Redivider

Never Odd or Even Diatribe ****

Drummer Matt Jacobson’s “chordless” quartet features some of the most intrepid young players on the Dublin scene, including saxophonist Nick Roth, trombonist Colm O’Hara and bassist Derek Whyte, scions all of that nest of musical subversives in Newpark Music Centre. Recorded live (some of it at this year’s 12 POINTS! festival, where RedivideR represented Ireland), the group play with an energy and focus that renders even the most fractured passages coherent. The leader’s penchant for palindromes extends to the compositions, which twist themselves inside-out, veering from frenetic group anarchy to quiet ruminations that disintegrate and reintegrate before your very ears. They rarely sound like compositions in the traditional sense, and the melodies can be hard to discern, but what they do provide is rugged soundscapes for the group to explore, and with open minds and considerable technical aplomb, the group do just that. See reverbnation.com/ redivider.