BROWN VS BROWN – Odds And Unevens

Cuneiform

Can asymmetry become the next step to perfection? Listening to the skewed tempos and effervescent glitches of which this Dutch quartet offers handfuls, the answer would have to be positive. Saxophonist Dirk Bruinsma, bassist Viljam Nybacka, drummer Gerri Jäger and guitarist Jeroen Kimman are all involved in writing scores for the company, of which Odds And Unevens is the second CD. The garbled multifariousness of stylistic hints is one of the band’s alluring features, which wouldn’t work in any case if the guys couldn’t play those instruments with eyes closed. The unanimity of intents is enriched by a constant will of subverting expectations while hinting at known realities of the “RIO, post-RIO and related surroundings” region; names that (vaguely) came to mind were Univers Zero, Blast, Doctor Nerve and Remote Viewers. Yet Brown Vs Brown rejoice in technically dazzling distinctiveness, forcing us to frantically search the place where the main accent falls and to move our feet according to a perverse logic of “I’ve-thrown-you-off-centre-again” rhythmic configurations and untamed counterpoints. Their stuff might not exactly easy to commit to memory, but the peppery aroma of these now-minimal-now-outrageous orchestrations lingers on after a mere couple of listens of this vibrant album.