NUN

This is the inaugural posting for Indier Than Thou, so I wanted to choose something you probably haven't heard... yet. And that's a shame, not only because this album has a truly awesome name--it not only presupposes a long and storied future for themselves, but one that will be worse. So get onboard now.

Vincat come from Victoria, BC, and describe their sound as an old cherished friendship. I saw them play a short show in London, and immediately fell in love. While their album isn't nearly as good as they are live, it's still lots of fun. I could try and describe their sound, but it's much better if you hear it for yourself here. Intial comparisons to the Hidden Cameras don't do tribute to their lovely horn lines, and I can't say enough good things about their horn lines. Yet it's really the rocking chorus that do it for me with any band, and Vincat delivers. "Into the lightning" satisfys with bar after bar of fulfilling power chords, while "Somebody Stole my apple sauce" has a refrain that you find yourself humming when you most want not to, and will make your Dad phone David Cooper's parents demanding an explanation just as he did twenty years ago, and it was really just embarrassing; I mean, did he really not see that this would be viewed not just as an invitation to steal more fruit-flavoured treats, but also a gang beating? Dad! C'mon! It's a battlefield out there. Why must you cost me some much pain and treats?

Erm... Moving on... "Dying in Frisco" and "Aberdeen" are fine if you like The Whitlams, but never admit this to anyone but an Australian. "Uh Oh" draws the Hidden Cameras comparison, but is far more interesting. But for me, the whimsical "Pirate Love" ends the album perfectly, with enough echo in the vocals to make the Grand Canyon jealous. Mock power ballads never sounded so good.

Ok, so instead of rambling on about the virtues of the record, for which the English language may be insufficient, I will list the top five reasons you should check them out:
The linernotes credit not only a combined chinese/fish and chips place (a brilliant invention in and of itself), but also pharell and the whole N.E.R.D. crew, an all-too-rare tribute.
As you can tell from above, the album art showcases not only a freakin' T-Rex, but a T-Rex on a surfboard, a pink elephant on a banana (Just try to not think of it! You can't!) and a Narwhal!
Tubas, French Horns, need i say more? Only Beyonce loves horns this much.
SUPER TEEN ANTHEMS. If you are like me, and most people aren't, you would die for some more TEEN anthems à la T-Rex, am I right?
There following has a moniker: Vinkittens! - Indier Than Thou

"...teen-fun pop-rock of Vincat. Not only are they cute but they're talented AND they clearly enjoy what they do. Fun begats fun. And I'm a sucker for a westcoast accent, dude."

-Robyn - Midnight Poutine

"...fabulously trippy, spacey and quite melodic..."

"If David Bowie had done even MORE drugs in the 1970s, he probably would have sounded something like Vincat" - Within Earshot

Your Plank Panel:

Ingrid Nilson: who never says no to theatre.
Tobias Slezak: Who never says no to Pizza.

Tobias: "...a performance inspired by Bowie’s glam-rock alien phase. Capes, tinfoil costumes and yes, the unitard, all these took the stage to give a surprisingly accomplished set...Vincat was an unexpected surprise."

Ingrid: ... these guys were worth the price of admission. Young but developed. A sophisticated sound with such influences as the following self-created list: “EARTH LIFE. WORLD MUSIC. GLAM. They’re imaginative too"

Tobias: "Start with an ounce of Wolf Parade, mix with a dash of The Darkness, finish with the three piece timing of Rush and you get Vincat. Okay… while they may not yet soar to such heights, from what I heard tonight, they’re off to a good start"

Ingrid: "My first impression was that they sounded like Wilco underwater... They have the fun freedom in their sound of a jam band but with the sustenance of peanut butter. Mmmusical goodness...

Tobias: Napolean Dynamite came to mind when Kristian rocked out for sure. But Ingrid and I were boppin’ along to the music...

Ingrid: "As the Performance Works disco ball spun around, the only thing lacking was a hundred more people"

Vincant performed as part of Club PuSh on January 31, 2009 - PLANK MAGAZINE

Lookout Chet! There's a new cat nipping at your heels for my appellation of "favourite local band." Vincat's debut disc ("i like their older stuff better") not only has the wonderful rallying cry of indie geeks everywhere for a title, but they have all the makings of a fine giddy-inducing listen. For the perfect summation of my feelings about this excellent disc, look no further than the jubilant "Wooo!" near the beginning of "Aberdeen," one of my favorite tracks on this album. Things kick off with the piano-driven call-to-boogie of "The Mutant Dance" which claps and bleeds perfectly into "Uh Oh" with all of its unhinged vocal glory. At other points, bouncy is the immediate term that comes to mind (the back-to-back "Dying in Frisco" and "My oh My"), whereas songs like "Neopolitan Lullabies", "Pirate Love" and the wicked singalong "Somebody Stole My Applesauce" show the band in a more lax light. My only regret is that I didn't track down this splendid record earlier-but I can't wait to hear what they do next.

-Bill Stuart - Monday Magazine

"...hard to ignore because they are just so good. Most bands never get this creative with their sound or lyrics, these kids have in their first step, and I can't wait to see what direction they head."

-Patrick McKenna CFUV Victoria - Earshot!