| There are few artists who are capable of approaching music through a technological lens while maintaining the song first and foremost – the organic processes of harmony and tune. Next to FourTet, Caribou (formerly Manitoba), and The Postal Service, Bryce Kushnier’s Vitaminsforyou have, over the course of only one album and a few EPs and compilation appearances, found the middle ground between laptops and acoustic guitars – glitch and melody.
2003’s I’m Sorry Forever and For Always presented a canvas ranging from minimalist noise experimentation (the rhythmic resampling of restaurant noise, for example) to the lovely swelling pop of "It’s Only Snow=It’s Only Sunshine." The recent EP d,sol, mr. soleil, cest la neige qui va me lib,rer goes one better, expanding Vitaminsforyou’s palette to include the Wawa International Brass and Wind Ensemble, and even a startling transformation of the Arcade Fire’s "No Cars Go." "Being Away Fame (A Song For the Xenophobic)" comes off like a grown-up version of The Postal Service, a perfectly formed pop song coiled through wires and mouse clicks. Music equally suited for the chin-strokers and indie dance kids alike (Bonnie "Prince" Billy filed next to LCD Soundsystem), the heart in Vitaminsforyou is almost enough to convince me my computer’s really just in need of a good hug every now and then.
From his new home in Toronto (originally from Winnipeg, Vitaminsforyou re-located first to Montreal and then Ontario), Kushnier reflects on the challenges inherent in making electronic music that lasts. "I think all music has the potential to not be able to outlive its own existence and that’s why trends seem so stupid in hindsight. For me what is always exciting about electronic music is the space it leaves for innovation and that has always been implicit in its form. I mean, I’m not making the argument that rock ’n’ roll is static, but much of what has always defined electronic music is to be that which is not rock ’n’ roll. For me, it’s playing with these kinds of genre expectations and making music that doesn’t necessarily have to date itself."
Having played an equal number of electronic-experimental music festivals to indie-club shows, Vitaminsforyou is equally comfortable after a set of laptop noise as they are before an amped-up guitar group. "Some festivals I play there are a lot of people that come from the experimental and electronic world who are really into the music but probably don’t see or listen to a lot of indie-pop that influences me." In terms of crowd response, Kushnier’s requests are simple: "Swaying or dancing is up to you, but sitting down is a little lame."
Gathering props from the likes of The Wire magazine, invited to open for Germany’s The Notwist, Themselves, and SchneiderTM, and currently working on a new full-length album with an exciting list of collaborators ranging from Snailhouse’s Mike Feuerstack, Bowie back-up singer Emm Gryner and Sook-Yin Lee, Vitaminsforyou won’t be a secret for long.
The finest groups are usually those that remain somewhat undefinable, those that can cross genre boundaries and appeal to just about anyone. Vitaminsforyou is potentially one of those groups and Kushnier embraces those possibilities.
"I like that people ‘get it’ in all kinds of places I play, from new media festivals to indie-rock nights. I try not to get caught up in trying to sell myself too much to one audience and really look for ways to be more accessible to more people. My parents just the other day finally said something to the effect of, ‘Hey, this is really kind of like music.’ Once they’ve understood what I do, I think I may retire." |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.