Sfeericle Records
Vitaminsforyou : The legend of bird's hill (CAN,2006)***°
Vitaminssforyou is a project lead by Bryce Kushnier, and this is his second album. The music surely will take advantage of the success of the acoustic folk movement with complex subtle rock arrangements (Sufjan Stevens, Adem, Brendon Anderegg,..) and uses also clever modern electronica. With a bit of help from the laptop (electronica, rhythms, modern production and mix) Bryce is using also some up-to-date DJ-like mixing techniques. Anyhow, the arrangements have a complex mix of instruments and ideas, tightly woven together, but flow very constant without changing the mood very much or without any sharp contrasts. It needs various listens and an attentive listen and a deliberate focus to lift out certain moments of songs out of the overall really very nice song-driven but still carpet-like feeling, like with moving lights around giving a nice mood, but also confusing and making almost forgetful to hear the details, blurring the attention. Of course some of the songs have more modern and attractive electropop rhythms that attract a pop sensibility, and could easily flourish up a mood during a party, with a bit more peace and time to adapt the sphere other than the wish for dancing. I made the effort of various listens and I'm surprised how much is really happening all the time. I'm sure there must have been much work done on it, with an ear for perfection.
19 songs and 75 minutes is a long time, but unless the music has no exaggerated global contrasts, it still invites the listener to put it up more than once, because it's impossible to have assimilated it all, even after a few listens.
Vitaminsforyou participated the same year one track of a Avia Gardner CD. Review here
