Zulu Report: Audible Virtues Of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club…

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 tune currently on heavy rotation…

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” from their new album of the same name.

B.R.M.C. bring the swagger to this badass live clip from Seattle. The ‘Club deal in all those classic elements of rock n roll – smoke, leather, big hair, and a ridiculous amount of reverb. They tap into the mythical lineage of past rock n roll greats, from Gene Vincent during his leather era through to Lou Reed at his most strung-out and incoherent, and of course we must mention the Jesus and Mary Chain, undoubtedly the B.R.M.C’s spiritual forebears. As this video displays, the ‘Club has still got the blood and guts to put on a deadly, mythical live set.

The Playlist

Click the links for some audible flavour…

GONJASUFI A Sufi And A Killer (Warp)
Hells yes, this is just the kind of demented, dubbed out space-hop that I expect from the esteemed Warp label, and knowing that the mighty Flying Lotus had a hand in this only makes me like it more.

MONGST Remains (Isolated Now Waves)
Local wunderkind teams up with Isolated Now Waves for this beautiful release: gentle tones, astral drones and blissed-out kosmiche moans.

EXCEPTER Presidence (Paw Tracks)
Excepter carry the torch of fucked up Brooklyn weirdness. This time out: two discs of dubbed out, totally fried mind weirdness, a hole you never want to leave.

LIARS Sisterworld (Mute)
New Liars album! Yes! This time out the boys relocate to LA from Berlin and tone down the rock a tad and bring in some cello and vocal harmonies. Still one of the most consistently interesting bands to have come out of the early aughties Williamsburg scene.

BROKEN BELLS S/t (Sony)
An unlikely pairing that nevertheless bears stunning results – Danger Mouse and James Mercer (The Shins) deliver a moody, spaced out pop record for the Volvo and stroller set, but good!

SHEARWATER The Golden Archipelago (Matador)
Perhaps the only beardo band that you must absolutely be familiar with, these rockers enliven the corpse of Springsteen with a mainline of whisky and some of William Blake’s better lines.

THE WHITE STRIPES Under Great White Northern Lights (Third Man)
Yeah, this is my kind of Cancon! Killer live cuts culled from obscure corners of our nation. Seven Nation Army sounds even better when played in a youth centre of North Battleford.

STRANGE BOYS Be Brave (In The Red)
Sloppy folk-garage from some demented, snot-nosed adolescents, like Dylan backed by the Stooges.

GIL SCOTT HERON I’m New Here (XL)
Oh my god! Straight talk from the original straight talker. Grizzled, wisened by the world, GSH tells it like it is. Play this for the teenager in your life who thinks he/she knows anything about the world.

JOANNA NEWSOM Have One On Me (Drag City)
With Banhart’s brain and wit seemingly lost on a permanent vacation, Newsom is the freak-folker to beat. Have One On Me transcends any easy genre tag and further proves the genius and talent of this young woman.

The Gig

The one show we’re really looking forward to checking out…

Jason Collett, Zeus and Bahamas at the Biltmore on Sat Mar 27th

Jason Collett has been part of the Broken Social Scene’s coterie since the get-go, but unlike Feist and others he’s never been able to totally transcend that association and make a name strictly for himself. I suspect this will soon change as his most recent album is a stone cold stunner. Helping him out on this tour are his backing band/party bros Zeus, who bring along their own bro and former bandmate Bahamas along for the ride. I know, it sounds complicated, but I wouldn’t stress too hard on the genealogy of this particular troupe. Just roll into the Biltmore, grab a PBR and observe some of our nation’s finest doing what they do best.

The Glance

These are the better shows to see in the next two weeks…

Wed MAR 24

JON ANDERSON of YES – VOGUE

Thu MAR 25

SAMAPALOOZA – VENUE
THE SLACKERS – RICKSHAW

Fri MAR 26

NATALLIE PORTMAN’S SHAVED HEAD – PIT PUB
JASON COLLETT w/ ZEUS / BAHAMAS – BILTMORE

Sat MAR 27

WHITE STRIPES FILM + ARTHRITIS FUNDRAISER – PACIFIC CINEMATHEQUE
SCATTERHEART – COMMODORE
BIRD PETERSON – MODERN
KALEIDOSCOPE – RICKSHAW
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE – BILTMORE
SERENA MANEESH – MEDIA CLUB
BARLETA – THE MODERN
LONLEY HEARTS CLUB BAND – POLISH COMMUNITY CENTRE