (Sub Pop)
These ladies have honed in on the perfect combination of girl group hooks, fuzzed out psycho-candied guitar riffs and lonesome, lovesick vocals from frontlady Dee Dee.

ZERO 7 Record (Atlantic)
A summing up of their career thus far, Record shows you how great this band is.

BLITZEN TRAPPER Destroyer Of The Void (Sub Pop)
Sort of like the thinking man’s Band Of Horses, ‘Trapper are rootsy rockers who know their way around a hook and aren’t afraid to push the boundaries a bit.

DAVID CROSS Bigger + Blackerer (Sub Pop)
Funnyman, pot head, devout atheist – David Cross is all these things, and now he’s bigger and much blackerer than ever before.

FOURTET There Is Love In You (Domino)
The grandmaster of thoughtful electronica finds heart and delivers another stunner.

SLEIGH BELLS Treats (Mom+Pop)
Sounding like a leaner and meaner YYYeahs, this bratty two-some slashes and burns their way through many Treats.

The Gig

Sun JUL 25 THE OBITS + NIGHT MARCHERS – RICKSHAW

Seeing both The Obits and the Night Marchers attack that stage on Sunday night is going to be a real homecoming. John Reis and Rick Froberg fronted much loved 90s guitar assault band Drive Like Jehu (who played a legendary basement show off Commercial drive many moons ago!). Jehu splintered apart into many other fine bands, which brings us to this show, in which Froberg’s mighty Obits and Reis’ bad ass Marchers joined up to deliver sweaty guitar greatness once more! It’s going to be a blast, please tell me you’ll be there.

The Glance

Fri JUL 16 – 18
VANCOUVER FOLK FESTIVAL – JERICHO BEACH

Fri JUL 16
CAT EMPIRE – COMMODORE- WE’RE SOLD OUT

Sun JUL 18
CAT EMPIRE – COMMODORE
SWINGIN’ UTTERS – VENUE
SONIC C + AUTOEROTIQUE – VENUE

Mon JUL 19
THAO AND THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN w/ Prairie Cat – BILTMORE

Tue JUL 20
ADMIRAL RADLEY w/ Shane Turner Overdrive – MEDIA CLUB

Wed JUL 21
VILLAGERS – MEDIA CLUB
SWEETHEAD w/ NICO VEGA – BILTMORE

Thu JUL 22
MAHJONNG – MEDIA CLUB
16 BIT – FORTUNE

Fri JUL 23
NIC FANCIULLI – CELEBRITIES
BISON BC – BILTMORE
Sun 25 BONFIRE MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010 – THE MOON FARM

Sat JUL 24
MGMT – COMMODORE – SOLD OUT
BEAR IN HEAVEN – BILTMORE
RON REY’S 50TH – RICKSHAW

Sun JUL 25
THE OBITS + NIGHT MARCHERS – RICKSHAW
HERE WE GO MAGIC – MEDIA CLUB – CANCELED REFUNDS AT P.O.P.
NERO + LA RIOTS – VENUE

Mon JUL 26
KINKY FRIEDMAN – BILTMORE
MARK FARINA – GINGER

Tue JUL 27
WE ARE SCIENTISTS w/ Rewards, Supercassette – BILTMORE

Thu JUL 29
ALEX CHILTON TRIBUTE SHOW: Magnetic West, Wilderness Years, Vancouver Nights – WISE HALL
DJ NU-MARK – SHINE
GANGA GIRI – BILTMORE

Fri JUL 30
100 MONKEYS – VENUE

JUL 30-AUG 1
KOMASKET MUSIC FESTIVAL w/The Wailers, Delhi 2 Dublin, Alex Cuba & more –
WELLS + BAKERVILLE

JUL 30-AUG 2
ARTS WELL FESTIVAL – WELLS + BAKERVILLE